WRITTEN BY GRACE THEISEN
Every summer, my family vacations at Tiger Musky Resort near Hayward. We meet up with our extended family and long-time friends. We boat, fish, and swim; and we do our best to stay off of our electronic devices. Although we do not gather on a holiday, the get-together feels like a holiday gathering.
Sometimes it gets a bit crazy. We assemble in the main lodge for karaoke. No offense, but some people in my family should not sing with a karaoke mic. (Um, Dad!) Then there is this challenge event involving the consumption of a minnow, a worm, and a leach. It is strange that a family can bond around something so gross.
We spend a lot of time boating. We go fishing some, but frankly my family doesn’t know a lot about fishing. So we get bored fishing and just swim. At some point, we started swimming in the middle of the lake where my brothers came up with a new floating technique: Put life vests on upside down with your legs through the armholes. The vests fit like oversized diapers—my whole family floats around in the middle of the lake perched upon their floatable diapers. It’s a funny sight!
Then there are the games: bean bag toss, card games, Scrabble, and a huge Monopoly tournament. Let’s just say that the family gets a bit competitive. Before long, the cheating begins. My dad and I plan to form a Monopoly tournament alliance so we can beat my Aunt Bri. Get ready for the protests and attempts to change the rules!
As I look back on our annual lake get-togethers, there are too many good times to count. I also realize how easy it is to leave everything at home—including my electronic devices!