I should have listened.
My friends Don and Dennis told me to wait and let them help. "The ground may be slippery," they said. I didn't listen.
I went to the water's edge to empty the rain water from my jon boat. We were on vacation at Patagonia Lake in southern Arizona. The dirt bank seemed stable. I pulled several times to get the boat up on the bank. Then I slipped right on my tail bone, the same one I injured 35 years ago while riding in a friend's bass boat.
Realizing I couldn't move the boat further I moved to the back to lighten it by removing the battery. One hand couldn't do it, so I stepped into the boat with one foot and attempted to lift the battery with both hands. Suddenly the boat started sliding back into the water. I went with it, submersing everything but my wife's baseball cap. The boat tipped sideways, but I let loose and nothing spilled.
My ego was damaged, but no one saw me. So after clearing the rest of the water from the boat I walked the shoreline trail back to my camper, took a hot shower, and changed clothes.
I did give my friends a verbal picture of my adventure, even suggesting I would recreate it if they'd make a video. But now my tail bone hurts. I really should have listened to my friends.

Sorry for your discomfort, but that really makes me miss Arizona. Not the fishing, but the beautiful landscape. I can do the fishing here in Louisiana. I have a nice pond in the front yard to relax at in the afternoons.
Posted by: Tony Hand | March 28, 2007 at 11:44 PM