Hiking Hijacked Fishing

The girls and I saw a fun exhibit at the MOA yesterday.

We had a good time together.

Colored string was their favorite.

In the afternoon, Luke and I played Hangman.

He completely stumped me with his second word.

We took Jeff fishing this morning.  He caught a fish right off the bat.

The fish wasn't big enough to keep.  Ben gently worked with him until he swam away.

Luke had fun at the playground.

These two play very well together.

Ella loves to fish.  She also loves to tease her dad.  Notice that I was across the lake.

Ella joined me, and then realized she could go up.

Ben climbed up to catch her.

Then Luke.

Then Jane.  They invited me to follow.  I knew I could get up.  I wasn't sure I could get down.

By this time I had run around to the other side of the lake so I could take their picture. 

Thank goodness for my zoom lens.

Ella decided to go higher.

The little kids weren't strong enough to pull themselves up.

At first Ella encouraged them.

Then she enjoyed the moment.

She was quite pleased, in fact.

She took pictures of the beautiful scenery.

Jeff finally set down his pole and encouraged me to climb up.

I decided I'd rather take pictures.

Jeff encouraged everyone.

They smiled for me.

I'm not sure they knew everyone around the lake could hear their laughter.

I used my zoom lens to watch them climb down.

Ella has been a joy this past week, helping everyone.

Papa Ben didn't miss a thing.

Jeff made one last effort to catch another fish.

The kids waited patiently.

While many people napped, Papa Ben and I challenged Luke and Ben in Mexican Train.  Luke was ecstatic to win the first game.

In my house. a dance is required when the winner pushes the button.

I played a five on Papa's domino for my victory.

Kate found a place to be quiet.

I unexpectedly needed a document from the safe.  I knew this would be fun for the boys.  Even with the combination it took them half an hour, but they finally got it open.

Luke found my collection of Matryoshka dolls.

Jane loved finding the smallest baby.

Then Jeff and the kids climbed Bridal Veil Falls.  They all came home very excited and happy.

And hungry.  Saturday's Cafe Rio special is shrimp tacos.

And to top off the evening?

Our last mini-ST-marathon.

This Post is for Jeff

We arrived at the fishing pond at 7:20 am.  Notice the sun shining on the mountain behind us, but not in our valley.

Despite the chill, Ella grabbed the pole Papa had baited and cast her line.

She was the first to catch a fish in the Uintas two weeks ago and the first to catch a fish in Montana last week.

We were amused by the sudden appearance of a muskrat which swam under the lines.

The time was 7:38 when Ella suddenly caught a fish!

Meet Carl.

Papa taught tender-hearted Ella how to properly release a trout.

Luke and Jane listened carefully to Papa's casting instructions.

Luke wasn't sure he was going to like fishing, but he soon found himself having a good time.

In the middle of giving instructions, a fish bit Papa's line.

Fortunately for this fish, he was also released.

Luke and Jane got cold and sat in the car for awhile.

I turned on the car for a second to check the temperature.  I knew as soon as the sun hit us, everyone would be warm.

While Ben was fishing, Papa got another bite.  Ben dropped his pole and ran to help.

Ben grabbed Papa's improvised net.

It was tricky netting the fish.

This fish did not survive the removal of the hook, so he's in my freezer.

In a glorious moment, the sun appeared over the mountains.

I retrieved the kids from the car, but by then they had seen the playground behind the parking lot.

They spent a few minutes playing in the sun before joining us.

Luke was soon fully engaged again.

Jane was interested, if not engaged.

Luke wanted to learn how to cast his own line.

Jane would only let Papa cast for her.

Luke's form was impeccable.

At this point in my life I should know more about fishing than I do, but I did compliment Ben on the level of his pole.

Everyone's worms got lots of nibbles.

Bobbers were pulled under the water over and over again.

Ella fished for 2 hours before setting down her pole.

The lake is mesmerizing.

Kate read 200 pages this morning.

Jane was more interested in casting than fishing.

Papa and I had fun watching the kids get along. 

The morning sun warmed us all up very quickly.

Papa Ben risked getting wet to untangle Jane's line.

In the meantime, Kate and Ella moved from the sun to the shade.

Watching Luke cast was astonishing.  Over and over again he hit the same spot until it was time to go.

Before leaving the lake, we examined a tree which had been visited by beavers in the night.

After cleaning up at home, we practiced our best table manners at Papa's favorite restaurant.

We had not eaten since our early breakfast, and I devoured my katsudon.

Ella's favorite Japanese meal is Udon noodles.

Ben had sushi with his bento box.

Ella shared a few noodles with Ben.  They were not unlike the worms we put on the hooks this morning.

After a fun meal, Luke was ready to go.

We spent our afternoon enjoying a Star Trek marathon.

The kids were willing to branch out to DS9, but only for one episode, as it turned out.