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

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.

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

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.

Tenkiller 2004

July 25th, 2004

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

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.

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

Ski Trip - 9/19/09

We hit the lake about 9am this morning. We were the only skiers we saw the whole morning although there were once again plenty of fishermen everywhere. We started off by the dam but the wind was just a bit too much from the Northwest to really ski very well. I started off on slalom and wearing my shorty wetsuit. I forgot how much the wetsuit drags when pulling out - made it much more tiring.

We left the dam area and went towards the cove by Speegleville Park. There was just enough shelter to keep the wind away although there were at least 4 fishing boats in view at all times. Jenny skied on slalom and did very well through her 3 passes. She is really getting comfortable with cutting and her turns, too bad the season is almost over. I went out again on slalom and this time without the wetsuit since it was getting warmer out. Skied much better and was really getting some good cuts, leans and turns. Made 2 passes before wearing out.

Jenny then skied on two for 2 passes. She went thru all the "tricks" she knows and you could tell she was having lots of fun. I then went out on backwards slalom. Got up on first pull and went outside the wakes and was working on my balance when Jenny had to turn the boat around. During the turn I lost balance and went ove the wake. I over-corrected and fell backwards (towards the boat). The ski came at me and I forgot to guard my face with my hand. The ski was upside down and wound up hitting me hard in the collarbone area, right between the two shoulder pads of my life jacket. The skeg hit me in the chin and created a fairly deep gash about half an inch long (see the picture). It was definitely painful. Jenny pulled the boat around and jumped in to help me when she saw the blood, since I was in pain and all I was trying to do was keep my head out of the water.

After finally getting into the boat, Jenny pulled out the first aid kit and bandaged me up pretty good. My doctor's office is one exit down from the park where we launch our boat and he was open until noon today, so we made a quick stop off to see if he could see me. They were booked up with flu patients so it would have been an hour wait or more. But since Jenny works at the same clinic and they knew her, the nurse came out to see how bad it was. She said to just clean it out and put a butterfly bandage on it - no need for stitches. She saw the bruise on my chest and didn't think it was anything to worry about but if it doesn't feel better by Monday I will be going in for an X-ray.

All in all, it was a good day of skiing it just ended too soon. Not the first time though that we've ended a ski trip on an injury and I'm sure it won't be the last time either. No skiing next weekend because of family commitments so it might be October before we get another trip in. Unless we can make time during the week and I get doctor's clearance to ski.

2.25 hours skiing, 2 skiers, 5 skies used, 3 ropes used

Jerry

Excert from the past - 8/5/1996

Well, it has been raining here since last Friday and I mean raining - some parts of Central Texas have seen 14-16 inches in 36 hours. It is letting up today but not weather for skiing. We need the rain though so there are no complaints, plus it has already brought Lake Waco up 2 feet and almost back to normal levels.

Since there is no new skiing going on I thought I should start electronically documenting our journal entries from past years at Lake Tenkiller. I'm not sure where the first journal is but I do have books 2 & 3.

TENKILLER 1996

Monday, August 5, 1996 - site #43

We are here and the wind is blowing.
- Katherine Davis Snider
- Lee Snider
- Rebekah Lauren Snider (back again & better than ever!)
- Natalie Louise

We're already making plans for summer '97. More Family, more fun! Wanda D.

Ron se habla espaniol, un poco.

As usual - wonderful time! We will do something similar next year! Love, Don

Here for the day only- no watermelon - Coy and Alice couldn't make it. First summer of retirement - taking lessons in relaxation. Uncle Loren and Nancy

TENKILLER 1997

There are no notes in the journal for this year other than the header above. My financial tracking shows that we rented a boat from Cookson Marina on 8/5/1997. The group included Jerry, Natalie, Rebekah, Lee and Nat's boyfriend at the time - Mikey.

TENKILLER 2001

Wednesday, August 22, 2001

We came by ourselves & tent camped. Jerry showed me all of the sites...Liserine Drip. Jenny

This is all that is listed in the journal. We spent just 3 days camping at Tenkiller after spending a few days in Ozark with Papaw & Nancy. This is the year that I bought Papaw's 1990 Glastron from him for $2,200 (he asked for half what it was worth at the time).

TENKILLER 2002

Wednesday, July 31 - Saturday, August 3, 2002

Had a great time with the Snider family...well some of them...Ron, Kathy, Lee & Jerry. Hope to get the rest of the family here next year. Jenny

I got up on slalom...Finally. Jenny

I skied a little. Lee skied and wakeboarded against doctor's orders (6 stitches in his hand). Jerry and Jenny taught Ron and Lee to play Mexican Train dominoes. All who are not here are missed. Kathy

Best time skiing & wakeboarding - learned that - wish we had more company & more time.

