The Last "Hoorah!"??

Every year for the last 14, right about this time, I take a week to head north to Canada for some walleye, smallmouth and pike fishing with some of my buds. It’s my favorite place in the world to visit and I love sharing it with my friends and family. It’s a place where we can chill out and do what guys do; fish, smoke cigars, eat, pass gas, drink some adult beverages, fish more, eat some more, pass gas, swim when it’s hot, burp, sleep and did I mention passing gas? A few years ago, we had a guy cancel at the last minute so I decided to take Abby; she was 14 years old and did quite well for never fishing for walleye. This year a similar thing happened and we decided she should go again. Abby is now 18, and getting ready to head off to college in a couple of weeks.
I was a little apprehensive at first about taking her this time, but as it turned out, she basically had 5 “Dads” looking out after her best interests. This was especially true when it came to the dock guy, Tyler, but that’s another story for another time. {Ask Keith about his dreams and talking in his sleep!} Traveling up was pretty uneventful and we arrived at the bait shop where we always get our licenses every year. Just as we finished getting them, our good friends, Dan and Karen Spears, pull up to get theirs. We knew they were coming to the Island the same week but didn’t figure we’d see them until on the dock Saturday morning. It was a great surprise and we planned to have dinner together in North Bay, just a little further up the road. Dinner was great at Kelsey’s, and we finished the last bit of our drive to Haileybury Beach Motel where we would spend the night before heading to the Island Saturday morning. We got there in plenty of time to sit outside and enjoy a cigar while we watched a few sailboats return to the marina just as the sun was going down. A beautiful start to a great week!
After a delicious breakfast prepared by Bridget at the HBM, {see her with Abby in our album on my FB page} we headed to the dock. There we were greeted by friends from all over that we’ve met in previous years going to Island 10. Ron and Laurel from near Toronto, Jeff and Dawn from Michigan, Rich and Greg from Marion, Ohio and of course Dan and Karen, our friends from right here in Delaware, Ohio. Boats were loaded and we were on our way. When you arrive at the Island the hosts and staff have a big welcome lunch, buffet style. It rivals any good church potluck that you have attended, without a doubt. The biggest problem up there is, they feed you like that every day, twice a day, for a whole week! After the welcome lunch, we got back to our cabins and got our gear ready for fishing. I took Abby out and right away we started catching fish for a shore lunch. For those not familiar with a shore lunch; they take your fresh caught fish and clean them for you. The next day when you go out to fish after breakfast, all the supplies to fix a lunch are in your boat. The Coleman stoves, frying pans, beans, potatoes, onions, your fish, batter, oil, matches, fresh baked cookies, and all the table service you need for your group. It’s the absolute best way to enjoy your fish and always nice to share with the folks there for the first time.
Every day in the lodge we shared a table at meal time with the Spears and a family member of the owners that was visiting for the week, Miss Vera. Breakfast and Dinner conversation was always plentiful and enjoyable. I was very thankful that Dan and Karen were there because at times Abby just felt like staying at the cabin and reading {or sleeping} so she also had some great visits with Karen and Miss Vera at the Spears cabin.

We tried to split things up so everyone got the opportunity to fish with everyone else. It sort of worked out and it was good that the guys were just happy to be there enjoying the incredible scenery, the fishing and of course at night, the stars and cosmic light show that was there when the clouds were away. The fishing was pretty good this week in comparison with the last 3-4 years, and guys in our group caught at least one of each kind they were hoping for; walleye, northern pike and smallmouth. However, it seemed you couldn’t go anywhere on the lake and get away from those 3”-6” yellow perch that attack your bait as soon as it leaves the boat. Anywhere near a rocky bottom you had the same size smallmouth and rock bass harassing you as well. The flies weren’t too bad this year, either. The mosquitoes, on the other hand, were a little different story. Every night right around dark they moved in quickly. But like everything else, you learn to deal with them and wait them out and they eventually moved out of the area as quickly as they came in. After they left, we would all gather on the deck enjoying a drink and a cigar and watch the sky. Keith saw his very first “shooting star”, actually two in one night. On those clear nights, straight above the cabin you could see the Milky Way. It’s so clear; it’s as if the Master painter brushed them in across the sky in one smooth stroke. Glorious, indeed! We had several nights where we were able to enjoy the view of the shooting stars, satellites, constellations, Milky Way and an occasional airplane. The conversation always turned to guessing where that flight might have originated and where it may be going. Yeah, we were contemplated the deep stuff while vacationing.
