Cousins around the Campfire

By Tuesday we were finally ready to hit the lake and get down to some serious fishing! Leah and my sister Beth joined us for our first venture out to Pike Bay. The channel seemed a bit deeper and wider than the past few years and we wondered if the DNR had dredged it recently. (We’ll have to ask Tony about that.)

We searched for our hot spots using our GPS, but all we found were lukewarm spots. After about three and a half hours, we headed home with 12 decent perch in the live-well. Not great, but a fair catch.

While we were out fishing, Chloe enjoyed reading inside on the couch. Then she went outside to read on the porch. She later moved to the dock where she read. Then she did a little more reading on the bench by the dock. (Did I mention Chloe likes to read?)

Phyllis worked on her knitting and spinning. (Yes, she actually brought her spinning wheel along!) She’s been watching the Tour de France and she spins while watching the bikers really spin through the French countryside, villages, and mountains. In the late afternoon, the three sisters (Phyllis, Beth, and I) visited on the porch.

This evening was Phyllis’ and Leah’s turn to make supper. While they made the salad, tortellini, and garlic bread, Chloe and I both went for short walks. Then, over dinner, we all began reminiscing about our early years at the lake, which led us to re-reading some of my old blog posts as well as my late brother-in-law Steve’s fishing journals. We looked at old pictures and videos on my laptop from 16-17 years ago (when we first started coming here), which had us all in stitches.

After dinner, we noticed the cousins (Roy & Deb, Paul and Melissa, and Melissa’s parents Tom and Barb) were gathering around a campfire outside. The T. kids had just arrived at our cabin to play a game with our girls, so we (Tom, Phyllis, & I) joined the campfire for awhile. Bill and Beth found a seat around the fire as well, after returning from their bike ride on the Migizi trail.

The cool breeze blowing off the lake made the warmth of the fire even more welcome. While roasting marshmallows and eating s’mores, the cousins traded fish stories, laughed at the antics of Ben and Elle (our youngest family members here this week), and caught up on life at the lake and elsewhere.

You gotta’ love a good campfire. Especially with cousins you love. ❤️