We had a great ski run yesterday. Just Jenny, Abigail and I on the boat. It was a day of first in that it was Abigail's first ever day to "swim", she floated in her life vest with both Jenny and I. It was also the first ski run for me on my new-to-me '03 O'Brien Mapple Slalom ski.
Started off with a slalom run on the new ski. I bought the ski blank and bought a new HO Venom front binding for it as well. The binding was a little loose at the toe compared to my old Vision binding. So the first run was a bit shaky getting used to the faster ski and the movement in my binding. After two runs on slalom, Abigail swam for a few minutes. Then Jenny got out for her first run.
She did well for two runs on slalom, getting back into the swing of skiing. I then made two more passes on slalom that were much better. I moved back to 15 off for the first run so that I could get a more gradual turn and find the sweet spot of the ski. Once I was able to do that I moved back to 22 off for the next pass and it felt much more comfortable. I didn't yet go all out though since I usually do not do that unless there is someone else in the boat with Jenny. Too many injuries from hard slalom spills.
Jenny made another two passes on slalom and really looked good. She is getting enough slack on her strong side turn to get the rope in the water. Her turn looks great and she just needs to trust the ski a little more coming out of the turn. Like most all of us slalom skiers, her weak side is a little behind. Once she gives more control to the ski though she will be ready to go 15 off. It is so awesome to see how far she has come, she really looks great.
Abigail "swam" a little more then she got to drink a bottle of formula. No skiing for her this time, want to make sure we have someone else in the boat when we do that. I finished up the day riding two backwards. Crossed both wakes before my legs finally gave out. Getting in the boat Jenny made a comment that proves how much of a skier she is. Skiing backwards we passed a boat that was getting their riders ready to go on a tube. When I got in the boat she looked back at them an said "That's a shame, those kids on the tube are old enough to be skiing." Proof right there that Waco should be able to support my idea for a Day Trip Water Ski School.
More on that later. Hopefully I'll be posting again tomorrow after a morning trip.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Celebration Day Skiing - 4/23/10
This is a bit past due, but we went out for a ski run a few weeks ago on the same day that we finalized the adoption of our baby girl Abigail. It was an awesome afternoon, very little wind on the lake, and we skied for a few hours. We were the only skiers on the lake and there were very few boaters out at all because it was still early enough in the afternoon that people were still at work.
Jenny & I both skied slalom. I'm still working out the kinks of the winter layoff. Jenny did really well for her first run of the year. We took a short break and enjoyed the lake before I skied backwards on two skis for a good bit of the drive home.
Abigail is still getting used to her life-jacket but she loves the boat and being outside.
Jerry
Jenny & I both skied slalom. I'm still working out the kinks of the winter layoff. Jenny did really well for her first run of the year. We took a short break and enjoyed the lake before I skied backwards on two skis for a good bit of the drive home.
Abigail is still getting used to her life-jacket but she loves the boat and being outside.
Jerry
Sunday, April 4, 2010
First Run of 2010
The weather finally cooperated yesterday and we made it out for a quick ski run. It was not only our first ski run of the year but it was also the first boat trip for our little baby girl, Abigail. She seemed to enjoy it all but she was definitely trying to figure out why she was all squished up in the life vest. She fell asleep while we were driving around the lake looking for good water, which there was only a little bit of thanks to what must have been a fishing tournament. And she fell asleep on the way back to the boat ramp.
As far as skiing, I slalomed with my full wetsuit on. It wasn't really that cold compared to the first run of year's past but then again we usually get our first run in around mid-March. Made a couple of good passes before calling it quits and getting too tired. I could have skied a little longer but since I'm not too sore today I'd have to say I made the right decision on when to stop. Jenny didn't feel like skiing, she wants it to warm up just a little bit more before she takes that first plunge.
So hopefully we will have reason to post on this blog in a much more frequent time frame for the rest of the year.
Until next time.
Jerry
As far as skiing, I slalomed with my full wetsuit on. It wasn't really that cold compared to the first run of year's past but then again we usually get our first run in around mid-March. Made a couple of good passes before calling it quits and getting too tired. I could have skied a little longer but since I'm not too sore today I'd have to say I made the right decision on when to stop. Jenny didn't feel like skiing, she wants it to warm up just a little bit more before she takes that first plunge.
So hopefully we will have reason to post on this blog in a much more frequent time frame for the rest of the year.
