Saturday, June 30, 2007

on a quiet lake somewhere

We took our little boat and went fishing this evening. Calvin and Starflower were both sleeping over at friends' houses, so it was just the three of us, me, The Hermit, and Mr. Attitude. Hermit and I both independently came up with the idea of going fishing...once in a great while, our minds work together like that. The 25 horsepower Evinrude hadn't been run in...oh gosh, had it been two years?...but it started up right away.

So we were off to a little lake about fifteen miles away from home. This lake is surrounded by state forest land, so there are no docks, no "look at me" lake homes, no Jet Skis. Just a nice boat ramp, and some wildlife.


This Common loon picked a nice lake for the nest it undoubtedly has somewhere in the sedges.



Can you tell Mr. Attitude was absolutely thrilled? No big brother or sister to boss him around, and hey, we're cruising around in a boat!!!



Of course, fishing was on the agenda. Mr. Attitude's (or was it The Hermit's?) first cast was immediately hit on by a whopper (okay, six inch) bluegill sunfish.



I think he landed a total of eight. The Hermit tied on a crankbait for me and I tried bass fishing for a while, with no luck other than I got hooked on a very stubborn waterlily.

Actually, I was distracted and spent most of my time looking into the bog-stained water at the amazing diversity of vegetation present. I've been focusing on aquatic vegetation in my job lately, and I guess it has me fascinated enough that it leaks into my personal life. I was making comments like "Oh, there's a nice stand of Nuttall's pondweed!" I've become an aquabotanical nerd.



Nerd or not, I think we all had a good time. Although I can't help but think how small our boat seems. It's a 14 foot Bass Tracker, but I've grown accustomed to working in 16 or 18 foot boats. This boat is just right for two adults, but add one kid and we're already feeling cramped. The Hermit bought a lottery ticket tonight, so if we win, a family-size boat may be in order.

As we fished, we were serenaded by at least two hermit thrushes and a few veeries in the woods around the shore. Beautiful, flutelike calls from both.

And the bluegills...they found a new home, and it was not the frying pan. Maybe they'll help take care of the leech problem. ;)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Deb,
You look so relaxed! We all need those days when a 6" sunny can do that to us.

Cindy

Larry said...

I just came from a place like that-Now I want to go back!-Beautiful spot!

R.Powers said...

Hey! It's not snowing!
Are you SURE this is in Minnesotarctica?
I love Mr. Attitude's expression.I get the same silly grin on my face when our boat is going fast.
I restock my pond that way too ... not now of course. It has no water.

You do look very relaxed and happy.

Anonymous said...

super nice. that's what I love about Minnesota's 10,000 lakes... you can usually find an out-of-the-way little lake where you pretty much have it to yourself. looks like an awesome time for the three of you!

Lené Gary said...

Too bad you're not closer by, Deb. I would love for some of your aquaticbotanical nerdness to rub off on me.

Looks like you all had a great time!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Your Mr. Attitude looks like he's happy enough to POP!
It sounds like a perfect time on the lake.
Nice pic of the two of you too!!

Deb said...

Cindy- Some days, a 6 inch sunny is worth it. This was definitely one of those days.

Larry- I'm too lucky I have spots like this near my house!

FC- Notice the long sleeved flannel shirt. It wasn't THAT warm, and I wasn't wearing it for sun protection!

I think I may have had that same silly grin too...

Greg- If you're ever in need of an out-of-the-way lake midway between the Cities and Duluth, I may be able to help you out. :) Classified info, of course.

Lene- If you ever need some aquabotanical nerdiness, feel free to call on me! I'm sure we share a lot of the same aquatic vegetation. :)

Lynne- Thanks! He has some interesting ways of expressing his thoughts when he's about ready to pop, and believe me it wasn't all peaceful. But it was good for all of us.;

RuthieJ said...

Hi Deb,
You know, even when the fish aren't biting I've never seen a sad face in a fishing boat. Let us know how fat those bluegills get on your leeches!

Cathy said...

Water is what it's all about. I just posted on another blog that I couldn't possibly live in the desert southwest. Nice place to visit but . . .

Mr Attitude is adorable.