A Fish Tale

For pretty much the entire summer, my dad has called every weekend to invite Jeff fishing. Due to his current working situation, I haven't been willing to give up any of our time together during the weekend. So, Dad finally got smart and had Lydia, my step-mom, call and invite Jeff to go fishing with Dad first thing in the morning, then the girls, Lydia, and I would meet up with them for lunch and some fun on the boat. Finally, I agreed.

We met up with Daddy and Poppy around noon for some sandwiches, chips and dip, and fresh cantaloupe. The girls were anxious to test out their fishing poles, so we headed to the dock for some "fishing".

One of my favorite stories from my childhood is of a visit we took to see my dad's parents in Texas. I don't remember many of the details, but I do know it involved me fishing for the first time and my Papa Don rigging my fishing pole with a previously caught fish. Just listening to both my dad and Papa Don tell the story, the smiles on their faces, I know it was a special moment. I wanted to recreate something similar for the girls, so I asked Poppy and Daddy to save a fish from their morning fishing trip. Luckily, they caught one that was just the right size. Jeff fixed the girls' fishing poles with loops (I don't know the terminology) rather than hooks, so the fish didn't have a chance at escaping. Then, while Grana, Poppy, and I distracted them. Jeff rigged Cadie's fishing pole with the fish, then later did the same for Maddie. The look on Cadie's face was of complete shock, then utter joy. She's an animal lover, so of course she wanted to kiss the fish. Once Cadie had caught one, Maddie was beside herself with anticipation. Her reaction was equally priceless. They were both so proud!

On our previous trip to Greenleaf --our first camping trip-- the girls were dying to go out on the boat, but the weather wasn't suitable. This time around, I knew we better get the girls on that boat or we would be in trouble. After our fishing excitement, we decided to take the girls on their first boat ride. Life vests on, we hoped in the boat and took off. Their reactions were mixed. It was easy to see that they loved being out on the water and the freedom of zipping across the lake, but I think they were a little wary of the speed. Cadie kept shouting, "Daddy, I want you to go low, not fast!" We weren't out long, but I think the girls enjoyed it all the same.

Before the day was over, we decided to take one last spin around the lake, all of us. The girls seemed a little more relaxed --now being veteran riders and all-- but Cadie continued to demand that Poppy slow down. We slowed down enough to give the girls a chance to cool their feet in the lake. Cadie would have sat their all day, but it was getting late, so we headed back in. We capped the day off with some yummy orange push-up pops, then headed back home, a day of fun and sun behind us.