Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

Bobby Bass · November 21, 2012

This might be a first but I might actually have everything on my fall do list done before the first snow fall. With the past few days in the high forties I have been spending time outside getting things done and with a few more days maybe as warm as the mid fifties I can take a day and Duncan and Bud and I can get some bird hunting in. So this afternoon the boys and I will jump in the Tahoe and make the drive up to the Hotel for an afternoon of bird hunting. Some fog here this morning but that is supposed to burn off and sunshine is in the forecast for this afternoon. I might even pack a fishing rod and when I drive by Mystery Creek I might toss a few. Would be a pretty nice day if I could bag a few birds and catch a fish or two.

I took time yesterday to do some shopping, the Do List had gotten to the point where I needed to pick up a few things in order to complete some projects. I was down at the General Store with a hand basket picking up some tarps and rope and went to what was the Garden Center to buy toilet paper. The Paper Palace was gone and in it's place was Santa Land, guess I missed the grand opening as I was at deer camp. I resisted the urge to wander around and shop and I had nearly made it past Santa Land when I saw the remote controlled helicopters with the built in cameras. If you will remember we did have one of these last year but it had an accident when it collided with the ceiling fan in the Lodge. I checked the price and made a mental note to watch it to see if it will go on sale or if Big Earl will wheel and deal on it.

I might have to get a little nap in before I head out hunting this afternoon, was up kind of late last night. The Lake Iwanttobethere volunteer fire department was called out last night around eleven. I received the call shortly after I had climbed into bed and I was on scene about ten minutes later. As I rode in with Chuck we came over the hill that Tiny had his cabin on. Fog had been getting thicker since dusk and we could see a flashing red glow in the darkness. We made our way around parked trucks and flashing lights just in time to see Gus in full equipment come marching down the driveway. A red glow was coming from alongside the garage and Gus was waving us off. Several of the Fellows were standing off to one side and acting like they were kids standing in the school yard after being caught doing something.

Gus with his face mask dangling and his jacket unbuckled was speaking into his radio. We heard the crackle of static and then Gus's voice calling an all clear and declaring a false alarm. To make a long story short it seems the Fellows had gotten together and came up to them what is a good idea. You know how in the big city you see them little blue lights that blink on and off when the car alarms are armed ? Well the fellows thought if they took their ten million candlelight boat flood lights and painted the lens red they would work all that much better. Tiny has his hooked up in his truck and in the fog a passing motorist thought the red glow in the sky was a fire and called it in. Since almost the entire department had shown up I declare it a monthly meeting and we can now scratch it off the calendar. Have a good Thanksgiving, from Lake Iwanttobethere {863,161}

Bobby Bass · November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving, a time for family to share time and health together. To remember the past and be thankful. To continue family traditions and enjoy the bounty of the land. Step forward too now.

The first brother in law arrives ahead of his wife bearing chips and dip and a case of Hamms. There is football to be watched and we quickly retire to the theater to catch the game and get out of the way of the wives and the children that will follow. Being the theater is insulated for sound it serves two purposes, one to keep the sound of the surround sound in the room and another is to keep the sound from outside of the theater out of the theater. In this case it is the sound of screaming kids and barking dogs. A full house today as all the relatives are over, brother in laws, sister in laws, outlaws and people wearing name tags because I have no idea who they are. Nieces and nephews and boyfriends and girlfriends of said nieces and nephews. New born babies and toddlers and teenagers with ear buds and cell phones. Uncles and aunts and friends of the family, my three dogs and two others that can't be trusted to be left at home alone.

Women gather in the kitchen trading small talk and sipping on box wine. Men hide out in the theater and kids rule the common ground between dinning room and the living room. Teenage cousins gather out on the deck and the dogs travel freely looking to be petted. The three cats of the household are well hidden in their special spots far away from any prying eyes. The older members of the clan sit on couches and high back chairs in the living rooms. Hearing aids are turn down low or in some cases completely off. They smile and make small talk and comment about how big the kids are growing. They exchange old stories and compare drug prices and pet the dogs that press up against them. They offer to help but hope no one says yes, they are content to just sit and rest.

Truck doors slam and the distant relatives arrive, they were slowed because of traffic or maybe because they just got lost again. Uncle finds his way to the theater to check the score and the aunt heads to the kitchen because that is where the wine is poured. Their son stays back at the truck fiddling with the GPS, it was working just fine before they crossed the county line. Kids raid the relish trays and ask when supper is done, a dirty diaper is held up high and someone asks where do I put this little plum. Half time arrives and the men file out, off to the kitchen looking for something to munch on. A few go outside with their coats on, they light up a smoke and stand in the sun and maybe exchange a few little jokes.

The wife steps out on the deck and walks to the big black bell, She rings it twice meaning supper is done. Elmer on cue steps off the pine needle path carrying a wine flask from his secret stash. The women all file out from the kitchen each with a platter and soon chairs are all filled and forks are held at ready. Adults sit at the table and kids go last, they scatter around the rooms their food on plates resting in their laps. Dinner is served and the rooms go quiet, just the sound of good food and the munching of celery.

Dinner is done and kids scatter, tables are cleared and vintage bottles of Mogen David wine appear. Turkey and ham is left out on the kitchen counter as it always seems sandwich fixings should be at the ready. Belts are loosen and a few belches are heard, kid's laff at uncle Will's wild stories of uncle Bill. Men take over the deck and cigars are lit, the teenagers retreat to stand by the garden by the small hill. The ladies regroup in the kitchen to cut pie, they cover it in whipped cream and take a big sigh. A moment of peace and some wine to sip, in a few hours shopping will be the next thing on their to do list, from Lake Iwanttobethere {864,418}

Bobby Bass · November 23, 2012

White Friday here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Over night about four inches of white sticky stuff fell covering everything here at the lake. The wife has already returned from her shopping adventure and bags have been emptied and items hidden away. Cabin is creaking away as some brisk winds are blowing and if the snow was not of the heavy sticky variety we would have had some nice snow drifts to contend with. The wife told me I was so lucky that I got the oil changed on the Jeep yesterday morning and the outside water turned off. I just winked at her over the top of my glass of orange juice and replied it was just all in the plan.

The storm that came in during the night has left just as quickly. Clear sky and bright sunshine is already melting the snow on the roof and water is dripping off the eves, even if the Bass thermometer is only reading twenty-six degrees. Dogs and grand kids have already been outside and there is not a square foot of deck or ground that does not have a footprint in it. I might have been a tad lucky as far as getting everything under cover and picked up but I will take credit that it was done, as like I said it was all in the plan. I even have the snow blower inside the shop facing the roll up doors, if the snow was really deep I would be ready, just as soon as I buy some gas for it.

With laptop problems and the extended stay at deer camp this year I missed an anniversary. No not a wedding anniversary but I missed the anniversary of the start of the Lake Iwanttobethere fishing reports. November 11th 2005 was when the first report was made and there have been several of them since then. Since I am writing this within two weeks of the original date all is good as in Lake Iwanttobethere we do allow some lee way in celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. I was going to write some good ink about the Lake but right now I got nothing. The wife has gone to bed so I have been left in charge of watching the three oldest grand kids who are not in school today. I gave them the task of shoveling the snow off the deck and with the three dogs they are of course no where near the deck. I can hear them screaming as they are shoveling snow in the middle of the yard trying to get enough together to make forts.

I do want to thank everyone who has found their way here and choose to spend some of your day reading my ramblings. The stories about Lake Iwanttobethere have grown over the years and the place has kind of taken on it's own personality. The town has grown into a hobby for me and writing the reports gives me something to do and also keeps me out of the wife's hair. There are several people who have been here since the beginning following the town and the watching it grow from a one marking meter to two with a working street light. As the seasons change here at the lake so do the stories, from Deer Camp to the Ice House Fling to covering all the weekend summer events. Trying to keep up with Duncan the pudding pup and Bud and Barney my hunting and fishing partners, not to mention the best two neighbors a guy could have Chuck and Elmer. The Fellows are always seeming to get in trouble and Doc Burriem is always around to give cheap medical wisdom, which I seem to need a lot of.

