Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

[Bobby Bass]

RAIN BARRELS ARE full here at the Resort today. As I sit with the laptop in booth number one some sunshine is coming in through the window. I have to adjust the screen to get out of the glare. Just in from tilling the big garden here at least a good part of it. The ground was rock hard just a few days ago and now with all the rain it has soften up enough that I need but make a single pass with the tiller. I had to stop because my boots were getting so covered in the heavy wet dirt but not quite mud that I needed a break and it was lunch time. Even as I write this I can see dark clouds rolling in from the South so I may not be doing any more tilling today. A good reason to stop as it was almost becoming like work. We all know what we think about work here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Hard work has never killed anyone, by why risk it?

As I sit in the booth I can see a few boats out in our little bay, Vic and Dock Burriem are out fishing crappies in Vic's boat. The two of them have found a spot where the crappies are cooperating and a few dinners have made it to the pan from the area. I don't think they need to catch any fish to have a reason to go out and spend time in the boat. Old Dock there has about a thousand and one stories to tell and Vic has a short memory so even the repeated ones are new to him. Vic is a new man and a busy one at that. He gets up at the crack of eight o'clock and eats breakfast. He then takes his boat out to the point that juts into the main lake and picks up the paper and mail that is delivered by boat to the mailbox there.

He usually trolls back to the dock and brings the mail in. Has a couple of cups of coffee and reads the paper before going into the Bait Room to work for awhile. By mid afternoon he is back in the boat fishing just off shore for some sunnies. Not to long he stays out there just long enough to be away from the docks when campers want to launch their rental boats. By late afternoon he is back at the Clubhouse and he usually gets a nap in. When supper comes he is in the kitchen helping Marv out and then back to the boat for the evening bite. This rain of the last few days does have his schedule screwed up some. With Elmer and Marv in one boat Vic and Dock have teamed up in another for a friendly fishing contest. We have a chalk board up in the Bait Room with the current standings.

We have found a place to park the black limo of the Fellows, made a spot up by the wood shop and Chuck using the tractor moved some class five up there to level off a spot. Since all the Fellows went in on buying the Limo I was wondering how they were going to all share it. After the first few days they stopped driving it all over as the gas mileage is not that great. Gary who works part time delivering pizza for Del's Pizza and Sub Shop thought it would be fun to make delivers in it one night instead of using his old Yugo. He said he lost money as no one gave him any tips, people figured if he could drive a Limo he was doing pretty good.

Need to get the garden done up here as the window sills are filled with tomato and pepper plants. Vic has gotten to selling some of the plants as when people ask he can't refuse a good offer. Matter of fact he is talking about maybe having a tomato plant stand like those kids in town do. Just off Birch Avenue there are some kids with a sign that says Lemonade on one side and Tomato Plants on the other. Like most business ventures here at Lake Iwanttobethere you have to do more then one thing under the same roof. Last year we were talking about a greenhouse up here and now Vic is bring it back up. Maybe we can find some county money or a grant or something. Would be nice to have about right now as I see some rain drops are hitting the glass and Vic is heading to his dock here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,967,209}

[Bobby Bass]

PRIORITY ONE AT the Resort today was to replace some screen panels on the enclosed porch before the mosquitoes could make another assault. Yesterday I was hard at work, I had the tiller in the Dodge and was making the rounds getting the daughter and son's gardens tilled along with a few paying customers. I was on the way home but had stopped at the Resort for a refreshing cool beverage of my choice when I noticed how crowded the Main room of the Clubhouse was. At first I thought Vic had started a Happy Hour but I found out quickly that everyone was taking refuge from an onslaught of mosquitoes. No one was using the screen in porch as the skeetters had breached the screen and were now massing on the screen door waiting for some one to open it and give them a way inside.

The Fellows were a day late on mowing the grounds and with the old garden tractor doing double duty as a fogger the skeetters had found an opening. When I came in Vic was on the phone with Gary telling him of the problem and Gary told him he would be right over to clear out the porch. Marv was in the Bait Room and he came out to tell me he sold the last can of skeetter spray and maybe I better put a rush on the next order. I made a note of it, I have it around here somewhere.

So today I came over early and we had to go into to see Big Earl at the General Store. We did have some screen at the Resort it was marked down in our inventory but when we went to unroll it, it crumbled in our hands. Guess the screens have not been replaced for a long time and last year we just did some small patch jobs. After what Gary did to get rid of the skeetters last night we find ourselves needing to replace all the screen in the porch. I struck up a deal with Big Earl for a weeks worth of camping and I walked out with a armload of new screen, staples and spline.

