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Here is Daves

So when I was 14 I bought my first car. Then a week later I traded it for a ..... then a month after that I sold that one and bought a ......(repeat this process for 40 years including the following) Then I met Panthergirl. She wanted a grand am, then a GTO, then a Jeep so we bought one, then a couple months later she wanted a different jeep.
 
Andy,

That's pretty much spot on !!!!! Lol !!!!

Someday I'll post my list ..... You would be astounded....... :-)

Actually, when I met Panthergirl in 7th grade she wanted a Wrangler. It only took 35 years to get her one..... Uhhhh .... Two ????
 
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All I can say , is our lake has unlimited horsepower

But .....

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A little overkill for me (lol)

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Hubby and I both grew up around boats and fishing.  We wanted to share this with both of our kids.  We use to travel a lot but have settled down to our main home near Chicago, and a 40' camper on a lot we own near the Illinois River.  We have learned that life needs to be lived to the fullest because you never know what tomorrow will bring.  We are currently awaiting the building and delivery of our new 21SFX APG which will be the 5th boat we've owned.  
 
mraynie,

Life is short and noone knows what tomorrow may bring.
It is not the money but the memories which are important
So many get caught up in The Rat Race and live to regret it
Enjoy Life's daily Miracles To The Fullest
I was asked when I retired at a young age
What are you going to do with all your free time
The answer is
What Ever I Want To !
I wish you and Hubby Life's Best

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With all the new members joining

What better way to get to know us and us you

Welcome to

The Bennington Family

Tell Us Your Story

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Born and raised in Alabama.  Grew up on farms all my life.  My wife and I both work at The University of Alabama (Roll Tide).  After driving 30 miles one way every day for 10 years, we finally moved to the "city".  Now I'm about 3 miles from work but yearning for my space again.  We are currently looking for a home on Lake Tuscaloosa but they are VERY expensive.  I have two and half kids in college right now...the half is my high school senior daughter taking what's called "Early College" classes here at UA.  Next fall I'll have 3 daughters full time in college.  My stepson will be starting college the following fall (2016).  Maybe once we get a few of them out on their own we'll be able to move to the lake. 

We are avid outdoors people.  Hiking, boating, scuba diving...almost anything outdoors.  We were avid jet-skiers until we sold them this past January.  We wanted to move up to a pontoon boat as it's much better suited for family adventures.  I intended to wait until next fall when folks were getting ready to put them away and maybe find a good used one for a reasonable price.  Then I went to the local boat show in late January.  Now I own a 2015 Bennington SSRX.   We keep it in a marina on Lake Tuscaloosa, about 10 minutes from the house.  I'm currently looking for a trailer so we can explore other waterways in our neck of the woods. 

Besides water sports, I mentioned we are also hikers.  Our favorite is probably snowshoeing in the Rocky Mountains.  We've done this several times, even took the whole family out to Colorado last March for a snowshoeing experience.  Family time is very important to us.  We all love hiking.  My wife, middle daughter and myself are certified scuba divers.  Boating is just another way for us to all enjoy outdoor activities together.  Some people say purchasing a boat is not an investment.  I say they're wrong.  While there may not be a financial return, the time together and memories formed are perhaps one of the best investments you can make.
 
I was raised summers on Cape Cod. My folks had a summer place a short walk to the private beach. IN 1950 my dad bought a 12 row boat. that was the beginning of my boating life. I completed a molded Plywood boat when I was 16. Bought a 35 HP Johnson for it and learned to water ski. met my beautiful wife while I was in the service and when I got home introduced her to boating. Still had the molded Plywood boat. As we raised 3 kids 2 boys and a girl we put a pool in the back yard.( read My pool story) In 1978 we bought a 23 foot sail boat. I had learned to sail on a friends boat. Kept it for a year sold it for a 26' keel sail boat. SolD it for a new 30' sail boat in 1981. Moved to power boats in 1988 Had 3.A 23' Sea Ray cuddy cab, a 27' Sundancer, and last a 34' Sea Ray Sport Fish. Got out of boating from 1994 to 2009 Moved to SC and "Went camping." In 2010 bought a 20' Bentley and then moved up to a new Benny in 2013. It's been a long journey, a fun journey, and together we hope to continue this journey for a number of years to come. "LIFE IS GOOD"  I wish everyone could enjoy the 54 years together and be doing what we loved. SEE Y'ALL ON THE LAKE.
 
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Enjoy reading all of your stories.  Let's hear some more.  Nice thread Pittsburgh
 
We are water-people. We raised 2 outstanding sons who, if they were in or on the water...life was good. They were both very accomplished swimmers who, at the peak, swam national-level meets. Both retired the sport after high school even though they were awarded scholarships. They just didn't want to be D1 athletes and be owned by the sport in college. The water was their life. They were too busy to get in trouble. And they were too tired to be mouthy. The 2 swim seasons (long-course and short-course) gave them only 6 weeks off from training a year.

During the summers, from a very young age, we lived at a marina on Lake Michigan. My beautiful bride is a teacher, so she is off all summer. On the last day of school, we would ceremoniously "move the iron". Meaning, we'd move to the boat as our primary residence...and we'd move the iron so I could press my shirts before work each day. We had a long series of boats, auxiliary boats, PWC's and dinghy type boats to support our boat habit. 

