The days on the water were excellent. Almost every week dad bought something new for the boat or a new fishing pole. My mom was really losing patience with my dad for spending so much money on his hobbies. My dad told my mom that the rod and reel he had just purchased was only 45 dollars. I thought it was odd that dad told her it costed 45 bucks because I was there when he bought the combo and it was 90 dollars. Dad and I had a talk about fishing gear and women later. He told me that sometimes the prices of things had to be fudged so mom would not get so mad at him for buying them. He swore me to secrecy on the real prices of all fishing and hunting gear I witnessed being purchased.

Our life fishing was grand. My dad told tales to all the neighbors about our catches. We supplied the town with catfish and walleye on a regular basis. There was even a sign up sheet at the gas station in town for Len Harris' catfish or walleyes.

This all changed in November of 1967. My dad went to northern Wisconsin to deer hunt with his brother and never came back to captain the boat. My dad died of a heart attack. He left behind 6 children and a wife that had never worked out of the home.

Two days after my dad's funeral it started. Guys that dad had fished with or hunted with showed up at the door to "help" my mother. It got out that my dad didn't have life insurance and mom was strapped for cash. My dad's guns were the first casualties. I remember one guy offering mom 35 bucks for my dad's rod and reel he had paid 90 dollars for. I wanted to say something but thought better of it and shut my mouth.

The next spring there was a guy in our yard looking at Dad's boat. I heard him offer her 300 dollars for it. She said she would think on it and get back with him. I told my Uncle Sig about the dilemma and what dad had told me the boat had really costed and Sig told my mom to not take a penny under 600 dollars for it. There were many tire kickers that year. My mom fielded many offers for the boat. None even came close to 600 dollars. I was relieved every time someone left and the boat was still in the yard. I was eleven years old and I got it in to my head that when I was 12 the next June that the boat was mine because mom and dad had already talked about it and twelve was the age I could steer the boat myself.

My birthday came and I was twelve in 1969. I went out in the yard and took the cover off the boat. I sat behind the steering wheel and remembered all the good times I had spent with my dad in that very special boat. I cleaned out the boat and prepared it for going on the Kickapoo with. My dad taught me how to make those bank poles for catfish. I thought that was close and I should go and cut down some saplings and make some bank poles and set up the rigs just like I was taught by my dad. I had the poles all made up. All I needed was chicken liver. I checked the couch cushions and there was enough change for them. Off I went to the grocery store.

My twelve year mind was abuzz. I walked out of the store and was walking home. I was planning where I was going to put all the bank poles. I saw a car coming down Main Street and it had a boat behind it. I would always look at boats and compare them to my dad's with the fancy steering wheel and gloat that ours was better. The boat behind the car looked a lot like "mine." I thought to myself that it wasn't as good as mine because it didn't have a steering wheel. As the car went by I saw this one had a steering wheel and I saw it had a repaired front. I ran home as fast as I could to tell mom that someone had stolen the boat. Mom was outside. I yelled at her to call the police because someone had stolen my boat. My mom's eyes got really big and she shook her head and looked down. An hour later and lots of crying by me it sunk in that mom had sold the boat for 800 dollars. She explained to me that our family was having a hard time making ends meet and the guy had seen me playing in the boat and was attracted to it and saw the "For Sale" sign. As a twelve year old I didn't understand very well. It took me until about the age of 18 to realize that mom did what she had to do.

I have never owned a boat in my life and never will.