With any luck we are on schedule to hit over one million reads just around the next fishing opener. A million hits, not something I thought I would see and you would think Lake Iwanttobethere would have a better fishing pier with that many visitors. For those of you who have kept up from the beginning it might not have happen if my friend Foot had not replied to my first comment about Lake Iwanttobethere. For awhile there we shared some ideas and the town was born. Foot past but at Lake Iwanttobethere he will always be remembered, thanks for reading, from Lake Iwanttobethere {865,589}

Bobby Bass · November 25, 2012

A few more inches of snow fell overnight on top of the four inches we received Friday. Thinking the grand kids had cleared up steps and the walkway I didn't bother to check till it was too late. The cotton candy snow has frozen nicely leaving a shovel pretty much a useless tool in it's removal. I found this out today when I went to remove the newly fallen snow. Lucky for me I have a bag of ice melt from last year and it was quickly spread to do it's work while I watched from the comfort of the cabin. The time was not wasted as I worked on laying out the 2013 calendar for the Lodge. Tomorrow being Cyber Monday I will take advantage of the low prices and order up the calendars and they will be used as Christmas gifts.

I did spend some time at the Lodge yesterday as I was in town supporting the local small business around town. Was kind of slow at the Lodge and when I came in I found Vinnie at a round table behind a mound of shelled peanuts. He was not eating them but was shelling the peanuts and then placing them in small bowls. I nodded as I went by and went into the kitchen looking for Gus. I found Gus with his feet up reading through the Lake Iwanttobethere Times. I mentioned Vinnie and the shelled peanuts and Gus looked around the paper to say "Really, I told that boy just to fill the bowls with nuts."

I just shrugged my shoulders and went back out the swinging doors of the kitchen. As I went past Vinnie I scooped up a handful of the shelled peanuts and told him he was doing a fine job. I was not going to be the one to tell them we serve the peanuts in the shell. I got behind the wheel of the Tahoe and drove down to Main Street, there was parking outside of the Middle of the Block Cafe so I parked there and decided to head inside for a free cup of coffee. Every store has a cute catch phrase or some kind of special offer to get customers to come in, the Middle of the Block Cafe has the free cup of coffee but you have to pay for the refills. When Larry open the Cafe he could not call it the corner cafe so he just called it what it was, in the middle of the block. He also gives away free potato chip, but only the first one.

Still a few of the orange hunting hats perched on top of heads as guys like to wear them till it is cold enough to get the fur bomber hats out. I think with the snow on the ground now and no sunshine we have seen the last of any bare legs till spring. Flip flops are tucked away and not even the General Store has them on display this time of the year. Speaking of the General Store Big Earl with broom in hand is greeting customers at the front door. Wearing his red apron and a Santa hat the side walk is bare of snow and if a flake should fall Big Earl quickly sweeps it away. Katrina the town artist has been busy as just about all the shop windows have Christmas scenes painting on them. Elves and reindeer and snow covered pines urging you come on in and shop.

Small snow banks line the streets, mostly from snow shoveled from the sidewalks. The banks are still clean and I must admit the town looks good. Already a few Christmas lights have been turned on and they chase each other around the display windows of shops. The bell over Ma and Pa's grocery store entrance door just blends right in with the sounds of early Christmas shopping. The town will be quiet for a few weeks as we wait for ice to form on the lake and then we will have the Ice House Fling, from Lake Iwanttobethere {868,640}

Bobby Bass · November 26, 2012

Another Silent Sunday has come and gone here at Lake Iwanttobethere. I watched some football till I could watch no more and I am about all turkey out. Roast turkey followed by a couple of days of leftover turkey. Turkey sandwiches, open face covered in gravy sandwiches and yesterday it was turkey soup. Don't get me wrong, I like turkey but I think it is time for a steak. So with the game all but decided by half I open the fridge and reach far in back for a six pack of Hamms I had hid it there the day before thanksgiving. I popped one can out of the plastic ring which then gave me a convenient way to carry the other five cans and headed to Chuck's.

Chuck is a convert of Silent Sunday as soon as he found out it was a way to not talk to his girlfriend. I made the short walk between our properties to find him attaching a cable to his old pontoon boat. With the six inches of snow over the frozen ground he was going to drag his pontoon into the barn to work on it. I know this from past conversations this summer when we were fishing. The plan is to take the old pontoon and convert it into an ice house. Actually a lot of thought has gone into the project and Chuck has even volunteered to replace Dan T. as the rescue house in the upcoming Ice House Fling. As you may or may not know on the hill along side the main Ice House Fling a second bungee is set up with what is referred to as Alert One. In case of an accident or an unforeseen event in the launching of a Fling house Alert One is shot down the hill to the rescue. We are proud to say this is a rare event and usually it is just a free ride for the Alert House at the end of the day.

Chuck and I both greeted each other with the secret Lake Iwanttobethere wave. Using a special sign language that Chuck and I have developed we made quick work of hooking the cable to the pontoon and then to the tractor. We dragged the pontoon up the bank through the yard till we got almost to the bard doors. We then unhooked the tractor drove it around the barn and reattached the cable through the window for the rest of the pull. Once the pontoon was inside the barn we closed the doors and added wood to the double fifty-five gallon barrel wood stove. I went back outside and retrieved the beer from a snow bank and gave the universal beer drinking sign which is my arm up even with my mouth, elbow bent and thumb pointing at my mouth then turning the hand at the wrist in a sipping motion. Chuck nodded and I tossed him a Hamms and we sat down on some hay bales and watched the snow melt off the pontoon.

Chuck made some motions with his hands and I laughed at his joke as I sipped on my beer. I thought for a moment that if someone saw us they would not have a clue as to what we were laughing about. Chuck was in the Air Force and he was a plane marshaller, when he got out he did some work with cranes add to that watching to many swat shows on TV and he has a hand signal for just about everything. I seem to understand most of the important ones, including ten different ways to call for a beer break. Nothing more we could do but watch the snow melt so we sat and drank beer and told jokes, from Lake Iwanttobethere {869,823}

Bobby Bass · November 27, 2012

A few snow flakes falling here at Lake Iwanttobethere today and more in the forecast. It has actually warmed up a tad overnight and if there was some sunshine it would be nice out. Enough snow has fallen over the past week that everything has a nice blanket of white. Glad I actually got everything picked up and put away as there is enough snow that I would not be finding anything on the ground if I was looking. Work on the new Alert One ice house is currently at a stand still, a few minor problems there. Yesterday we did manage to lift the old ice house using a pulley secured to a beam in the barn and the tractor to hoist the old shack on top of the pontoon. Our problem lies in the fact that when we tried to secure the shack to the decking of the pontoon there was nothing for the lag screws to bite into. The decking was kind of rotten but hidden under the green indoor/outdoor carpeting.

We are looking at other ways of securing the shack without having to lift the shack back off and redeck the pontoon. Chuck did put a call into his cousin that works down at the 3N plant in the big cities. He is a special project manager and faces fastening problems all the time. He was saying that we could problem use some of that special Velcro that they use to hold the space shuttle on to the plane when they fly it cross country. It might work but I don't know if he can get it to us in time, something about getting it past security and it is kind of expensive. But he might have a few yards of samples lying around. Chuck asked if it came in any colors, he would like to match the paint scheme of the shack.

So the S.S. Mistake is getting yet another face lift, known in these parts as the pontoon that refuses to die. The S.S. is named after Chucks two nephews, Steve and Sam who came up with the bright idea to mount an old swing set on the deck and anchor in deep water. The thought was that they could swing away and when they were high enough they would just let lose and sail out into the water. It might have worked if they had taken the side rails off. I should point out that the nephews were not kids when they attempted this but young men of drinking age and they were drinking. First they had to master swinging in opposite directions as when they both swung together they were rasing one of the pontoons out of the water. After that skill was mastered they made their first and last attempt of launching themselves from the swings. As Sam went east and released his feet caught the rails making him come downward face first into the pontoon. Sam laughing so hard released late and landed butt first on the west railing before crumbling over the side into the water.