The last great cruiser was a 43' Cruisers Yacht, 2 staterooms, 2 bathrooms, full galley, an awesome boat. We loved the life. The kids would check in with us from "insert boat name". It was incredible the neighborhood we lived in. "Mom...I'm going over to King's Ransom for dinner" one son would inform us. "That's fine...we'll be at Curtis Cabana after dinner...meet us there by 10 please" she'd chime back. At our dock we had a 17' SeaRay runabout, 2 Tigershark PWC's and on the back of the Cruiser was a 12' dinghy with a 15hp outboard that we'd use as a beach landing craft when spending the day in a cove, or for puttering around for bloody marys starting at 9am each Sunday morning. 

2008 was a very bad year to own a yacht. We recovered. Downsized a LOT! Got the Malibu ski boat and the boys started skiing. They took to it like fish to water and we've never looked back. We got the Bennington because mom and I were tired of having to have our kidneys replaced every weekend after hours pulling skiers. Direct drive ski boats are just not all that comfortable. The boys are grown now. My bride and I are looking for a lake house. Still have both boats so it's the best of all worlds for us. Glad to be done with the big boat days (they are a LOT of work) but still miss it. We're very thankful for our many blessings and the luck that what we chose to do as a family produced a family that is still so very close today. 
 
Thank you Scubadad, Highpond and JeffS,


We feel like we know you a little better with your stories and hope you got to know us a little more as well.


Water people. Boat People, Lake House and Cabin People have much in common


The memories made are passed from generation to generation


To live our lifestyle , we all worked hard and put in the hours to accumulate our treasures


Now the true treasures are the moments shared with friends and family


What I like most about this thread is


I no longer feel,it is just me who feels fortunate living this amazing dream :)


I hope as Link said


We hear plenty more stories that show what we have in common besides our Benny

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Bamaman said:
I have no idea where my grandmother came up with $4500 in 1945 to buy 400' of prime lake frontage on the Tennessee River.  The land alone would be worth over $1 million today--had the land not been split amongst relatives. 

My father and I built a modest retirement home in 1979, and I continue to this day to right the wrongs of some of our construction mistakes.  However as I work there these afternoons, I cherish the times my departed father and I competed to see who could shovel the most dirt.  I would talk to him on the telephone after supper, and he'd just say, "You ought to see the sunset I'm looking at."

I in my young retired years have that same sunset that my father saw, and it is truly breathtaking across 6 miles of open water.

We're up to 5 generations have enjoyed the fruits of my grandmother's labor.
Click to expand...

I've kayaked on the Tennessee, but that was before I bought the Bennie. Now, I want to take Toonafun to the Tennessee and see it with a little more comfort involved.
 
Yeah, lets hear it from some of the new guys
 
lakeliving said:
Here is Daves

So when I was 14 I bought my first car. Then a week later I traded it for a ..... then a month after that I sold that one and bought a ......(repeat this process for 40 years including the following) Then I met Panthergirl. She wanted a grand am, then a GTO, then a Jeep so we bought one, then a couple months later she wanted a different jeep.
Click to expand...
At least she got stuck on the right brand of vehicle!  Jeep!!  

 
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With The New Boating Season Here


We Have Many New Members


Take A Moment To Tell Us About Yourself


AND


Welcome To The Bennington Family

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Well after raising two boys and putting one through college and the other one going to college we decided to get a pontoon boat. We had talked about it for years but the finances never worked out. 2 years ago we decided to look. We found a beat up one for 2 grand. It needed work but I knew I could do it. So we bought the boat and basically rebuilt it except for the furniture. New floor, carpet and wiring and some other stuff. I have always had some type of boat whether it be a canoe or small fishing boat but had no experience with pontoons besides renting them here and there. So after the first couple times I notice water leaking out of the tubes. I was truly pissed off but we bought it as is so not much recourse for us. Anyway I said the heck with it and we just used it. For the last two seasons we have ran the heck out of the boat. I patched a few noticeable  holes but it seemed it would just get so much water and that was it. IT had drain plugs so I just drain it out and moved on. We enjoyed the heck out of it with my sons and three dogs. Yeah it was a piece of junk but it was our piece of junk. It got us on the water and I never felt unsafe even though the tubes took on some water. 


So about a month or so ago we had a bit of a tragedy in our family. Our companion of 11 years, our dog hunter, had to be put down. Be honest I am a bit teary eyed typing this. Anyway out of our three dogs he was the boat dog. I swear to this day that dog knew we were going boating before we did. We would just walk down the steps in the morning and he would go nuts. It was like he sensed it even though we did not even mention it or say one word. So after this happened we went out on the boat a few times this year but just was not the same. It just brought back way to much for my wife. So we decided that it was time to upgrade the boat not only because of this reason but also because financially we could and after two years of pontoon boating we knew that is what we want. This was what we talked about when we bought the old boat that it was a test boat and when we know that is what we want we will upgrade.


So here we are today ready to take delivery on a 2016 21 SLX 90 HP Yamaha later this week or beginning next week.  I am super excited and can't wait to get it.  We looked at the 20 SLX's but this one caught our eye and we feel we made the right choice. Out of all the boats we look at Bennington was the only one that really made us say " THAT'S IT". I look forward to sharing some stories and pictures once we get on the water. We mainly go out on the Ohio river down past rising sun,indiana but with this new boat we plan to hit more lakes. The old boat had smaller tubes and just couldn't handle lakes that well. So take care and see you on the water.


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Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear about Hunter. We're all dog owners/lovers here so we can all relate to your boating buddy. Congrats on the new boat and I'm looking forward to seeing some photos of the new toon and your stories along the way.
 
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