Yay! It’s warm again, and I got to escape to the boat to go fishing last night with my Dad and another very special person in my life from years past – Mr. Horne.
This story begins 21 years ago (Gosh I feel old!); when I was a 13 year old child who spent every free minute of my life with my Dad fishing, whether it was on the boat or just casting off land. My dad’s friend, Mr. Horne, and he went to the 1000 Islands which is on the border of New York and Canada fishing for the week. After they came home, they couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful it was and how they saw things in nature that not many people would ever get the chance to see. Well, that was about all I could stand – I demanded to go the next time!
Summer rolled around and the trip was planned, one day off we all went. It was by far one of the best times I have ever had in my life. I saw heron’s, and bald eagles for the first time; visited an island known as “heart island” which had such a compelling story behind it I still haven’t forgotten. Here is a link to the story and a tour of the island: http://ivanoff12.hypermart.net/boldt/main.html
The water and the air were so clean and so clear (mind you I was living in New Jersey at the time – LOL!); you could literally drop a dime in 40 feet of water and see the head of Roosevelt.
The laughs we all shared were equally as memorable, I can remember one morning we went for breakfast and obviously my dad was still in the process of waking up. Everyday, he ordered pancakes and bacon or waffles and bacon, this particular morning he ordered pancakes and waffles; neither myself or Mr. Horne said a word – we just glanced at each and smiled. When our breakfast arrived, we began howling, as did my Dad when he figured out what he had ordered.
We all continued to make the same trip together for the next seven years, then we all moved away from each other and lives changed.
Well, yesterday the Horne’s came to visit my parents and I went over there in the afternoon – after not seeing each other for 16 years! It was amazing, we all picked up right were we had left off, of course mentioning the pancakes and waffles incident within the first five minutes. My Dad went inside and after a few minutes returned with three fishing rods and the keys to the boat. We, the three us, got onboard and went fishing for the better part of the night. Laughing, sightseeing, and enjoying our trip just as we always had all those years ago.
I realized today how short life really is, and how important it is to maintain friendships and try your hardest to see your friends whenever you can. My Dad has been and will always be my best friend, and Mr. Horne will always be one of the best persons I have ever had the pleasure of fishing with.
I now have a new reason to graduate – we’ve decided that as soon as I have my degree in hand, we are all going back to the 1000’s islands for a week, and believe me, I truly can’t wait!
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Awesome story!!! I love fishing myself, and when you said Mr. Horn, I thought about a friend of mine (in his 60's) that I always invited fishing with me. We would go fishing in the ocean on the East coast of Florida, for mainly dolphin, and swordfish. He used to drink "a lot" and whenever we went fishing, we would could count on him to give the fish some chum, (I know gross) but we used to have the best time. I miss that a lot and after reading your story, it gives me motivation to go over there and go fishing with him again. Although neither one of us drink anymore, I guess we will just have to use bait, Like normal folks.
ReplyDeleteFriends are few and far between..it's always good to have them in our lives.
Oh Patricia,
ReplyDeleteYour post made me weep! How wonderful it is to reconnect with friends who have meant so much to us. We often live such dis-connected lives, this experience is treasured indeed. What makes me weep is your feelings about your Dad. That is exactly how I feel about my Dad who died 10 years ago. We had such great times together and he truly was a best friend. You know, not everyone can say this about their Dad. We are truly the lucky ones. Thanks for this lovely story.
Wow, I bet that this was a great adventure! I love fishing also although I have not been this year. My friend from out of town has been calling me almost daily to ask me to please join her so that we can go fishing. We have been fishing partners for years and believe me when I tell you that we have some great stories to tell about our experiences and adventures. I love her very dearly and we always have a wonderful time together when we meet. But the best part of fishing is the beauty of "Nature" and the "Water" itself. It is a very peaceful encounter. My plan is to go on a vacation which includes a cruise and fishing after I complete college so maybe we will meet on the water one glorious day after we graduate!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story. I have not been fishing in years. The best time I remember was when I was 10 and caught a fish that was bigger then me. I ran to show it to my mom dragging the tail on the ground. My stepdad was the one who took us and he has passed on. There are good memories and bad memmories with him. I will always remember that fishing trip as a good memory. Lives change and people lose contact with each other, but it is so great when you can reconnect with them.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a wonderful story. Some of my best memories was going fishing with my Grandpa when I was young. He always said I was the Grandson he never had because I was always right there to get my hands dirty.Ahh... it makes me want to go fishing, it has been so long.I have only been about five times since my Grandpa passed 14 years ago. It is all about peace of mind with the greatest people that you love and care for deeply. I am glad you enjoyed yourself and hope you get to do it again at graduation if not before.
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