- Yo I feel up on a steep hill, Da said I couldn't ski, but I figured I will

- Ended up gettin me like 6 stitches, thought I ain't gonna sit round at lake like a witches

- Learned me how to jump from wake to wake, fell a few times but easier than eatin cake

- Put on a glove & I can do some crazy tricks, people be like "WHOOAAA" he picked that up quick

- Out here I be winning MT, kickin it wit J&J, a boat & some water so I wish I could stay

- Whether 6 inches in air or laid back wit a hat, If you see a skunk you better be sit sat

- Runnin outta page so I'm a end it here, Best time of my life whoda how u lud dat!

Lee Snider

That is all the entries for book #2. I'm not sure exactly what happened but book # 3 starts off with 2003 and the entries are much more detailed about skiing and other happenings around camp. I'm glad to be able to get all of these memories saved somewhere so that when we lose the journals again (which I'm sure we will), we won't be out these fantastic stories.

Until next time,

Jerry

Labor Day Ski Trip 2009

It was an awesome morning on the lake as there was absolutely no wind. There were plenty of fisherman on the lake again, in fact when we pulled out at 10:30am there were boat trailers parked in the overflow parking which is something I've never seen before in nearly 7 years of skiing Lake Waco.

We got on the water at 8am, yes it was late but I let Jenny sleep in a little for the holiday. It was Jenny's turn to go first and she really abused that glassy water. I wish I could film and drive at the same time because she really looks great on slalom. She skied for two longs runs before taking a break. Then I slalomed. My turns are getting better on the right side, so much so that I can feel the ski slipping out because I'm skiing above the level of the ski. Now that we are debt free I'm saving for a true advanced/competition level ski so that by next season I'll be finally on a ski that matches my ability. Anyways, I made several good passes before getting tired enough for my form to start slipping.

So Jenny went out again to try backwards skiing again. She had the takeoff position correct this time but just couldn't get the timing on the pullout. She decided to just ride two for a while and had fun doing so. She ran thru all the "tricks" of riding two and really looks smooth and easy. I then went out again on backwards slalom. It took me a few pulls to get the timing on the pullout right again but got up on about the fourth pull and rode away with ease. I was able to cross both wakes under control and am feeling much more comfortable on the ski. I had one really good bust when I put too much pressure on my front foot and it threw me backwards.

We then stopped and sat for a few minutes for rest and snacking. Jenny didn't feel like another run so I decided to attempt to pull out on slalom with the "wrong" foot forward. I'm usually a right foot forward but thought I should try to be "ambidextrous". First pull I tried with both feet in and wow was that weird. Didn't get out so I decided to try with one foot in and one out. That was even worse, apparently I don't have the same balance on my left foot which probably explains why I'm a right foot forward slalom skier. One last try with both feet in was successful. Skied for a while and it brought me back to the days of just learning to slalom, constantly focused on which foot I was putting pressure on. Crossed the wake several times but it was slow and easy.

By this time we were out by the dam and decided to head back to the house. We started off across the lake and then I decided to ride two back instead of just wasting gas driving. I gave a skiers salute to several house boats on the lake and just had fun squatting, stomping feet, jumping and zipping across the wakes.

Summer's over which means fewer boaters on the water from now until spring. Now the shorty wetsuits are going in the boat for the rest of September and then the full length wetsuits for October thru March.

2.5 hours skiing, 2 skiers, 7 skis used, 3 ropes used

'Til next time,
Jerry

Ski Trip - Saturday 9/5/09

We were not sure if we would get out on the lake today, meteorologists were forecasting lots of rain for the area starting yesterday. And it did actually rain yesterday morning so it appeared that they would actually be correct for once. BUT, they were wrong. The weather cleared this morning and we were able to go out under somewhat cloudy skies. We didn't get out as early as we would have liked because we wanted to be cautious about the forecast. So after the sun came up and there was still no activity on the radar we decided to hit the lake.

It was just Jenny and I for this trip. We got on the lake about 9:30am and there were fishermen all over the lake. There must have been a Labor Day Weekend tournament going on. We went over to the Speegleville area of Lake Waco to get out of the wind but still stay close enough to our boat ramp should the weather turn for the worse.

I rode slalom first and had some really good turns on both sides of the wake. Including one turn on the right side in which I was leaning so hard in the turn that my rope handle went into the water, a first for me, and it startled me for a split second. Jenny just happened to be turned to where she could see it and she made a face as if to say "that's gonna make him fall". Took a short break in the water after 2 solid passes then got up for a third pass. About half way thru I hit another boat's wake that we were crossing over and it jarred me just enough to cause my old high school cross country injury (slipped SI joint) in my back to act up. I couldn't put any pressure on my back foot from that point on so after attempting two more turns I had to call it quits. After a short therapy/stretching session, Jenny went out on slalom.

