Welcome to The Empty Nesterhood: Creek Pictures

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Creek Pictures

Hi all!
Tropical Storm Edouard really turned out to be a non-event. But at least I have the chance to post some pictures for you! Enjoy!

Sitting in the inner tube on the boat was the PRIME SPOT this week. Abbie sat there until I needed her help. You see, Biggs was on the wakeboard, and Kait's attention span is about as long as a gnat's. I need Abbie to help watch him because I WAS DRIVING THE BOAT!!! YIKES!!!

I have NO pictures of Biggs wakeboarding because I was trying to keep from hitting a dock. AND I have NO pictures of me wakeboarding because, well, I never got my hiney out of the water. But let me tell you.... I did get a good workout trying.

Here's how it works.... My feet are so small I have to wear my water shoes with the wakeboard. So I'd get them all set and get the board strapped on. Then Biggs would bring me the rope. But he didn't get it RIGHT to me, so I had to swim for it. That meant I'd have to flip over onto my tummy. Not a huge deal, but not exactly a breeze either.

So I'd swim to the rope and get it. But then I'd have to flip back over because you can't start out on your tummy. Bit more of a deal, but I'd get there. That's when the problems would start. At this point, every time, I'd have my back to the boat. Needing to turn around, I'd psyche myself up and one, two, three.... umph. Nothing Happened. So I'd take the board off one foot, turn around, re-strap and be ready to go.

Biggs would hit the gas. The rope would fly out of my hands, and I'd have to start all over again.

This went on for the better part of an hour. I never got up and eventually switched back to the kneeboard.

But I didn't even think to take any Advil that night.

On Friday when I woke up, I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand. It hurt to sit. There was not a part of my body that didn't hurt. So if you're looking for a good work-out.... Way better than a bikini boot camp.... You should try being REALLY bad at wakeboarding!!!

Here's Abs with the trip's first Redfish -- not a keeper, but still worthy of a picture. Abbie catches more Reds than the rest of us combined. I think they like her hair!

This would be Kait at the end of a loooooong day on the water!

Jay, Kelley and Matthew Lamy spent the weekend with us. Here's a picture of Matthew with his first fish!!!
As Kaitlyn says, "You know, Abbie has that much hair every morning!"

Going to the beach in the mornings was pretty much a staple of this trip. The girls loved it! I love this picture of Matthew!

Mud Girl strikes again!

Man! What a Hottie Biggs is!

Kait and Abbie had a great time with Matthew. He was kind of like the little brother they've never had. He was totally into whatever they had going on. He'd say, "Whatcha doin'?"

So... My parents took us up to Red River when I was in junior high, and I remember A'Lise catching lots of fish. But I really don't remember ever catching any myself. I don't even think I had a fishing license until last Friday. But I'm not sure. Anyway, I caught my first "keeper" ever (besides Biggsy, of course!) this weekend. A big, 22.5 inch Redfish. But there's more to the story....

I wasn't exactly fishing. I have a rod and reel that I use and am trying to get good at using. But I wasn't to the point where I was using it yet -- I was trying to get Kaitlyn started. Kait's not really into fishing. She's really a better "runner." She gets us bait out of the bucket -- looking for little shrimp that are good jumpers. And she's really good at that. So I was trying to deal with her and get her started and really not paying attention. And then I noticed my bobber was way under. So I started reeling. And the fish started fighting. And it fought. And I reeled. And it fought. And I reeled.

It might not have been such a big deal if I'd been using that good rod and reel, but I was using my nephew Kodie's little green rod with a Zebco 404 on it. Kind of a Wal-Mart special. We'd already had to glue it back together a couple of times. Not quite the set-up for a big fish.

But that little thing and I hung in there. The reel was going, "bzzzzzzzzzzzz........" The fish was everywhere -- headed for the bay. But we got it in the boat and it was this big (I'd love to say beautiful, but ugh!), slimy fish!!! Of course, I called my Dad and Pete to brag!! And we ate it Sunday night and it was YUMMY!!!

Here are Jay and Matthew on the tube. The fun part was realizing that Jay didn't have a life jacket on and then watching him put it on while the tube was still moving -- without flipping it over! That's talent!