Fishing with My Homies

Tellico TN

Bald River Falls (I like the name!)

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Several weekends ago, I went on a little fishing trip with some guys from my church small group, Scott S, Scott W, Bill, and Aaron. Aaron’s aunt was generous to let us stay at her cozy cabin in Tellico TN.

Friday night we grilled steaks. Then we played a wide-open game of Monopoly – a sort of an anything goes Monopoly. There were alliances, immunity from paying rent, shared profits, and temporary holding property for a business partner in financial trouble, among other things. Very strange, but fun nonetheless. Bill laid low most of the game, initially working the railroads of all things, but somehow, he persevered and won! Go Bill!

Aaron was the true fisherman. He had the necessary skills and experience, plus he was also willing to get up at 4:30 AM to secure a good spot along the river and catch’em at daybreak! He did very well, catching numerous beautiful rainbow trout for our lunch. The rest of us slept in, so we really did not deserve to eat the fish Aaron caught! The trout marinated in sauce comprised of sherry, soy sauce, oil, and Cajun spices, while we were fishing mid-morning, except for Scott S, he went ATV'n. The fish were not biting mid-morning, still it was fun to be on the river. I have not fished a river in many years. We returned to grill the trout for lunch before packing up to come home. Thanks guys!

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Rainbow Trout

Karate Kid Fishing
(Tip: Choose a stable rock for this technique)

Scott's Big Catch

Museum Sign Near Tellico - What a Gem!

Thanks Scott W for providing several images for this epic post

Father's Day Thoughts

I think this day means more to me each year.

The past week and weekend seemed a little heavy, because I know we were thinking of Laura's dad. I miss my dad-in-law. Still, Father's Day can provide us with another opportunity to celebrate his life and legacy.

With a teenager about to enter his senior year in high school and Noelle just entering Size-3 Huggies Supreme, I consider myself more of a full-spectrum father (I just made that up!). Also, as I mature, I appreciate my father (and mother!) more and more! The point is.... I guess I don't have a point, just documenting some thoughts and feelings.

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Oh yeah, on Saturday, Connor and I shared the experience of riding a Waverunner! Connor liked the turns, but he was always telling me he wanted to "go the fastest ever"! Thanks friends, for sharing your Waverunners!

My Father's Day started with presents given to me by Laura, Connor, and Noelle. One gift was Adirondack chairs. Although they are everywhere now, the chairs still remind me of living in New England and also of our time spent in the Adirondack mountains and lakes. A cool present was a DVD set to include most of the episodes of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. I was around 8 years old when the series was on television (1970). At Chelwood Elementary, I was occasionally called Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp (ha ha ha). I had to endure many poor impersonations of Lancelot Link's romantic interest, Mata Hairi, calling out for Lancelot. My Father's Day ended with diet Root Beer Floats and kids having difficulty getting to sleep!

Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp

Future Posts: Fishing with My Homies, Sea-Monkey Chronicles....

Robin's Sailboat - Part I

Ahoy, Mates! Earlier this week, Robin (my mother-in-law) purchased a small sailboat. I drove down to Georgia with her to pick it up. Driving there was fun - I enjoy driving a pick-up truck with a gangly stick-shift and it is always great to spend time with a family member, especially relatively rare one-on-one time. An added blessing was a spectacular rainbow seemingly rooted in the neighborhood where we were to pick up the sailboat!

Not the actual rainbow we experienced, but beautiful nonetheless

I don't mean to boast, but I've had some experience as ballast on a sailboat. For a couple of summers, I was ballast on on a ~30-ft sailboat, occasionally seen racing at Lake Pickwick (circa 1995). We usually (always?) came in last, but we had lots of fun. In fact, the boat's name,"Driftwood", sort of captured our approach to sailing. During one of those summers, I recall a fast midnight sail that was sooooo surrealistic. I recall motoring out to open water for sailing with Jimmy Hendrix blasting on the stereo. I recall extending myself from the bow, wind briskly blowing thru my hair and yelling, "I'm King of the World"...wait, I'm sorry, I think that might have been Leonardo DeCaprio in Titanic. My mind wanders again.... Anyway, despite my extensive experience as ballast, we need help with sailing! I am looking forward to learning. Robin's teenage son took a sailing class several years ago, so Captain Nic is currently our expert.

16.5 Capri (similar to Robin's Sailboat)

Robin's sailboat is a 16.5 ft Capri. I think this is a great size for learning! In future posts, I hope to show action photos of family & friends sailing and water-skiing with Robin's Sailboat.

Nobody Wants to See That

The other day Connor and I were in a convenience store and there was a man looking over the selection of beer in the refrigerated section. This guy was NOT wearing a shirt. He is a large man, some muscle, but he also has a belly that might be the byproduct of his current affection. Connor is standing about 8-feet from this guy and looking right at him. Connor says, "Daddy, why is this man not wearing his shirt"? I say, "I don't know, honey, maybe he left it in the car, let's go". Connor is still just standing there looking at this guy. The guy does not acknowledge Connor at all. I'm thinking this guy is simply ignoring Connor - that is fine with me. I am also wondering why it is taking him so long to pick out beer. Shirtless guys don't stand there and contemplate - they walk in and grab their usual six-pack! As Connor was finally turning to join me he says a phrase we sometimes say to him, "Nobody wants to see that". Thankfully, the guy was still ignoring Connor, appearing to contemplate beer instead.

What everybody wants to see is Noelle going mobile. Another milestone for baby Noelle: Escaping her floor blanket! She somehow rolled, squirmed, and scooted off of her floor blanket and over to a nearby backpack to teeth on a buckle. So, the days of her "staying put" are officially over.