Lucky for them Elmer was on his dock and he tossed them a couple of boat bumpers and they managed to make it to shore. The swing set was removed and in its place a couple of lawn chairs were added to the deck but the new name stuck, the S.S. Mistake. I suppose I should wander over to Chuck's I can hear some hammering going on and that is never a good sign when working on a boat, from Lake Iwanttobethere {870,695}

Bobby Bass · November 28, 2012

The S.S. Mistake is turning into a real project, those days when we spent time fishing in the Puddle Humper with fair skies and light breezes in tee shirt weather might have made us a little bit off in the calculation of time needed to complete this project. After having heat on for most of the day in the barn yesterday we noticed that one of the pontoons was still leaking water. All the snow had melted off and the carpet was dry to the touch so that could only mean one thing, we had a leak. The next several hours were spent jacking the pontoon up off the floor just using a couple of bottle jacks and some timbers. One side was definitely heavier than the other and this made finding a balance point somewhat interesting.

We got the S.S. Mistake up off the floor and the water stopped dripping but we could hear it inside the pontoon moving around like a slushy. The leak was not in the bottom but some where further up the float. Chuck started drilling some exploratory holes looking for the compartment with the water, he found it when he was drenched with ice cold water that came from a hole he drilled. It might not have been so bad but I had the air compressor pumping air into a previously drilled hole on top. We called it a day and just let the water drain out, I went home in search of some wine corks to plug the holes.

The launch committee will be having a meeting at the Lodge tonight to talk over things and to set a date for launch. We are making ice but it has been slow going and Sunshine Ray is calling for it to warm up above freezing this weekend. Sign up sheet has half of the ten spots already filled and Hammering Hank as the head of the prize committee will be making a report. Come to think of it I think Skinny said he was going to get the test log out of the garage today and clean it up some. I don't think we have enough ice for a test launch but it is good to have it ready. I was in town looking for wine corks as I guess I used up the ones I thought I had. For awhile there I was making wine but was not very good at it. I did however come up with some stuff that is real good at cleaning furniture and removing dirty water lines on boats.

So I pull into the Gulp-N-Go to fill the gas can for the snow blower and I have to wait in line at the counter. A rare thing having a line at the Gulp but everyone ahead of me was buying lotto tickets. Over 500 million I over heard a few ladies talking, they were discussing how they would spend the money if and when they won. When my turn came I bought a Kit Kat and paid for the gas, when asked if I wanted a lotto ticket I shook my head no, the clerk said I was the first one he had not sold a ticket to. I walked out the door with my Kit Kat, figured it was free as I paid for it with the dollar that I didn't spend on a lotto ticket.

I arrived back at the cabin to find a couple of drawing of the vision of what the S.S. Mistake will look like when it is done. Chuck had left them on the table the wife said when he came over looking for me. Here are the pictures, keep in mind we are no artists, from Lake Iwanttobethere {871,795}

The hay bales will be placed between the pontoons on the ice to keep the weather out, we hope.

Bobby Bass · November 30, 2012

OK so I am spoiled, the wife tells me that all the time but I think the other day I found out for myself. The daughter who lives in the big city went out and bought herself a new washing machine and dryer. Well actually she bought her husband a new washer and dryer but that is a topic for another day. Why she didn't just buy it from Big Earl I don't know but sometimes kids just want to do things on their own. She got a decent deal on the package as it was a Black Friday sale and paid way to much for the dryer power cord and washer hoses which no longer come free with the units. Big Earl throws them in for free and that is the start of being spoiled. The store wanted seventy dollars to delivery the washer and dryer and the daughter put her foot down there, you see her dad, me has a pickup.

She had to wait a few days for the washer and dryer to get to the warehouse which is cross town from where the store is located. I drove into the big city with the Dodge to make the pick up but not two hundred yards from the entrance I get a flat tire. Guess who forgot to put the spare back in the bed of the pickup after cleaning out the snow... To make a long story short I got the flat off the Dodge and there was a puncture in the side wall, not repairable. Had to go to one of the big name stores to buy a new tire and then had to wait two hours to get it mounted. Here is where the spoiled part comes in. Back at Lake Iwanttobethere Big Earl would have delivered the washer and dryer for free, he would have tossed in the plug and hoses and took the cardboard shipping boxes. I could have gotten a new tire at Dug's and been out the door in the time it takes to mount it. He would not have made me wait till the oil stopped dripping from a car on the lift. The daughter saved seventy dollars and it cost me a hundred and five, just part of being a parent and having a happy daughter.

So after replacing the tire and driving the last two hundred yards to the warehouse I arrive to find them locking up, do you think they would push out the two boxes sitting by the door so I could take them? Nope I had to go back yesterday. On my way back I stopped at Big Earls and bought dryer ducting and some hose clamps, while I was there I also bought a dryer plug and hoses. When I got to the warehouse I had them credit the daughter for the hoses and plug and saved her another twenty bucks. I felt a little better when I drove away, paying twenty-three dollars for a seven dollar plug was a little out of line.

Washer and dryer after that was a non event, no problem getting them into the basement or hooking them up. They both worked, and even putting the dryer vent went together without to much cursing. Granddaughter took the boxes and put them in the corner of the basement and told me they were her new house, a bedroom and a playroom. I had to cut a door and window for her and she was already talking about doing some remodeling, but that is what little girls do when their grandfathers are close. I told her that her dad will be happy to help her out and sent her off to get paper and a pencil to start drawing up her plans. I got a kiss on the cheek from the daughter and a hug thanks, like I said, I am spoiled from Lake Iwanttobethere {874,597}

leechlake · November 30, 2012

excellent, excellent perspective.

Bobby Bass · December 1, 2012

It's raining out, no big deal except this is Lake Iwanttobethere and it is the first day of December. The good news is I am not hearing the furnace running as it is warm outside and the bad news is this is the First day of December and this is all going to freeze. Yesterday I replaced the door leading to the basement at the cabin, twenty years old and it was time. That and the cat door was getting too small for the two Tom cats Buff and Smokey to get through without making themselves small. So I installed a new door, and a bigger cat door and it all went together in an afternoon. Half the time was spent finding tools and the other half putting them all back where they should have been in the first place.

Smokey the big tom was the first one through the new cat door. He strolled up to the new door and smacked it with his paw and seeing that the door was actually latched hit it again to make sure. He then moved over to the new larger cat door and went through it like a thirsty cowboy at a western saloon. Quick and bold and not worrying about what was on the other side which in this case was his brother Buff who was trying to come through the other way. I could hear a brief cat discussion between the two brothers and then saw Buff come through with a cat smug look on his face. I am waiting for Duncan to get his head stuck in the door as he has to check everything new out.

If this weather keeps up as it is forecasted to we are looking at a delay in the Ice House Fling. I checked ice on my way to the Lodge this afternoon and the rain is not helping anything. The test log has been rolled back into the garage and Skinny was saying he is not even going to try a test fling to late next week now. Chuck is OK with that as he is now waiting for a buddy that is a welder to do some patch jobs on the S.S. Mistake, as we said it is taking more time then planned to work on her. I am down at the Lodge catching up on things and also checking out the new waitress that we hired for the extra business we get in the winter. We went through a few applications and as soon as I saw her name I knew she would fit right in here at the Lodge. I had Gus call her for an interview and she is a lunch lady at the local middle school so she can sub for us in the kitchen. Might even bring us a few new menu items and I think Vinnie is in love with her, says she smells wonderful.

This afternoon I have been watching as she fills chili bowls without spilling a drop and pours a pretty good tap. Not too hard on the eyes and the fellows have been ordering a few extra pitchers of beer, I think just to see her walk away. As Elmer would say she has a nice set of stems on her and since she does not have to dress like a lunch lady she is not. Of course on the application we can't really ask to much about her but she came in the other night and over a few Hamms Gus got to know her. As soon as Gus introduced her to me I hired her on the spot, with a name like Honey Sauce I knew she was perfect for the Lodge, from Lake Iwanttobethere. {876,534}

Bobby Bass · December 2, 2012

I was at the Lodge last night and as I moved around the main room I sat for a spell with the Fellows and shared some of their pitcher of Hamms. Always good to sit with the Fellows and chat some as that is how I get a heads up on their current ideas. Being a member of the Lake Iwanttobethere Fire Department this can be valuable when responding to a call at one of their houses. Last night the conversation was focused around mineral deposits and not just gold and silver but metals that we take in over the course of a day eating and drinking. This got me thinking some and I set off for the other side of the room to bend DOC Burriems ear some and find out if it is true, the eating metal part.

