Easter weekend a great family weekend at the Jackson's

March 27, 2005

75 degrees and chilling out on the ranch this weekend
was just what the doctor ordered. I paddled hard on Saturday before hanging
out, but today was a total game day! Football, baseball, ultimate frisbee,
trainer kite (for kiteboarding), Flying R/C planes, chess, great Easter
Dinner, hanging out with the Ratliff’s. In the morning I washed the Landcruiser
and the Mini, and helped Kristine do some gardening, that was alright,
relaxing. Then it was cut loose time. We didn’t paddle today, just played
with the kids at home. We made a cool rope swing on the back of the property.
I think we can find a higher tree over the hill somewhere to get a really
big swing that goes high, but for now this one worked. We also climbed
our best tree, did a full moon hike and trundling expedition with Eric
Stiller on Saturday night too, climbing up into Screaming Cat Cave (100
meters from my house, but only a small cave). Played with the dogs out
back, and, well, I think that was about it. I am on the computer right
now because my least favorite activity is going on, a puzzle! Ouch, it
gives me a stomach ache just thinking about it. Kristine loves it and
so do the kids so that is going on for an hour or so, then we’ll play
the dice game.

Tomorrow it is the Jackson Kayak Game. Making the right
boats for whitewater kayakers is easy in concept for me. Actually making
the boats and getting them to a store in one piece is another matter.
Just two days ago we sent 5 boats to CKS and 4 of them were damaged in
shipping! That is after making a perfect hull, all of the outfitting,
trimming and assembling it with incredible care, packaging it, and shipping
it for customers who had already bought it. Then, the trucking company
decided that a fork lift and sledgehammer would be a great way to deliver
them. Not exactly what I call glamorous activities, but all part of the
game. We could use a lot more packaging material, but then we would be
causing enviromental waste, which a lot of companies have chosen over
damaged boats. It is a fine line and I am walking it right now. I have
a new rotomolder for my Hero and Super Hero and Rocker that goes on a
better machine than the other boats, it has an independent control arm
for getting the insert screws out quicker, among other things. That is
another big step in our business. We prefer to mold in Sparta, TN 100%
but that isn’t an option right now due to that molder not getting the
larger machine on time.

Bulkheads, catalog, three new dealers to fill a couple
of holes in our distribution, busting out walls in our facility to make
room for Lorraine to have an office there too (by Tuesday!), watching
cash flow (this is tricky when you are a second year company doubling
in size!), getting the "Sure Lock" backband retro-fit directions
finished, getting the Happy Seat, Creek Float, and Happy Thruster molds
done and product in hand. Oh yea—– Chris Emerick arrives on Wednesday
and we’ll start filming "EJ’s River Running Basics, and EJ’s Advanced
River Running" over the next three weeks- Look for a lot of footage
of the best in river running boats- the Fun Series, the Hero and Super
Hero, and for the Advanced River Running video for creeking- the Rocker!

Signing off to play the dice game and get to bed early,

🙂 EJ