Lake Casitas

Each August
When Ruby’s birthday
Rolled around,
We would invite
A bunch of our friends
Out to Lake Casitas
For a summertime picnic.
We traditionally
Rented a pontoon boat
So that groups of us
Could putter
Around the lake.
We loved to meander
Along the shore
And work our way
Back into some
Of the narrow canyons
Looking for deer
As well as
Aquatic wildlife.
It’s usually very hot
That time of year,
But no matter how inviting
The water might look,
Swimming wasn’t allowed
Because it’s
A municipal reservoir.
That didn’t prevent us
From getting wet,
However.
As we crisscrossed
Lake Casitas,
We maneuvered
To soak the passengers
With each passing wave.
That was half the fun
Of piloting the boat.
My oldest daughter,
Becky,
Was the champion.
She was able
To catch one wave
That drenched
Everyone on the boat
From bow to stern.
Though those boats
Have a rated capacity
Of just twelve people,
We managed to load
Eighteen on one.
It wouldn’t have been so bad
If seventeen of them
Hadn’t decided
To position themselves
At the front end
Of the boat.
I wasn’t even remotely close
To sufficient weight
To counter all of them,
And the bow dug in
The first wave we hit
Almost tipping us over,
And nearly dumping
Everyone in the lake.
Fortunately,
We were able
To redistribute
Our load
And offload
A few people
For a safer ride,
And no park rangers
Were around
To witness
Our attempted
Mass dunking.
The girls relished
The opportunity
To motor off
With their friends
Away from the weight
Of parental supervision.
We figured
They were old enough
To handle the boat
By themselves,
And it gave them each
The opportunity
To play skipper.
On one such venture,
Ruby was in control
When one of the girls
Needed to use
The restroom,
So they beelined
For a couple
Floating toilets
At an island
In the lake.
The problem was
Ruby forgot
To slow down
And rammed the dock
At full speed.
It turned out
Some poor girl
Was inside
At the time,
And I can just imagine
Her being knocked
Off her seat
And all that stuff
Sloshing around.
No wonder the girl
Came out in a huff!
While the kids
Were having their fun,
There were plenty
For us to do
On shore.
There was lots
Of food to eat
And games to play,
And most of all,
The simple camaraderie
Of a group of friends
Relaxing on a lazy
Summer afternoon.
As evening approached,
We enjoyed
Listening to the kids
Recant the adventures
Of the day.
The tale about
Ruby and the toilet
Became a family classic,
A story that brings laughter
Every time it is told.