I was just getting into the Tahoe when I was blocked in by Mindy and Mandy in their delivery truck. The girls have been busy as I have seen the truck around town and when we pass I wave and they wave back. They were making a delivery and had me blocked in but I didn't mind waiting, the view was pretty good. While Mandy wheeled in a couple of cases of Lake Iwanttobethere Root Beer into the General Store Mindy came over and leaned on my driver's door. She asked when am I going to invite them out to the Resort and I told them they are of course welcomed anytime. Mindy them told me that Elsie was cutting back on her order of Root beer and wanted to know if I wanted to pick up the slack, the Resort that is. Told her I would welcome selling the Lake Iwanttobethere brand as I know there is a waiting list. Mindy then said it is a done deal and leaned into the Tahoe to give me a kiss on the cheek, just the way the girls do business.

Back at the Resort we tore down what was left of the tattered screen and replace a few boards that had been damaged. New screen went up and after a few hours we were daring a skeetter to try and get through. Of course by this time the Fellows were out mowing and you could tell where they were by the cloud of smoke and birds fleeing the area. With the warm weather we have been having and the abundance of rain fall there are plenty of places for the skeetters to breed. Ditches are full of water and just the other day Hammering Hank and Skinny had to raise the docks up a few inches, there is that much water in the lake. I am sitting in the screened in porch as I write this, a cold beverage of my choice on a coaster and a fly swatter just in case. Now you might be wondering why we had to do all the replacing of screen? Well that is because Gary came into the porch last night with a lighter and a can of hair spray, Makes one big flame thrower and it sure did clean the skeetters out while burning up some screen, here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,970,926}

[Bobby Bass]

BLASTING ZONE AHEAD, I drove out the drive of the cabin this morning to find a new sign just down from Elmers driveway. Blasting zone ahead and I am tying to figure just what they are going to be blasting. The sign which you had to stop to read said something about short audio tones and then long tones and all clear tones, I was thinking this should be interesting for the wife who is tone deaf. Anyway I drove into town and to the General store for a spade, seems I somehow lost mine when I was out tilling the other day. Either it fell out of the Dodge or I hit a bump and I donated the shovel to a county work crew, either way it was gone and I needed another. I found Big Earl standing at the front of his store with a couple of other guys all holding white Styrofoam cups with coffee. Nice enough day outside and the guys were out on the sidewalk instead of inside around a cold stove.

Exchanged HIYA's and I made my way into the store and back to the wall racks where shovels are hung. Had my choice of several different kinds but I picked one with a rubber covered handle, easier for the wife to use. Made my purchase and as I made my way out past Barb the cashier, she asked me if I made it over to Detour City yesterday and I told her I did. Yesterday it was supposed to rain all day but the morning started of cloudy but decent. I got the last of my garden tilled and I mowed the property. Still no rain so I decided to work on a walk behind mower that the son brought over. It needed a do hickey that I didn't have and Big Earl said he was out of stock of them. His brother in law who owns a store in the next town over said he might have one to two of them and so I drove over there.

It was pretty good timing as no sooner did I get off the phone with Big Earl and headed to the Tahoe then the rain started to fall. There are other towns scattered around out here but Lake Iwanttobethere is a tad bigger then most. Just down the road a fair piece is a place we call Detour City to be honest I don't know its real name. I rarely go that way and it might be because every time I ever go to that place you have to take several detours to get to where ever you want to go. They have detours for the detours and I swear every orange barrel that we store over the winter at Lake Iwanttobethere ends up on a street over in Detour City. What I usually do when I go over there is I put on my blaze orange hunting vest and my old white hard hat. Since I have a white Tahoe I hold my cell phone to my ear and just drive around the barricades looking like I am some big shot county employee. It helps getting me to Big Earls brothers store but I am still lost half the time I am there.

Back at the cabin with a new shovel I walked over to the big garden. I have a lot of the garden put in but I still need to put tatters in the ground and finish transplanting stuff from the greenhouse. Not worried about the planting as everything is growing big in the greenhouse. Granddaughter number two told me I can't plant tatters until she comes over tonight so I have been saving that job for her. I am finally on schedule otherwise. All my tilling is done, grass is cut planting will be done and I can go fishing. Matter of fact I think the garden might be a little to wet this morning to walk in so I am going to spend the day working on the Puddle Humper. I know that Elmer bought some suckers and they are floating in his bucket off the end of his dock. I also know that he has a key lock on his sucker bucket but I also know were he hid the key. I might just borrow a sucker and stick it under a float. Should be a good day to do some dock fishing while I sort through tackle boxes and stow gear on the Puddle Humper here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,975,316}

