First Mate

I spent the weekend camping on the Bluestone with Bella, Melissa and the in-laws. I always look forward to this trip. It's always a time to break out my favorite toys (i.e. boats, camping equipment, fishing tackle, etc.) and break in some new ones. I enjoy spending time with Joe and Bec as I always seem to pick up some neat skills from being around them. Whether it be how to throw a cast net or a good camp recipe there's always something new I pick up on these trips. The older Bella is getting the more she is enjoying going camping. Not only is she easier to watch than when she was younger she also wants to be more involved. She had a big time this year swimming, going on boat rides, playing with her sidewalk chalk and fishing. We didn't fish much together the first day she was there and she made it clear that she wanted to go so first thing the following morning when we woke up I loaded the boat and off we went. I headed for a cove near the dam where I knew the fishing was good and where we could get out of the wind. I couldn't help but smile as we drove there and Bella kept saying "go faster, go faster." We saw a bald eagle circling low doing some fishing of his own. Bella got a real kick out of that. We didn't fish for too long as I knew she would eventually want to go back to camp and play, but the time we spent there was productive. I would cast the line out, hook the fish then had the rod to Bella to reel it in. She really enjoyed this and the mighty Bluegill has fast become her favorite fish. I could tell she had a blast from the excited way she told her fishing story to her MawMaw and PawPaw. I'm looking forward to many more of these trips in the future with my first mate.