Nightmare at the Lake

My thought and plan was to get up in the morning, hook up the pontoon boat, throw my coolers in the van and leave. Of course my plan was all wrong. I had told the kids I wasn't working hard on my birthday so I told them they had to do the packing. But again, I had to go pick up Rach and her two kiddies, come back and load firewood in the back of the truck, go to C's and get her kiddies bicycles before I could hook up the boat. Then we had to put all of the suitcases, tv, food and coolers in the back of the van before we could hook up the pop-up camper to it. By then I was grubby and needed a shower but I figured I could get it at the lake after unloading and setting up.

My son-in-law had been working on their motorhome for two days. Their fuel pump had gone out and they had to order one. So he was going to pick it up at one and put it in. Of course that didn't happen on time either. So here we are sitting forever waiting for him to get done. They had been packing for days. It is amazing how much of your house you pack just for a four day vacation. But then they packed for seven and Rach packed for three and I packed for all of them and me. Hubby opted out of this little trip since we weren't taking our RV. Gas is just too high to take it since it only gets nine miles per gallon.

By four in the afternoon we still weren't on the road. So much for leaving early. Ray came home from work and we talked her into going with us since they cancelled the races and she didn't have to work her second job that night. So she threw a bag together and we all sat for a while longer. We were trying to figure out how to get her home Sunday as we were staying til Tuesday when our truck driving son said he was going too. So he threw a bag together and said she could ride home with him.

Five came and went and we were still sitting there. Ray and Rach decided to call their sister and see how the progress on the motorhome was going. Fuel pump was in but now the carburetor was not acting right so he had to work on that. Ray and Rach took the van and the pop-up and left followed by truck driving son. I waited for son-in-law and daughter to get the RV going so I could follow them and make sure we all got there.

Six can and went and I was playing online bingo by now. Ray called me from the road. They had stopped by and checked on the progress of the RV. Not good. I was informed I had the diapers and the clothes in the back seat of my truck so I needed to leave. Oh, and we picked up Cara and Button. So at six thirty, I left pulling the boat by myself. I stopped to check on the progress of the Rv. Still no good! Now my daughter was playing online bingo. She couldn't do anything to help so she was sitting and waiting. I left at six fifty all by myself.

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! It sure was a quiet trip all by myself. I took my time checking the boat often to make sure the tires were okay. We had such a time getting the boat ready in the first place. Some one had broken two stems on our tires and we had to get that fixed. Then the motor wouldn't start, so hubby and son-in-law took the boat in and had it overhauled. I stopped at the Shell station right off the exit at the lake and put in $75.00 in gas. It still didn't fill it. By the time I got to the camp ground it was dark. I pulled the boat out of the way with two tires on the road so eveyone could go around me. I wasn't about to try to put the boat in the water in the dark. That was going to wait until morning.

Ray and Rach were chasing babies when I got there. I reminded them I usually kept both of them two days a week and had a quiet laugh. They were trying to drink beer and take care of children and found out that just didn't work. So I took over Cara, since I was the only one she wanted. I finally put her to bed around eleven.

The phone woke me up around one and son-in-law, daughter and their three boys were on their way in to the camp ground. So we got up with the flash light I had packed and helped them back in. They set up with our help, put their awning out and went to take a shower that I never got.

All right! Vacation at the lake had started!

I woke up hot since we had to turn the air down for the babies. Son had started a fire already. He had gone next door and got his sisters flat griddle and was cooking bacon already. He is sometimes a blessing in disguise. He cooked bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, pancakes and eggs for all of us. We ate breakfast and put the boat in the lake.

Button, who is 12 was in seventh heaven. He's my little fisherman. He can do it all by himself. He can fix his own rod, bait, catch, take the fish off and put it in the net. He even knows how to put the catfish on the stringer. He helps keep the boat clean, put out the minnows over the side, throw anchors and tie down the boat. Grandpa taught him how to filet fish so he even helps me there. He has learned how to wash the filets, and how to freeze them. He is good at cleaning up afterwards.

