RiveRATtitude [riv-e-rat-i-tood], {River Rat with Attitude} Noun – A peaceful laid-back way of life chosen by those who believe that Family and Friends sharing time and resources can create a prosperous, positive, exciting community.

Growing up in Texas, the heat was made survivable by the abundance of water. Any water was refreshing, but the greatest treat was a day on a local River. The river just happened to feed a Lake where my family owned a small cabin we used to get away from the city. Most of our time was spent on the lake, but several times a year we would spend the entire day venturing up the river. 

Unlike the lake which was susceptible to wind and sun, with boats of all types and sizes coming from every direction, the river was peaceful with steep banks providing frequent shade and almost constant protection from the wind. And the boats were more civilized too. Ski boats and runabouts mostly, but occasionally a pontoon or bass boat. But unlike the unruliness of the lake, all the boats on the river traveled upriver or downriver, you know like on a roadway, much more organized and relaxed. 

As I grew older and more independent, I chose the river to spend my free time and raise my family. We and many others who were fortunate enough to discover the benefits of life on the river would refer to ourselves as “River Rats”.

As our family grew, we progressed from Tubing (No good on the river) to Water Ski’s to Knee Boards to Wakeboards and Surfing. Along this progression our boats got faster and louder and began to have what my wife called Attitude. This word “Attitude” became synonymous with any person or vehicle that was fully functional for its design but had just a little more presence, not better than the rest, but distinct! A little hard to describe but you know it when you see it, and you remember it not only from appearance but the sound.

So that’s our story. We’re mostly retired now, and have chosen to live and travel full time in our RV. We are almost always living near the water and whenever possible we gravitate towards a river. We still spend time on the water mostly watching the kids and grandkids, but occasionally we dust off our old ’88 Sanger Ski Boat and blast down that river where it all started. Although it’s been years since we spent lots of time there, we still get recognized, mostly by the sound and our RiveRATtitude!