becoming one with nature (2 of 2)

To read the beginning of this post, click here.

Day two and day three were almost identical.

We got up early, made breakfast (cereal and coffee for me) and then headed out to the lake for fishing. We brought chairs, snacks, fishing poles and a couple of tackle boxes.


The first day, we had to stop at the local fishing store to pick up some bait - worms. I was determined to bait my own hook this trip. I have never been able to do it, but I wanted to this time. Just so I knew I could do it. We borrowed the fishing poles from my father, so he had shown me how to put them together. I did this and then Saint put the hooks and weights on them. We got all set up by the car, then hiked to a good spot.

By the time we arrived at the lake, there weren't very many spots left. I wasn't as thrilled with our spot, but I didn't have much choice. It wasn't like we arrived at dawn. We really were just fishing for the fun of it, but I REALLY REALLY wanted to catch fish. I am good at fishing and I had yet to be able to prepare fish. I even brought some flour for it.
Once all settled, Saint popped open the worms. I took one look and shivered. Ew! My first ew of the whole trip. I couldn't do it. I couldn't even look at them. I gave up and let Saint bait my hook. So I am not wonder woman. Oh well.


After about two hours of fishing, it was just starting to warm up. I got a new worm, pulled my arm back to cast and halfway over my head the entire fishing pole fell apart. The reel where the fishing line is stored came apart. The bottom half was still attached to the pole, while the other top half was slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

OMG MY DAD IS GONNA KILL ME!!

I started pulling the line in towards me while I mantra'd the line - my dad's gonna kill me. After a few minutes it looked like the reel would be staying where it was, on a ledge within a few feet. Saint, BLESS HIS HEART, pulled off his socks, shoes and emptied his pockets then wadded in the lake to get the piece. My jaw dropped. Even I wouldn't have been able to do that. (some weird lake, disease thinking) He brought the piece back and I put it back together. Laughing the whole time. I could not believe he did that - for me. Sadly, he had to go back in because the reel button was missing. His whole arm up to his shoulder was sopping wet the second time.

MY HERO!

EW!

The second day of fishing, we were visited by a chipmunk. He was very friendly and very inquisitive. We threw him a sunflower seed and he ran right up and broke that baby apart to shove it in his cheek. We tossed him a few more so we could take pics. He was so darned cute. I was sad when it dawned on me that he was not afraid of people and one day, someone who wasn't a lover of animals would take advantage of this.

When we realized I had forgotten to pack lunch, we packed it up and went back to camp. After, that is, we munched on a ton of snacks. I made us - dun da na dun - PB&J sandwiches.

The afternoons are filled with napping, reading, playing cards, walking around nature hikes and eating crap. We brought way too many snacks - Cheese Its, Nutter butters crackers, Chex mix, jerky, trail mix. And we had enough drinks to supply us for weeks - water, gatorade, arnold palmers, apple juice, beer and mike's. We did have to buy ice every day to keep it all cold.

The second day I made dinner right after a nap. I had no idea til later that I made dinner before 4pm. We had pork loins and beans. YUM! The beans were maple flavored. As I was pulling the pork loins out of the bag and into the ziplock for marinading, I accidentally dropped one of them on the ground. Saint saw! He was a bit pissed, but it became a joke among us.


The third day, I made chicken breast, corn and potatoes. No I did not drop the chicken. It was fun to cook the potatoes on the fire. And we of course, had smores for dessert.

We didn't get stars til the very last night there. Oddly, the rain would come in around 5:30 every day and then it would sprinkle, raining on and off throughout the night. It was great, the ominous thunder that would roll in, softly at first then build til it boomed above. The sky was black on one side. It just looked like death was coming. It was just ominous. Very thrilling and very fun.

It was so relaxing and fun. I loved learning new things about Saint and myself. It was cooler and beautiful. I just can't wait to go back.