[Bobby Bass]

THIS MORNING AT the Lodge finds more then a few buddies sitting at tables playing cribbage and looking out over the fog covered waters of Lake Iwanttobethere. Even with the Women Auxiliary meeting in the small meeting room guys have been trickling into the Lodge this morning. Just like me I didn't have much of anything better to do as the morning has been a wash out. Over night heavy rain fell and even though it stopped an hour ago there is still a little drizzle and some thick fog. I didn't get to planting my garden last night as the grand daughter did come over but she was late. Instead we started a fire in the pit and spent time slapping mosquitoes and searching for satellites in the dark sky over head. We actually did pretty good finding two satellites and we shared seeing a shooting star together.

This morning the grand daughter went rummage sailing with her grand mother and I decided to come to the Lodge and just kill some time. Am actually looking to pick up some fishing hot spots chatter but no one is talking this morning. Fishing has been slow and just when we seem to get some stable weather it all falls apart and we get thunderstorms. The one common thread I have been hearing is that it is a banner year for skeeters and there are a lot of frogs. Should be a real good frog bite come this fall and I am already looking forward to that. Yesterday I did put the muffs on the Puddle Humper and started the outboard, ran just fine and I changed plugs and greased it up. Still have to vacuum the carpet and put tackle boxes in but I should be ready to get her wet here as soon as it dries out. Always seems to take me a long time to get the Puddle Humper wet for the first time but after that I don't need much of a reason to go fishing.

I did find out more about that Blasting signs on my road, yesterday when I was working on the Puddle Humper a white Tahoe came rolling up the drive and a gal got out wearing a white hard hat and a blaze yellow and orange vest on. I was thinking I was busted from my trip into Detour City but the gal had a flyer in her hand and a smile when she walked over to the boat. I asked her what she was going to turn off and she just told me nothing but they are going to start blowing things up! The short story is they found some rock under the old roadway and it is in the way so they are going to have to do some blasting to clear the way. They can only do small multiple blasts and it looks like it may last deep into summer. I asked why don't they just blow it all at once and she told me they wanted to but one of my neighbors down the road has a valuable tea cup and plate collection that she does not want disturbed.

I knew right away who it was, Dorris the head of the Ladies Auxiliary. Her fine collection of tea cups she was worried about she got from down at the Gas-N-Go back in the sixties. When you bought ten gallons of gas back then you got a punch in a card that when filled you could trade it in for stuff out of a glass display case that they had on one of the pump islands. I remember the case as my older brother traded in his cards for some hunting knifes. Of course you would never find a case with weapons in it nowadays at a gas station, even here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

Shortly after she left Chuck came over from his place and asked if I had met up with the blasting lady. I told him I did and that is when I noticed a little smile on his face. Chuck looked around like he was seeing if anyone could hear him and then said "You know those big stumps out back? I think we just found the perfect time to blow them babies up and no one will be the wiser, here at Lake Iwanttobethere" {1.976.996}

[Bobby Bass]

SILENT SUNDAY HERE at the Resort but it does not have to be a silent Sunday to just sit back and enjoy a sunrise here at Lake Iwanttobethere. I spent the night in my room here at the Clubhouse and I was woke up by sunshine pouring through my window and the tapping of the blinds from a soft breeze that was blowing. I made my way down the stairs being quiet like not wanting to wake anyone else up. The main room was only lit by the sunshine coming through the windows but it was more than enough light to make my way to the kitchen and a waiting tumbler that I was going to fill with orange juice. I could smell coffee and a pot was on and already half gone, either that or it was left from last night. I poured juice into the tumbler and headed for the screen in porch where I found Marv and Elmer sitting along with Vic

It being a Silent Sunday we all exchanged nods and I grinned some to myself. No one spoke and I am thinking my silent Sunday routine is catching on. Of course it was not all that silent, there was the sound of Vic slurping some tea he had made and in the quiet the sound of the Sunday paper being read was actually loud. There was a robin close by and it was singing and you could hear the answer of another robin not too far away. A chirp of a chipmunk caught Vic's eye and he looked over the top of his glasses and the top of the outdoor living section he was reading trying to put his eyes on the chipmunk outside of the screened in porch.

