team jenkins: Lake Fun!

If you asked me for some of my memories growing up, one of the many that I'd recall would be Lake Hartwell. We had a place there from the time I was in early elementary until just before or just after I started college. There are LOTS of good memories tied up with that place on Gum Log Creek ... learning to ski at age 5, the annual DCA (Duluth Clique Association) gathering in July, my dog Dixie having her 8 puppies, and countless others. Bowdie never got to see the place at Lake Hartwell, but part of his 'gauntlet' in dating me was learning to ski, and then to slalom. Visualize with me him on 2 skis, my dad choosing to go right through large house-boat waves, and his skis 'sticking' in one of the waves as it rolled on him, then him doing a super man through the air as his feet left the skis ... I think BOTH my parents got secret joy from torturing him as we dated!!! He was such a good sport!

Of course, we want lake memories for our boys. We are so thankful that, although they don't have a lake place, my parents do have fun lake toys and give access to us to use them (remember the waverunner on our anniversary fun post?). Saturday, we went up to Lanier to enjoy an afternoon on their pontoon boat, with them on it too, of course! The weather felt more like a convection oven (high 90s), so it was a perfect day to go. In fact, that morning, Blaine told me, 'Mama, I don't care if we go to Nana's pool or to the lake; I just HAVE to be in water!'

We enjoyed riding around Lanier, a nice picnic dinner beached on an island, and great swimming in the beautiful green water. We've decided that Jarrett's ready to learn to ski, so we hope to tackle that soon, using mom and dad's ski boat. Fun times!!

Here we are enjoying the water ...

Here's the pontoon ... they have a slip in a marina, so it's so easy to go up and ride, then park it and head home ...

Jarrett was THRILLED to tube behind the boat ... he must have ridden almost an hour total ...

Jarrett and Blaine tubing ... poor Blaine-o got a little overwhelmed with the choppy water and decided he didn't want to tube very long ...

No better nappin' than on a boat, in the shade, with Daddy's arm around you ...

Jacob pooped out too ...

Our yummy bbq picnic ... we picked these plates up from a bbq fundraiser they were having at Hebron ... meat smoked by none other than Bowdie's dad ... YUMMO!!!