Happy Fourth Of July everyone!
Thank you all for the warm birthday wishes. It was a lot of fun.
...It usually is...
Here's a tidbit for ya... My father, along with my youngest brother, and I all share the same birthday. No kidding.
I'm not quite sure how my mom arranged it, but some how she was able to give my father two living birthday presents without the help of a C-section or anything else.
(He's tried several times over the years to return us or exchange us for a shirt but we usually find our way back home...<g>)
It sure was a lot of fun spending it up at the lake.
Did a lot work. Put in the docks, cleaned up the beach, shoveled a truck load of sand, cut up a huge white birch tree that had fallen across the driveway, cleaned the boat and changed all the fluids (oil, gear lube, grease), spent a few hours trying to get it started while cursing and recharging batteries, and a couple of dozen other chores.
The bugs ate me alive. I itch everywhere...
It was the best darned weekend I've had in almost a year.
I'm completely rejuvinated.
The smell and taste of the crisp clean air, the sound of the wind blowing through the tall trees, and the cool chill of the crystal lake water has filled my soul once again.
The highlight of my weekend was when I took my two boys out on the canoe for some fishing.
It was Saturday. After a hard day of work I brought in a feast of food off the barbeque grill. After eating to a point where I would normally find myself snoozing on the couch a few minutes later, I instead gathered up the fishing poles and began removing the bird nests of fishing line that the kids had put into them last year.
I quickly rigged up three poles and put the life jackets on the boys.
We paddled out to the end of a rock jeddy where I know a lot of the small fish like to hang out. These fish aren't the type you try to eat. They are the pesky ones that take your bait but are usually too small, boney and bad tasting for you to want to keep.
Anyhow, the water was nice and calm. Most of the boats were off the lake. Not a jet ski to be heard...
The water was still enough that when the worm plunked in, the ripples would continue rolling out for about 10 feet or more.
The sun was slowly setting behind the rolling, tree covered Adirondack mountains and hills. The incredible beauty of nature that stood before me was twice intensified by a slightly blurred, upsidedown reflection of the same image.
I tried to absorb this vision into my head while simultaneously cutting a slimey nightcrawler in half while he breakdanced ontop of my tackle box.
While dodging the bombardment of questions from my sons concerning the current health conditions of the worm, I pointed the first fishing pole in back of me and casted it out about 20 yards left of the rocks.
I handed that pole to my 5 year old and repeated the process aiming to the right side of the jeddy this time.
No sooner did I get my line into the water, the tangles began happening.
Some how those two fishing lines that started out 40 yards apart were now entangled with each other in a manner that made it look like the two worms were bound together and being held hostage.
I had to work quickly, alternating the reconstructed riggings on each pole. As I would untangle on, they would be quick to hand me another tangle just as I finished.
I was working as quickly, smoothly, and efficiently as the assembly line in some Chinese toy factory.
Untangle a pole.
Grab shiny new rig,
fishing hook,
tiny lead crimp-on weight.
Tie that intricate fisheman's knot that includes approx. ten twists and a few fancy manuvers, and get it back into the water.
Repeat as necessary.
Finally I manage to cast to the exact spot where the fish must have been laughing while they were watching me from below.
I felt a slight tug on my line and handed the fishing rod to my 4 year old while pretending that I was fixing the next rod in line.
This is where it got good.
Real good! I'll always remember this.
I got to see the faces of my two sons as the excitement rushed through them while the small fish tried it's hardest to run with the bait and bring it to the bottom of the lake.
The pole bend downward.
My four year old's eyes lit up with a look that was a cross between, "Holy smokes!!!" and "Daddy, I'm scared!!!".
My five year old watched in amazement as I cheered the younster along guiding him with intructions to pull the rod back and begin to reel it in as the pole lowers back down.
As soon as he landed the 6" Rock Bass, my 5 year old yells out, "I got one, too!"
I immediately thought he was just saying that because of the competion that the two siblings always have with each other.
But I realized I was wrong. Before I could get the first fish off the hook, I had his 5 inch Sunny staring me right in the eyes as he flopped around on the bottom of the boat. The boys were so excited. Pumping with adrenaline and curiosity.
I removed the hook from the fish's large mouth, I let them get a good look at it.
They each asked to touch the gasping fish. I allowed them a quick light poke with their timid index fingers and then simulated giving the fish a kiss and then gently put the fish back into the water.
Then I showed them the difference between the first fish and the second fish. I pointed out how the sun fish had different colors and shape while I wrestled with it to remove the hook from it's tiny circular mouth.
They asked to kiss the fish this time.
I laughed so hard as they both pleaded with me.
I got them to put a kiss on their finger and then touch the fish and we let him swim off.
The boys stared at me with a look that said "Well, what are you waiting for?"
LET'S CATCH SOME MORE FISH!!!
It didn't take long before the 4 year old landed another one.
The sun by this time was well beneath the top of the mountain that laid across the lake.
I wanted to even the score.
It was getting darker and I knew that my wife would soon begin to get concerned that we were not back yet.
I had put away two of the three poles and made the final cast.
I had lost hope of catching the final fish when my older son said for approx. the fifth time, "Dad I think I'm stuck in the rocks."
Oh well...
As he pulled on the fishing pole to show me, all of a sudden line began pulling out from his real.
Fast.
Real fast.
He tried to reel it in but the drag was set at a level to prevent the line from breaking. 50 feet of monofilm peeled off.
I guided him to pull back on the pole.
He battled this beast of a fish for almost an hour-long minute. Every time it seemed to get close, another 50 feet of line would pull out.
Suddenly he didn't feel anything pulling on the line.
As he reeled in as fast as he could, a 14 inch Small Mouth Bass comes jumping out of the water.
The mother of all fish!
It was huge compared to the others ones we were catching.
As it got to the top of it's one foot high verticle leap to freedom, it looked at us and spit the hook out.
We all stared at ourselves in disbelief. In shock. Did we just see that?
As soon as he reeled in his wormless hook the two of them said, "Dad let's try to get him again! Please!!!"
It was too dark though.
I ensured them that we will get him next time.
Right then and there I realized I witnessed the birth of two mighty fishermen.
They respect the fish and do not wish to hurt them. But they are drawn to the challenge of landing the big one.
That energy is locked up inside them now.
That feeling and memory will be relived each and every time they feel a nibble on their hook.
The time waiting inbetween the bites will be spent absorbing all the beauty that surrounds them.
Absorbing it all. Drinking it in...
-NatureBoy
P.S. I guess I can say I found myself while up there.
I was under a rock.
P.P.S. Life's too short to spell check. Assume all spelling and grammar is correkt. |