I made my way over to an empty chair that was alongside of Elmer. He reached over and picked up the comics from it and I sat down. Elmer gave me the once over before shaking out his paper and went back to reading the obituaries. I eyed the comics but decided I was not ready to read anything just yet. Instead I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, cradling the tumbler of orange juice in my hands. I could feel some sunshine trying to work its way under my eyelids but I kept them closed. Using just my ears I went around the screened in porch placing Elmer and Marv and the suddenly quiet Vic. A long time ago Elmer took me under his wing and taught me how to listen, I in turn practice with my kids but not so much anymore, they always seem to be to busy to just stop and listen. Grand kids seem to have much more time to do it and with them I practice honing my listening skills.

I can hear the robins, the chipmunk is still chirping and he seems to be getting closer. Matter of fact I would say that he must almost be where Vic has his bird feeder which would account for Vic being quiet, he is watching his feeder. There is just a tad of a breeze out and now that we have leaves on trees you can hear the leaves rubbing against the roof of the screen house. I think I have that on the to do list, trimming the branches back some. A camper is stirring I just heard the sound of a zipper being undone on a tent and someone is fishing in our little bay. I know this because I heard the echo of an oar bouncing off the side of one of the resorts rental aluminum boats. Cawing of a crow and a distant dog bark, can't tell if it is a big dog or a little dog or what kind of dog it is, I am not that good but Elmer would tell you if you asked him.

Secret to listening is to not strain to hear something but to just let the sounds come to you. After a while you will learn to sort out or filter what you have already heard leaving room to hear something new. As I sit in the chair I no longer hear Elmer reading to himself, or Marv licking his fingers every time he turns a page. Vic is back to rocking in his chair and I don't hear the chirping chipmunk. I mean I really don't hear the chipmunk, he must have left so Vic's bird feeder is safe and he goes back to rocking. What I do hear is the sound of a mosquito and it is close and then that to goes quiet, till I feel a poke on my neck and the sound of my slap is loud here in the screen porch at the Resort here on the shore of Lake Iwanttobethere {1,979,310}

[Bobby Bass]

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS for me this morning and that was a can of coke and a couple of pain pills. Back is still acting up after horsing the tiller around and getting all the gardens done. They are actually all planted both here and at the Resort. I think the part that got me was digging trenches for tatters, that is a young back job and I could not find anyone to do it for me. With the gardens finally in I can move on to other projects. Like the yard is already to be mowed again, I just did it last week. Yesterday I spent the day getting sidetracked, even with a to do list. Cleaned out the Tahoe of winter stuff and exchanged it with summer stuff. Sand and ice melt were exchanged for rubber waders and life vests. Go bag of winter clothes was exchanged with go bag of shorts and tee shirts and towels. Spare tire for the Puddle Humper was put in its spot but not till I filled it with air. Got side tracked there as I then went around checking tires on everything around the cabin and adding air as needed.

Yesterday was also the first day of the planned explosions on the road, twice yesterday we heard the weak warning whistle go off and a minute later there was the KRUMPT of the explosion and then the all clear sign. There is about five minutes of silence and then the jack hammering starts. After the second explosion in the afternoon Duncan was outside on the deck with me and when the KRUMPT came he was looking around to see who was shooting at what and he had the look of "It must be one big bird" I patted him on the side and didn't make to much of a deal about it, don't want him to get to excited when he hears the KRUMPT as it looks like it will be going on at least twice a day for the next few months.

With the Tahoe all cleaned up I started on the Puddle Humper. I had brought out the shop vac to clean what the leaf blower had missed in the Tahoe. I do not remember putting the Puddle Humper away with so much grit in the carpet and there were dry maple leafs it seemed in every crack and crevasse that would hold them. So I vacuumed the carpet and then wiped down seats and the console. Tighten screws and found a couple of missing holes were screws should be. Motor and graphs had already been checked out so I was good there. Fish board needed a cleaning and I took a brush and some wheel cleaner to the metal tape and proceed to clean the numbers right off because I was distracted talking to the wife and was not watching what I was doing. Add a replacement tape measure to the stainless steel screws that I had already written down on my shopping list.

Was just starting to bring the box out that had boat tie downs and lights and odds and ends when the daughter announced she was ready to go shopping. With my back giving me a few tinges from leaning over the side working in the boat it sounded like a good excuse to move on. Besides I had a list of things I needed to get and it was about time for some dinner. This morning I woke up at six when I rolled over wrong and my back stabbed me awake. By eight I was done dozing and ready to get out of bed. I got help there from Duncan as he jumped up in bed and threw himself at my back. Made my way to the Den with my can of coke and sat down to jot a few things down. No sooner did I sit down then the weak warning whistle went off and Duncan cocked his head and looked at me with that look of his. A minute later and we both head the KRUMPT and a minute after that the power went out here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,986,577}

[Bobby Bass]

THE WAITING GAME has started here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Yesterday I finished working on the Puddle Humper. It is all clean, oiled and greased, storage is filled with sorted tackle boxes and rods have new line and are secure. Gas tank is full and the Tahoe is clean and ready for fishing. Tires have fresh summer air and the trailer lights have been checked. Grass is mowed and the garden is all in. Now comes the wait for the garden and weeds to grow and the grass to get ankle high again. But before that happens I will be out fishing, that is as soon as the weather lets me. This morning we have some high winds going through the area and rain has been falling off and on. Rain barrels are filled so it can stop anytime now.

