I didn’t grow up on Lake Panorama — or any lake, for that matter. My summers were spent working on farms, shingling houses or pouring concrete. If I ever ended up in water, it was either the city pool or, if I was feeling reckless, a rural gravel pit that probably should not have counted as “swimming.” I didn’t know the difference between a Chris-Craft boat and a Kit Kat bar.
My wife did. She grew up skiing, boating and baking in the sun. She still does. And she has spent years trying to convert me into a lake person. Results have been mixed, as my version of “watersports” tends to include wedged vertebrae, sunburns and two days of diarrhea.
Still, after five years at Lake Panorama, I’m evolving. Slowly. Like a turtle on a float mat. I would not call myself a full lake guy yet, but I have developed opinions. For instance, you can give me a pontoon with a Bimini cover over a speedboat any day. Speed is fun, but shade is survival. I have also learned that “relaxing on the water” is code for “sunburn in progress.”
What surprises me most is how much the lake has now become part of me and me of it. I like history, and Lake Panorama has plenty of it. My memories go back to the early 1990s when Jolene and I were dating and would visit her parents at the lake. We thought we were just tagging along. In reality, we were being gently inducted into lake culture. We would ride with Dean and Lois on their sacred post-dinner pontoon cruise, cocktails in hand, Iowa State plastic tumblers raised like they were part of a ritual older than the lake itself. At the time, we laughed. Of course we did. Young people almost always think they are smarter than tradition.
Fast forward to today, and guess what we are doing? Same cruise. Same lake. Same Iowa State tumblers. Turns out we didn’t escape lake life; we just got scheduled into it. There is something funny about that kind of slow transformation. Nobody announces it. One day you are mocking the routine, and a few years later you are protecting the same routine like it is a family heirloom. Nostalgia, memories and history have a way of sneaking up on you out here. Lake life doesn’t just age with you. It collects you.
In this month’s cover story, we dig into the history of boating on Lake Panorama with insight from two people who know more about boats than most of us know about anything. Whether you are shopping for a new boat, resurrecting an old one that may or may not run, or just reminiscing about summers past, this feature story should keep you entertained.
Now… break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar.
Have a great month, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com