Splash! Boom! Click.

We took our two nephews, William and Zach, with us fishing this morning, and once again, they brought us good luck! After the first hour we had 17 fish in the livewell! Things slowed a little after that, but we continued to steadily pull them in. We were catching some nice rock bass and fat 9 and 10-inch perch, with the occasional teensy-weensy one to keep things fun! I won the prize for the smallest perch this week!

I now keep my row counter (for knitting) in the tackle box so we’re able to count our fish as we catch them. William and Zach were having fun saying “Splash! Boom! Click,” every time we threw another fish in the livewell (splash!), closed the lid (boom!), and I’d punch the clicker (click). When we ran out of bait, the boys started using pieces of licorice to lure the fish in. (It didn’t work…sorry, guys!) We finally called it quits with 29 on the counter…one more than yesterday! However, after Tom cleaned them, it was discovered that we actually had 30 (22 perch and 8 rock bass)! I must have missed one “click!”

It was a beautiful morning on the lake; our last morning on Pike Bay for the year. It was overcast but warm, and the lake was really calm. Plus, an eagle sighting always adds to the grandeur!

The rest of the day was pretty low-key. I worked on my blog posts and kept Mom and Dad company in the cabin. Dad was able to finish one of his new puzzles by the end of the day (after only 2 days!)…maybe this one was too easy!

I made a yummy supper of Santa Fe Chicken which had simmered in the crock pot most of the day. Mom and Dad seem to enjoy my cooking, but really I think they just enjoy the fact that I’m cooking for them and saving them the trouble. It’s been nice to spend the time with them.

At one point, Beth came in and said the gang was getting ready for the “cousin jump shot.” My first thought was, “Oh boy…here we go again!” This tradition is so much fun, but always such a challenge to get organized. The hardest part is locating all the kids/cousins and bringing them together from all corners of the resort. I love this photo every year, but dread trying to pull it together.

After a few seconds it hit me: I have NO kids to gather up! I was relieved and sad all at once. It was such a strange feeling to not take part in this tradition in the usual way. I got out my camera anyway, and along with Paul, Beth, Bill, and Deb we “click-click-clicked’ until one of us got the perfect photo.

Later in the evening, Mom, Dad, Tom and I joined Beth and Nicole for ice cream at the resort next door. This is the last full day for Beth’s gang as they’ll be leaving in the morning. We’ll really miss having them around next week, but are thankful for the time we got to spend with them (and for the fish they helped us catch!).