After buying DOC two fingers of scotch he told me that we do take in some trace metals during the course of the day and of course the older we get the more of these trace metals settle in our bodies. I left DOC a little more educated and I had a thought in the back of my mind. Today the wet weather continues here at Lake Iwanttobethere, some rain showers last evening turned in to dense fog over night and it was after eleven before the fog started to disappear. Water is dripping off the eves from snow melting on the roof but the deck is clear of snow and the one lonely wood chair on the deck is dry enough to sit on. The swing has been put in storage but I have moved the wood deck chair under the cover of the roof where the swing was. I sat down and put flame to a cigar and gave some thought to the metal conversation of the night before and I think I have come up with an answer to a question that has been bothering me for awhile.

As I grow older I have been having a harder time getting up out of chairs and bending over to pick things up. The wife tells me it is because I am getting older and Chuck tells me it is because I am getting out of shape. DOC Burriem tells me it is my years of playing football and softball and hockey didn't help any either. Toss in miles and miles of grouse hunting and portaging canoes when I was young along with thousands of hours of fishing and some things are just going to wear out. I suppose swinging a hammer and climbing ladders might have played a part and right now chasing grand kids could be an issue. I know I am no longer built for speed but I think I have the answer to why I am moving slower, gravity.

Yup, I think gravity is holding me back. What better answer can there be? You want to get up out of a chair, gravity keeps pulling you back down. You want to climb a ladder? Gravity makes it hard to get that next leg up. Paddle a canoe, well gravity does not want you to pull that paddle out of the water. Miss a flushing grouse, I bet you shot low because gravity was pulling on that gun barrel and them trace metals in your arm. I blame it all on gravity and that is why I only will drink from an aluminum cans from now on.... OK, I know what you are thinking, gravity does not have anything to do with the trace metals ideas. I was thinking the same thing, there has to be a flaw in my idea, or should I say the Fellows idea. If the trace metals idea is to work it has to do something with the magnetic field of the earth. I will have to return to the Lodge tonight and have a few more beers and rethink my position. Guess that will make it OK to drink from a glass mug, from Lake Iwanttobethere {877,777}

Bobby Bass · December 3, 2012

How come fifty in December feels a lot warmer then fifty in September? Taking a break here from working around the cabin, I swear the wife is rubbing off on me. Tomorrow I have Jeff from Lake Iwanttobethere Plumbing and Heating coming out to service my furnace and water heater. They are due for a cleaning so what am I doing? I am cleaning up around the furnace and heater. I know that makes no sense to me either but the wife asked me this morning at the breakfast table if I was going to clean up that mess before Jeff got here. So grumbling I made my way down to the basement and vacuumed a few stray cobwebs up, chased down a few spiders. Ended up changing the furnace filters and wiped some dust off the stove pipes. It then dawned on me the wife was just trying to get me to clean the basement and I came to my senses and returned back upstairs.

In the morning I make myself a smoothie in the blender, nothing special just some yogurt, milk and a instant breakfast package. DOC Burriem got me started on it because I was missing breakfast most mornings so I do the smoothie now. Well the blender was on the counter top but the top was in the dishwasher. I took the top out put it on the blender bottom added the fixings and turned it on just in time to watch it drain out onto the countertop. We have one of them blender tops that have a spigot on the side of it and the wife had removed it when she put it in the dishwasher. I now had to clean up the countertop and the wife just looked at me over the top off the morning paper and said something about just going ahead and cleaning the rest of the countertop. I think there is a pattern developing here today.

With the holidays here there is a lot of baking going on, the wife makes these boxes of goodies and passes them out to friends and neighbors. The goodie boxes of cookies and fudge are accepted by everyone and never regifted. Yesterday was banana bread day and several pounds of bananas have been left out to get soft as the softer is the better for making banana bread. However this batch of bananas might have been left out too long and now we have a kitchen of fruit flies. A man of my size is not built to be chasing fruit flies the size of a pencil lead point around a kitchen. The good part as was pointed out by my wife is at least I can still see the fruit flies, the bad part is they are so small they slip through the holes in the fly swatter.

Elmer came over in the afternoon because he could smell the bread baking, he had a simple solution for the fruit flies. Taking a couple of bell canning jars he made a paper funnel and put a small piece of soft banana in the bottom of the jar. He then placed the paper funnel into the jar and taped the edges closed. Repeating it we now had not one but two fruit fly traps. This morning I took great satisfaction in seeing the bell jars with a dozen or more flies in each one. I'm thinking maybe later this afternoon I will take them over to Chuck's and release them in his kitchen. He thought it was pretty funny that I was having a problem with the flies yesterday. As for now I am acting like a little kid as every time I go in the kitchen I check the traps and announce to the wife that we got another one of them little buggers, from Lake Iwanttobethere {879,152}

Bobby Bass · December 4, 2012

We are making ice this morning! Overnight the temperature just kept dropping from our high of forty-eight to a windy and cold twenty-two this morning. Went down to the end of the drive this morning to bring back the recycling can and found someone had knocked it over during the night. Nothing I like better than picking up stuff when I am not dressed for it and gravity must be pretty strong today. Bending over so much was almost like exercise so when I made it back to the cabin I gave myself a check mark for the day. Yesterday pretty much took care of the rest of the snow that was out in the open, still snow in the woods and some behind the cabin though. I took the time to restock the fire wood rack both inside and on the deck and I am good to go again.

This morning with no snow and some gusting winds it feels a lot colder then the twenty plus that the red needle on the Bass thermometer is pointing at. A bright sunrise this morning and that is something that has been missing for the past week. No clouds in the sky although Stormy Clearweather is calling for an overcast day. Ice travel on the lake is not recommended even by foot. The rain the past few days has done a number on it but with cooler weather coming in we should be OK here in a few days. Last year the Ice House Fling was held on December 9 we are not going to have enough ice to support houses this year on that date. We are now looking at December 16, so mark that down on your calendars.

Work continues on the S.S. Mistake and progress is being made. Water has been drained from the pontoons and patches made. The day was pretty much spent on the welding as payment was made in beer and it was in paid and consumed in payments per patch. Other then starting a bale of hay on fire it went rather well I am told. The decking is no longer an issue as some support was added to the underside and now the house can be bolted through the deck to the reinforcement. Today I think Chuck said he was going to work on installing the flare pods and filling holes with spray foam. Hammering Hank is going to bring over a old picture window from a job he did and they are going to make a frame for it. It may or may not fit in the shack but would be nice if it did so we could see what is going on around us during the Fling.

My shack is as ready as it is going to be, I locked up Buff and Smokie the two Tom cats in it yesterday and they cleaned out the mice that were squatters. A little dusting and some cleaning and the barbershop chair that I have in the center will be ready for ice fishing. The wife even took the curtains in to wash but she said they fell apart, she is busy this morning sewing me new ones. I don't know if I care for the sponge bob material she is using but the grand kids will like them. Down at the Lodge of course the talk is about our new waitress, Honey. Elmer and Marv both have taken a shine to her and the past few evenings they have been coming in early to share a cup of tea with her. She is not a drinker but does like tea and the two old coots are going out of their way to impress her or should I say try to impress her. Now the two of them sit at the bar and lecture me and Gus about tea, we all are going to get educated whether we want to or not, from Lake Iwanttobethere {880,943}

Bobby Bass · December 6, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, not. This morning finds the red needle on the Bass thermometer hanging on the wall of the cabin slowly creeping upwards every time I check it. Forty-three out the last time I looked and that is with cloudy skies. Snow in the yard is pretty much gone and the ice on the lake is, well just ice, no snow cover at all. Shoreline looks pretty bare with just some frozen cattails sticking up out of the ice and with no snow there are no tracks along the edge. I was outside for awhile and it was pretty quiet, just the dogs sniffing around looking for that just right place to do their thing and the thumping of a woodpecker beating his head against a tree. Morning freight train came through and normally I don't hear it but with no leaves on the trees and no snow on the ground that dang horn sounded like it was going off at the end of my driveway.