The very best day of fishing was Tuesday when the weather was cloudy, windy and a little bit of rain. A couple of the guys hit the bourbon a little hard the night before and couldn’t answer the call at breakfast. {Fair weather fishermen!} So Ed and I fished together and Jimmy and Dan Spears fished together. We headed out to a favorite area of ours called “Willow Lake”. We boated 2 keepers and 2 “slot fish” that had to go back in the water in the first pass. I knew it was going to be a good morning. When we returned we had 12 on the stringer and had boated more than 30 good fish during that time. That didn’t count the ones that got off right at the boat. About half way through the morning, I’m sure the other boats fishing Willow Lake might have tired of hearing the USA Walleye Dream Teams chant of: “We don’t, we don’t, we don’t mess around, hey!” But we certainly had fun catching and netting those fish for each other! It was an enjoyable day and we finished the evening in the “Honey Hole” where I took one of my favorite sunset pictures in my 14 yrs. of visiting the Island. {See the album on my FB page and look for the sunset with tree stumps.}
Midweek brought the Island Fish Fry where around 4pm our host would begin cooking fish on the deck just outside the lodge. It’s a time meant for everyone on the island to get together for some good fish, good fellowship and a little bit of BS. Ken would cook several kinds of fish and promised a case of bourbon to anyone who could guess the 5 samples in the correct order. The reason he does this is to show that because the water is so clean and so cold up there, all the fish are good eating fish. Of course no one got the order correct. He served up bass, pike {twice}, walleye and whitefish. It’s always a good time sitting on the deck and munching nuggets of fresh fish and fries while visiting with all the guests. Also during that time, Ken will tell stories of years past on guests that are present and even some that are not. You have to know Ken to appreciate him, but between his accent, some of the phrases he uses and just the sheer joy he gets out of repeating stories, the opportunity to hear him tell these tales is worth the price of admission!
Speaking of phrases, there were a few “Abbyisms” that the guys and I had to endure for the 7 days on the Island. “Abbyisms” are phrases that would only come from Abby, and fortunately we didn’t need a translator. I think one of her favorites and one we heard many times was “pump yo brakes”. This meant to relax or chill out. We were all subject to this phrase at one time or another on the island. Similar to that was the ever popular “slow your roll”, same meaning. Another of her favorite ones was “come at me like that again”. She usually said that when someone said something about her that she didn’t like, most of the time it was me. Apparently, she has a belief that these grown men are threatened by an 18 year old, 125 lb. female. She was mistaken. Another one of the “Abbyisms” that we got a kick out of was her “getch me some”. Basically she said this when she was happy about catching a fish, reading a book, or getting one of her favorite foods as part of a meal. She also used it when she laid the occasional “zinger” on me or one of her other “Dads” for the week. Yes, she got her share in. I’m not sure why some of the wives of the other “Dads” were worried about how Abby would do for a week on an island with us. She has had 18 years of training from yours truly, and she handled herself with dignity. Well, however much dignity you can muster when everyone in the cabin can hear every sound you make while using the bathroom. But, hey, you have to remember that you are in the remote wilderness and there are things that you might have to do a different way than you would do them at home. Chalk up another great life lesson to be learned.
