RAY SWANSON | KEYSTONER Vacation on a houseboat doesn't get any better

It was a perfection vacation.
Spending a week on a houseboat with 18 family members on a beautiful lake in south-central Kentucky left little to be desired, especially when the houseboat was equipped with a hot tub, air conditioning, a big slide for the kids, television and just about every other thing needed to "rough it."
We even had a smaller boat which was used for fishing and tubing and, for the more agile, water skiing.
The lake, known as Cumberland Lake, was man-made and offered more than 180 miles of shoreline.
The waters were deep, more than 180 feet in some areas, and offered the best in bass fishing and boating.
I tied into a beautiful Kentucky largemouth on the second day. This one had to go about five pounds and was in the 20-25 inch class.
He hit a big shiner and one that had my knuckles turning white. When he surfaced, he came out of the water about three feet, tailwalked and threw the hook.
Got away: That was one for the memory book, the one that got away.
That same evening, I landed two beautiful catfish in the 20-inch range.
But the highlight of the trip took place on the first day while fishing from the houseboat when I hooked a huge box turtle. We got this one boatside before cutting the line and letting him return to his habitat. The kids aboard all got a big charge out of the action and cameras were clicking.
I can honestly say that this was the first vacation I never wanted to see end. There were many thoughts among the family members to someday return for another week of fun in the sun on the waters of Cumberland Lake.
On the mend: Sharon's Bob Jenkins is on the mend from back surgery which took place in late July. He is recuperating at home and anxious to get back on the links. An ardent golfer, Bob has been my life-long golfing buddy. A speedy recovery, Bob.
Golf outing: The Board of Directors of the Mercer County Hall of Fame will hold its annual golf outing on Wednesday at Spring Valley Golf Course near Mercer.
The first tee time is set for 11:30 a.m. Participants should check in by 11:15 a.m. and be ready to play.
A steak dinner, following play at about 4:30 p.m., will be served in the back room of the clubhouse.
The course also features a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course for some of the older members who do not want to tour the course's 18-hole lay-out. The pitch-and-putt course is located near the clubhouse.
Titans radio: For the second consecutive year, three area radio stations will comprise the Westminster Titan Football Radio Network for the 2001 season.
The 2001 network stations are flagship station WWNW-FM (88.9) in New Wilmington, WKST-AM (1200) in New Castle and WEXC-FM (107.1) in Greenville.
All three stations will carry the entire 2001 Titan football schedule live for the second straight year this fall, starting with the season opener at Walsh University in Canton on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m.
WWNW-FM is the campus station at Westminster and can be heard throughout the New Wilmington area.
WWNW-FM is responsible for the production of each broadcast, with announcers Dr. Dave Barner and Westminster junior Geoff Balla scheduled to handle announcing duties for the second consecutive season.
WKST-AM, under the direction of Dan Lankord, broadcasts Titan football throughout Lawrence County and other points south while WEXC-FM is under the direction of Mike Arch and broadcasts the Titans throughout Mercer County and other points north.