It is a bit debated, but a best guess is that my family has been going to Tansi for about 32 years. As our family has grown, the Tansi crowd has grown because once you're brought into the King family, you're brought into the Tansi family. Come July, you're there- willingly or unwillingly, you are there.
Now, lets discuss Tansi accommodations through the years. It did start in the duplex which was a mile or two drive from the Thunderbird recreation center, which is essentially the hub of all that is Tansi. Over time, I'm not sure if Dad got a raise or how it happened, but we got moved to the cabins by the water and within a rock's throw of the Thunderbird. Whoa. Just whoa. The cabins had been around for a while. They had, ahem, character. To this day, certain features of the cabins are still discussed on a regular basis. I think it only right that each feature have its own section. I'll list them below.
The Screen Door
Every cabin had one, and they all sounded the same way. Loud. Really, really loud. And springless. You know the spring that would slow it down from slamming? Didn't have one. The fact that the door was loud was interesting. The fact that my parents got up at the crack of dawn every morning, we assume to make sure the lake hadn't gone anywhere, and went out the door has always been the main discussion about the door. RRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! WHAM!!!! Early. Really, really early. Now through the Tansi years, lots of folks have gone with us, including one of our boyfriends/girlfriends on occasion, therefore it meant someone was usually sleeping on the ungodly pull-out couch in the living next to, you guessed it, the screen door. Looking back, I guess it was a form of Tansi hazing. If you survived it, there was a chance you could get invited back the next year.
The Ducks
There were always LOTS of ducks at Tansi. And Canadian geese. Mean Canadian geese. And guess what drew the many, many pooping and quacking and honking fowl to your cabin's yard? The slamming of the Screen Door. Now lets review at what time the door made its first RRRRRREEEEEEEE!!! WHAM!!! of each day. That's right, you remember. Early. Really, really early. So after the RRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! WHAM!!!! came the water fowl ensemble. Just in case you weren't aware, forty birds three feet from you cabin door are loud. Really, really loud. More hazing. Less sleep.
The Bugs
The bugs in the cabin definitely stressed some folks more than others. One of those stressed was my sister-in-law. When she started going to Tansi, she and my brother weren't married yet, so she and I shared a bed. Every night was the same ritual of her yanking the covers all the way back and doing weird shaking of the covers. Buggaphobia. My sister was also not a fan. Due to their wimpiness and lack of Tansi spirit, there were several years my brother's family and my sister's family moved to the condos. We won't be reviewing the condos in this blog because frankly, they go against all that is Tansi.
The Lack of Coolness
I don't mean the cabins weren't cool like the Fonz cool. They weren't cool like sweat dripping, no air conditioner having, can't quite catch your breath causing, laying in a pool of your own liquids sleeping cool. They were hot. Open a window, turn on a fan, they were still hot. After about twenty years, they did put in window unit air conditioners. We agreed that it may not have been totally in the Tansi spirit of things, but we ran them anyway.
There is so very much more that could be said about the old cabins. One year we went, and they all sort of looked tie-dyed. They had scraped them all to paint them but hadn't painted them yet. I don't think the Tansi folks ever realized there is a thing called "the off season" when lots of places do this type of work. Oh well, that year definitely made for some interesting pictures. Notice I said "old" cabins because about three years ago, after building new cabins here and there for a while, all the old cabins were torn down and new "cabins" were put in their place. The new places are completely ridiculous. They have flatscreens and dishwashers and exterminators and doors with springs. My dad is still mildly convinced that they've ruined Tansi
We cannot leave the accommodation topic without the, hands down, most important cabin being mentioned.
CABIN 210
A moment of silence please.
Cabin 210...the Zion, the promised land, the Nirvana of Lake Tansi Resort. Everyone wanted it, but none more than my father. It involved plotting and jockeying and setting alarms on January 1st of each year by my father and that was usually to beat out his own sister for it. It took fights and harassment by my Aunt Helen with all members of the Lake Tansi POA, but when it happened, when the stars aligned just right, and the POA actually wrote it down correctly and my family got Cabin 210, well, I'm not sure there was much greater joy for my dad. I've had my phone ring on more than one occasion and answer it to one statement and one statement alone, "We got it." Not jubilant or boastful, just a tone of mission accomplished like a soldier might sound after a hostage rescue within enemy territory. We look at the new cabin where 210 once stood and shake our heads. The loss is still a little too painful but with time, we're hoping it won't hurt so badly.