She did a very good job working on her hand release timing during her turns. She also had a few really good turns where she is starting to put more pressure on her back foot thru the turns. Unfortunately, there were a few fishing boats moving around during her run so she had to deal with quite a few rollers. She reminds me of where I was just a few years ago.

After some more stretching, I decided not to waste the good water - especially if it does actually rain the rest of the weekend as predicted. I went out on tricks since they are very low stress to ride. Did several 360s in each direction and multiple back to back to back 360s. Completed helicopters on both sides of the wake. I had to quit before I really wanted to because there were just too many boats coming around our area.

We made a short trip thru the Lake Waco Marina to see if people were moving around. Not much movement for a holiday weekend so I'm assuming the weather scared people away. We then went back across the lake to our boat ramp at Midway Park, where we swam for a short bit before loading the boat up and heading home at about 11:30am.

1.5 hours skiing, 2 skiers, 4 skies used, 3 ropes used

Hopefully more on Monday,
Jerry

Good Monday To You!

Made it out on the water today after work. The wind was out of the North again which meant skiing at the dam at Lake Waco. Once we got across the lake we found the water to be glass, perfect for a good slalom run. I went first and got three really good runs up and down the 2 mile long stretch by the dam. Did notice as I was preparing to get in the water that the velcro strap on my Connelly Vision binding was finally starting to tear. It is 8 years old so I guess it is about time, just needs to last for the rest of this year because a new ski is on the budget for this winter.

Jenny skied slalom next and is doing well cutting across the wake. She is still a little slow on her turns because of nerves, not wanting to wipe out. Which she did once but it wasn't that bad, she slid out of the turn on her rear-end because her body got out of alignment. Her shoulder was much better today so we assume that when it popped out on Saturday she must have pinched a nerve which caused her not to be able to get up just after it happened. She skied a little faster today than normal, 31mph vs. the usual 30mph. She gets slack on her right side turn but not quite on her left side turn.

Then I was back in the water to ride the backwards pair. I wanted to get more practice crossing the wake backwards, which was a lot of fun. This was the first time I rode two backwards since I was able to get on slalom backwards a few weeks ago. Much more stable on two, of course, and I was able to work on my form, alignment and was able to cut across both wakes smoothly in both directions. I also did a couple of skier's salutes with the left ski but wasn't quite comfortable enough yet to get the right ski up. Jenny thought about trying the backwards skis for a split second but decided to get a little swimming done instead.

1.25 hours skiing, 2 skiers, 4 skis used, 2 ropes used

Here's to making fishermen leave your water alone.
Jerry

Blustery ski trip

Well, it was a trip skiing in which the wind changed directions halfway thru and it made for a bit of rough skiing. Jenny and I went out at 8am (late start I know) and both skied with a toe hold for the first time. We were skiing on a slalom from one of our pairs which was a bit different in itself. Not used to such an easy ride on slalom, in fact I was able to get a side-slide done in both directions on the slalom. Quite fun. We were both successful at the toe-hold although neither of us is an expert yet.

About 9am we picked up Amanda, a former intern from Jenny's work. She skied for just the second time. I then rode the backwards slalom for quite a while and worked on balance and control. Jenny then skied on slalom and is really starting to cut well. She stopped to take a break and then her shoulder popped when trying to pull out again and had to stop. Amanda skied again and did a much better job the second go round with her balance.

Around 11am we picked up Shawn from the dock and he started out on slalom. He pulled out of deep water twice and is starting to look much smoother on slalom. After he was nice and tired, Jenny skied on tricks for the first time in several years. She started to try a side-slide and was getting pretty close to doing it just needs to keep her hands down. She was more concerned though with trying to stop without falling (see videos). Then it was my turn on tricks, my outside the wake helicopter is getting much smoother. Next time I'll have to try on the other side of the wake.

Lastly, Shawn gave the trick skis a try. He got up with an immediate shocked look on his face and commented afterwards that it was nothing like what he expected. He skied several times on them and was learning some control. He made it over the wake once but fell shortly afterwards. We loaded the boat up at about noon.

4 hours of skiing, 4 skiers, 8 skies used, 5 ropes used.

'Til next time,
Jerry

Ski Trip - Saturday 8/22/09

So to update on last Saturday's ski trip, we launched the boat at sunrise - 7am. We had one other skier with us, Chris who is one of Jenny's co-workers. He has been skiing most of his life and is very smooth on slalom. There was absolutely no wind and we all skied slalom first. This was the ski run where I crossed the wake successfully for the first time on backwards slalom.