It was around five last night when I stood on the deck with Duncan at my side and look out over the property here at the cabin. The smell of fresh cut grass was in the air and the note book with the spring to do list was resting on the patio table. The wind tugged at the pages that were covered in check marks on things that had been completed. I have spent the last three weeks working on the list and working on the sub list of things that get added as I would get distracted working on something that was found on the way to doing something else. The list was complete and I was done, at least with the spring to do list.

Garden had been expanded and a few new raised beds had been installed. Fence repaired and the greenhouse that had collapsed during the winter has been removed. Grass seed had been spread and is growing and flower pots are all filled and the small greenhouse is empty of plants. Even the deck has been power washed and now all that was left to do was put that notebook away. I even had time to get my web page back up and running and write a few stories. Summer has finally arrived for me here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

My neighbor Chuck has been out fishing a few times already, I know this because he tells me that he has already been out fishing a few times. Throwing a sucker borrowed from Elmers minnow bucket off the dock does not count as going fishing he tells me. Up here you have to actually hook your boat trailer up to your truck and drive somewhere. Even my son has gotten his Barge out on the water a couple of times this year. I know that as he calls me late in the evening and makes a point of holding the phone over the stove so I can hear the sound of his fish frying. But I am waiting my time, I have been watching Barney the wonder fish dog and he has been down on the dock but has not shown any real interest in fishing. That tells me that I am not missing much and the good fishing is still ahead.

Bud has been spending more and more time on the deck just following the sun and napping. Duncan is become my early warning dog as we have been getting road explosion's two and sometimes three times a day. Duncan seems to know when they are going to sound the warning whistle and comes over and bumps his head against me to tell me. The other day the power went off for a half hour or so, came right after one of the blasts so I am guessing there is a good chance it was related. Today I am going to sit out on the deck, enjoy a cigar, stay out of the rain and watch the grass grow. Monday I have it written in ink on the calendar that I am going fishing here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,991,170}

[Bobby Bass]

WELL IT FIGURES I am ready to go fishing and the weather has changed once again to stop me. First thing I saw this morning was rain rolling down the glass of the skylight window in the cabin. Next thing I saw was the bass thermometer hanging on the siding of the cabin just nudging the fifty degree mark. Third thing I saw was the tops of the trees swaying as the wind was pushing them around like a bully collecting lunch money. Just got to love summer and the constant changing weather from one day to the next. Sunshine Ray is forecasting yet more rain for the weekend and that is on top of the heavy rain we got this week along with the wind that knocked out power for some of the folks living on the lake. Yesterday when I was in town I spotted a tourist on the walking trail with a tiny fold up umbrella tangling from her arm. She was passing a local heading the other way and she had a look on her face. Might be because the local was carrying one of them small snow shovels, The tourist does not know what kind of weather changes we get here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

With summer here of course school is out and Fridays I have my number two granddaughter who comes to spend the night. I don't fish on Fridays as that is her night and she has her own list of things for us to do. On her list was to wash out all the pots in the greenhouse now that they are empty of plants. We got out the hose and she did the sorting and I did the washing. I was told that she washed 137 pots, I told her no we washed 137 pots which she answered that she did all the hard work I had the fun work of playing in the water. With pots all washed and set up to dry we moved on to starting a fire in the pit and sitting where the smoke bothered the mosquitoes more then us. The grand daughter had brought her back pack with her to the fire pit and told me she had brought marshmallows to roast. Before she took them out she wanted to make a bet with me that I could not put three marshmallows in my mouth and close my lips so they touched. I took her up on the bet for fifty cents then she took the marshmallows out from her back pack.

