Weekend Update # 1

We started a fire in the firepit behind the house Friday night in anticipation of roasting marshmallows for s'mores. Shawn and his wife had just shown up for the occasion slightly after the sun had gone down. A long week of work called for a few barley filled beverages.

I tore a paper grocery bag in 3 pieces then rolled them and placed some kindling and wood over the top of them tee pee style in the metal fire pit. I lit the paper as Shawn, his wife Jody, my wife, and Mizike's girlfriend Kimber gathered chairs to put around the fire. The paper was dry and I lit it in several spots so that all sides of the fire would ignite at once. The kindling and wood did not take long to burst into flames and before the chairs were arranged the fire was illuminating the back of the house and the woods behind us. At that same moment a few raindrops came down from the sky. Our perfect night for s'mores was getting ready to change.

The girls hurried inside while Shawn and I huddled around the fire to tell some tales of work and life. The light rain subdued and we continued to talk around the fire while the girls were inside chatting. After a couple of beers the girls asked if it was raining out still. We let them know that it had quit. Everybody gathered outside. Only a couple s'mores were made but stories were told and everybody became mesmorized by the flames of the fire.

Mizike arrived home after his shift at work. He sat around with us for a bit but he was ready for the bar scene. Jody was tired and Shawn and her decided it was time to leave. I was going to go to bed after a good evening when Kimber said I had to go to the bar with Mike because she was not feeling well. I had already been drinking and Mizike was going to be drinking so we convinced her to drive us to the bar and we would find a ride home.

At the bar we met a group of friends on the patio. We started out with a drink a piece. It was good and went down quick. I told Mizike I was going to order 4 more for each of us so we would not have to wait for drinks. When I asked for 8 drinks total the bartender had me clarify at least 3 times before making them. It was already a little late, I guess she didn't think we would finish them in time. I got back to the table and there were shots lining the table. There were 2 sitting in front of where I had been sitting. One of the others at the table had decided that was the night to drink as well.

We toasted and had the first shot followed with a whiskey and coke chaser, then another shot followed by 3 whiskey and coke chasers. With the beer and whiskey and cherry bomb's in my stomach I started feeling realy good. I started making my way around the bar and conversing with some friends that I had not seen in a while. Time went fast and it was closing time.

In the parking lot we discussed eating at waffle house. It was decided, and to Waffle house we went. They must love the drunk after bar crowds they get in there with everybody loud and obnoxious. We ate well and once outside the discussion of after hours came about. We were on the way to go to after hours when the lead car turned off the route and started heading towards our house. We got out and I said "What about after hours?" Mizike said, "It's 4:30 in the morning." I got his point and we headed inside for bed.

I woke up around 8:30 Saturday morning. I felt rested and was in the mood for fishing. My son came in the room and I asked him if he wanted to go. He did, so I loaded the van to go. We went to Madison Lake, a small lake close to the house. We have had some luck bluegill fishing there and I thought it would be a good lake to try some of my new baits that arrived in the mail Friday afternoon on some small bass.

We got to our spot and fished for a little while before my son was tired of fishing. My wife took the 2 boys to the park and I was able to try my new craws. I walked to the rocks of the dam casting along the bank where there were breaks from the trees. I had a couple of small nibbles on the way to the rocks. Then at the corner of the dam I stood on a rock and cast to the shad of an overhanging tree branch. There was a bass there and he nibbled at the bait but when I set the hook there was no fish attached.

I fished for a little bit longer then decided to walk the bank to the playground to meet up with the wife and kids. I was walking around one cove when I saw at the tip of the cove there was a tree lined with brush hanging over the water. In front of that I saw logs floating in the water with green seeds from the tree covering the top of the water between the tree and the logs.

I thought back to fishing in Kansas and remembered that there is always a bass under those seeds if they are gathered between structure. I took my craw and flipped it in the green. Immediately my line cuts through the seed and heads under one of the logs. I pull up on my rod to set the hook. Out comes the jig head. The fish had successfully gotten the plastic craw.

I walked back to the van and got some new rubber and walked the cove again with no luck. I got to the point near the playground and was on my last cast when I heard a thumping getting really close to the back of my head. I turned around just in time to see a flock of ducks dive bombing me. I ducked and covered right as they swooped past me and landed in the cove I had just fished. A couple at the picnic table were laughing hysterically. I guess the ducks didn't see me or did not care but I would have been whacked if I had not dodged them.

I walked back to the van and of course my wife had not seen it happen and did not see the humor of it. She would have been on the ground rolling if I would have walked back with duck feathers lining my mouth. We headed home to relax before going to see Harry Potter in Imax 3D that evening.

The 3D part of Harry Potter was awesome besides the fact that my oldest did not want to wear the glasses and I kept trying to put them on. The 3D was only for a small portion of the beginning of the movie. However, it was the best 3D I havr seen so far. I guess I will take a little bit of really good 3D over a whole movie of so-so 3D.

We finally got home about midnight and hurried to bed for our Sunday trip to lake Erie.