Everyone, it seems, loves a good mystery. It’s part of human nature to search for that which is not known. We perch on the edge of our seats at the movie theatre, grip dime novels with sweaty palms, and lean in close to the campfire hanging on every word of the cliffhanger. The small time crimes of your little home town exert a fascination way beyond the significance of the deed itself. What’s going to happen next, we ask?

What has this to do with iceboating? Do we not live with mystery five or six months of the year? Instead of the tidy structured who-dunit from Hollywood we are involved in a full blown unknown every week from Thanksgiving to Easter. Where’s the ice? Who knows where the ice is? Someone knows someone who knows where the ice is. Is it any good? How many holes and pressure ridges are there? Will my boat survive, or will I have to bring it home in pieces and re-build it before next weekend? Are all these weather forecasts for real? Do I just show up and pray? What’s a good mystery without a little prayer, anyway.

Speaking of prayer and mystery, we should all be keeping Stu Nelson in our thoughts and prayers these next days.

Don’t forget the Swap Meet coming up on Saturday, October 25th. Knights of Columbus Hall, Westboro, Mass.