Darryl goes home burns up his boat, bought a new one, packed for Table Rock and moved into my Silver Star trailer for some memorable years. His only advise was to not have gasoline in the bottom of the boat when the battery shorts across. Little did he know that diving out of a boat from a flat-footed floor start would be so handy. Annie liked the little trailer so much that she spent living there.
Purdom comes into the picture somewhere about now. With the added attraction of a good-looking red head and my personality, we had a steady run of young men. Joe Kukal made frequent trips from Lockwood, Vic England lived in Mano, Tony Leach visited from Cassville, and Richard Purdom worked at the Big M.
The summer got extended to include cycle riding in the fall and spring. Sue McKinney bought Vic?s old 90 Honda, brother Gary bought a 250 Yamaha, this inspired Doc England to buy a new one just like it. This cycle thing all started with Jim Baker who sold an old 125 Ward?s bike to Steele. Sue got to hide her bike in my garage every time mom and dad came to town. He then had to have a 305 Honda. Sue can tell you how to start an old Ward?s bike that has lost its foot crank. Of course Goade was never going to ride a trail bike. Even though he was the one who wrote ?Yamaha Sucks? on the bar, he started on a 175 Yamaha. Of course it was borrowed from Gary. But he did finally buy him and Annie a trials bike and Courtney a bike. This was where the Riley boys entered the picture. John Riley taught science at Emporia high and his brother Steve taught in Hutchinson.
Can?t forget Duane Folger?s broken collarbone. He came around the curve above East Rock Hill and put his cycle in the ditch. Another collarbone went when John Riley had to show us his wheely. I can?t remember if this was before or after he named ?word creek?. After hearing this bad word, we went back and it was John on the ground and his cycle hanging in the tree. Not quite so exciting was Eldon?s friends putting their brand new bikes in the bottom of Roaring River. Somewhere in here Lynn (Downing) Hobson did her Mia Hamm impression at the same junction of Roaring River.
Skiing was taking a back seat to no one. Everyone was learning to ski backwards, buying red white and blue slaloms and some people were even skiing around the boat. Lynn Hobson had a bunch to do with the crowd nowadays. I brought her, Hatsy Waters, Lori Howard and some others down for a few days. This all led to Goade?s coming to Wichita to watch basketball, Steele going to Baxter Springs to watch musicals and all sorts of things. Lynn?s relationship with the lake led to brother George and his whole crew being included. Big George and Mary, Downing parents, came down to check things out. Well George went riding with the Riley?s and Steele. Steele would wait at every crossroad for the rest. George being at the crossroad, Steele went back to check on Riley?s. When we got back George was gone. A Deliverance movie made us a little jumpy and we went through the woods yelling for George. An hour later we found George on the couch with mom.
About now Steele had to let Nina, his step mom, know this was Steele?s place. She couldn?t have slept if she had known that a black friend was sleeping in a tent about 50 feet out her window. That was Nina?s first and last visit. She fit right in with Jimmy Baker. He parted ways when Steele brought the BSO members down. Steele sponsored the Black Student Organization at Emporia High. ?If you can organize the trip, I will take you to Table Rock Lake.? They did, I did and the rest is history. Sharon Hutcherson, Benny Essics, Mark Drake, and more made the trip. Some learned to ski, all took home junk from the pottery place. I was pulling Stewart Nelson on skis and Jimmy Bradford, the water patrolman, summarized it when he yelled, ?What you doing Steele, trolling for alligators??.
Haven?t forgot you Cassandra Goade. Matthew Grant, his sons Tye and Nathan, Eldon and Sue Haggard, their sons Cory and forgot, Dani and Mike Braden all probably came more often because of you. This was the younger generation of kids. Of course they wouldn?t have come if I had let you drown. Saved Cass from the cold water one early March day. Of course she had a life jacket and was in no danger but it is nice to be appreciated. Cass got her sleep on the floor of the old Whale, a 20 foot Mark Twain, boat of Darryl?s. Not sure the exact age but Cass spent her share of time on the saucer and then skis. She became an expert on the diving board and at hill climbing. Seems Annie always forgot something at the house.