My little boat and taking the boys fishing

It was still dark outside when I slipped out of bed and made a thermos of coffee, filled a larger thermos with water, packed sandwiches, fruit and juice packs into the cooler. I also place the container of worms that I had dug out of the garden the evening before. I quietly opened the back door and took everything out to the car.

Next I went down to the boy's room and woke them both up. There was some complaining about the fact that it was still the middle of the night and they wanted to stay in bed and sleep some more. However, as we slowly pulled out of the drive onto the street they started to wake up. The longer we drove the more they talked. Sometimes I drove and just listened to the two boys talk. Sometimes they asked me questions or I asked them questions. As I write this I can’t think of what we talked about. However, I remember the feeling of the three of us connecting with each other.

It was still early when we arrived at the mist-covered lake. We pulled into the public access area and got out of the car. I had asked the boys to be quiet because the people in the cottages next to us were still sleeping. So the three of us quietly crept around loading the boat. The boys were so excited I thought their excitement would be enough to wake the neighbors. To this day I see the boys standing watching as I backed the boat into the water. The boys stood and held onto the rope holding the boat next to the shore as I parked the car, then we all got into the boat and used the oars to move away from shore before starting the motor.

We sat in the little boat eating breakfast as we watched the sun come up. Every so often one of the three fishing poles would have a fish. Sometimes the fish would not be of the legal keeping size so we would but them back. As the day progressed the wire fish bag hanging over the side became heavy with fish. At lunchtime we pulled back up to the dock. After tying up the boat and we sat in the car talking about the big fish that got away. After eating lunch the boys ran around collecting stones, branches, pinecones and all type of other items boys collect.

About mid afternoon we packed up and left the lake. On the way home we stopped at our favorite Ice Cream store and had Ice Cream. Shortly after leaving the Ice Cream store, I found myself driving in a silent car. The boys had fallen asleep and stayed asleep most of the way home. However, when we arrived home, they bounded out of the car each talking over the other trying to tell their mother where they had been and what they had done that day.

I cleaned up the car, boat and fishing equipment listening to the boys and their mother talking about the long day. To this day, I am ever so glad that I bought that little boat and fixed it up.