It is appearing to me that Tansi should probably be a blog series, but I'm on a roll, so why quit now. What is there to do at Lake Tansi for the long weekend every July? I'm glad you asked. I think I'll go back to my devoted sections, in order of importance this time, but before I start, there is one requirement to do any activity. The Activity Bracelet. Several of the bracelets come in the big white envelope when you check-in. Once in the cabin, the bracelets are promptly counted, then for the next 3 days, they are recounted and searched for and yelled about and fingers pointed at who had one last and stressed about in general. Every condo/cabin has there own collection of them. My parents spend most of their trip looking at the kids' arms and saying, "Is that one of ours?" I was never certain what happened if one was lost. Maybe the Tansi POA is made up of the firstborn children of past Tansi visitors who had lost their bracelets and had to pay with their eldest child. All I ever knew was the bracelets were important- really, really important. My hubby loves his activity bracelet. It's the first thing he puts on in the morning and the last thing he takes off at night while at Tansi. A few years ago in the winter, my rebel of a sister said, "Look what I found in my pool bag." She held up a Tansi activity bracelet. Gasps filled the room. The hubby was horrified then immediately took it and hung it on his rear view mirror where it hangs even today. Others have been found here and there over the years once we've gotten home. We keep it quiet and at last count, we still have all the kids.
So here's that list:
#1 BINGO
If I could even begin to express to you the importance of BINGO at Tansi I would, but I'm just not sure there's a way to do it. Back in the early 80's when my granny was alive, we would go to Tansi, and noone got between her and the Thunderbird at BINGO time. She BINGO'd one time when she had broken her ankle. Someone was going to go up and claim her prize for her but nothin' doin'. She was hobbling up on her cane no matter what. That would like having a stand-in claim your Oscar for Best Actress. It just doesn't happen.
The same man called BINGO at Tansi up until about 5 years ago. I don't think he'll ever know how much he's missed by the King clan. Tansi BINGO has a few "things" for lack of better word that are a little different than anybody else's BINGO. You can play up to four cards if you're a certain age. All the regular Tansi-ites choose very carefully. They flip the card over and study the back of it for a while. I've never been sure what they're looking for, but I do it too. I don't want to seem like an amateur. Then, there are certain times to yell out certain things. There's not handout to teach you, it just comes with experience. It is as follows:
Announcer: "I-22, two ducks on a pond."
Crowd: "Quack, quack"
Announcer: "B-11, those sexy legs."
Crowd: "Whoooot, woooo" (that's a whistle like you'd do at, of course, a sexy lady)
Announcer: "N-45, the cowboy's friend"
Crowd: "Bang, bang"
Announcer: "N-40"
Crowd: "40???"
You might remember earlier in the blog when I mentioned my husband claimed cult at his first visit. Is that becoming a little more understandable? Not only does he now admit the error of his ways, but he whistles and quacks right along with the rest of us. As I said, the original BINGO caller isn't there anymore, and the new guy is no fun at all. He doesn't do the little announcements, but we whistle and quack at the appropriate times anyway. Don't mess with our Tansi BINGO, dude!
The King table usually takes home a win or two, of course, there's usually about twenty of us playing so odds are. I've never won. Sad but true. I have never BINGO'd at Tansi. About three years ago, my brother BINGO'd for the first time ever at Tansi. Aside from his wedding day and the birth of his children, I think that might have been the happiest day of his life. He carried around his $5 bill proudly and flaunted it to anyone who would look even wearing it on his forehead for awhile if I remember correctly. My brother-in-law and nephews have hosted us to breakfast on more than one occasion when they took home the big prize- a gift certificate to the 19th Hole Restaurant. Winning is just so sweet in Tansi BINGO. I wouldn't actually know, but they sure act like it.
