Quake on the Lake - July 2006

In late July on our way back from camping, we stopped off in West Bloomfield to visit my parents. By "visiting" I mean dropped the kids off so Jody and I could go see the Nickelback concert in Detroit and hit the Greektown Casino. We actually won enough money to pay for our night out! Anyway, on Sunday afternoon we went north a few miles to Pontiac Lake to watch the Quake on the Lake. It was a gorgeous day and there were thousands of people on hand to watch the power boats racing around the lake. For a few bucks more we purchased a pit crew pass and were able to walk among the boats and mechanics. Before and after each race the boats are lifted out of the water by cranes so there is always a lot of action in the pits. Stefan got a big kick out of some of the display cars they had on hand too. Stefan is posing next to a Saleen S7, which is the fastest production car in the United States. A $402,000 price tag gets you 550 horsepower, 223 mph top speed, and 0 - 100 mph in 7.3 seconds. The car is reported to have so much down force that you can drive it upside down in a tunnel at any speed over 160 mph. I don't know about you, but that sounds way cool!!

Sailing Lessons

Last year my dad picked up a small sailing dory for the kids to use. He figured it would be an easy way for them to learn the fundamentals of sailing in a nice secure environment (Woodpecker Lake). Not only do the kids enjoy using it, but Jody has shown herself to be quite nautically inclined. To be truthful, I wasn't sure how the kids were going to take to the sailboat. Like their mom, they tend to prefer the "go fast" boats that make lots of noise. But on her first time out, Elan was having such a good time that when I instructed her to come about for a tack she replied, "But dad! I'm just picking up a good gust!! Needless to say she didn't come about for a few more minutes and enjoyed her brief burst of speed.