Crash-test cousins...

So I finally chilled last night after my hockey game (played with the Blades, won 6-3, two assists) and downloaded the Montana pictures off of my camera. The first weekend was definitely more intense, mainly due to my cousins' new tube. It's about 6' or 7' across and is the most stable thing I've every been pulled on behind a boat...that doesn't mean it won't flip.



Carly and Peter hang on for dear life.

Yeah, that tube can really throw you for a ride. It's so bouncy that when you do catch a wave properly, it compresses and then just unloads on the riders. It's pretty much impossible to stay on if you hit a wave with a lot of force. There's few better than Terry for setting those kind of waves up in the boat too.



That is a look that says "FEAR ME!"

Eventually I had to jump in the water and show Peter and Carly how it's done. Well, apparently I suck! We managed to stay on for the speed but everyone bailed when Terry brought on the pain.



Well...at least Peter fell off before me.



Peter is in the picture. He's that giant spray of water behind the tube.

When the sun came out later we went out for some more wakeboarding practice. This is proof I need a lot.



You'd think from my expressions I'm falling into a lake of fire.

Hey, at least I try. Peter was gettin' 'er done on the slalom ski. It's funny to watch him cut though. He'll turn really hard, throw up a wall of water, then quickly turn around to see what it looks like. We caught him in the act.



Sweeeeeeet...

I rarely get the chance to ski on such calm water. It's really a completely different experience than when you slalom on chop. You can really throw down the turns, take the wake at any speed, and it all feels like butter. I've been losing weight this summer but I still pack enough to throw up that huge wall.



Next up, doing it with one arm.

I got a chance to take the boat around the next day. Peter and Kelsi were at my mercy first.



Peter looks so surprised to be airborne.

Unfortunately the landing was much harder than the take off. Peter was done after this and had to lay down on the floor of the boat while I poured some water on his head. I don't think there was a concussion, guess he just landed the hard way. Kelsi wanted to keep going so Carly was her next riding partner.



Sailing the Hobie.

My dad did a lot of sailing down there this time. Most afternoons the wind would come up and be great for touring the lake. Here he's out with Terry, Halee, and her boyfriend, John.

So that was weekend one. I had to drive home Sunday night on my own so I could be back at work Monday. What a tough three days in the office. I had to get a bunch of my project finished off all the while thinking about what a great weekend I'd just had and looking forward to the next weekend. Jeff came down Wednesday night and we left early Thursday morning for the lake...but that story is for another time.