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What’s on the iPod: Super Bass by Nicki Minaj


It’s wonderful to be back home. Those few days away felt like a million light years, and I feel like finally I’ve spent some of my summer outdoors. I’ve been way too busy and haven’t had time to go to the shore at all, let alone get into the garden (too hot and dry). Spending mornings and evenings in the boat on a crystal-clear river with my dad and one very hungry mosquito (could have done without that critter) reset my balance.

I went north to escape heat. Nothing doing — it was so hot Saturday that the humidity had it feeling like 110 according to the weather report. I sat in the river — literally — and drank iced water just to feel human. Luckily Sunday was a day of heavy rain. They badly needed it, and I looked forward to a day of nothing but games, DVDs and gabbing. It was much cooler that evening when we went out on the boat.

Now for the fish tales. I’ve no pictures of any of my catches. I had taken my cell phone thinking I’d use it. Only thing was my dad can’t see the buttons well enough to work it and I wasn’t interested in messing with the passcode and then the program and the lighting…. just better to have witnesses. 🙂 My first catch was a 26-inch northern pike. Nice size, but they have to be 36 inches or better, I believe, in order to keep them. If in fact I would keep them, which I do not. I simply harass them, drag them out of the water, measure them, then put them back.

The bass, which were not striking at all the entire time my parents have been north, started hitting the moment we switched to worms on hooks. I caught plenty of big ones — one measured at 16 inches and had to weigh five pounds if he was an ounce — as did my daughter and my dad. A few hit the lures, but the chaos created by the worms may have lured them closer.

Once we started getting the fish, things were decidedly better. I caught two pike, both the same size, and missed a third (I saw her, though). There was a point where I was helping my daughter get a fish off her line and my lure was just dangling in the water. Then the splash — a sizable fish had gone after it.

We had lots of laughs and played many long rounds of Uno and Phase 10 before watching Band of Brothers. Then home yesterday.

Though that ride home, not my favorite. It was two hours longer thanks to single-lane construction on the highway in PA. I found my way to a familiar place via a detour, which probably cut our time traveling down by yet another hour.

Back to work today. There were a few client requests waiting in email, so I’ll be busy today and probably tomorrow. But it appears to be a slower re-entry this time, which is welcome after the long drive.

How are you all?