Cruising Lake Erie with Hall and Oates

I visit my mom's stone cottage on Lake Erie for a week every summer. She lives in a private circle, on Catawba Island in north central Ohio, that has two driving forces: 1) Slow-burn partying and 2) Carefree attitude. Most of the inhabitants are at least semi-retired and live on island time, which means drinking can start at 10 A.M. and boat rides are just as prevalant as car rides.

Two houses down from my mom is Mike and Mary's summer place. They are fun loving, slightly preppy socializers, and their presence always makes my visits more fun. One morning this week, Mike walked over and said, "We're going out on the boat. If you want to come we're leaving in 15 minutes." We did. The lake was choppy, the boat was fast, and the breeze and spray were refreshing.

After dropping off a pair of stone glass earrings, nearly obliterating a dock of kayaks, taking a long swim, and consuming a few adult beverages, we headed back to Catawba. Mary uncovered the boat's speakers, Mike plugged in his Shuffle, and we unexpectedly had a soundtrack.The first three songs were tunes from Abandoned Luncheonette , the first major Hall and Oates album.



The only Hall and Oates song I know is "Maneater," so I had to ask who it was.

"Oh, this, it's Hall and Oates," Mary said, maybe with a twinge of embarrassment.
"Oh, really? Nice," I replied.
"Kellen just loves music," my mom filled in.
"Oh, well, we used to love Hall and Oates back in college," Mary said, enjoying the reflection now that she knew I wasn't hoping for something more modern.
"Oh yeah," I said calculating years mischievously. "Did you ever see them live?"
"Oh yeah, five or six times," Mary answered.
"Only cost three dollars back then," Mike added from behind the wheel. "We saw them at the Bowling Green Student Union."

Five years ago, I would have scorned Hall and oates, but it sounded good on the boat. Is their sound permeating music now more than it did five years ago? Or is their just something about sunshine, cold lager, and breeze that made my ears greet "She's Gone" more affectionately. I didn't have too long to ponder. As that third song began, Mary yelled up to Mike, "Put something new on honey." He obliged. The next track, "My Humps," started blaring.