So, as the week was winding down and we all started realizing just how fast it goes by once you get on the island, we made our pairings for the last day on the lake. I had told the guys that I wanted to take Abby on the last day because there were a couple of places I wanted her to see. When she was up with us at 14, we were on a 5 day trip and she didn’t get to see some of the neat places that we enjoy. Friday morning I let her sleep in and the guys and I all went to breakfast. After breakfast, I went out by myself for a while and returned about 10am to pick up Abby. We headed for one of my favorite places on the lake, Frank’s Falls. Since my very first visit to Island 10, this has always been a special place. When I first visited Island 10, my Dad had just passed away the year before and his name was Frank. It’s a rock formation with water pouring over it from a spring fed lake above the falls. It’s a place that is both roaring with the noise of the water going over the falls, and also peaceful where above the falls, the water is just bubbling, almost whispering, coming over a few stones from the lake headed for the falls. In comparison, much like I remember my Dad. Sometimes very loud when one or all of us were being disciplined, and sometimes very reserved, like the conversations we had during a game of Blitz or while working on a jigsaw puzzle. I guess you could also say this place is very reminiscent of each of our lives. Life is sometimes like the water going over the falls, loud and racing at break neck speed toward its destination, Lady Evelyn Lake. It is also slow and calm, like the water leaving the spring fed lake above the falls heading down the little tributary that feeds into Franks Falls. Most of the time I hope for the “slow and calm” parts of life, but anyone who is raising or has raised a teenager in this day and age knows that those times are few and far between. I guess you can picture in your minds eye this beautiful place and understand why I wanted to share this with Abby. {You can also see some pictures of Franks Falls on the album on my FB page.}
After getting a few good pictures and sharing our lunch on the Falls, we decided to head back to the lodge for a final swim in the lake and an afternoon nap. After dinner Friday night we went into some of the back water behind Supermarket and Island 10. It was calmer there and it allowed us to have some time to talk and just take in the beauty of the lake for the last time. While we were out we talked a little about Abby heading off for college and being away from home. She admitted to being a little scared and I think that’s okay. When we have a little fear in our lives it sometimes causes us to be cautious. The future is always a little scary even when you’re in your 40’s. But to hear her say this and share the things we shared gives me the confidence that as her Mom and Dad, we have done our best to prepare her for this stage in her life. We know that she is going to do some pretty great things and we can’t wait to see her take the reigns and be the responsible adult we know she can be. We’ll only be a couple hours away from her campus so when her mom starts having nervous breakdowns, we can go and visit her on a weekend. After spending some time talking on the lake, we cruised through a couple of our “honey holes” from the past years and then headed back to the lodge. Friday night was a great night for sitting on the deck and thinking about the week past, but also getting back to the reality of our every day, regular {or not so regular} lives.
As we were sitting on the deck watching the skies and talking about different things, Abby getting married became a topic of discussion. We talked about the lucky or not-so-lucky guy that would be her husband. Hey, you have to take the good with the bad in this group! We talked about her wedding and what might take place at the reception. Uncle Eddie made the comment that when the “Dad and Daughter” dance took place, half way through he was going to “Tap me Out” and cut in to finish the dance. To be honest, I would totally be okay with that. I’m incredibly thankful for the number of friends that we have that have such an unbelievable love and unending patience for and with our kids. Some of them are “ninja warriors” in that sense and we recognize and appreciate them more than they will ever know. As we finished packing our things away and prepared for our departure Saturday morning, we talked a little about “the next time up”. If “the good Lord is willing and the creek don’t rise”, I may be bringing DJ up to Island 10 next summer for his first visit. There is a whole year between now and then to change my mind, but I think by next summer he might be ready for such a trip. I know, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit but planning for the future always makes going there worthwhile! Saturday morning we said our “goodbyes till next year” to the staff and hosts as well as to our Island friends who share this same week with us year after year. Then we started that dreaded drive home that was again pretty uneventful, just the way we like it. We did stop off at this remote burger stand that we’ve passed for 14 years. It was well worth the stop just to see the operation and have a charcoal grilled sandwich. I’m not sure that everyone agrees with me on this.
I’ll finish this post with a few things that I like to think Abby might have taken away from this trip. First, I believe that maybe she has a greater understanding of the word sacrifice. Next, I hope she sees the value and importance of having some great friends in your life that will encourage you as well as call you out when necessary. I also hope that she understands that a “fishing trip” is not always about the fishing. Taking time to enjoy the handiwork of our Creator is far more important than the fishing. And finally, I hope she understands that whether in good times or not so good times, a Dad’s love for their child never changes or waivers regardless of the circumstances. Will this be our last “hoorah”? Who knows, but a part of me really hopes not. That’s the view from my stand!