“I got one! I got one!” Jake is yelling. “I got one!”
Indeed it’s true. Dangling from the end of his fishing pole is a beautiful four-inch long fish!
“Let me see!” his brother crowds in to get a look. Even though it’s smaller than the goldfish in our pond, it is the catch of the day and the thrill of a lifetime for our soon to be 8 year old. Standing barefoot on a dock of a pristine lake in Eagle River, our fisherman beams with excitement and pride and poses for pictures with this fish that’s barely bigger than the hook that snagged it. He examines each inch of it, feeling it in his hand and begging to keep it before finally letting go. He is a living breathing tourism commercial, scrambling to get his bobber back on top of the lake, poised to reel in another, and then another and then another and his brother at his side doing the same.
All the while the waves are gently rocking the old swimming deck next to them, the sun is sliding lower in the afternoon sky and there is even a breeze pushing up the front of Jake’s hair like a high five.
Every now and then you get lucky enough to realize that something really big is happening right before your eyes and if your lucky you take time to soak it in so you can remember every angle of it and not forget any tiny detail because it’s perfect.
That’s what happened to us this year when we got the chance to spend a few days together up north.
We watched from beaches, and kayaks and jet skis, as a Norman Rockwell painting of two boys unleashed in nature’s grand beauty appeared before us each day. And we became a part of the canvas in this place where time passes as you please. It’s the kind of time you hope every kid can experience while he’s still a kid.
What we discovered is nothing astonishing to anyone who’s been there. It’s about the simple enjoyment of summertime the way it has been enjoyed for generations and generations because it just doesn’t get any better than this: barefoot, sun kissed, in a swim suit sun up to sundown, whiling away the hours lounging in a swing, eating when you remember your hungry, and marveling at the amazing beauty all around you.
We all pointed and craned our necks to watch a bald eagle soar overhead then dip down to catch breakfast. Our whole family was together in a boat that passed by so close to a loon we could see his beautiful stripes and long beak. Together, with the help of our aptly named fishing guide “Tadpole” we hauled in a 28-inch pike, watched him shine in the sun for a moment and then waved him back to the deep water where he came from. And to celebrate we had root beers and lunch at Soda Pop’s in town and finished up our meal with the giant Eagle Tower ice cream sundae (two scoops of every flavor topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry!)
The entire experience, though only four days long, gave us memories to last a lifetime.
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