Sweet Times at Sugar Lake

A very well choreographed trip to Grandma Arline's took place the weekend of July 26th. After several emails circulated first trying to find a weekend everyone could make it and then coordinating who would bring what for food, all the grandkids and great-grandchildren assembled at her home in Annandale for fun in the sun, water play, and plenty of delicious victuals.

In late September, Joel and Mary and I made another trip north to visit with grandma one beautiful fall weekend.

Out on the dock, Joel gave Mary some pointers on her fishing techniques. Casting, setting the line, hooking the fish when the bobber starts to dance—and Mary’s favorite part—naming the fish before Daddy threw it back in. Bill, Stripes, Stripes Jr., and a host of other names were given as Mary caught one fish after another. She would no sooner get her line in the water and a fish would begin to nibble. When Mary came up from the lake to report her progress, she exclaimed, “I caught some sunnies, a ‘purse’, a crappie, and a bass!”