October 2, 2009

• Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

  
  In August, less than 2 months before he died, my Uncle George visited his hometown of Iron Mountain, Michigan and went fishing with his brother.  To say my uncle loved to fish was an understatement.  I think the only thing he loved more, was his wife, his grandkids and his brother!  Despite a cold rain that day, my 81 year old uncle and his brother hiked more than 100 yards through the woods, carrying a heavy canoe to a secret fishing hole.  They had quite an adventure that day, and his brother wrote a story about it that was published in the local paper:
  
  

  Oh, brother, can we fish …

  By JIM SNOWDON, for The Daily News

  POSTED: August 1, 2009

  IRON MOUNTAIN – It was tough, but the end reward was worth it all.

  Let’s just say our fishing trip seemed doomed from the start. It was a bright shining day when I picked up my brother George. Then things started to go a little bad.

  While in the truck, we noted we both forgot sunglasses – number one mistake. We picked up the canoe at the camp and drove a few miles to a lake in the Republic area.

  Then, two senior citizens still had to carry the canoe 100 yards through the woods to the lake. Got to the lake, ready to launch the canoe. We soon discovered that the paddles, life jackets, and fishing poles were back at camp.

  Back to camp we go and we were back to square one.

  Once again, back at the lake, ready to go. Then the minnow bucket tipped – minnows all over the ground. Hand-picked them up (a few even lived); now we are on our way.

  While pushing the canoe out, we sank in mud up to our knees. Two seniors stuck in mud. But we got out and soon were floating across the lake. We paddled quite a ways and got set to put a dead minnow on the hook.

  One hour into fishing and not a bite. We figured it was the minnows’ fault. We would not give up just yet.

  Brother George decided to have a sandwich, took a couple bites and it fell out of his hand into the bottom of a slightly wet canoe. It seems things were getting worse.

  But then the perch started biting.

  In five minutes we had three 12-inch perch on the stringer.

  Somehow, stinger and all fell out of hand overboard. All perch were gone.

  Now for sure he was ready to call it quits. I talked him into staying because the fish were starting to bite.

  Bottom line, 30 jumbo perch (10 to 13 inches) in a couple hours of fishing. We were happy and finally did call it quits for the day.

  Getting the canoe back out of the woods to the truck was harder than getting in. Somehow that canoe got at least 100 pounds heavier.

  I should mention on the way out I lost my pocket knife and Brother got poked in the eye with a tree branch and we crushed the minnow bucket.

  We were glad to get back to camp in one piece.

  But the doomed trip turned out to be a great success. We will both remember it for a long time and George now has a fishing story to tell when he gets back to California.

  I’m sure it was the highlight of his vacation.

  ---

  I’m staying with my aunt this week, and obviously there are reminders of Uncle George everywhere.  I smell his cologne in the bathroom when I shower.  I’m sleeping on his pillow, which I find comforting.  Tomorrow, friends and family will gather to celebrate his memory.  We’ve been trying to keep this week as normal as possible for the kids.  Last night we made caramel apples which they loved:
  
  

  
  Tressa, Andy, Dar & Tommy
  
  
  
  
  Great Grandma (Aunty LuLu) with kids
  
  
  
  
  Andy likes taffy apples!
  
  
  
     
  Oh Brother let’s go down…down to the lake and fish
  
  

  ---

  And finally, I couldn’t let today pass without acknowledging a birthday.  Chazz turned 1 year old today!!  In that year, I’ve taken over 700 photos of him:
  

  
  

  
  Click for larger view and click again for even bigger!
  
  
  These are just a few of my favorites!
  
  Do you remember when Chazz:
  
  Chewed up my books: “The Moral Animal” and “Animals in Translation”?
  Drove Daisy Crazy?
  Met his uncle for the first time?
  Acted like a drunk frat boy with Roscoe?
  Saved children from the Big Bad Wolf?
  Met President Obama?
  Celebrated his first Christmas?
  Met Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black?
  Killed the Easter Bunny?
  Killed Santa Claus?
  Appeared in a Coke commercial?
  Threatened to sue Cher?
  Learned to solve the Rubik’s Cube?
  Almost got killed by a crocodile?
  
  Happy Birthday Chazz!!

  
  Obviously I can’t be with Chazz on his “special day”, so Ryan just texted me this picture of his first birthday cake:
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  • 2:22 pm
  • 17 Comments