The only instance in my life when I thought I was going to die happened on a day in 1971 while boating on Lake Tahoe! My fiance (now husband) and I were young and dumb, boating in our fixer-upper, fourteen-foot, outboard. Only completely insane college kids would do something so stupid. To top it off, the two of us were water skiing alone, without a third person to watch the skier. As I was waiting in the cold, cold, water for the Love of My Life to get the ski rope to me, the gas-line broke. Oops. just a bit of a problem.

Unknown to us, it is typical for the temperament of Lake Tahoe to change in a moment; and change, it did; from smooth as glass to a choppy, frightening, gray expanse of huge swells. We hadn't checked the forecast. The current and wind pulled me farther and farther from the boat. Whitecaps surrounded me. Finally, my partner-in-stupidity repaired the gas line and came to me. He pulled me out of the water, and off we went. That isn't exactly what happened. At that point, the real fun began.

Our boat was much too small for Lake Tahoe; especially in bad weather. The waves had become so big that we couldn't make it in to shore. As they broke over our hull and into the boat, we began to take on water. Not good! While I bailed out the water, lover boy tried to get us to shore. He wisely decided not to fight against the waves and the current, but to go with it along the shore. This was probably the most intelligent decision of the day and, exhausted, cold and wet, we eventually made it to shore.

Live and learn; or as my late Mother-in-Law would have said, "No jackass steps in the same hole twice." So, in 1987, when we bought our condo on Lake Tahoe's North Shore, we decided to buy a lake-worthy boat. What a concept was that! We also had children of our own by that time, and we were responsible adults who had learned a healthy respect for the lake. I've told you what NOT to do while enjoying Lake Tahoe; now I can give you a few tips about how to have a safe, fun experience on one of the world's most beautiful lakes:

* Buy, or rent a boat no smaller than 20 feet. Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide. Respect the size!

* Check the weather forecast.

* Bring a radio and/or cell phone.

* Know the Coast Guard rules: When the Coast Guard boards your boat, and they will, your captain had better be sober. Keep up to date with current regulations.

* Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world with a challenging, 72 miles of rocky shoreline. Be aware and pay attention to the buoys that mark areas within which you may encounter a shallow, rocky bottom. The buoys aren't there to look pretty.

Have fun! I could tell you 20 more stories recounting fabulous summers of boating on Lake Tahoe. Even if you can't buy or rent your own boat, take a party cruise or hire a ski boat with operator. Whatever you do, you shouldn't miss cruising on Lake Tahoe.

This first-hand account of Lake Tahoe Do's and Don'ts was brought to you by Taylor Shay.