Labor Day on the Lake

There was absolutely NO WAY I was going to be anywhere near Lake Travis on Labor Day. It's amazing what a new boat, a persistent spouse, and pleading kids can do to convince you otherwise! So I got up Monday morning, packed a picnic, threw on a bikini and a pair of cut-offs and we were off to the lake! We called the marina ahead of time so the boat would be waiting for us. I have to admit, that's a nice perk! We hopped in, turned the key and... NOTHING. We had one of the harbor guys hop in to help us out but he couldn't figure it out either. After a few minutes of tapping gauges, turning keys, fiddling with the throttle etc... we finally realized that there was a safety button thingy that was not in the proper position! So we turned the key and... VROOOOM! YEA!

We motored out of the harbor with someone perched on the nose waiting ever so patiently for us to get past the "no wake" zone.

Almost there! And in case you were wondering, yes, the "no wake" zone out of this harbor is REALLY long!

El Capitan at the wheel!
We zipped around for a bit, feeling the wind in our faces, Ainsley is a big fan of that! Then the kids decided they wanted to swim for a bit. We found a little cove and El Capitan threw out the anchor and did a jig!
I learned a valuable lesson in this cove. I learned that boat motors are SOLID especially when they collide with your knee! Note to self, get into the water from the SIDE of the boat! Oh well, you live and learn, right? Once my knee stopped throbbing, the kids and I had a nice dip!
Our fearless leader though, spent most of his time trying to keep the boat from running onto shore as our anchor was not doing its job! We don't know if the anchor is too small or if it just wasn't catching on anything at the bottom. Either way, something we need to figure out for future trips. Ah, the learning curve associated with a new toy! ;) After cooling off a bit in the water, we piled into the boat and zipped around some more until we found another cove that was really deep and mellow, the perfect place to have our picnic. So we ate, tidied some things on the boat and marveled at the scenery.
And, of course, the kids wanted to take another swim. So we tossed them overboard and they were happy!
It was getting late and the weather from Hurricane Hermine was starting to move in. We decided it would be smart to head back so we could fuel up and get docked before the rain. The water was REALLY choppy on the way back in, so we had to be mellow, but I did get one shot of me and the girl getting completely windblown!
Once we made it back to the harbor, Mr. Ian was bushed, so he rested on the back while we fueled up. What you can't see in this pic is the sleeping Piglet on the seat! She passed out hard on the way back! But she woke up to go potty while we fueled up and then she was ready to roll, literally! Someday Babycakes... someday.

All in all, it was a wonderful day at the lake. I was sure it was going to be packed and scary, but it was surprisingly mellow and we had a great time exploring! We found some great spots that we will be happy to share with the folks once Woody is mended and able to come out on the boat. He's doing well though and physical therapy starts today!