Until next time.
Jerry
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Excerpt from 2005
Not much going on here in the world of water skiing. The lake is still 5 feet above normal so going out is both dangerous still and dirty. So here is the beginning of the journal entries from 2005.
Lake Tenkiller Journal #3
6/12/05 - I will not wakeboard this year - unknown
6/11/05 - We arrived safely. No skiing on Saturday - Jenny, Jerry, Baylie, Mollie / we are on spot 45 & Lee, Travis and Rebekah are on spot 43 - Jerry
Ron and I are here. Ron and Lee arrived at 7am on Saturday and claimed our spots. We are making a Wal-mart list and going to Tahlequah soon. - Kat
Oh Boy. There's nothing like getting to the lake on "Snider-time", 12+ hours. We did have AC, so that was a definite plus. We (Trav & I) left Lake Charles at 10am Saturday and met Melissa and Hope in Lafayette. Thus began the longest trip to the lake in recent memory. Melissa's car , God bless it, was an extreme trooper in making the drive despite its current problems (which are still being diagnosed by Dad & Jerry). We had to give it a little extra TLC, refilling the radiator w/ water every 2 hours. And then Melissa called and said, "We can't stop, I'm afraid my car will stall." Travis and I had just made a wrong turn. So we're like, "Oh, how are we going to turn around w/o stopping?" We ended up doing - well, Melissa did a u-turn and we caught up to her. (I don't know if this makes sense...you had to be there...) We ended up taking the wrong road but we found I-40 nonetheless. By this time it's dark, and I've never arrived at the lake in the dark. We stopped in Sallisaw even though Melissa didn't want to. I thought it would be better to be broken down at a gas station in Sallisaw than in the hills on the way to Cookson w/ no cell phone (what did we do w/o cell phones!?!). So we stopped. The radiator was steaming like warm breath on a cool night. HAHA. We quenched its thirst, the car restarted, and we called mom. We said, "If we're not there in an hour, come looking for us." But we made it! We got to the cabins at about 10:15pm and came up to the camp shortly after to be greeted by J&J&B&M. Lee was sleeping when we got here so we just snuck into his tent and slept there for the night. It's great to be here. And it's great to be a married woman! Yep, I am no longer a Snider, but a Leger. And my in-laws are here for their Tenkiller baptism. They'll sign in later. That's it. It's a beautiful day, and I look forward to a b-e-a-utiful week! - Rebekah Snider Leger
6/12/05, 8am
Howdy! Great sunny day today. Got up on slalom this morning. Yeah! Having a great time. The pop-up trailer with AC is AWESOME! Gettin' ready to play wahoo. Let the games begin. - Jenny
6/12/05, 8:50pm
We made it :)! Barry, Christopher, Daniel and I (Brenda) got to come to the lake to vacation with the Sniders and families. We drove all night so that we could spend more time with all. We are tired, but it was worth it. This place is peaceful and pretty. It's amazing to see all of the gadgets that Jerry comes out with, he's a true camper. We finally got to meet Lee, we're glad :). I can't wait to watch them skiing, I heard they were awesome. Dan tried to ski tonite, I think he almost got up; maybe tomorrow. I think its time to shower & call it a night - till next time. Peace Out! - Brenda (Rebekah's mother-in-law)
All I have to say about today is bunkem squint. - Kathy
WAHOO.....I WON - Jenny :)
6/13/05 Jerry's 31st Birthday!
We sang Happy B-Day at breakfast & after lunch with cake (mom made) & ice cream (blue bell mint choc. chip). Skied all day. Went to Princess for dinner...all 13 of us. Now...thuderstorms are comin' in and Jerry, Lee & I are toughin' out at the campsite in the pop-up. Everyone else bailed out to the cabins. Don't blame them a bit. Ok..wahoo time. - Jenny
We are bailing out to the cabins. Wind is shakin' our trailer.
I remember that storm well, I thought the wind was going to turn us over on our side. I also remember that storm was the reason why I said to myself we need a full size travel trailer if we are going to come to the lake in June. I do like though how Jenny had enough time to write in the journal that we were leaving for the cabins. If I remember correctly, we felt like we were in a tornado the way the wind was tossing the walls of that pop-up around.
I hope you are all enjoying these passages from the past; I know I am.