From my vantage point on the deck I saw one rabbit slowly hopping away into the brush between my place and Chuck's. Dogs could not see it and frankly they were busy into finding that perfect spot. I did hear Chuck's rooster but he didn't really have his heart into this mornings call, matter of fact he sound more like he was punching his time card and was heading back to bed. As I stood outside waiting on the dogs it was not as quiet out as I first thought. Several crows flew low over the cabin and I could hear their wing beats they were so close. No cawing I am guessing their were using the stealth approach on the dumpster they were heading to. I looked up at the big pine looking for movement and it was still, no wind at ground level and no breezes fifty feet up at the top of the tree either.

Edd and Eddie came scampering down the pine, running towards the ground and cork screwing around the tree at the same time. Would make a good county fair ride I was thinking as I watched them. As I focused on them I could hear Eddie clicking away at Edd. I am thinking he probably left some nut shells in the nest and was being chewed out for it. They hit the ground and took off towards the big Maple tree doing that triple jump thing they do. Or maybe it is actually more like the Olympic version of the hop, skip and jump. Either way they cover a lot of ground quickly and Duncan saw the movement but didn't bother to give chase this morning.

Duncan being Duncan still gets watched a lot when he is outside, Still a lot of trouble he can get into. Bud and Barney are done doing their thing and both are back on the deck standing at the door waiting to be let back into the cabin. I open the door and they walk around me and go inside, I am about to call for Duncan when I see him at the beginning of the back trail. I close the door and walk to the edge of the deck as I see Duncan moving slowly forward, lifting just one foot at a time and carefully putting it down on the ground. I step off the deck and walk slowly and what I think is quietly in his direction. I am almost at his side when he turns and gives me his best "I'm working here" look. I stop and look in the same direction he is.

I see a lot of black and gray and a few splashes of white, some down trees and stumps with knee high brown grass bent and broken from the snow that fell and has now melted. Ground is littered with leaves that are dried and broken and a few small green pines poking up and standing tall. The two of us stand there, Duncan not moving at all, just staring something down that I can't see. I let my eyes do the moving for me and I look off to the side hoping some movement will show me what Duncan sees. I am about to give up and call Duncan when a clump of grass behind a stump explodes into a ball of feathers and wings and a grouse heads down the trail using the trees like gates in a slalom course. We both watch as it flies hard for maybe fifty yards or so then goes into a glide and settles into the brush. Duncan looks at me and he has already learned to give me that " I told you so look" I think he has learned that from Bud. He turns and heads towards the cabin and I follow, I'm thinking maybe today might be a good day for a little trail walking, from Lake Iwanttobethere {883,022}

Bobby Bass · December 7, 2012

Yesterday found Duncan and myself back at the Lodge late in the afternoon. After scratching off a few more things that I had completed from the Honey Do List I rewarded myself with a little nature walk. The twenty gage and Duncan accompanied me on a stroll on what I thought would be birdie trail. But no sooner did we get out of the Tahoe then the sun slipped behind a bank of gray clouds and the wind started to stir branches around us. The loss of the sun turned a decent day cool and Duncan and I both kind of just went through the motions of bird hunting. I should have took the cue from Buddy when I asked him if he wanted to go hunting and he just kind of rolled closer to the fire and just looked at me through one raised eye lid.

I came through the back door of the Lodge and felt like Duncan's body guard. No sooner did the door close behind us and patrons were calling Duncan's name trying to get him to come to their table. Like royalty Duncan made his way slowly from table to table accepting pats and getting rubbed under his ears. I sat at the bar and Gus brought me a big mug of hot cocoa and the heat coming from the mug felt good on my palms and fingers. It took awhile but Duncan was finally done working the room and came over to sit next to me, his shoulder leaning into my leg. Honey Sauce came out from the kitchen and saw me and Duncan and said "Easy to see who he owns" I looked down at Duncan and said "Yup, I'm his"

That time of the year when there is not much to do around Lake Iwanttobethere, there is always work to do but we don't count that. Not much ice fishing going on and the river has froze so the last of the open water is gone. Bird hunting is kind of iffy and rarely do I see anyone else out this time of year. Golf course has been closed for awhile and although they are making snow over on the ski hill it is not enough to open yet. Ice houses are ready to go but with the Ice House Fling set back a week guys have time on their hands. If they stay around the house the wife's have a way of finding things for them to do so that explains the better then average late afternoon crowd here at the Lodge

Honey in a conversation said she is not much of a dog person preferring cats. Duncan must have heard her and has been making it is job to change her mind. He follows her around the Lodge not getting in the way but always close enough so that she knows he is close. She told Gus it is going to take her awhile to get use to the Lodges open door policy about dogs. It was kind of funny when she was trying to get Bud and Barney to move away from their napping place in front of the fire and she was real surprised when she found Pepper sleeping under the pillows on the wicker couch. When Grace the Saint Bernard and Mr. Wilson came in she ran behind the bar. A few minutes later Bailiff entered and the three of them left going out the back door. A worried Dan T. came in a minute later looking for the three of them and followed Honey's finger pointed at the back door. She didn't seem to surprised when Sheriff Tim walked up to the bar and asked about the dogs and Dan, he thanked her and then left by the back door. Gus with a grin on his face filled her in on the last adventure of the three dogs.

Lights were turned on and darkness closed in around the Lodge. A few lights could be seen around the shoreline of the lake from behind the picture windows of the Lodge. Elmer looking out from the warm side of the glass spoke out that a storm is on it's way. I nodded in agreement, my foot that I broke was sore. Gus rubbed his shoulder and said "Snow is coming" Marv clenched his fingers a few times and added "I am saying we get at least six inches of the stuff" Hammering Hank shivered a little and said "Going to get cold afterwards." Guess I better get some gas for the snow blower and everyone nodded and looked out at the dark spot beyond the glass that is Lake Iwanttobethere {884,054}

Bobby Bass · December 8, 2012

Just sitting at the desk here looking over the paper calendar that the keyboard rests on. The wife in her fine penmanship writes things down on it so I don't forget. So when I do forget she can take me to the calendar and show me where she wrote it down. She use to write in pencil and then accused me of erasing things, now she does it in ink with the more important things in her mind done with a flourish. I will admit that some things she writes down are not real high on my priority list, that is why we have a to do list. I have my own calendar on the computer, protected with a password and written in roman times font, nice and neat.

So I see on the calendar that the twenty-fifth is highlighted, da Christmas. The twenty-first is the first day of winter and the fourteenth is early release. This of course means that the grand kids are getting out of school early that day. Back in the day you were just let out early, now it is "Early Release" like someone getting out of a prison for good time served. I open the calendar on my computer and under the 14th I type in sleds. When I pick up the kids from their early prison break I will take them over to "Lookout Mountain" and let them go slide. With snow coming tonight there should be enough on the ground to cover the hill. I say slide because it is a one shot deal, I will drive them to the top and then take the road down to the bottom to pick them up. Hopefully when they arrive they will still have all their hats, gloves and scarfs as Nana gets upset when they lose them.

Twenty-first is the start of Christmas vacation and not one but two Christmas shows to attend this year. A trip to the big city to take in the big light display and of course shopping must be done between now and Christmas Eve. Ice House Fling on the sixteenth so that really means the day before and the day after will be spent in preparation and clean up. I am hoping we get enough snow tonight that we will be able to start piling snow on the hill for the Luge run. Christmas tree harvesting is on the calendar although this year the grand kids may not be going out with me as their parents want to start doing it with them. Of course this means I am going to have to find someone else to drag my tree back to the cabin.

Pencil in a few afternoons of grouse hunting once the snow falls and the calendar is filling up here. The last week before Christmas has some parties to attend and of course that is baking week and there will be samples to be tasted. Lodge Christmas party and of course I will have to help out Gus some decorating the place. Which reminds me I need to get a tree for the Lodge so we can start our Christmas swap. We just hang coasters with our names on them and write down numbers to be drawn. Honey Sauce says she just adores Christmas and would love to help us out decorating. If Hank's wife Tess shows up the Lodge may end up looking like one of them department store displays, right now I am taking a wait and see attitude.

