Gratitude Monday–It's Not About The Fish

Yesterday was a brilliant blue day topped with warm sunshine.
To respect and honour this first full day of summer we went fishing.
The Elk Creek Pond is a rehabilitated gravel pit along the Forestry Trunk Road at Elk Flats, west of Rocky.It's in the first range of mountains and it is a spectacular, peaceful spot.

Clouds moved in on the way, but the sun still shone. Fish jumped in the pond, taunting and teasing us as we cast our lines and tried different lures.
A few other people, mostly families with children, showed up soon after we arrived. They enjoyed the moment as only families with children can.

We didn't catch anything.
We never do.
And fishing really isn't about the fish.

It's about a peaceful spot in the mountain dressed in the deep green of summer. It's a peaceful pond stocked with trout who jump for insects, or joy, or for any reason a fish can think of to rise out of the water and slap back in on a warm, sunny day.
It is time together making yet another memory, and for all this and more I am grateful.

Photo-Finish Friday - Optimists

Two men fish off the pier on Muhu Island, Estonia.

Gratitude Monday--Bobbing Along Edition

It was a glorious Sunday. The last day of spring. We spent it as we've spent many a Sunday morning lately. Fishing.
The small lake we've been going to is not much bigger than a pond. It's in a hollow beyond a hay field. It's safe, protected, and often still.
An osprey guards it and has a nest high atop a spruce tree along the wooded south shore.
We hear birds call, a family of ducks patrols the south, a loon nests along the west edge.
Fish jumped. Huge ones and small ones and many in between.
We tried fly fishing, I did some regular casting, and we trolled along as we let the canoe take us where the lake's current thought we should be.
They taunted us, these trout, with their jumps and twists. It was their home and they called the shots.
We were just happy to be out on the lake.

Gratitude Monday - Fishing Instead

Mitchell Lake, southwest of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.

I went fishing instead.
I was going to plant my garden yesterday. Mike dug the compost into it in the morning and then dug up some lawn on the west side of it to add a few more feet of growing space. I was going to plant things right afterward.
Earlier that morning, just before getting out of bed, I pictured it in my mind and decided where the spices, carrots, and peas would go. The onions went in on Saturday in the few extra feet I added a few weeks ago. Remaining space could house the lettuce and radishes. If there was still space available it would be home to a random potato.
Rather than do all this work we decided to spend the afternoon on a canoe on a local lake. We never know when Mike will have a day off. I can put in a garden while he's at work, but I can't fish with him.
Yesterday was the time we had. We used it. Instead of gardening we went fishing. We didn't catch anything, but that does not matter.
I spent the afternoon relaxing on a lake with my husband and I am grateful.

Photo-Finish Friday --Gone Fishing Edition

Yesterday was a beautiful autumn day. It was the kind of day you know in your heart is a gift and if you don't accept it, then you'll kick yourself on all those other days that are less a gift.
My husband had the day off so we escaped. We took a drive out west along the BigHorn Highway, known here as the Forestry Trunk Road, and spent part of the morning fishing at the pond pictured above.
This pond was once a gravel pit. It has long since been reclaimed and is stocked with trout. It's a gorgeous setting and it makes what would have been an eyesore into a relaxing destination spot.
The fish outsmarted us, as fish do, so we let them be and went on our way further down the trunk road. It made for a wonderful day in the West Country.

Gratitude Monday - Sunday Morning Well Spent

We spent a sunny summer Sunday on a nearby lake doing a spot of fishing.

We paddled around then took a short break. We were away from the few other fisherfolk on the lake and it was quiet. The lake is carved out of the bush and thus surrounded by trees.

We spent more than four hours on the water chasing after northern pike. The lake holds perch, too, so it is claimed. I haven't seen one.

I had a too-small jack on my hook for a minute or so. It set itself free, saving me the trouble. It was a thoughtful fish in that way.

Our only other fish-related excitement was when a pike hit us at ramming speed. It was scary.

I suspect it was a sign that we weren't supposed to be fishing. We ignored it.

We canoed down this inlet just to have a closer look. It was a pleasant and soothing side trip.

Our world is filled with wonderful spots to enjoy. No special equipment is required as Nature is there as She is. Fishing is an enhancement and an excuse to be out, and I'm grateful for the chance to do it and enjoy the abundance of our natural world.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm busy writing a paraNano novel. I didn't register at the NaNoWriMo site, but I am playing along at home.
Two fellow writers are doing something similar and we check in with one another twice a week or so. We call it PoLeRo, based on our names, and it's good to have someone else to answer to.
It's been going well. Some days I totally wing it while others I have some clue, cobbled together from the night before, as to what I need to write about. Occasionally I pay attention to these notes.
I'm having a blast. I am lousy at dialogue and thought it would be a great exercise. I force myself to have conversations. I'm building characters with it. I have two characters that have no idea when to shut up. One rambles a bit. The other tends to prattle on.
I've several different sentient species to play with so I give them interesting appendages and coverings. Not everyone breathes air.
I needed to get my imagination fired up to make sure it still works. So far it's earning its keep.
As of last evening I had 34,145 words.
This excitement goes to the end of the month. It is likely that the blog will take a bit of a hit while I busy myself with the destruction of the ancient world due to a math error.
I smile for no reason. I'm having fun. ParaNaNo PoLeRo has created a monster.
**
My husband took this pic of me. We were trout fishing in a reclaimed gravel pit along the first range of hills out west of town. I'm smiling. I'm having fun. That's about how I look this month.