Gone Fishin'

Summer is nearly at an end.

I despise having written those words.

But the truth is that it is and it just hit me I haven't once taken the boys fishing and I even bought my fishing license this SPRING in plans of many fishing days. So, Friday morning, the boys searched up some worms and we headed over the bait store to buy more worms (they weren't sure fifty would be enough and I wasn't going to argue) and we had to get S1's tags for early hunt NEXT MONTH. (ug, fall, you are so mean to show up in summer!)

Gillet's Bait and Hardware is sort of famous here. It is open 365 days a year (yes, even on Christmas) and it is truly a one of a kind store. It is filled with characters and history and if you show up on Friday afternoon, they make cookies. The owners home is connected to the store and I believe it has been around since the beginning of time...or close to.

The woman who owns the place happens to know everything about getting my son a hunting tag and I know nothing and there is something to be said about someone you trust completely on this subject.

At long last we arrived at the lake.

As we were headed down the wooded path to the pier, S4 said "I like walking with you, Moma, because it's just you and me and you just listen and I talk and I have a lot to talk about."

It was shaping up to be the most perfect of days.

The boys were SO excited to be out fishing again!

True to form, S2 caught the first fish. And it was a whopper, can't you tell?

Really, there is a teeny tiny fish on that fishing pole.

I do not really like to fish.

Here are my reasons....

I don't like fish. I don't like to smell fish. I can NOT eat fish...at ALL. I do not like the smell of worms in my suburban. I do not like the ickyness of worms on the hook. I turn into a girly girl.

But I like to spend time with the boys.

And for some odd reason, I think fly fishing looks appealing. Go figure.

The boys did buy me a cute pink fishing pole. Someone broke it at some point so it is an itty bitty fishing pole now...but it works.

I came armed for a day out fishing.

Note the Starbucks coffee cup. Do I live near Starbucks? No. I live sooooooooo far away from Starbucks that I actually keep the cups to drink out of until they fall apart. I feel that it makes coffee taste better.

But I do so love Deep Lake. I tell the boys it is DEEP, thus the name, so they had better not fall in.

S4 is convinced that Indians live on the other side of the lake and he is always on the look out for some to show themselves. I never have to worry over him wandering around the lake. He is very well behaved here now...since he figured out Indians live over there.

I may have not dissuaded him on this.

The other reason I love Deep Lake is for this....fences. There is no way they can just "accidentally" fall in. I find comfort in that.

We happened to come across some visitors while out on the fishing pier and I ended up sounding like a Pure Michigan campaign telling them how much there is to see in the area. I mean, how many people can boast that they have climbed down into the Devil's Soup Bowl and found it cool?

(Note...now is the time to read the book Six Months Among Indians if you can find it. My Dad has it and I get it from the library to read about every other year. It's all about our area long long long ago....)

I was prepared for my day. I think my purse matched the day perfectly. I had a full cup of french pressed vanilla caramel coffee (my favorite), my blackberry to instantly share pictures with, nail polish to paint my neglected toes and wipes because it's fishing adventure. Wipes WILL be needed.

S4 didn't catch a fish right away so he decided to take a few pictures. He caught me painting my nails. (Hubs likes this picture of me.)

He told me he took this one so I knew it was him who used the camera and I would remember that he had been there with us. As if I could forget.

Notice his head...as if you could not. He ran into a wall. Seriously. He says that the wall actually ran into him. I did not argue.

S3 caught an amazing pollywog.

S2 caught another whopper. It was all the fish we would get. I can't say I wasn't a little happy about that. I didn't want to cook the fish too badly.

I noticed S1 isn't in hardly any photos. He was happily untangling lines, re baiting hooks, trying to catch view of the monster turtle we seen here and there and busy as could be.

He loves fishing.

I loved this photo. I'm rather fond of milkweed...I get that from my father, and my husband does not understand how on earth I could enjoy a nuisance invasive weed like milkweed...and I'm rather fond of butterflies so I am very fond of this photo.

All in all it was a great fishing day. The boys got to wade out in the water a bit before we left and I am thinking that we will try to fish again this week. I mean, after all, we still have about 60 worms left.

And I can always use a fun couple of stress free hours with my growing boys.