Well, what timing it is starting to snow, HoHo from Lake Iwanttobethere {885,597}

Bobby Bass · December 10, 2012

It took awhile but the snow finally reached the shores of Lake Iwanttobethere, not as much as forecasted but still we got around seven inches. The only place I had to go on Silent Sunday was down to the Gas-N-Go to fill up the snow blower can which some how I had forgotten to do. Monday finds me still having to go down and buy some gas but I am not in any real hurry to do so. I got to sleep in late on Sunday and by noon I had retreated to the theater and had the football game on the big screen. At half time I came out for some chili to find the daughter and her new husband in the kitchen making small talk with the wife. I nodded a few times and went back to the theater passing the deck door I saw the snow was still falling.

With the football game over I got sidetracked watching a movie and it was dark by the time I got out of the theater and headed back to the kitchen. I walked by the deck door and saw that most of the snow had been shoveled away. The wife seeing me just said that the new son in law had shoveled. I was planing on putting on my boots and shoveling but with it already done I just grabbed the bag of salted peanuts and a Hamms and went back to the theater, has to be another football game on. This morning I got up and put my boots on and let the dogs out. Wife was heading into town to do some errands and I needed to go out and clean the jeep off. I went looking for my shovel to clear a path to the Jeep and found the snow blower gas can right where I would not miss it. I carried it out to the Jeep so the wife can take it to town and get it filled.

I spent several minutes tramping around looking for my shovel which was no where to be found. I used a big push broom to clear snow off the Jeep and cleared the windshield on the Tahoe. The Dodge is buried in snow and will probably remain that way till spring. Seven inches of snow sure does change the landscape, everything is clean and white. The dark color of fall is gone, no leaves to be seen on the ground and every fence post now has a white layer of snow on it. The side yard is quickly filled with tracks from Duncan running like a kid in a candy store. Even Bud makes an effort to run a little when Duncan goes zipping by. Barney slowly walks through the snow sampling it like he is walking in a giant snow cone. I walk around the cabin and see I am going to have to get the snow rake out and clean the roof. The forecasted high winds must not have blown overnight, so there is snow too clear.

I walk around to the seldom used front door and find it has not been cleared. I also found my shovel sticking up out of the snow. I pulled the shovel out of the snow bank but only the handle comes free, the rest of the shovel is missing. "Good Grief" someone has broken my favorite shovel! I march to the side door of the cabin just in time to meet the wife heading out. Holding the handle in front of me I am ready to make a production of finding the culprit and getting justice. The wife looks at me and simply says "The new son in law broke it last night when he was doing YOUR shoveling" I stand with the shovel in hand and if she could see my finger inside my mitten she would know I was pointing it at her and said "O"

"Later then" is all she said and headed off to the Jeep, walking right around the snow blower gas can. The dogs and I stood and watched as she backed the Jeep out and then putting it in four wheel drive she stomped on the gas spinning the tires and throwing snow behind her. The last I saw of her or should I say heard of her was the sound of Garth Brooks from her stereo. I made my way to the shop and found a shovel, not my favorite shovel mind you but it would have to do. I walked to the front door and started digging, The morning was not a total lost though, no sooner did I start shoveling then the sun broke through the clouds and I was pretty comfortable shoveling. Was even better when I found a can of Hamms sitting on the lid of the unused mailbox, wife must have left it out for the son in law, to bad he didn't get that far, from Lake Iwanttobethere {87,975}

Bobby Bass · December 11, 2012

If there is anything I have learned is never give little kids or drunks a choice, you can now add giving relatives a choice in free Christmas trees. I didn't make it to the Gas-N-Go to fill up the gas can for the snow blower, so I just moved the snow with the old fashion metal scoop that I have. Chuck came over with the tractor with the bucket on it and moved the pile of snow that I was going to blow later well away from the shop. I actually did not have that much snow to shovel so I went ahead and cleared the snow away from the Dodge and shook the tarp off covering the box. With my place done I took the trail over to Elmers' while Chuck drove down my drive and back up Elmers' plowing as he went. Elmer was out and I joined him in shoveling away what there was that the bucket could not reach. When we were done we sat in the kitchen with snow melting off our boots on to the old weathered linoleum.

Elmer pour coffee into mismatched chipped mugs and added a little jolt from his bottle of Wild Turkey that sits on top of the fridge. Not a lot mind you, just enough to give the coffee a little body. We held the mugs in hands that were colder than we thought. Small talk was made until we got to where Chuck was saying his girlfriend wanted him to go out and chop down a Christmas tree and today would be a good day to do it. Chuck made the mistake of asking her what kind of tree she wanted and that is how he got an order for a Norway pine, seven foot four inches tall with no holes or bare spots. Elmer and I chuckled at Chuck and then Elmer rubbing his chin with his right hand said "You know I could use a fresh cut tree myself, nothing big, maybe a nice full little six footer, that is if it is no problem?" Chuck looked at me as Elmer got the bottle of Turkey down from the fridge and splashed a little more into Chuck's coffee mug, I just shrugged my shoulders and held out my mug.

Twenty minutes later and Chuck emerged from the trail from his cabin and made his way to my back door. The wife met him there and handed him something I could not see. I made my way past the two of them and went and started the Dodge. Looks like we have a couple of trees to haul as the wife after finding out I was going to help Chuck said I might as well get our tree to. The passenger door open and slammed closed with Chuck now sitting alongside of me. He was muttering something that I could not make out as I drove the Dodge down the driveway. We hit the road and I turned to take the road that will take us to Chuck's uncle who owns a mess of land with a mess of trees on it. Chuck poked me with his elbow and held a yellow piece of paper up in front of my face. I tried to drive with one eye and read the list with the other, a list of Christmas trees.

It seems that not only are we going to get a tree for Chuck's girlfriend, and Elmer and my wife we are now going to be getting trees for my mother in law, my aunt and Chuck's brother. Add a tree for the Lodge and we are up to six. Before I can say anything I have to swerve to miss an oncoming logging truck and Chuck's cell phone rings. I hear a Jingle Bells ring tone and look at Chuck, I raise my eye brows and he just says that the girlfriend changed it. I just hear the one side of the conversation, but it sounds like we are getting another tree order in. The conversation is brief and Chuck turns his phone off and tosses it inside the Dodge's glove box, "Marv wants a spruce" from Lake Iwanttobethere {888,928}

Bobby Bass · December 12, 2012

Just as the Dodge is getting warm enough to take off gloves we arrive at the turn off that will take us to the road to Uncles land. Glad I added anti freeze to the Dodge last week as the heater is trying to keep up with the cold air coming up through the holes in the floor boards. A winter wonderland spreads out in front of us. Even though it snowed two days ago the snow is still piled high on the branches of the pines. I followed a set of tracks off the road and parked in the same spot as where they stopped, someone else has been here since it snowed. I turned off the Dodge and we sat a spell looking at the list, finally Chuck opens his door and gets out, the creek of the door loud in the quiet of the woods. I open mine and make a mental note that I should WD-40 both doors when I get back home.

We both bird hunt this land in the fall and have been getting trees here since we were kids. It was a tree farm at one tine and there still are pines and spruce and fir trees scattered about. Normally when I bird hunt I would mark a few trees to come back and cut and I do have two in mind in the back forty but the grand kids are going to cut them this year. Chuck puts the list in his pocket and we figure the Spruce would be the first we would go cut. I pull the shotgun out from behind the seat, might as well be ready if a grouse attacks us and wait for Chuck to get the saw. Chuck looks at me and says "Well" I reply with "Well what" Chuck gives me that look that he normally saves for his girlfriend and says "Where is the saw?" Instantly we share a thought, neither one of us had remembered to bring the saw. Did I mention how quiet it was out in the woods?

For some this might be a problem but we were seasoned tree hunters, and we had a shotgun. I had a handful of shells in my coat pocket and there was a box in the glove box. Normally that would not be enough for seven trees but there were a few slugs mixed in, perfect tree cutters. So we set off following the tracks of someone who had been here before us, they wandered towards the line of spruce and I heard Chuck say something about this turning into an adventure. Usually when we were younger an adventure meant we were in trouble or about to get into some trouble. I am getting too old for adventure I think. We harvested the spruce and a couple of fir trees and for us it was done without any adventure. Add a couple of pines and the Dodge was filling up with trees. The last Norway was taking us some time as Chuck was wandering around looking for that perfect tree for the girlfriend.

