Our New Favorite Vacation

We are a boating family.  We bought our first boat in 1995 when we moved to Spokane.  With the abundance of lakes around here, we knew we would be able to enjoy it alot.  Fast forward 15 years, and now we are on our third boat and our favorite thing to do in the summer is to be on the lake.   A few weeks ago we tried something new.  With all our years of boating, we had yet to experience a houseboat vacation.  Well, we have been converted!  It was such an awesome trip. 

We traveled to northern California to Trinity Lake, part of the Shasta National Forest.  Although it was a days drive, it was worth every mile.  The weather was gorgeous, the water was sublime (warm and flat as glass) and best of all, hardly any other boaters around.  This lake is huge, and each day we maybe saw 2 or 3 other boaters.  Having a houseboat was great.  There were 4 queen size beds, a full kitchen, 1 1/2 baths, and a deck on top.   It was pretty much a "floating hotel" and it was great to not to have to worry about camping or unloading/loading a boat every day.  The perfect situation for a bunch of water sports junkies.

That's Jace on the left skurfing on top and slaloming on the bottom.
Stuart flies on the wake board on the top right, and Russ gives skurfing a whirl on the bottom.

In our family the rule was that you had to learn to ski before you could wake board or tube.  As a result, the kids are all great skiers.  Of course we also have a wake board now and this year we brought along a skurfboard and they enjoyed learning how to "surf" behind a boat.  It's also a fact that both Stuart and Russ had to pass the "boat test" in order to marry our daughters!  No wimpy water sports guys are allowed in the family.  Jace's future Mrs. must pass that test as well--he even says so!

I also admit that personally I'm a really great flag holder/snack distributor/towel giver and most days don't really care if I get in the water at all.  I simply just love being on the boat in the sunshine.  I think it comes from my hatred of being cold.  So, every summer it's a big deal when I make my annual "ski run."  I've never really mastered the slalom ski well (I eat so much water getting up) so I'm content to put on two skis and enjoy the ride.  I have a fear of wiping out and hurting my knees or something, and then there goes my daily run.  Lame excuse I know, but I'm sticking with it.  But, my turn behind the boat was great and I've lived to tell about it!

Top Left:  Playing Ticket to Ride (family favorite)  Top Right:  See, I'm actually in the water!
Bottom Left:  The boys performing their synchronized swimming routine to Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" -- way funny!
Bottom Right:  Packing up to head home . . . vacation almost over.  Sad :(

Brent's parents came up and spent a day with us.  We enjoyed having them there to celebrate my July 24th birthday and Brittney's August 11th birthday with a steak dinner and fresh peach cobbler--so yummy.   I was surprised with a Kindle Reader from the kids.  I love to read, and have stubbornly said I didn't need an electronic reader, but I know I will really enjoy it.  When we weren't out on the boat, we played games and watched movies on the projector.  Trust Brent to have all the right equipment to have a "big screen" movie set up on the houseboat. 

Our Trinity Lake Vacation was superb.  Vacations are something that I believe in wholeheartedly.  I'm so glad we have always made it a priority to plan something at least once a year.  I think it is even more important now that the kids are all grown up and living on their own.  It's one of the reasons summer is my favorite time of year.   See you next year Trinity Lake!