Jerry
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Lake closed / Excerpt from 2004
Well it rained some more on Thursday which, since we have had so much rain lately, caused a lot of runoff to fill Lake Waco. The lake rose to 6 feet above normal which led the Corps of Engineers to close access to the boat ramps. So even though the weather was nice yesterday we were unable to get out on the lake. It is supposed to be nice again today and the lake has dropped a foot since the rain stopped so it is a possibility for today, but most likely it won't happen. Besides the lake is really dirty and full of debris because of the runoff.
Today's excerpt will finish off the journal entries for 2004 from the Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
Today's excerpt will finish off the journal entries for 2004 from the Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
Lake Tenkiller
July 27, 2004
The circus came to the lake this morning when Rebekah, Travis, Lee & Nat attempted quadruple skiing.
Don and Wanda are here - gotta go!
Papaw & Nancy came. Yea!
-- unknown
Doctors orders say I gotta rest. Yuck! So I'm sidelinin' it this year. But next year maybe we'll have another Snider addition. :) Rebekah's drivin' the boat! You Go Girl! - Jenny
Arrived Monday afternoon. Weather nice & cool. Everyone very nice. Really enjoyed visit. Nice & peaceful. Maybe try camping if invited again. - JoAnne & Jerome. Good luck Jen.
July 27 - Tue. PM
Jerry & Jenny, Thank you for making the "Tenkiller Camping Trip" come alive again! So many wonderful memories have been made in this place. We'll be praying that your children will be here in a few years making their memories!! - Uncle Don & Aunt Wanda
Came for the day - Loren and Nancy went home - watermelon & grapes stayed. - Loren (Papaw) and Nan.
July 28, 2004
Today was another day of weird weather. It was cool and windy. We went skiing this morning on the backside of the bluff by the marina. I had a painful wakeboarding experience. We watched
And that is where 2004 ended. Not sure what happened in the rest of that story or who was the author. Lots to write from 2005 as it was our first full week at Tenkiller in many, many years.
In the meantime, the official countdown has begun to Tenkiller 2010. It will be the 50th Anniversary of the family camping/ski trip. Plans are beginning to take shape as we are trying to include everyone we can that has experienced Tenkiller with the Davis/Snider clan.
'Til next time,
Jerry
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Finally...No Rain! / Excerpt from 2004
Well, it has been a long time since we had sunshine but that is what we had yesterday afternoon. Supposed to continue with sunshine for a few days before we have a chance of rain again. To give you an idea of just how much it has rained over the past few weeks, our lake started out about 3 feet below normal and 2 days ago topped out at over 3 feet above normal. I've had enough for now!
Anyways, we have a pretty big day of stuff planned since it will be our first non-rainy Saturday in awhile. Not sure if we will get on the lake because of all the outdoors catching up we have to do. So here is a start to the 2004 passages from the Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
We arrived yesterday to inches & inches of rain, so after we dried out, skied; we decided to find the book. We are sitting around after dinner celebrating Jesse Griffin's birthday (Jenny's Dad). Whose all here, you ask? Me - Natalie & my dog Sadie (note from Rebekah about misspelling of "whose" above by Natalie)
Who IS all here?
Nick - for the first time.
Jerry - boat driver extraordinaire
Jenny - Jerry's boat driver (I learned from him!)
Baylie & Mollie (the pups) & one on the way. (Rebekah: she means a little Snider)
Rebekah - self proclaimed grammar pro
Travis - Rebekah recruited rookie
Kathy - I've heard that sleeping to the sound of rain on the roof is peaceful but last night was RIDICULOUS!
Jesse - Jenny's dad (the one with the birthday today) with Nancy, Alex, Jimmy & Billie and the metal detector ($.35 to $.15 for Ron so far) we'll find the treasure some day.
Nancy - Having a great time!
Billie Bowman - Beautiful country, but so cold.
Jim Bowman & Willie - Like the scenery and the temperature
Alex Griffin - This dragon ball z game is fun. Gohans the best.
Ron - The above fellow caught a fish. All the others made the best company of all. This year has been one of the best.
Now that everyone has written, I'll write a bit about the day. Dad just fell out of his chair while he was getting up. "No twists" he said. Whether it's collecting all the wood in OK for the fire or searching for buried treasure, that guy always keeps you laughing.