When I saw the marshmallows I just handed over her the two quarters. They were the big big fire marshmallows and I knew she had been down at Ma and Pa's grocery as he orders them in special for the summer. There was no way I was going to even try and get them in my mouth. We did roast a couple of the marshmallows over the fire and I heard her drop my two quarters into a small baby food jar of her sisters and then she tucked the jar back in her backpack. It would seem that I was not the only one who had lost this bet. As we munched on sticky hot marshmallows and swatted at the occasional mosquito that made it past our smoke screen we talked. She showed me her knee with a big bandage on it that she got when she fell on her bike. Just this week she had removed her training wheels and was still learning a few of the finer skills that after awhile you take for granted. She had learned that you don't take sharp turns on loose gravel that is on cement sidewalks, unless of course you have a foot down to keep you upright.

I listen to her tell me about her week and I told her about mine. We made plans to go fishing and she fed the fire as I watched. As the light of day fled twilight started to creep in and the robins went quiet and the frogs got louder. The fire crackled and we sat on the bench sharing secrets that would not be secrets if I wrote about them. We watched as through the trees we could see the lights of my neighbor's truck coming up his drive. He had been out fishing, again. I stood up and told my granddaughter to grab them marshmallows. "Let's go see Uncle Chuck, here at Lake Iwanttobethere" {1,997,190}

[Bobby Bass]

HAPPY FATHERS DAY it is high noon here at the Resort and it is Fathers Day and it is raining, hard. It looks like Father Time did something to upset Mother Nature as the wind is blowing strong and the rain is falling hard. From my seat here in booth number one I can see the rain that is running down the roof to mix it up in the valley forming some class V rapids before launching itself off the roof and completely passing the already full rain barrel. This weekend has not been a good weekend for someone to be camping in a tent. The Main Room here at the Resort has been a busy place all weekend as it has been raining the entire time and everyone has found the Main Room to take shelter in.

A lot of talking going on and you can hear kids banging on the pin ball machines in the game room and laughter coming from guys in the Bait Room. The pot belly stove has a fire in it and even though it is the middle of June it does not seem out of place on a day like today. We had this idea that we would have a Fathers Day BBQ here at the Resort. There is plenty of room for everyone but with the rain the BBQ is off for now. Instead Marv will cook up everything we need on the grill and we will still celebrate. Since it is Fathers Day we have a lot of guys here and we are a little more open to how we will be celebrating it. The last I heard the Fellows were still going to have the remote control truck races at two, rain or shine. There is some standing water on the track they built so it will be more like a mud bogging race I am thinking. Elmer was trying to get the judges to allow him to enter his remote control power boat, there is enough water on the track to float it.

Marv and Vic are next to me in booth number two taking notes from an outdoor magazine that they are reading. The topic is "How to get in shape for Elk Hunting" neither one of them is planning on going Elk hunting but they are using the article to get them ready for Chipmunk hunting. I have been informed we have a chipmunk invasion going on and the two old guys are not prepared to be feeding the culprits from their gardens here at the Resort. They are going through the article and just making some adjustments to convert it from elk to chipmunks. Like changing the hiking miles per day to blocks per day. What I have overheard is that one of them will be the shooter and the other will be the spotter. Yesterday they were on the laptop looking for someplace to buy a couple of ghillie suits.

I was up kind of early as I got a book from one of my daughters for a early fathers day present and was reading here in the booth. I had a Lake Iwanttobethere Root Beer close at hand and a bag of Cheetoes. Smootchie the cat who spends a lot of the summer here at the Resort as the kind of hired gunslinger / mouse catcher was bothering me as I tried to read. I finally had to dig into the bag and give here a Cheetoe which she proceed to lick the cheese flavoring off before going to sit on the corner of the table and lick her paws. Reading a book and trying to keep the orange coloring of the Chettoes off the corner of the pages can be hard. Chuck pointed that out when he came in the room and saw me and the cat both licking our paws/fingers.

The rain has let up some as it is no longer shooting out of the valley and past the rain barrel but I can now hear it tapping on the lid of the cover. We might just be able to get this race started on time. On another note someone maybe it is you will be reading this story and will be two millionth person who has read a story from here at Lake Iwanttobethere. I just want to thank my second grade teacher who told my mother she was holding me back to do second grade over again because I was having a hard time writing a big thank you. Not because I am writing stories but because I fell into a different crowd and they liked to go fishing here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,999,608}

[Bobby Bass]

A FISHING STORY, finally from here at Lake Iwanttobethere. This morning I made a tour of the gardens checking to see how things are progressing. I had a glass of orange juice in my hand and Duncan walking at my side. I kind of felt like I was taking a tour of a factory floor and Duncan was my foremen, not saying much but there to answer questions. I walked by the boat house and leaned up against the Puddle Humper, the hum of the charger at work on the trolling motor battery. I set my glass down on the front boat deck and flexed my shoulder and worked my fingers some. Yesterday I got out fishing and the shoulder got a work out along with my fingers from casting and reeling and yes landing fish.

