Rain, rain, don't stay away

The hot weather is going to be with us for a few more days. The weather predictions of rain have been grossly understated. We were supposed to have rain a few days in a row last week, but clouds were the closest thing to rain that we have experienced in a while. If we don’t get some rain our lawns will be turning into rusty colored grass.

 

The area lakes are getting lower. The water flow over the Jugland Dam has slowed to a trickle. I went fishing on the channel last weekend with my grandson, Trevor. While trolling in the channel by Frank Hall Park, Trevor mentioned how low the water was. I had noticed the lines on the rocks along the shore. Trevor caught a couple of pike and had a dandy one up to the boat, but it jumped out of the water and got off. It didn’t break the line but it straightened out the snap.

 

After that, we moved on to Fountain Lake where we fished for panfish. The wind picked up when I discovered that my casting prowess seems to have diminished. I got tangled up in a tree, which Trevor took care of. Soon it was another tree and then a dock. I reminded Trevor of the many times that I had taken him, his brothers and his cousin Dylan to the channel fishing. I never fished then, I just spent my time untangling lines, getting snags out and extracting hooks and bobbers from trees. I told him that this Saturday was payback for those days and we had a good laugh about it.

 

We are now moving into camping season, and just remembering those times spent camping with friends and family brings back fond memories for me. I believe that my fondest memories are of the times spent in our pickup camper. When the boys were small the camper was just right for us. As they grew older, I realized that the camper was shrinking. Just as our first boat started to shrink because the boys were growing and we needed more room. I bought a bigger boat which fitted our needs and eventually upgraded again. I still miss that boat that I eventually gave to my grandson, Dylan. I had a lot of good memories while fishing from that boat. I still miss those early mornings while fishing on Spider Lake, just myself and the early morning calm on the lake. Fishing at dawn was my time to reflect on nature and anticipate what the day had in store for me.

 

Please take the time to remember our troops that are serving now and those that have served before them. They are the reason that we have all of the Freedoms that we enjoy today.