Today was the first ski run. I started out on some broken skis, to see if they were ok for Travis to ski on. Jerry said, (and I quote!), "I'd rather kill my sister than him. Well...it wouldn't kill you, just hurt you." Thanks, Jer! Anyway, I skied, then Nat. Lee wakeboarded after that, and displayed some very obscure hand signals. One was interpreted to mean - chop it up and then drive through it. - and after Lee fell in the midst of all the waves, his response was "What the *@? was that?" His signal apparently meant - go to the flatter water. I won't mention who misinterpreted the signal. Travis then got in (first time skiing in a number of years) and got up on the 2nd try. Boat driver said he (Travis) listens well. I'm glad I'm marrying someone who is good at taking directions!
And so I begin my last year at Tenkiller as a Snider!
--Rebekah
In my defense, I offered Rebekah a chance to keep her last name, but she said no because it would take too long to sign Rebekah Snider-Leger.
Rebekah's been talking about this place since we've been together - and I'm so glad to be here with her and her family. But camping isn't camping unless something goes wrong, and we've had rain, unusual and unexpected cold, flooding, our tent leaked and leaned (we have pictures), and it's only day two. I have found that finding a leak-proof tent is a priority, that I'm quite the horsshoe, or horse shoe, player, and that I'm with good people. I'm happy to be an addition to this family.
--Travis Leger
Thankfully we are at a point in the Journal where we have more information on each day, so I'll leave just one day's notes in this post. Next week we will finish up 2004, unfortunately it was ended abruptly.
It is really nice though to look back at these passages and know that we have captured the first times that people have been exposed to the great Lake Tenkiller. It is an amazing place.
More to come next week, unless we get on the lake today.
Jerry
Anyways, we have a pretty big day of stuff planned since it will be our first non-rainy Saturday in awhile. Not sure if we will get on the lake because of all the outdoors catching up we have to do. So here is a start to the 2004 passages from the Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
Tenkiller 2004
July 25th, 2004We arrived yesterday to inches & inches of rain, so after we dried out, skied; we decided to find the book. We are sitting around after dinner celebrating Jesse Griffin's birthday (Jenny's Dad). Whose all here, you ask? Me - Natalie & my dog Sadie (note from Rebekah about misspelling of "whose" above by Natalie)
Who IS all here?
Nick - for the first time.
Jerry - boat driver extraordinaire
Jenny - Jerry's boat driver (I learned from him!)
Baylie & Mollie (the pups) & one on the way. (Rebekah: she means a little Snider)
Rebekah - self proclaimed grammar pro
Travis - Rebekah recruited rookie
Kathy - I've heard that sleeping to the sound of rain on the roof is peaceful but last night was RIDICULOUS!
Jesse - Jenny's dad (the one with the birthday today) with Nancy, Alex, Jimmy & Billie and the metal detector ($.35 to $.15 for Ron so far) we'll find the treasure some day.
Nancy - Having a great time!
Billie Bowman - Beautiful country, but so cold.
Jim Bowman & Willie - Like the scenery and the temperature
Alex Griffin - This dragon ball z game is fun. Gohans the best.
Ron - The above fellow caught a fish. All the others made the best company of all. This year has been one of the best.
Now that everyone has written, I'll write a bit about the day. Dad just fell out of his chair while he was getting up. "No twists" he said. Whether it's collecting all the wood in OK for the fire or searching for buried treasure, that guy always keeps you laughing.
Today was the first ski run. I started out on some broken skis, to see if they were ok for Travis to ski on. Jerry said, (and I quote!), "I'd rather kill my sister than him. Well...it wouldn't kill you, just hurt you." Thanks, Jer! Anyway, I skied, then Nat. Lee wakeboarded after that, and displayed some very obscure hand signals. One was interpreted to mean - chop it up and then drive through it. - and after Lee fell in the midst of all the waves, his response was "What the *@? was that?" His signal apparently meant - go to the flatter water. I won't mention who misinterpreted the signal. Travis then got in (first time skiing in a number of years) and got up on the 2nd try. Boat driver said he (Travis) listens well. I'm glad I'm marrying someone who is good at taking directions!
And so I begin my last year at Tenkiller as a Snider!
--Rebekah
In my defense, I offered Rebekah a chance to keep her last name, but she said no because it would take too long to sign Rebekah Snider-Leger.
Rebekah's been talking about this place since we've been together - and I'm so glad to be here with her and her family. But camping isn't camping unless something goes wrong, and we've had rain, unusual and unexpected cold, flooding, our tent leaked and leaned (we have pictures), and it's only day two. I have found that finding a leak-proof tent is a priority, that I'm quite the horsshoe, or horse shoe, player, and that I'm with good people. I'm happy to be an addition to this family.