My neighbor Chuck and I went fishing and even though Sunshine Ray was calling for just a small chance of rain we were going to have fifteen plus mile winds from out of the SW to contend with. We drove over to Bacon Bay because my notebooks tells me that I have had good luck there this time of the year. The landing was a little flooded as we have had a surplus of rain the past two weeks and right on cue it started to sprinkle on us. We got back in the Tahoe and drank a pop and ate a sandwich and when we were done the rain stopped and the wind that was blowing just went away. We launched the Puddle Humper on dead calm waters and at sixty-six degrees I was a little surprised as I thought the water would be warmer.

First off I took out the bug spray and soaked myself down as it did not take long for the black flies to find us. We worked down the shoreline working out the kinks of a very long winter. Chuck had the advantage here as he has already been out a few times and is in mid season casting form. First hit I get is from a little snake of a northern and he is off before I can get him on. The second fish is a bass and when I boat him I hold him up for Chuck to see. His biggest fish so far this season is an eighteen incher and as I rest this one on the measuring board it is nineteen and a quarter. Some polite smack talk follows and ten minutes later I land another bass and this one is a tad smaller at eighteen and a quarter, still a nice fish.

We work our way around the shoreline skipping places where fishing had been poor in the past and just hitting what I hope are the good spots. I catch another eighteen and a quarter inch fish and Chuck lands his brother. Four fish over eighteen inches and we are on a roll. Chuck is also catching a few fifteen inch bass while I am busy clearing the way of northerns. Shortly after seven we are fishing off a reed point that has given up some nice bass in the pass and is known for holding some big northerns come fall. I was hoping to tease a big old northen to run a buzz bait down but other then a couple more small pike we got nothing.

The skeeters were not bad and the flies had deserted us in their place there were Mayflies. I thought they wee a little early but the weather has been so screwed up that you can't really count on anything to be normal. I am tossing a buzz bait when I hear Chuck grunt behind me. I know something is up as he goes quiet when he has a fish on. I reach down and turn on the video camera and get it up just in time to catch a jumping bass and see Chuck's rod bowed over. Less then a minute later and we are admiring a fat bass and Chuck is back in the lead with a twenty inch bass. Good thing I didn't smack talk him to bad on my fish as he is not rubbing his catch in on me here at Lake Iwanttobethere{2,002,679}

[Bobby Bass]

A GOOD DAY for sailing here at Lake Iwanttobethere or maybe not. Strong winds have tree tops swaying from side to side and as I watch the big maple it almost seems to be twisting in the strong gusts. Some decent size waves are building on the lake here and they come one after the other to roll under the dock before hitting the small beach I have and then pulling anything that floats back out into deeper water. It is not quiet by any means as the wind does not make noise but the leaves that are being blown like reeds in a duck call do. Wind chimes are doing just that, banging away and sounding like a middle school first hour band class. I should mow today but I may wait for the seed pods to stop falling from the Maple tree. The strong winds means no flies or skeeters to worry about but you do have to duck the seed pods that are coming down like crashing helicopters.

Puddle Humper sits quiet in the boat house, waiting. Batteries are all charged and a few fixes that were needed are completed. New line on the buzz bait rod as that is the only rod I did not get around to putting new stuff on and that is the one that my line broke on twice. Was thinking about fishing today but when I came out to the deck and was hit with the wind I decided today was not a fishing day. Matter of fact I am having a hard time thinking up what are good things to do when it is blowing so hard out. No leaves to rake and toss up in the air for the wind to take away, definitely not a brush burning kind of day. Could go sit on the swing and read, the wind would take care of the swinging part but then I would have to hold tight to the book so the wind didn't turn pages before I was ready. Got some wood to cut and maybe some splitting but that falls under actually working and I am trying to put that off for awhile, it is after all summer.

The calendar for the day is not totally clear, I do have to drive over to day camp and pick up grand daughter number two. She is at day camp all this week and needs a ride home today as her ma has to go to the dentist. She was here late yesterday afternoon looking to see if I have any more of those big marshmallows. Seems she is making more money with the marshmallow bet then working with her cousin in the lemonade stand. Always wondered why adults could not make a profit running a lemonade stand then I started to add up the costs of a stand. Of course you have to have a stand then you need lemonade, cups and spoons and a sign. A few napkins just to show that you have them and of course it is all about location location location. For an adult the biggest hangup might be the advantage a kid has over you, the cuteness factor and the fact that they have an adult who provided all of the above needs leaving the kid with just profit.

