Vacation

The family and I packed up and jumped in my truck for a week up north on an island along Lake Superior's south shore.  My boat in tow, was jammed with bikes, coolers, lawn chairs and every other conceivable vacationing artifact.  Luckily the tires stayed inflated and the ferry only dinged me an extra $50 for the ride across.  The young lady selling the ferry tickets looked through the passenger window at me and said, 2 adults, 2 kids 1 vehicle and the boat and trailer?"  I said, "Yes and the dog".  "Oh, the dog is free, but I just need a sec to measure your little boat".  Which my wife thought was hilarious.   I wanted to go into a witty joke about guys with big trucks and big boats and then reflect on the symbolism of my small truck and small boat...but I couldn't compress my thoughts into a quick comeback and I let it slide despite continued giggles.

Suffice it to say the week came and went.  We scored a backdoor deal to use a private dock and beach that kept the kids and the dog confined and happy.  The kids swam and so did the dog.  My wife hit the lawn chair, read her book and the bikes were used.    I stole away for an hour in a rented canoe and paddled through a rainstorm firing flies at the tannin stained backwaters of a lagoon.  Pike and Bass in evidence.  I spent a day fishing with LK  (more on this in the next post) and another on my skiff with McSteel, shamelessly trying to apply what I had learned from LK the day before.

McSteel and I also took advantage of the yard space to line up various switch rods and lines to let fly.  There may be no finer way to tend a grill than exchanging tongs, for rods, for beers...and repeat.

The rented cabin left a lot to be desired even with the free snake and toad in the basement, but we lived and let live.

At the end of it all, sun darkened weary vacationers loaded up the small truck and tiny boat and headed south where my decompression Sunday took a turn when it was discovered that a contractor's nail had found its way through a waterline in my house. 

Vacation over.

rigging is cool

Sand Hill Cranes

rating: 1 star

at the food trough...a brilliant dragon waits.

Dog of Thunder

mid flight

Great Lakes sand

Private Playground (Thanks Frank!)

Bikin'

touchdown

pike

McSteel beaching it.

loading the rod...

On the platform

wet wading

long ball hitter

mowing the lawn