August 15, 2010
A Mini Trip To Gun Lake

As it would happen, as it did a lot of times this summer, we came home from camping on an absolutely beautiful summer day. It was so hard to get all unpacked and then have nothing to do for the rest of the nice day. Today, however, I teasingly called my mom and asked her where we were going for a picnic. Little did I know that they were actually talking about taking the boat out for the evening. Paul really had to build some bike wheels, but it was just too gorgeous of a night for me to make the kids sit home when an opportunity for summer fun was in the works. So - even though we had just driven north on 131 from the Battle Creek area - I loaded the kids in the car and headed back south on 131 to Gun Lake to meet my parents and brothers & families for a night of fun on the boat.

Aiden checking out the water.

Cory and Catherine had recently gotten a great deal on a EZ Ski Trainer. It has a ski skimmer type of bottom with water ski bindings attached. It has a seat, if needed, and a tow rope attached to the tube. It is very stable even when it is not moving, as you can see by Matthew trying it out in the swimming area before we attached it to the boat.

Joshua had tried the ski trainer the weekend before at a relatives cottage - so he went first to show the other kids how it was done.

Owen went next.

Then Nicholas -

- he was bound and determined to go backwards like Joshua had done.
What a trickster.

Gabrielle stood up before the boat even started moving and was bound and determined to stay standing the entire time. She never sat down, not even once.

Allison and her little princess type, one handed move.

...and then there is Sam the 3 year old boy wonder. It was very important to him to have his hand up in the air like the big kids. He rode much of the way around the lake like this.

This was one particular purchase that was definitely worth every penny they paid for it. I foresee a lot of ski trainer hours in our future. It was actually kind of funny - other boaters kept watching the kids, and there was a group of teenagers in the swimming area that kept cheering the kids on. I think it was the uniqueness of the ski trainer that put every one in awe of their achievements.