July 14: The best last day

My dad's cousin and her husband rented a boat for the morning to take anyone interested out on the lake.  My dad and his siblings got up early to go on the first boat excursion.  Emily decided to go along with them.  (She was really enjoying being a "grown up" on this trip.)  While they were out on the boat, the rest of our family got up and had a leisurely breakfast and got ready for the day.

Thanks to my Uncle Andy for the pictures from the first boat excursion!

Emily in deep conversation with her Popo.

Emily was super brave and got out on the tube.  She
hadn't ever done it before!

Emily was doing great, but wasn't heavy enough for
the tube--it tipped down on her.  She ended up rolling off
and waited in the water for the boat to come back for her.
Everyone was really impressed at how well she handled
the situation!  She admitted later that she was scared
but made herself stay calm.

Emily got back on the tube with Uncle Martin.

And then she went tubing with Aunt Leslie.  No hands!

We headed to the boat dock mid-morning.  The first group was happy and full of stories about their adventures, especially Emily.  She was all ready to go for more boating!  We loaded up and got everyone into life jackets and then we were off.

Happy children.  Benjamin stole Mack's hat.  He ended up
liking the hat so much that Mack gave it to him.

The dam that keeps the lake as a lake.

Jonathan loved the feeling of the wind in his hair.

We threw Jay on the tube first.  Mack tossed him around
a little, but didn't manage to throw him off!

Emily was an old pro by now, and had fun tubing with her
dad.

Patting your head means everything's ok.

Mack piloting the boat and a distant view of the lodge.

The lodge where we were staying.

Emily and Kathy.

Benjamin checking things out.

Abigail loved being on the
boat!

Ben designated himself
co-pilot.  He's peeking out from
the captain's chair.

Jay and the kids took a break for a swim in the lake.

Jon and Emily piled on with Jay for more tubing.

Benjamin helped drive.

Abby finally got brave and decided to try tubing.

No hands!

Beautiful!

Water+Sun=Tired boy!

We made our way back to dry land, where we had to say good-bye to Kathy and Mack and Kara, as they were heading home.  We got some lunch and went back to our room to relax for the afternoon.

Happy boat crew!

My grandmother with my dad and all his siblings.
Back row: Richard, Andy, Leslie, David
Front: Melanie, Grandma Jan

All my aunts and uncles, my parents, and my sister.
Back: Alan, Richard, Leslie, David, Ken
Front: Susan, Melanie, Grandma, Martin, Rebecca

At dinner time, we met up with the family who were still there.  By now, our kids were very comfortable with all the extended relatives, which was a lot of fun.

Uncle Alan showing off his fancy lefovers.

Abigail and Grandma Jan
became best friends.

Grandma and her great-grands.

Four generations.

Jonathan comparing heights
with David and Ken.

The kids talked us into one last night of swimming, so everyone went for a dip in the pool after dinner.  We all agreed that our last day of vacation couldn't have been much better!

Benjamin had to go to bed
wearing his new hat.