We have had the boat stored at both Mau Marine and Parks Marina in previous years but figured it made more sense to take it home. It’s a lot of money to store the boat there and so The Man bought a trailor and for the past few years, stores it at home in Sioux Falls. Also, he can pull the boat out to fill it at the station where gas is $1 cheaper a gallon than on the water.

The part I personally hate is taking the canopy off the lift (although when I compare it to putting the damn thing on it’s a dream). I become intimately aquainted with many spider varieties and can’t wait to hit the shower afterwards. Then we have to load up the boat and clean it out and tarp it and…..yuck.

It was windy and cold today. I complained the whole time but The Man promised I could sleep on the way home. That gave me something to look  forward to since he usually makes me drive back to Sioux Falls. No way was I driving all the way home with the Titanic hooked to the back of the truck!

Now, I have said it before and I’ll say it again, Butch Parks (the owner of the Parks Marina empire) is a marketing genius. Where so many other bars try to attract the young, single crowd, Butch Parks just appeals to, well…everyone! While mom and dad have a cocktail or a coke, the kids are off having their own kind of fun. Both of his beach bars have a great children’s area with sand, swings and water. When a band is playing, he’ll even hand out hoola hoops to the kids so they can join in the fun. On more than one occasion, The Man and I have had to explain why The Kid tells everyone she loves “The Tiki Bar.”

And the clothes! I know I’ve mentioned before that my Okoboji attire consists of “Barefoot Bar” clothes and I am not kidding.  I left my credit card at the condo and had $60 cash in my beach bag – just enough for another “Barefoot Bar” t-shirt and hat. Every year the clothing area gets bigger and you rarely find the same things that were there the year before. The quality is very good and the price is very fair. Best of all, the huge selection of cool, casual “barefoot” clothes has something to appeal to every age. Add the toys, games and plethora of novelty items and well…did I say marketing genius?