Tahoe Blue Paradise: Summer Vacation Splash Zone

Tahoe's legendary blue waters became our personal playground, though local tourism officials probably didn't anticipate just how literally we'd interpret 'make a splash'! Dad's rented boat driving skills prompted nearby vessels to give us a suspiciously wide berth, especially after his 'perfectly executed' docking maneuver that tested the bumper's maximum absorption capacity. The kids invented a new water sport best described as 'extreme tube chaos,' featuring elaborate rules that somehow always resulted in Mom being the one launched into the air at unexpected moments. Our lakeside vacation rental became command central for competitive card games that grew increasingly theatrical, with Uncle Bob's poker face betraying him so completely that we started betting on which eye would twitch first when he bluffed.