On the morning after Opening Day of Trout Season 2008, Bill and I took the kids to Carbuncle Pond so they could fish for trout (Bill, Alex, and Julia) and I could walk a trail and take pictures. There's not enough room in the canoe for the four of us, and we can't exactly leave a kid behind, so I stay on land. But that's okay. I've had my turn. And will again, eventually.
We parked right near the ramp down to the water, and while Bill and I carried the canoe and related stuff down to the shore the kids climbed up and down the rocks and amazingly remained scrape-free.
It was a beautiful morning. Some clouds, but that was okay. Fishing's sometimes better when it's cloudy or overcast. Rain was predicted, but not until later in the day.
Once Bill had the canoe ready to go, he herded the kids aboard
and away they went.
(See the little giraffe dangling off the side, sort of right below Julia's hair? It's for casting practice in the back yard, instead of using actual sinkers or lures. Alex's is a frog.)
I took pictures as they headed away from me, and then I set off on the little trail that runs around the perimeter of the pond. The little hike was nice, actually, as it warmed me up a bit. I reached a clearing - looked like a little camping area, maybe, and had a better view of Bill and the kids, so I sat down on this stone bench and just took pictures of the water and canoes and sky and all that. I had the telephoto lens on, so I was also able to track the progress of my three intrepid fishermen (or fisherpeople).
First catch was Alex's - one of many sunfish. Bill helped a bit.
Here's a slightly closer view...
I think Bill said they ended up catching (and releasing) about 5-6 sunfish. Alex also had a trout on, but it got off before they could reel it in.
While they fished, I wandered around the area a bit and snapped a few pictures.
Eventually, and predictably, Julia grew tired of hanging out in the canoe, so Bill headed over to the clearing so Julia could hang out with me while the boys continued fishing.
Note the look of brave patience on our little martyr's face.
Their ride toward me provided me with a few more pretty shots. Practically silhouettes - the sun, when not hidden by gathering clouds, was so bright.
They dropped her off, and then headed back to the other side of the pond.
I took Julia for walks in the area, and we kept an eye on Bill and Alex. When they seemed to be wrapping things up, we started following the trail back toward the truck.
And that was our morning. Not a bad start to the day.
And after a quick trip home to switch vehicles and get something to eat, we were off on our next adventure of the day - a trip to Southwick's Zoo. But that's another story.
Ah! Carbuncle Pond! I remember it well. John and I used to skinny-dip there 35 years ago! Yes, it's been that long. Maybe we should take a ride over there this coming weekend with a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and loose ourselves in our memories once again!
p.s. This time the clothes stay on!
Posted by: Donna | April 28, 2008 at 09:09 AM