Starting to get dark out and I must admit I was getting a little chilled. Walking under trees that would dump snow from their branches when they are bumped was getting a tad old. Finally Chuck spied a tree that would fit the bill for the girlfriend, at least the top of a tree. I handed him the shotgun and he took aim about eight feet below the top of a twenty-five foot tree and shot, and missed. The report of the twenty gage was loud and it must have been the tipping point for several trees around us. I just managed to bend forward and my hood covered my head as the branches around us released their snow load. Chuck was not as lucky as when the last of the snow drifted down I saw him standing with several inches of snow on his head and shoulders.

Several shots later and the top fell and we or I should say Chuck dragged it to the Dodge. He made a few attempts at tossing it on top of the pile before he was finally successful. A rope across the top and we were done. We stood back to catch our breath and once again the woods were quiet. We slapped each other on the shoulder and Chuck said " Not even an adventure" that is when the grouse exploded from beneath the pile of trees on the Dodge and gave us both heart attacks, from Lake Iwanttobethere {890,205}

Bobby Bass · December 13, 2012

Just got in from shoveling, a few inches of light powder fell overnight and I made quick work of cleaning the decks and sidewalk to the shop. Yesterday I bought a new shovel from Earl down at the General Store, not that same as my favorite shovel but it will do. I had to clean out the back of the Dodge as I did not get around to putting the tarp back on it. It is now covered and I even remembered to spray the hinges with some WD-40. Christmas trees were all delivered as that was the easy part. We just drove up to the houses, pitched them off the truck and as we were leaving Chuck called on the cell to them their trees were in the front yard. From past experience we know that if you show up with a load of trees people want to pick through them and forget all about the spruce they asked for when they see a pretty Norway.

Of course there are always a few complaints, a tree that may have a bare spot or a broken branch. I brought in our tree and the wife had it decorated by late afternoon, she made a comment that it was a fine tree and just as good as any of the trees you find at the highway tree stand. Then she mentioned that the trees down there are starting at thirty dollars, I asked how did she know that and she answered that her and Chucks girlfriend looked at them yesterday, just in case. I just shook my head, I am married to a women who always has a back up plan, must have rubbed off from me.

So the tree is up and the cabin decorated, during the night the cats rearranged things in the tree. It has been along time since we have had any glass ornaments as the cats drop them from the tree and they break on the hardwood floor. Buff the tomcat who thinks he is a retriever will spend the next few weeks removing decorations during the night and placing them at the daughter's door. Each morning the daughter will carry them all back to the tree and re hang them. Candy canes are a favorite thing to be hauled off and hid. We used to blame the grand kids till we found a stash of the candy canes under the couch. Duncan is pretty indifferent about the tree but we do have to make sure the skirt on the bottom is secure, he likes to drink from the stand. I have found that the same mix that we use at the Lodge also works at home for keeping the tree looking fresh. A mixture of Seven up, Wild Turkey and Hamms keeps the tree hydrated. Although at the Lodge sometimes to much Hamms is added and the tree tends to lean after awhile, but that is why we put it in the corner so it has something to lean against.

While I was out shoveling this morning the wife started wrapping presents. It is her family custom to add a present or two every day under the tree. I enter the cabin to find Christmas music coming from the old eight track that she only uses during the holidays. The old songs she says just sound better that way. Bing Crosby and White Christmas actually do sound pretty good as I sit down with a glass of juice. Several presents are already wrapped and I spy the four pringle cans that are wrapped up for the grand kids. They will be placed under the tree and the kids can shake rattle and roll them all they want and told they can do anything they want to them except open them. It will keep them guessing right up till Christmas Eve when they will get to open them and find crumbs. I see the wife has the old fishing reels out, she uses them to store ribbon on. The eight track player makes that thumping sound when it is changing tracks and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, from Lake Iwanttobethere {891,193}

Bobby Bass · December 14, 2012

The Lodge is quiet and dark this morning I parked in my space just off to the side of the back door. I open the screen door that we cover with a sheet of plywood for the winter and slip my key into the lock of the old wood door. Knocking snow off my boots I reach for the light switch and turn on the lights for the kitchen. Gus has the day off as he will be working this weekend and with the Ice House Fling it will be a busy one. I make the short walk to my office and the boots come off and are set in a tray just inside the doorway, balancing with one hand against the door jam I trade boots for slip on shoes. A few more switches are flicked and the fluorescent lights under the bar top flicker and bounce and then stay on.

I reach under the bar top and open one of the cooler doors, I pour myself a healthy size portion of orange juice into a square bottom beer mug. I return the bottle to the cooler and the door latch clicks loudly in the morning quiet. Sipping on the juice I make my way around the Lodge turning on lights and pulling the heavy drapes back from the windows. I stir the blacken coals in the fireplace and am rewarded with a few red glows. I add some split birch and nurse the red coals close to the bark, a little whiff of smoke curls upward. Experience has taught me I can either play with it some or just walk away, it will catch on it's own either way. I stand at the big picture window and look out at Lake Iwanttobethere.

A cloudy start to the day and it is hard to tell where the snow on the hill stops and the snow on the lake starts. Hammering Hank and Skinny have been busy the past several days as the access parking lot has been plowed and orange barrels have been brought out and placed. Mini donut trailer is off to the side chained to a tree but there is no smell of hot donuts in the air. Tomorrow it will be open as the crew will be working all day setting up for the fling. Tents need to be pitched and picnic tables set up in the safe zone. Already a couple of ice houses are parked outside of Dug's Shop awaiting inspection for Sunday's fling. Skinny has launched the test log several times over the past few days and we have eight inches of ice. We would like it to be twelve and if we don't make it there by Sunday morning Big Earls log shanty will have to sit on shore.

The S.S. Mistake is about as ready as it is going to be, the converted pontoon might actually have an advantage as we are in store for yet another snowstorm on Saturday. Unknown if the storm will be over by launch time but it is pretty much a sure thing we are not going to have any clean ice for the launch. Yesterday it warmed up into the low thirties and it is supposed to be that warm again today and tomorrow. As I stand at the window I can see a few dots off Root Beer Island, am guessing there are some crappie fishermen out early. I watch and sip on my juice, I hear a snap and turn to see the birch bark in the fireplace has caught and some flames are now licking at the log. I add another piece of birch and a couple skinny pieces of maple and poke at the fire a little with the poker before announcing to no one that the fire is good to go. I walk over to the Christmas tree and plug in the lights and the Lodge is open for business, from Lake Iwanttobethere {892,690}

Bobby Bass · December 15, 2012

Friday was early release for school here at Lake Iwanttobethere but with the tragedy in Connecticut it took on a meaning that hit close to home. With the said news on the radio and live TV we watched as events unfolded and the Lodge was quiet as we watched and as parents we felt the pain. Sometimes reality rears it's head here at Lake Iwanttobethere and yesterday was one of those times. Shortly after noon I arrived at the school to pick up my four grand kids, I had spoken to my children, their parents on the phone during the morning confirming that I would pick the kid's up and take them home. Parking was sparse as it seems a lot of parents and grand parents were awaiting the release of their kids from school. I had sleds and a small cooler with the wife's oatmeal raisin cookies and some juice boxes in the back of the Tahoe. The school bell rang and heads turned to the closed doors of the school. Seconds later a stream of kids in a rainbow of colors exited the school to be scooped up by the waiting arms of parents. Kids were happy, just a half day of school and parents hugged kids a little longer and a little harder. Adults eyes locked and nods were exchanged and they went their separate ways. My four munchkins came out as a group and I hug them all and shook hands with the boys. The girls each got a kiss on the cheek and I told them we were all going sliding. I drove to the hill and I was not alone, other parents had the same idea and kid's laughter filled the air. The kids on sleds and sometimes on their bottoms slid down the snow covered hill and the parents stood and watched and guarded. It should not have to be that way but it is, as parents we are here for our young. We watch our children and our children's children and as we grow into being the elders we watch everyone. A terrible day in a small town in Connecticut, not just another day at Lake Iwanttobethere

{893,636}

Bobby Bass · December 17, 2012

The Ice House Fling was a bust. Here at Lake Iwanttobethere it rained for two days and what snow we had on the hill was gone by Sunday morning. The rain was forecasted by Sunshine Ray to turn into snow but it didn't happen that way. Instead it just kept falling as rain and when it did stop it remained warm enough that it did not freeze. Winds came up and everything actually dried, the parking lots are bare of snow and clean. Ice houses did arrive in the parade and are now stacked in a row neatly along the shore. In the best interests of everyone no houses were launched as the ice was a little iffy with the rain and snow melt. There was some grumbling and we might just have to wait till after the first of the year in the future to launch the town.

