Male Bonding

One of the things that Mike and Andrew did on our vacation was go fishing.

They went with two of my brothers, Ben and Q, and Q's wife and daughter. They both had a great time. Mike called on the way home and I asked "Are you dirty, tired, and hungry? Then you must have done it right!" Andrew arrived home and the first thing he did was sit down to count and show me his "12 owies!" After that he gave me a report, including shoving a bag of stinky dead fish in my face, proud as can be, and exclaiming "I caught a fish! It was wiggling, but it is dead now."

I was not there, but from what I gathered I think this is what they did:

Drove to Crater Lake towing a boat.

Had a picnic lunch of Sub sandwiches.

Got licked by a big stinky dog (belongs to my brother, not a stray).

Sat in a boat (not sure if it went anywhere or if he just got in for a picture).

Learned to pee in the trees (a highlight for him, actually). No picture, thank goodness.

Walked around in the mud.

Climbed around exploring the rocky shore line, resulting in the 12 scrapes and bumps.

Went fishing and caught something!

Learned that fish flop around a bit then die if you pull them out of the water.

Took lots of pictures with a special fishing camera (a disposable I sent him with, I didn't' want my digital camera at the bottom of the lake, but wanted pictures), some of which actually turned out! Here are a few of his favorite subject- His Dad. He had a thing for putting his fingers in front of the lens, as you can see from the above photos.

All in all, a full day of male-oriented adventuring. I think it was a success. Andrew is already asking for his own Lightening McQueen fishing pole to take with him to Alaska to fish for giant halibut with his grandpa. I think he might need to borrow a bigger pole, but it is a nice thought. .

Here is how Andrew describes the fishing process:

"First you put bait on the hook and throw it into the water. Wait and hold the pole for a while. Wait for the pole to wiggle then turn and turn and turn and turn until the fish comes flopping out of the water! Sometimes you put it back in, and other times you have to touch it and put in the ice chest then take it home after it stops wiggling and have someone cook it. Before you cook it you have to clean it- it smells bad and blood and guts come out, and the eyes are squishy!"

My grandpa got the honor of cleaning the fish, much to the delight of all Andy's cousins who watched with fascination at the dissection.

Andy was the only one interested in eating his catch. He was really excited, but not that impressed in the end product. I believe his exact words were "Blech!" Mike was a good sport and finished it off. I guess mountain lake trout are not going to make it to the family favorite menu any time soon.