After two hours of great skiing on smooth water, we went back to the dock to swap out skiers. Chris had to go start some house chores for the weekend but we picked up another co-worker of Jenny's and other friends. Seth and his fiance Laura, Seth's brother Jeffery and Micah, former intern from Jenny's work. This group all wanted to wakeboard so we started off with Seth. This was his second time riding the wakeboard and he crossed both wakes with ease. Jeffery was not successful in getting up the first attempt and unfortunately ran out of time before he was able to try again. Laura got up for the first time, but had to leave before she could get the hang of it and ski away down the lake. Micah started with crossing the wake on wakeboard and then started jumping the wake. He was getting the entire board out of the water and after a couple of nasty falls learned to control the landing and ski away. Jenny then rode the wakeboard and had a successful run with a spill. I rode trick skis and did multiple turns including a helicopter outside the wake.

After two hours with this group they had to leave to attend a family function (except for Micah, he stayed). Since we were taking a lunch break by the dock, Jenny called one more of her co-workers - Shawn. He came out to meet us at about noon for the final part of our day on the lake. Shawn started off skiing on two. He had skied before but not this year yet so it took him a little bit to get back into the groove. Once he was comfortable again, we put Micah out there with him. They skied very well together, crossing the wake chasing each other, until the very end when they realized that they could "go after" each other. Then it became how to spray the other person and make them fall. That eventually happened and Micah then rode two by himself. Jenny and I both skied slalom again. Then we taught Shawn how to do a deep water start on slalom. Micah wakeboarded again and learned to do an Ollie outside of the wake. He tried and could not master the Switchstance. Jenny then rode the wakeboard again for a short run. I then rode the wakeboard, performed a couple of Ollies and then had one horrible face plant trying to do a Switchstance while crossing the wake. Jenny said that was it, I was too tired to continue and I agreed. So at about 2pm we headed in. A very successful day on the lake and the wind never exceeded 5 mph.

7 hours of skiing, 8 skiers, 10 skis used, 1 wakeboard, 7 ropes used.

Hopefully more later today after today's ski run.
Jerry

Autumn is rapidly approaching

This has been a tough week around the house. 2 days of afternoon threatening weather (not much rain though) and 2 days of working late for Jenny. That equals not being on the water since Saturday. Yuck, the days are getting shorter and it will soon be too difficult to ski during the week after work. But, I do want to recap last Friday and Saturday before I forget.

Friday evening we met up with a family from our bible study group. Bruce (who has been skiing since he was a kid) and his wife Janet and their 2 kids, Parker and Ava. We got Bruce up right away on slalom and he got 2 really good passes in. Then it was on to teaching the kids to ski. Ava went first and followed instructions beautifully. She popped right up and skied away (see the video for proof). After instructing her to let go so I could give her a little instruction on her form, she was up again and really loving it.

So then it was Parker's turn and he popped right out as well (again see video for proof). And he even started steering and almost took on the wake. After 2 runs it was time for Jenny and I. Jenny rode slalom and I rode tricks and slalom. We were running out of daylight but Ava really wanted to get another run in so we put her back out but this time she doubled with her dad. It was a great sight (see video). Unfortunately the sun started going down so we had to call it a night. All that in about 2 hours on an evening with a 10-15 mph wind. It sure is great to know where to go to find smooth water on my lake.

I'll recap Saturday tomorrow - we were on the water from 7am to 2pm and had 6 different people rotate in and out of the boat with us during that time.

Here's to smooth water and no water gnats (jet skis).
Jerry

Introduction

I've been thinking about starting a blog to track our water skiing escapades and finally sat down to do it. So, a little about ourselves:

Jerry, 35 years old - learned to ski at 7 years old; skis on pair, slalom, tricks, slalom trick, shoe skis, ski skat, backwards skis, backwards slalom, wakeboard and barefoot once.

Jenny, 34 years old - learned to ski at 24 years old; skis on pair, slalom, tricks and wakeboard.

There are also a large selection of family and friends that we will post about and post pictures/videos of. We ski behind a 2003 Glastron SX17. Our home lake is Lake Waco in Waco, TX. We also have a standing tradition of a water skiing vacation with family & friends at Lake Tenkiller in Northeast Oklahoma. As a family we have vacationed at Lake Tenkiller almost every year since 1960. A tradition that my grandparents, Loren & Emma Lou Davis, started and continued until we took over in 2001 after we bought his boat from him.

Together, Jenny and I love to teach people how to ski. We are both excellent boat drivers and have taught dozens of people/kids to ski. It is great to have TWO skilled teachers in the boat for beginners because we can both share our own versions of what works for each of us. For kids, Jenny gets in the water with them and instructs them "hands on" until they get comfortable on their own.

Enough about us for now. My intention is to post after each day that we get to water ski. I'll also be posting excerts from our family journal that we have kept during our vacations at Lake Tenkiller.

Much more to follow.
May your winds be calm and your water be glass.