Another First for Mr Gryper

Okay you ask, exactly what happened to Mr Gryper?? He's given a brief description on his blog, but it's really hard to picture. Yup ... unless of course, you were actually witness to his folly.

It seems Mr Gryper was the first person to swim in our lake this year, and only two weeks after ice out day! Here's the version as I saw it.

He and Ken were putting the dock back in the water. As I was approaching the dock I was looking at Ken who was on the shore side working on something that I couldn't see. Meanwhile I'm hearing this sort of gasping/shrieking sound. Suddenly Mr Gryper goes from a man standing on the dock to a pair of shoes disappearing into the cool, clear water. As much as "cool, clear water" sounds lovely in the song, apparently it's not so lovely on April 29th. As he, with incredible agility, leapt from three feet of refreshing morning pick-me-up back onto the dock, I couldn't help but notice the size of his eyeballs. They went from sort oval-y shaped nickles, to bulging round twoonies.

We three were of course most concerned for his well being, but couldn't help cautious grins. Okay, you got me, hysterical shrieks of laughter.

He had been trying to push a piece of 16 foot 6 X 6 out from under it with a paddle and the paddle slipped, leaving him hanging in mid-air screaming.

Okay, so he's soaked to the skin from top to toes. He goes in the house to change into the only other dry clothes he has up here and returns to finish the the job he had only barely started.

Here's the picture as accurately as I can tell it without the benefit of a camera (will I ever learn to have on on hand at all times?!?!). The platform at the end of the dock has the walkway on top of it. They manoeuver it over to the end of the permanent part where the cribs are and successfully get the walkway attached to the permanent part of the dock. Ken is now on the platform and with a lever inserted underneath a rope that is tied around the walkway, is holding the end of the walkway up out of the water while Mr Gryper is attempting to attach the platform hinges to the walkway. Hard to picture, harder yet to watch. Mr Gryper decides to go out onto end of the the walkway while Ken is holding the weight of the walkway. Several times during the process, Ken tells Mr Gryper "you should get back off there". Mr Gryper thinking that Ken is making suggestions about the best position for the hinge connecting, doesn't realize that Ken has just about run out of the ability to hold the old fool up out of the water.

Finally, Ken shouts with great drama, "You really need to get off the walkway now", as the whole lot, Ken, Mr Gryper and walkway head back towards the water. Ken manages to get his balance before he's treated to an icy plunge. The walkway hits the water and Mr Gryper is yet again headed for the frigid depths when Ken heroically grabs at him, saving him from all but a soaker. Mr Gryper accusingly asks Ken why he didn't say something sooner instead of waiting until the last moment. Nice try Gryper .... we heard him tell you several times.

All in all it was more entertainment than our tear ducts could handle for a day.