We have to fish in shifts as I won't allow too many at one time on the boat. So I missed the first trip out. I decided it was a learning experience for son. He had never driven the boat before. You would think why? Well why was because we never trusted him with it. He is reckless and dangerous at times. So I let him take the older kids out and told him to stay in the cove where we could see him. It was a hoot! He took his sisters cooler and we called him and told him to come back so we could switch out. He couldn't find neutral to start the boat and we watched him float around for awhile. Ray thought she was gonna have to swim over and get it for a bit but he finally got it started and decided he didn't like to drive. So Ray took them out for a couple of hours while we played with the little ones and did dishes and cleaned up.

I finally got to get on my boat late afternoon. Ray, Button, TJ and Tim went with me. I took them to one of my favorite spots up the cove to fish. We puttered up there in the no wake zone and had been fishing for a while when my phone rang.

My son-in-law was on the phone and I couldn't hardly understand him. He repeated himself twice when I finally understood "CARA IS NOT BREATHING!"

"CALL 911!" I slammed the phone shut. I turned to the others. "Get the anchors up, Cara isn't breathing."

Thirty seconds later we were out of there. I didn't care if it was no wake or not. I put the boat in full throttle and we got out of there. All I could do was pray. I had no equipment to work on her. I told Ray call back and tell them to start CPR not even knowing if they knew how. Ray called and they said she was breathing, so I told them to hold up. Button was so upset, I thought he was going to throw up. This was his baby sister we were talking about. We hit the bank running. I left the boat to Ray and Tim to tie down.

Cara was laying sideways on the picnic bench on a folded up towel. Her mother was almost poor cold water all over her. She said Cara had been hot and she thought maybe she was running a fever when Cara rolled her eyes back in her head and started convulsing. They had called 911 after my call. Cara was a limp rag laying there but I could see her little heart beating. I was debating on whether they should just get in the car and head for the hospital in the next town when the park rangers showed up. They tried to put oxygen on her but she raised her hand and tried to fight it. Next thing I knew, there were at least 15 vehicles skidding in full of people to help. We had park rangers, fire department, ambulances all there in a few minutes. They took my limp baby and put her in the ambulance and we followed them out to Franklin County Hospital. Momma went with Cara. They stripped her in the ambulance and wrapped her in a blanket.

We went straight into a room with her at the hospital. They tried to take her temp but couldn't get one. Cara had not opened her eyes yet. She was slightly blue until they got the oxygen on her. They got Tylenol down her with a syringe and took her blood pressure. Next they took blood for a work up. I held her arm so she wouldn't jump. I have had plenty of practice doing that. Then they carried my limp baby down to x-ray for chest films. I explained to my daughter what they were doing so they understood why. Half an hour later, they tried for another temp and got 102.3. They figured she hit at least 104-105 before she began to seizure. They pushed another doze of Motrin at this time. Before they finally got her temp down, she had a total of five doses alternating Tylenol, Motrin. Cara finally opened her eyes at 9:15. We finally left there at 11:00 with her. We had instructions to call her physician for a follow up and for them to call the hospital for the rest of her blood results. They couldn't find anything wrong with her other than the fever. What a night!

We went to Walmart for Tylenol and Motrin. I picked up some Pringles as she was starving! She ate those until we got to McDonalds and she stuffed herself with chicken and french fries.

We went back to the campground and I sat outside by the campfire. No one else was up. I took the time to thank the Lord for helping us and prayed he would watch over all of us.

One more bad day and we were all going home.

Sunday was better, but of course we watched Cara like a hawk. It was overcast and windy so the boys fished off the bank. We cooked and ate and played. Finally late in the afternoon I took the boys out in the middle of the cove and let them swim. Ray and Tim left for home and our camping trip got a little quieter.

Monday was good. The sun came out and we packed up a lunch and all went to the beach to play. We took Cara's medicine with us. She was her perky little self, back to normal. She had a good time and got quite brave walking thru the water. They played in the sand and I took her bottoms off and washed the sand out. She likes being naked, but then she is only two! lol!

We had our usual fire that night and cooked our usual marshmallows and watched the starts in the sky. I thanked the Lord again.

Tuesday we packed up. You think we got home? Eventually! lol! Son-in-law had a leak in the gas tank. We found that out at the Shell station when we were trying to fill up. We sat for an hour at the picnic table in the shade. I had to stop twice because I didn't put the cover over the boat and my gate flew open and the strap around the top came loose. I was so glad to be home!