Amazing Marv

Over the course of many BSL years

the VHs, a family of six kids,
and the Huizinghs, a family of five kids
spent several happy summer days together.
Our ages were roughly the same
and if you threw in random Hoogstrates (seven kids!),
it all worked out pretty well.

Pretty well for us, that is.

You see, the Huizinghs had quite a few things we had
a hankering for.

A cottage, for one thing. Not a cottage they rented.
A cottage they owned.
It was white and clapboardy and looked
exactly like what a cottage in Northern Michigan should look like
and it was perfect.

If that wasn't idyllic enough, consider the fact that
their cottage had a little wishing well in the back yard
all cozily nestled in a quaint piney-wood.
Underfoot was a cushion of springy pine needles
and the air was riddled with pine-scent
and you could wander over there and just drift away,
kinda like the Calgon commercial,
and it felt like you were in the
Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarves movie.
(The little well was nonfunctioning, but still.)

This is Luanne H. and me in 1966 in front of Strovens cottage.
Luanne was a year younger than me
and tall like her Dad.
She's the one missing some teeth.

And I know I'm getting a little side-tracked,
but below are our daughters, Audra and Laina,
30 years later.

They just loved them some Barbies.
Laina's Barbie is modeled after
Lady Luck at the Bowery.


Okay, back to the main story....
Another thing Huizinghs had was
a sleek shiny speed boat with lots of horsepower.
We had a rowboat with "the eggbeater".
And, fortunately for us Hofmans,
Mr. Huizingh was very generous with his boat.

I don't know how many BSLers Marv Huizingh
taught to ski but there are probably quite a few
adults out there who owe their mastery of water sports to Marv.
I do know that he spent many pains-taking hours
with our ghetto family, and probably gallons of gas.
I remember our parents admonishing us:
"Only go once around the bay, otherwise
you'll use up all of Mr. Huizingh's gas."

Marv truly had the gift of hospitality and there
was hardly a weekend that went by when he didn't
have some group or club or individuals up at his cottage
being fed and entertained and the day always
drew to a close
with his pontoon boat tour of Big Star Lake.

But........
this is another gift Marv Huizingh has:

Marv is an amazing skier.
He had a little routine he'd do every once in a while.
First he'd get up on a disc, which is no mean feat in itself.


He'd take a little spin around the bay, doing flashy stuff
on the disc, and then, while passing the dock,
someone would hand him this......


..... a stepladder!!


Amazing!!
And the best part of all....
Marv is 75 years old when he's doing this!