Adventures

Alivia showed off the bass she caught using her dad’s pole during their first time out on the boat this year last Wednesday, June 7.

By Allan Olson

This past week – and not just the weekend – has been nothing but adventures for us as we continue this journey through life together as a family, with all of us trying to learn as we go.

I really wanted to go fishing this week, since I bought a license nearly a month ago and have only fished from the dock once and nothing else since. It was really past time to get the boat out. Finally, on Wednesday night after work, that time arrived. I bought bait, and I told Nikolai to get the poles ready, along with the life jackets, net and whatever else we needed. Well, mostly.

I got home thinking about supper, but nobody else was hungry, so just I had a couple pieces of toast and called it good. We went to hook up the boat, and of course found that the trailer tires were low on air. I plugged in my little compressor, and after getting the boat up to the garage I managed to get some air into the tires. We finally headed out, even with everything taking longer than anticipated. We arrived at the boat landing, put the boat in the water and it started for the first time all year, so that meant fishing was a go. It started out as just Nikolai and I, then it quickly we added Alivia and Abigail, who both claim that they like to fish. Alivia really just wanted to drive the boat, and Abigail was skipping out on the dishes.

On the way, I realized that we forgot to bring a bucket for if we did keep a bunch of fish, so I guess they would just have flopped in the bottom of the boat if that happened. Once we got across the lake to our fishing spot, I got kids baited up. Alivia quickly discovered that her fishing pole didn’t work; the reel was garbage. Abigail’s line broke immediately. The net somehow got left in vehicle. There were no weights in the tackle box, and in fact most of the tackle was also left in the vehicle. 

Between Nikolai and I, we got Abigail’s pole working (at least temporarily), and I got bait on my pole, only to hand it off to Alivia, all the while watching at least one fish jump around the weeds. We stayed in one spot for a few minutes and then decided to move a little closer to weed line. I casted out with my pole and handed it back to Alivia. It couldn’t have been ten seconds before she had a bite and was reeling in a fighting fish – a nice 16-inch or so bass. Since I had no bucket, I tossed it in the bottom of the boat behind me and we kept fishing. Alivia managed to land a keeper sunny, and then that was about it for the day. The daylight was quickly fading and I still needed to get the boat on the trailer and get us all home again. Back at shore the kids played on the dock with their fishing poles and landed a couple more sunfish while I (as usual) struggled to get the boat on the trailer. Or more accurately, to back the boat trailer up correctly.

For the record, I wasn’t up for cleaning just two fish since I’m also not proficient at that task, so the ones we caught while on the boat were put back in the water and swam away for another day, along with the ones caught from shore.

The next day

On Thursday evening I decided that we were going out fishing again. I was taking the boat, and we were also taking the canoes. And once again it was a calamity of errors. I determined that if we were all going to go out (plus a niece who came down to visit for the night) we would need more bait, as well as some new line for the two new poles I won last winter and the one Abi used the night before. 

I drove to the store, grabbed those supplies and put my foot on the gas to get home – a little too fast. Because, wouldn’t you know, it was just my luck that a State Patrol Trooper happened to be cruising my road. Why? Who knows; boredom, I guess. I pulled over on the side of the road to wait for him before he could even get his lights on! We visited for a bit, and he did the usual checking of everything and was very nice – he just gave me a warning. Phew!

Back at home, I found that the boat trailer tires needed air again, and the canoe trailer tires apparently needed air, too. The kids were busy playing basketball and I was getting irritated because they weren’t helping get stuff ready. I should have just gone to bed right then.

Once we finally got to the lake, we discovered that one of the kids didn’t load the other set of paddles, so they ended up using the oars from my boat. Oh, and the plug didn’t get put in before I launched my boat! Thankfully, not a lot of water got in. Also, the bait was all left at home, which ultimately didn’t matter. 

So… after everyone was ready, my wife, niece and two of the kids paddled across the lake to the swimming beach, while I cruised around in my boat. The kids went swimming, and I sat in the boat and watched. It was already getting late by the time we finally got to the swimming beach, so the kids didn’t get to swim for long. 

I had Nikolai and Marcus with me in the boat on the way back, and we hid a couple geocaches along the shoreline of the lake. After one of those stops, I couldn’t get the motor to run again. I tried and I tried, and it would not stay running. Okay, where are my oars? Oh, yeah, they’re with the canoes. I called my wife, who I learned had gotten dumped out of the canoe at shore. I told her that I needed someone to bring me the oars for the boat (she hasn’t actually said it yet, but I think that might have been the last time she goes out with me!). My niece and Alivia had commenced paddling back toward us when I finally got the motor going and nursed it across the lake before it finally seemed to shake whatever was bothering it. Not wanting to press my luck at that late stage, I just got ready to load the canoes and the boat back on the trailers.

I told the kids they could fish from the dock after everything was loaded. Everything got loaded without much of a hitch this time, and my wife headed home with the canoes. I stayed there while a couple of kids fished from the shore for a while. My niece caught one little sunfish to throw back.

Back at home we had supper about 10:30 p.m., and I finally went to bed.

The next evening when I got home, my plan was to start on trimming the rest of my yard with the weed whip my brother had sent with me to use. I had gotten a little bit done the previous day with the intention of getting it all completed on the weekend. I couldn’t find the weed whip where I left it and started blaming the kids for messing with it, which they all denied. Rightfully so, it turns out. Finally I called my brother, and my niece had taken it back home with her, thinking that I was done with it. I was frustrated, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Also, if I had any more fishing plans, now one boat tire was completely flat – to the point where I think it’s done. I decided I’m going to get new tires and rims for that one and the other trailer, and I should probably get the lawn mower tire fixed too, since I keep airing that up.

The weekend

Nikolai and I spent most of Saturday at the Triathlon, and when I got home I took a nap. I think the only thing we did that night was watch a movie; I just had no desire to deal with the trailers or the mower.

On Sunday morning I was up at the break of dawn again – or so it seemed. This time Abigail was with me. We headed out looking for some nature pics, hoping to catch something cool like a moose (no luck) on our way over to the Smilin’ Joe’s Canoe Race. We did take a few shots, and I took some pics of the event, of course, before we headed back home. 

It was move-in day for Nikolai as he headed back to Upward Bound at BSU. He was excited and couldn’t wait to ditch his old parents after we stocked him up with snacks and sandals and other supplies, and signed the requisite permission slips and helped him move in.

Coming up

It will finally happen; I have made it to the top the hill and am ready to start my descent. I am told there will be a party in my honor; my wife insists and my older brother wants revenge (perhaps because I wasn’t so kind to him a few years ago?) A few guests will be stopping over – how many and whom, I don’t know. My wife and I also celebrate our anniversary, and for Father’s Day, I think we are going to a show; I want to watch Incredibles 2. I just hope that the weather cooperates, for Saturday, at least.

Rest assured, no matter what our activities are this summer, we will be taking photos to document our busy lives. I encourage everyone else to do the same! Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.