The most unlikely person to go water skiing with, I know! I do not remember who else was with us that day, and believe me, I have tried. Just me and the boys on the lake for a cruise. I do remember it was a very warm, perfect summer day on Lake Washington.
Before Andy died, I didn't have much time for watersports, and was just grateful to make it to the gym every day. A fitness addict at one time and an avid mountain biker, I was athletic, but I had never even been in a nice speed boat, come to think of it. So anyhow, we're there cruising up and down the lake, and Layne and I are talking about who knows what, just stoned and happy, all my brothers in the music scene would pretty much take turns Xana sitting after Andy died, so I guess it was his "shift" that day. I remember more times when Layne would just sit and be totally quiet than I do specific conversations with him, and as the sun started to set, he went into one of those quiet spells. Then all of a sudden he says, "I think I'll go for a ski." I was like, ha ha ha yeah right!
Anyone who hung around with us back then may have had a similar experience, and we all would love to hear about it, so get writing everyone! We'll come over and interview you if necessary! I really can't wait to ask Nancy, "Where in the hell did he learn to ski like that?!"
The next summer, I was living with my family in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and had the incredible good timing to be there when my uncle had just bought a nice boat. We went to Abique Lake almost daily that summer and I got to be pretty good -- man do I wish I had photos of that! I remember the first time I crashed and went flying across the water, I went under, came up, caught my breath, and that was about the happiest moment I had experienced since Andy had died, and I knew it would never get better than that. Maybe Layne knew the same thing: That summers like that, with good friends, who you can be yourself around, and be childlike and playful... It would just never get any better than that.