--Travis Leger
Thankfully we are at a point in the Journal where we have more information on each day, so I'll leave just one day's notes in this post. Next week we will finish up 2004, unfortunately it was ended abruptly.
It is really nice though to look back at these passages and know that we have captured the first times that people have been exposed to the great Lake Tenkiller. It is an amazing place.
More to come next week, unless we get on the lake today.
Jerry
Monday, October 12, 2009
Excerpt from the Past - July 2003
Well it has been rainy her in Hewitt for going on 2 weeks now. No chance to get on the water even if we wanted to brave the 50-60 degree weather. For an update, I've all healed up from the injury suffered on the last ski trip. The gash healed up really well and the bruising on my chest only lasted a week. My jaw though still has a noticeable bump so I'm assuming I must have slightly cracked the bone and the bump is from the calcification process of bone healing. So take the warnings on skis seriously; participation in water skiing can lead to serious injury or death.
On a lighter note, here is an excerpt from the past. From Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
We're Here! It's been a HAIL of a time! :) Havin' a blast. The tradition continues. - Jerry & Jenny (Baylie & Mollie)
Kathy to Lisa: We did it! (reference to mega brunch of eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, toast) It only takes 2 of us to replace mom! Of course, there were only 12 of us today.
By the way - who is here?
Jerry
Jenny
Baylie
Mollie
Lisa
TB
Kathy
Lee
Melissa
Hope
Richard
Diana
Joshua
Jonathan
Thank you for including us in your family tradition. We had a blast. - Amezquita family (Richard, Diana, Joshua, Jonathan)
Jerry says the best campsite is 41.
TB says "I skied! But I had a problem with that quake."
Look out for tarantulas. (Jerry was standing on TOP of the table!)
Kathy forgot the Wahoo Game! Oh My!
Yes it rained the First morning. Wind, Rain & Hail...Fun. But we survived.
Another successful trip to Tenkiller. I just found out that Tenkiller officially opened in 1953 and we first came here in 1960, almost from the beginning. Several firsts this year - first snake (copperhead at boat dock), first tarantula (right through camp) and first hail storm (first day of course). See you next year. - Kat (Grandma, Mom, Aunt Kathy)
That is all that is written under 2003. Apparently we went through a few years where we were not very good about documenting the day to day activities. It gets better though starting with 2004. I'll post that year's information later this week. And since there is rain predicted through the weekend again for this week, I doubt there will be any new ski stories to share.
Start your cross training now for next year's ski season. It is only 5 months away!
Jerry
On a lighter note, here is an excerpt from the past. From Lake Tenkiller Journal #3.
July 15, 2003
We're Here! It's been a HAIL of a time! :) Havin' a blast. The tradition continues. - Jerry & Jenny (Baylie & Mollie)
Kathy to Lisa: We did it! (reference to mega brunch of eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, toast) It only takes 2 of us to replace mom! Of course, there were only 12 of us today.
By the way - who is here?
Jerry
Jenny
Baylie
Mollie
Lisa
TB
Kathy
Lee
Melissa
Hope
Richard
Diana
Joshua
Jonathan
Thank you for including us in your family tradition. We had a blast. - Amezquita family (Richard, Diana, Joshua, Jonathan)
Jerry says the best campsite is 41.
TB says "I skied! But I had a problem with that quake."
Look out for tarantulas. (Jerry was standing on TOP of the table!)
Kathy forgot the Wahoo Game! Oh My!
Yes it rained the First morning. Wind, Rain & Hail...Fun. But we survived.
July 16, 2003
Another successful trip to Tenkiller. I just found out that Tenkiller officially opened in 1953 and we first came here in 1960, almost from the beginning. Several firsts this year - first snake (copperhead at boat dock), first tarantula (right through camp) and first hail storm (first day of course). See you next year. - Kat (Grandma, Mom, Aunt Kathy)
That is all that is written under 2003. Apparently we went through a few years where we were not very good about documenting the day to day activities. It gets better though starting with 2004. I'll post that year's information later this week. And since there is rain predicted through the weekend again for this week, I doubt there will be any new ski stories to share.
Start your cross training now for next year's ski season. It is only 5 months away!
Jerry
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