Geneva Lakes Wooden Boat Show (or Wooden Boat Overload!)

My very good friends Rob and Peg were fortunate to be able to make his annual pilgrimage to the Geneva Lakes Wooden Boat Show last weekend. Basking in the beauty of mahogany and one of the Midwest's most beautiful lakes while I was stuck in the air conditioned ashtray of Las Vegas.

I don't know much about these beautiful boats, but I certainly know how much I would have loved to have been able to see them first-hand. I can almost smell the sweet fresh water of Wisconsin's second-deepest (and second-prettiest) lake. Man I miss my boat and Wisconsin.



































All photos: ©Rob and Peggy Hamilton, 2010

Vintage Lake Geneva Postcards

Today you're getting a two-fer. Why? Because these two have never been mailed and have boring, blank backsides.

Both are from Wisconsin's second deepest natural lake, Lake Geneva. Sitting just across the border from Illinois in South Eastern, WI, the Lake Geneva area has been the "Newport of the West" for generations, with many Chicago business leaders calling this lapis jewel home during the summer months. Families such as Wrigley, Sears, Swift, Harris, Pinkerton and Schwinn all have or once had mansions on its shores.

Plenty of summer camps also existed on the shores of Lake Geneva, including Olivet Camp as featured below.
I've spent many days playing on or around Lake Geneva, but I don't know the lake's natural and man-made features as well as I know those on Green Lake. However, I'm pretty sure this camp was on the north shore, towards the western edge of the lake. I like the canoe and other boats pictured, along with the oh-so-modest bathing suits.

A few camps are identified on the next Lake Geneva postcard, but not the Olivet Camp.
My great grandparents had a place near the Harvard Club in the southwest part of the lake. My Great Grandpa Finer built a stout field stone cottage a few hundred feet from the shore, a great place for my dad to experience growing up, spending summers sailing and swimming. The home still stands, I'll have to get my mom to send me a couple of shots of the place.

Joe and the Boat - Genva Lake, WI

Joe and his family have certainly been enjoying the Aqua Fury / Dragonfly - my old 1957 Thompson Deluxe Sea Coaster.

Over Memorial Day Weekend she was put into familiar waters - Wisconsin's Geneva Lake (aka Lake Geneva). During my tenure as owner, it probably saw about 5-7 trips on Wisconsin's second deepest natural lake.


As far as we know, the boat was never used to tow water skiers or tubers by her previous owners (me and the Swans). Joe's kids got quite the workout in the chilly water being tugged around by the two stroke 1959 Johnson Super Sea Horse 35 (falsely labeled as "Super Quiet").

Look closely and you'll see her at the end of the last of the docks at the Riviera.

zoomed in

It's hard for me to look at these pics and not think that the boat is still mine. I feel like it's just another toy we left back in the Midwest to be picked up someday.