In my last post, we were discussing how we went on vacation just to visit a dog. Yes, he's a great dog -- he's a big, enthusiastically happy retriever who was absolutely delighted to have 2 small people to play with all week and treat him like a celebrity. Still, we felt that we should at least try to schedule a couple of activities that didn't involve throwing a slobbery tennis ball on our vacation.
And so it was that we decided to take the kids fishing, that age-old rite of childhood passage. I remember fishing for sunnies when I was a kid - catching them with balls of squished Wonder Bread and a cheap fishing pole (even sometimes just a stick with string and a hook), and trying to convince other kids to take the wildly flapping fish off the hook for me. But we now live in the desert, where it turns out there are no local fishing holes, and the only places my kids have fished are those carnival games where you try to snag a magnetic-mouthed fish with your magnetic fishing "hook." So "real" fishing seemed like a good idea.
My mom knew the perfect spot. Let me digress and say that this was confirmation to me that my mom -- who grew up on Long Island and raised me in the suburbs of New York City -- has completed her decades-long metamorphosis into a rural, farm girl. She now says stuff like "you remember the Potters who live over in the holler?" Holler?? Did she really say that?? And she knows that if you want to get a pig, really should get two pigs, because -- as every rural person will tell you and she has therefore passed the wisdom on to me -- "they do better." And they don't mow the grass anymore, now they "Bush Hog" things. I could go on, but I won't. As a die-hard city/suburban girl myself, I have tried to watch this transformation with clinical detachment -- sort of how a doctor would observe a patient with a progressive flesh-eating bacteria. Just kidding, Mom. Actually, I'm impressed at how my Mom knows everyone in a three county area and knows how to dig post holes, birth foals and fence pastures. It's really quite amazing, in a "who are you and what have you done with my real Mom?" kind of way.
But anyway, back to fishing. My mom knew the perfect spot because her friend owns the most perfect fishing pond ever. The location is stunning. Wanna see?
Naturally, I am an expert fisherman, fisherwoman, er fisherperson . . . whatever, from my Wonder Bread/stick pole days. So, I'm sure that the fact that I caught a huge fish had nothing to do with the fact that there were so many fish in that pond, they were practically bumping into each other down there. Here's my bass.
Really it was so crowded in that pond, the fish were practically flinging themselves on the dock with us, probably just seeking a little breathing room. I almost had to use the fishing pole to beat off all the fish trying to be free.
Daniel was a little alarmed by this, and even more alarmed by the fact that we weren't fishing with sterile Wonder Bread, but instead with real live blood-and-guts worms. And boy oh boy, do worms have a lot of blood and guts. Here is Gary showing Daniel our unfortunate victims.
You can see that at first he was really not sure that fishing was the sport for him. Those sunnies can terrify even the bravest of boys (and so can Grandpa JJ sneaking up behind him).
But, by the end, he was reeling them in like a pro:
Julie, never one to shy away from a new adventure, was raring to go from the start. I swear, that girl would have dived in and arm wrestled those fish to the surface, if we'd asked her to.
Fishin' with grammaw, in the crick down in the holler . . . or somethin'
Ain't it purty?
One thing you will notice is that Grandpa JJ never has a line in the water. Honestly, I've been fishing with him my whole life, and I'm not sure that I've ever actually seen him fish. It's not because he doesn't like fishing -- because he is a great fisherman; it's because -- despite being the tough guy that he is -- he's always the one helping everybody else fish. For example, he replaced countless hooks that night, ones that got lost in the reeds, or some that got stuck in the pond (probably wedged between the fish).
He's also the one who has taken 99.95% of all fish I've ever caught off of the hook for me. And my kids are now enjoying his de-hooking skills.
He's a good guy, that Grandpa JJ. We of course threw all the fish back, though I'm pretty sure they wanted to come home with us and live in a nice roomy fishtank. They wanted to be city fish.
So, it was the perfect evening at the perfect fishing pond. One of those moments that make you consciously aware of how beautiful life can be. Except for the worm guts, of course.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
I enjoyed reading about your fishing adventure! My DH took DD1 fishing at a stocked pond. She wanted to do in theory, but in actuality, she did not care for any interaction with raw fish or cooked fish for that matter!
I like your photos a lot - the "No Fishing" sign is a nice touch. :)
Posted by: Juliana | July 13, 2008 at 08:21 PM
You are the consumate storyteller! I'm cracking up over here. And I think our moms had both morphed into this other being that my children are now saying I've become. So watch out! you could be next!
Love those pictures too!!
Posted by: AfriDigiDiva | July 13, 2008 at 10:31 PM
Thanks for sharing :)
Bright and colourful pics
Posted by: Paulana | July 13, 2008 at 11:24 PM
Wonderful photos and storeytelling, very entertaining.
Posted by: Melissa | July 13, 2008 at 11:26 PM
Those photos are gorgeous Dawn!! Looks like you guys had a blast! So did you cook up and eat your catch?
Posted by: Eve | July 14, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Looks like a very happy fishing day :oD
Posted by: Sunflowers | July 14, 2008 at 01:01 AM
Wow, great fun, great photos! That's a huge fish that you got, Dawn! Awesome :-)
I chuckled at the "NO FISHING" sign. Love irony!
Posted by: Barb | July 14, 2008 at 04:00 AM
I love the No Fishing sign.
Thes pictures remind me of fishing with my grandpa. Oh how I groaned that he wanted me to wake up at 7am in the summer when I was a teen, but I'd give anything to fish one more day with grandpa now.
Posted by: Amanda | July 14, 2008 at 04:49 AM
Great photos and wonderful story. Sounds like everyone had a wonderful time.
Posted by: Carjazi | July 14, 2008 at 06:11 AM
What a great fishing trip! I love fishing!
Great photos of the day too!
Have a great day!
Posted by: Michelle Powell, Chief Scraphead | July 14, 2008 at 07:04 AM
What stunning photos (as always). Looks like everyone had a lot of fun.
Posted by: Michelle Waite | July 14, 2008 at 08:45 AM
Great job on the fishing and dealing with the worm guts! Your photos are so fun and inviting! :)
Posted by: Victoria | July 14, 2008 at 04:37 PM
What great stories you tell and what great photos!
I'm loving visiting your blog!
Thena
Posted by: Thena Smith | July 14, 2008 at 05:34 PM
What awesome photos and a great fishing trip!!
Posted by: Kelsey | July 14, 2008 at 08:40 PM
Beautiful photos and humorous story as always, m'dear! Glad everyone had fun! Don't think I've been fishing in about... oh... 20-some-odd years... LOL
Have a great day!
Posted by: Cate | July 16, 2008 at 04:50 AM
Hilarious!
I've been in MS for 20+ years now, and some of the country slang still makes me go "huh??". LOL
I enjoyed reading your entry, and as usual, your pictures were beautiful. :)
Posted by: shana a.k.a scrapshana | July 17, 2008 at 09:06 AM
Oh, btw, I left you a little award on my blog. :)
Posted by: shana a.k.a scrapshana | July 17, 2008 at 09:07 AM
Gorgeous photos! Thanks for the chuckle.
Posted by: Stephanie | July 17, 2008 at 12:51 PM
I think that you're getting lots of awards for your blog. Stop by mine and see what Trina (Lady Pats Fan) left me that I've forwarded to you.
Posted by: carjazi | July 20, 2008 at 06:27 PM