Jumping Into Tourist Season

Howdy, Neighbor. People have been telling Phil he’s a good storyteller for a long time… so we are trying something new and pretty-much non-sales Just sharing occasional sweet stories, tall tales, and life lessons learned around these parts. Northwoods Notes are a new, semi-bi-irregular peek into the heart and mind of Phil Frasier… you can read or listen… whichever you prefer… and you are receiving a copy because you’re a current customer of Frasier’s Plumbing and Heating, Inc. We think you’ll like them, but you can unsubscribe any time by clicking on the link at the bottom. But we hope you give us a chance!

Listen:

The Northwoods has sprung back to life. Tourist season is in full swing.

Our towns just feel happy. No matter where you go, there’s excitement in the air.

You meet some awesome folks who travel from all over to spend time in our big back yard.

And, sometimes, those tourists get themselves into some interesting situations.

I’m reminded of the time a buddy and I took some kids on a fishing trip.

We were on a spot of the river where we had to portage between two lakes.

There’s a waterfall with a fifteen-foot drop… and the walleyes were stacked up on top of it.

We were cookin’ up a mess of fish that we caught when we saw two guys pull up in a fourteen-foot aluminum boat. It had an old Johnson motor on the back with the tank and pump ball.

Those fellas would drift within fifty yards of the edge of the waterfall, start up their motor, and go back.

But something about their motor didn’t sound right.

These guys looked to be in their fifties. We could hear the one in front sayin’ he wanted to drop anchor. But the big man sitting in the back insisted on drifting so they could keep catching walleyes.

The current was pretty wicked and I knew that waterfall was serious business, so I hollered, “You need to drop anchor!”

But the big fella in the back shouted back, “Nah, we’re okay.”

They had once again drifted dangerously close to the waterfall when the guy in the back stood up to pull on the motor.

Vroom… vroom…. the engine sputtered…. vroom… vroom… but it didn’t start. Meanwhile, that boat inched closer and closer to the edge of that waterfall.

Our entire group started shouting, “JUMP! JUMP!”

The guy in the front of the boat took our advice. He jumped out and started swimming towards the shore.

But the big boy in the back was stubborn. He kept drifting backwards and pulling on that motor. And he was still pulling on the motor when he went over the waterfall.

We all raced down and pulled him out of the water below. He had hit the water hard and was all banged up. The boat was trashed. The motor was smashed. All their stuff was gone. They lost all their fish, too. A bunch of Hamms beer cans floated in the water. Empty and full.

We were able to help them get back to their truck so they could get help.

Anyway, all that to say… as you head out to the lake for a day of fun, please be careful out there.

And if a local ever starts jumpin’ up and down hollering for you to get out of the boat… do yourself a favor and JUMP!

Take care, Neighbor. Take good care.

Phil Frasier.

PS – Did you know that Niagara Falls had a vertical drop of more that 160 feet? I’d sure hate to be pulling on a motor going over that edge.