And Mom, Rolf & I Played Scrabble too.

Last weekend we went to Lake Anna, where my folks have a house. We didn't go much last year, because every time we wanted to go we found out that there were going to be 45 baptists there. So, we spent our time at Rehoboth (where the baptists fear to tread.)

But, Mom is sick, and Dad is {sigh} . . . Dad is an old. They love having a house down at the lake, Daddy wants to live there, but Mom won't give up her piano playing jobs (church organist, piano teacher, etc.) They worry about being able to keep up with the house, so we're trying to go down there and help them out, Baptists or not.

My Rolf was so wonderful. We've been together for very nearly 25 years. He helps me with my family so much. We've come so far from the days where we were afraid our families would disown us, to be so close. We weeded some garden beds, cleaned out the gutters, and transplanted some azaleas.

(Mom wasn't feeling good on Saturday, she'd just completed a round of chemotherapy the day before. Also, she suddenly has alarmingly high blood pressure which makes her feel very tired, and there is a great risk that she will have a stroke if they don't get it under control. She took cat naps all day, and after a nap Sunday morning, she was feeling much almost fine.)

We didn't get out on the lake much on Saturday because we were doing the chores until late in the afternoon. But on Sunday we spent most of the day playing in the water. Both of the decrepit boats (a ski boat, and a party barge) were working, mostly. My nephew, Russ, and my sister, Joy, bought a Jet Ski. That's Russ and his girlfriend(who I will call Officer Cupcake) in the picture with the Jet Ski.

Russ had cute friends there too. They're all about 23 years old, and average hieght of 6'5". You know I enjoyed floating around and enjoying that view.

We had a bon fire on Saturday night. I remember my sister saying, 30 years ago when she found out that I was gay, that I was to never be affectionate with a man in her presence; and here I was sitting around a bon fire with her, her boyfriend, her son, his friends, and our mother 30 years later, holding hands with Rolf as we all laughed and sang.

All of Russ' friends left on Sunday night, and Joy and her boyfriend left on Monday morning. So it was just Russ, Officer Cupcake, Rolf and I on the boat on Monday. Russ and I did some water-skiing. I decided to take it up again after about six years; it was very painful. I was really thinking that the jet ski was going to be so easy and pain free.

But, well, it had to be me. Those jet ski's are fast. . . and I'd been working on the swift turns, and having a blast really.

Suddenly, I was speeding on very shallow water, and it was getting shallower. While trying to decide which way to turn and what to do about the acceleration: I drove it into the woods.

Oh my god. Can I say that I took the jet ski "off-lake-ing?"

I sat on the jet ski, on land, in a bush, stunned, and wondering why the machine was still running, when I realized that I was very nearly blinded. I had put my head down when I hit the shore, which was totally covered with bushes and trees. The only injury I suffered was some scrapes on my forehead. Well, the only injury so far; I was very afraid that I drove into a patch of poison ivy. I'm a little less afraid now.

Well, I pushed the jet ski, and pulled on the jet ski until I got it back in the lake. And I cleaned a bucket's worth of red clay out the the jet. And I got back on it, and skied back to the swiming party on the otherside of the cove. We were all stunned. It was very funny.

I tell ya. Russ was cool. Really cool. I was terrifed that I'd hurt his new toy, but it was fine. But he was so calm. I was so embarassed. and so very shaken. When he and Officer Cupcake went off for a tandem ride, Rolf and I (floating in our ski vests), held hands and hugged.