A magnet for outdoor mishaps

Whenever my husband and I plan to spend anytime in the great outdoors in any way, something always goes wrong.

This weekend was no exception. We rented a pontoon boat to take out on Tims Ford, and as we were coming back in, the gear shift went out on it. One of the guys who worked at the rental place came out to help, but he just made us bounce into the dock over and over again.

I also came home with a second degree sunburn. I haven't burned in ages, but I am still paying for being careless this one time.

Monday, as I lay in the recliner with vinegar-soaked rags covering my shoulders, I thought about my favorite outdoor mishap story of all time, one that actually had a very happy ending.

When my husband and I had been married just a couple of years, we decided we wanted to buy a boat. Since we were young and newly married, we didn't have a lot of money, so I searched and searched trying to find a bargain.

I eventually found one, and after putting out some effort, Brian and I had it lake-ready.

We spent almost every Friday and Saturday out on that boat, and most of the time, our best friends were with us. We didn't usually catch much, but we sure had a good time while we were trying.

One Friday afternoon, we decided we had had enough and came into dock. Our best friends were with us like always, and Kevin hopped out of the boat onto the dock to tie it off and go back the boat trailer into the water.

Brian had given him the keys to the truck, and Kevin held those in one hand and the boat's rope in the other. He meant to drop the rope in the water, but instead, he let go of the keys.

Down, down, down they went, dropping to the bottom of the lake. It was starting to get dark, so the already murky water was pitch black.

We had an extra set of keys, all the way back here at our home in Shelbyville. We were at Tims Ford. None of us had a cell phone, either.

Kevin volunteered to jump in the water to try and find them, but we knew it wasn't a good idea with it as dark as it was getting. Another couple came into dock while we were trying to figure out what to do, and they asked if we would like to use their cell phone.

We tried to get a call out by going to the top of the hill, but we couldn't get a signal. Kaycee, the female half of our friends, was certain we'd be spending the night at the lake in Brian's truck.

When we got back to them, an idea had struck Brian. He had a metal key chain, and a magnet would work to pull it back up. It was a long shot, of course, but where would we get the magnet?

My mechanically-minded husband remembered his truck speakers contained magnets. He used his fishing knife to cut the screen and remove it. He then tied the magnet to the boat rope and went fishing.

Kaycee and I just knew it wouldn't work. He dropped it in the water and moved it around and around and then pulled it back up -- no keys. He did it again and again he came back up with nothing.

I could tell from the look on his face he was getting discouraged, but he decided to give it one more try. He kept the rope in the water a little longer this time, moving it from left to right, in circles, walking up and down the end of the dock.

When he pulled the rope back up, there were his keys. We were saved. I called him MacGyver for months afterward.

I tell this story to our little girl now, and every so often, she'll ask me to tell her the fishing for keys story.

I don't mind telling her because it shows with a little determination, you can accomplish anything.

Besides that, it's the one outdoor mishap story that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out.

--Tamara Belinc is a T-G staff writer.