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| The year of his big win. We think it might have been this lucky shirt. Notice the new cabin. Terrible isn't it? |
The Lake Tansi Putt Putt spells Lake Tansi. Duh. What else would it spell? Each hole is a letter. Stop and ponder on that a moment. For instance, consider letter K. If the starting point is at the bottom of the straight line and the hole is at the bottom of the lower slant.... anyone else see the problem? Par 17. I want it noted here and now, in 32 years of Tansi-ing, I have seen one, 1, uno hole in one on the K. It was by my 6th grader when he was about 7 years old. There was cheering, screaming and disbelief. It wasn't a pretty shot, but it worked. The ball was hit, it launched, went airborne for a few seconds and dropped, and it went straight into the hole. Unbelievable.
#3 Water
Some of the boys in my family have gone to a camp with a lake called Lake Chilly Water. Make no mistake, the Tansi pool could compete in the chilly any day of the week. It. Is. Cold. But always full of King family in the afternoons anyway. Rousing games of Marco Polo and handstand competitions are a must.
There is also the Tansi beach. It is lake water. It is gross. And all of us have rolled in it as kids at one time or another. One of my favorite pictures is of my nephew coming up out of the Tansi lake like some sort of creature.
There are also paddleboats at Lake Tansi. Used to you could take them all over the lake, but for the last several years, they have a roped off area you must stay within. Paddleboat races are a common occurrence and the chain slipping off requiring a paddleboat rescue is also a common occurrence. The Great Paddle boat Rescue of 2010 will not soon be forgotten. There were tears, towing and finally the walking of the boat around the sides like a dog on a leash. The crowd was triumphant when all of the racers arrived on the dock safely. Did I mention the water is about 4 feet at its deepest point in this area?
There are also lots of other activities and the best part of Tansi is that if there's something you want to do, somebody's there doing it. Benefits of traveling in a pack. There is much bike riding, tennis playing, golfing, horseshoeing, ping ponging, fishing, whirling in the merry-go-around until you want to puke and game nights to name a few. But mostly there is eating. Eating and eating and eating. The "Tansi menu" discussions start in about May. It is priority. Did I mention we eat lots at Tansi? I cannot state that enough. We eat.
A favorite family memory these days is The 40th Birthday Tansi Parade in honor of my sister-in-law. It was complete with her standing out the top of the sunroof with a banner across her chest and a flashing tiara, waving so fabulously that she would have made the queen herself proud. We circled the cabin road honking the horn and screaming and were followed by a string of our kids on bikes and scooters. My sister was with them carrying balloons and yelling at anyone out in their yard that it was Wendy's birthday. That was a Tansi first and was extremely well received, especially by the kids who were delighted with our parade. Ok, the kids and Auntie Kel were especially delighted. Ok, the kids, Auntie Kel and Aunt Wendy were especially delighted. It was a good time.
So I'm thinking there will be more Tansi blogs in my future because in our house, Tansi is a great big deal. The hubby has decided it is our Hamptons. At least weekly, the first grader asks if it's time to go to Tansi yet. Tonight he drew a Tansi picture on the front of a notebook, said he was taking it to Tansi to write notes in, then writing an autobiography. Yes, he actually said autobiography. Are you getting that Tansi is important?
So the truth of the matter is, we're not completely positive how many more years of Tansi there will be. The 6th grader caught wind of that last year and panic set in. All we know for sure is that the reservations are made for this year, and we are excited. You are never sure which cousins, aunts and uncles will be there, but it is always a crowd and fun to see who shows up. We know for sure that we'll have lots of food, that is a given. And we know for sure that we'll make memories with our family that we wouldn't trade for anything. Last year we had our first annual Tansi summer recap. All the grandkids and anyone they might have had with them took turns having center stage. They told about any summer camp, school trip or mission trip they had been on at the first of the summer. We all sat and listened attentively and applauded each presentation. Precious times with a precious bunch. Times that we have thanks to Lake Tansi.
Okay - so 1) I LOVE this! 2) I think you should send it to the people at Tansi - maybe they could put it in a newsletter or something! and 3) WHO ARE THOSE BABIES IN THE BOTTOM PICTURE??? That is cutest cousin picture EVER!!
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