The Fling was a bust but the celebration went off just fine. Still a big crowd showed up and the Lodge donated a few kegs of beer and after cups were filled at no charge people were a little more relaxed. The smell of mini donuts was in the air and it was even warm enough that the fine fingers of Fred and Fionia Fiddle, the fiddle players did not get cold and they put on an extended show for everyone. With the pretzel cart and cotton candy kids were happy and Nytelyter was there with his big BBQ. Gus was selling hot dogs and burgers as quick as he could make them and Mindy and Mandy were teamed up with Old McDonnell and selling root beer floats. Big Earl had his log cabin shanty hauled down and he was open for business, with of course discounts for HIYA users.

Up at the Lodge we were busy as people came and went and a few of the Lodge members wanted a shot of something in their coffee thermos. Luge run was open but pretty rough. The rain and made it pretty slick but the snow was crusty and hard. Lucky the track had already been laid out so if you did start at the top you would make it all the way down to the bottom without jumping out over the sides. The more it got used the better it got I was told. This afternoon it is above thirty but no sun out so no dripping water. Actually I think there is no snow at all on the Lodge's roof so there is nothing to melt. Hammering Hank and Skinny hauled the last load of rubbish to the land fill. People were using the orange barrels as garbage cans so that worked out well even though it was not planned that way. The hockey rink is ahead of schedule as a lot of water ran off into the rink, the boards were already up so the base is set.

Honey and Tess and the Woman Auxiliary all came in and decorated the Lodge. The Women's Auxiliary did the side meeting room and instructed Gus to be careful if he should find a need to go in there. They have Gus so rattled he just put a side on the door "Closed till further notice" I would go in there myself but I don't have a need to, but if I did.... So a little more then a week till Christmas we had snow and now we don't. This week there are two kid's concerts to attend, the Lodges Christmas party and a few other stops have to be made. Going to get busy I think and I still would like to take a walk in the woods. With the snow pretty much all gone I am betting them snowshoe Hares are going to be sticking out some. From Lake Iwanttobethere {895,504}

Bobby Bass · December 18, 2012

If I could teach Duncan to carry a football he would make one awesome running back. About an inch of snow fell overnight here at Lake Iwanttobethere and with no wind it has given everything a dash of white. First one out the door was Duncan and he ran a few steps and then launched himself off the end of the deck to land in the yard taking one more bound before cutting hard to the right and in a blink he was down the hill and headed for the lake. There has been a rabbit hanging around and Duncan using his speed kill approach has gotten the rabbit to bolt. When this happens the chase is on and the rabbit and Duncan tear across the yard like a couple of bi planes locked in combat. Sharp turns and banks and fake turns with Duncan sometimes getting so close you are waiting for him to say tag, your it. Then the rabbit will find a way to clear the wide open spaces of the yard and make it to the safety of the brush. Duncan will come back in that lope of his and if he could smile he is. I don't think he really wants to catch the rabbit he just wants to run flat out and see if he can.

The new snow has covered up the bare spots and we are back to looking at a white Christmas. The frozen waters of Lake Iwanttobethere look like a vast white field undisturbed by any color or fence posts. I follow Duncan around the yard with the push broom. I clean off the trucks and sweep the path back to the cabin. Snow is moved away from the shop doors and I clean the window of the shanty off. I will wait till after Christmas to drag it down to the lake, by then I should have a pretty good idea where the fish are biting. The S.S.Mistake is still at the launch site, if we get some more snow to cover the hill we might just be able to sneak it off down the hill in the dead of night. As it is now Chuck is complaining that when he goes inside to have a cup of coffee he can only fill his mug half full because it is resting on the hill and there is quite a list, of course nothing the S.S.Mistake has not seen before on the open water.

In some other news Chuck has bought himself a ring, as a matter of fact he has bought two rings. Don't know if I am supposed to say anything but he has proposed to his girlfriend and I think she said yes. I am guessing on that because when I saw her last she was crying, now she could be crying for a number of reasons, being happy is one which I never can understand. Smacking your finger with a hammer is a good reason to cry but getting married? The only reason I know is Chuck was not home and Mark the mailman needed someone to sign for the package with the rings. For some reason the wife knew exactly what the package held as I think women have some sixth sense in these matters. Sure enough it was an engagement ring and a wedding band. When he came over to see if we got the mail the wife corner him and he fessed up. She then wanted to know when the big day was and Chuck told her that they have been seeing each other for twenty-nine years and he was not about to rush into anything too soon.

Have a few things to do in town so I need to get going, Lodge will be one of my stops mostly to see if there are any peanut butter cookies left. Honey made up a double school size batch of cookies for the guys. Can't make anything with peanuts in it at school any more and she said she had a hankering for peanut butter cookies. She really did say Hankering to, gal is fitting right in at the Lodge, from Lake Iwanttobethere {896,593}

Bobby Bass · December 19, 2012

Yesterday afternoon I had this thought maybe some might even call it a vision. I was thinking about a new diet plan for the new year. Frankly the diet plan that I have been on for the past several years ain't cutting it. Seems every time I go see DOC Burriem he has something else that he thinks I should remove or reduce from my diet. It has gotten to the point that I think the dogs eat better then I do, they certainly seem more interested then I am when supper time rolls around. I was sitting at the bar munching away on peanut butter cookies and a mug of milk, whole milk not skim and them cookies sure did taste good and the milk, well it tasted like milk. That is when I got this thought about eating like I did before I got married, with a few rules mind you.

Back when I was young I was trying to gain weight for the football team and I was eating and not gaining anything. So why won't that work now? Back then I would eat a pint of ice cream everyday during the summer under the shade of the big maple with a small wood spoon shaped like a flat paddle. Of course I don't even know if they make pints of ice cream and it has been awhile since I have seen the little wood spoons, but I suppose I could make some. Now take the ice cream for an example, it was just ice cream, no toppings on it no chocolate syrup or nuts or sprinkles. No banana or pineapple not a swirl of caramel not even a cherry on top but it sure did hit the spot! Hot dogs were made of beef and no label warned you about fillers and the buns were fresh baked that morning, you knew that because the first aroma of the morning was the smell of the bakery.

Soda or pop or soda pop was made with real sugar and you only drank one twelve ounce bottle not twenty ounce plastic bottles with the sides covered in warnings and listing ingredients that you needed a four year college degree to understand. Potato chips came in a bag the size of your hand and you had just enough so that you ran out with the last bite of the hot dog and the last sip from the bottle. The key to the diet I think is that you only buy one even though now you have money and can buy two which is one to many. How many times have we been told to clean our plates or finish your glass, anything left will be wasted. Or the "Starving kids in China" line. My mother never could answer my question on how my left overs were going to get to China.

So I think this year I am going to make a promise to myself to eat and drink anything I want. But only what I could afford to eat when I was young. I will drink a can of pop and single conies. Single patty cheeseburgers with a small order of fries. Small bowls of Frosted Flakes and not the biggest baked potato. I will be a good boy and drink all of my Hamms because that will go flat if we ship it to China. Smaller pieces of pie and more thick sliced bologna sandwiches on bakery bread. If I eat a candy bar it will be a regular size one, not super sized. I will cook my own food and not eat anything frozen out of a box and I will take the time to enjoy it. No more eating while driving and just because something is two for one does not mean I have to eat two, unless it is beer which I can have two! So you are saying to yourself as you read this, this diet will never work, he is not sixteen anymore or twenty-six for that matter. But I might have a point that eating less of the bad stuff and a taste of the good stuff might just work I think you can see what I am getting at, I just need to eat like I am going out for the football team, even if it is in the senior league from Lake Iwanttobethere{897,327}

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