When I was 11 my uncle built a stunning house on a small private lake and from then on, most of my summers have included many trips to the lake spent on a boat. It is a place where I grew up and where I want my kids to grow up.
My dad purchased a boat from the 50’s that had wings and was affectionately named Hot Wings and we spent many hours on that boat, fishing, putting around, and learning how to tube and water ski. It was officially the lake boat for everyone that visited my uncle and was so cool looking! The boat met its final demise after a massive storm came through and sank it. We did get the boat out of the water but it was a goner. Shortly after, my uncle purchased an awesome little speed boat.
As a kid that grew up on a lake, I wanted my kids to have those same experiences, so we started them young. This is our son’s first ride on the boat 7 years ago. We were not going fast at all and he actually wasn’t crying, he was super content, this was just a picture taken at a time where he was making one of those weird newborn faces. Since then, my son has been to the lake many times and is starting to learn more about how much fun it can be to discover boating.
We took a quick day trip this week and were hoping to get on the boat, but unfortunately, my uncle had to work and we could not launch the boat without him. However, the new jet ski was in the water and it was the first time our little ones were going to be able to experience a different type of boating!
The lake water was so high that the dock (that is normally 1.5 feet off the water) was a under 6 inches of water. Our kids thought this was so funny and spent time just laying on their backs in their life jackets floating “on the dock”. However, we were there for some time on the water and not just in the water!
When the jet ski was ready, my husband took both kids for a little cruise. My son was a bit more cautious then I thought he would be. They took it slow on the jet ski, but by the end of his first ride they were jumping some smaller waves and he came in laughing and smiling from ear to ear.