Reminds me of the kids who wanted to sell sweet corn in a stand just outside of town. Of course there the kid's dad had to just grow an acre of sweet corn and before summer was done he was giving it away at the Lodge. The kids found the job of selling corn to old people boring and the fact that the ladies were picking over all the ears before not buying any and saying they could get better corn down the road at another stand. I decided to take a ride into town and go to the General Store. I always seem to need something from Big Earl and I parked the Tahoe outside his store I spotted Big Earl on the sidewalk in front of a display of kites. Of course, on a windy day like today I should go fly a kite! My wife is always telling me to do that anyway here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,005,706}

[Bobby Bass]

NOTHING BRINGS A town together like a good garage fire. Last night I was busy cleaning out seed pods from the big maple that had fallen into the planters on the deck when I saw a thick black column of smoke rising from town. I was already in the Dodge and heading down the driveway when the beeper went off and I got an address to head to. I am not active in fighting fires anymore but I still am pretty good at crowd control and nothing brings out a crowd like a fire. Five minutes later and I was close enough to see kids on bikes and joggers heading toward a thick cloud of smoke that the high winds were driving down the street. I had to turn my wipers on as some ash was being blown against the windshield.

I pulled up along Sheriff Tim's squad and blocked traffic and with my lights flashing I climbed out. A few other guys in traffic control pulled up and we had the street blocked off and got people to stop. Of course the thick black smoke that the wind was blowing down at the ground did a lot in driving people back and I retreated to the other side of the Dodge to get out of the way it. Fire trucks came from the other side and I could hear on my radio that it was a garage fire and it was going to be a total loss even though it was just a few minutes old. I listen in as they were deciding on whether to put out a call to the next town over for more help. The thought being the strong winds might spread the fire.

It took about ten minutes but the fire was knocked down and was contained. The black smoke quickly cleared from the air and with it the crowd. We pulled the traffic control back towards the burnt out garage and it was a loss. Reed the Realtor was already taking pictures as he is also the insurance guy in town. Mr. and Mrs. Varson garage was a total loss but there is some good and some bad news to report. The bad is the garage is a total loss, it did not help that Mrs. Varson had several years worth of magazines stored in the garage that had recipes in them that she had been meaning to cut out. The good was that Mrs. Varson being a stout woman did not have to much of a problem hooking up the garden tractor to the Lund and getting them both out of the garage before the fire could get to them.

Mr. Varson is a Lodge member and already this morning fellow Lodge members were over at the garage helping to clean up. The Fellows were there looking for anything that could be salvaged and as of right now it is unknown how the fire started. Big thing there is no one was hurt and just the garage burnt, the Lund seems to be just fine. The volunteer fire dept. met at the Lodge after all the equipment was cleaned up and parked back at the Fire Hall. Only then did the guys take a few deep breaths and calmed down some. What usually happens is the guys start talking about old calls they have been on and we all knock on the cherry bar top of the Lodge and say thanks out loud that our calls are few and far between.

Today finds me back at the cabin sill picking out seed pods from the Maples that have seem to all fallen in my yard. The deck is covered as is the big garden, will have to bring in the grand kids to clean them all up and that will cost me a trip to Jeanies and Stan's Ice Cream truck. I will have to drive around town with the windows down on the Tahoe listening for the ice cream trucks jingle here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,008,506}

[Bobby Bass]

THIS SUMMER IS not looking good, as a matter of fact it is shaping up to be a lot like last summer or lack of summer was. Today finds us here at Lake Iwanttobethere with no rain falling that was forecasted but instead we have had dense fog all day. With no sun the grass has stayed wet all day and only thing good is that the wind has finally eased up some. Yesterday I spent the evening out in the wood shop moving cabinets around and making room along the wall where I have been planning on installing my radial arm saw. I have been using the saw but the idea of the new wood shop was to have a dedicated place for the radial arm and one big table for it. I am going to build a playhouse for the grand kids this summer and this may be the last project building wise that I do so I thought having the saw for cutting plywood would be nice. I might point out it was the wife that pointed out I better use the thing since I have it. So anyway I am clearing one wall of all cabinets so I can start fresh and I am thinking to myself that it is the middle of June and I have a pair of wool gloves on because it is cold. Something is wrong with that. As I write this it is sixty degrees at Fairbanks Alaska, it is fifty-four here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

As I was working in the shop last night I had the doors open and I could hear yelling echoing across the lake coming from Hammering Hank and Tess's place. I was thinking maybe the honeymoon is over and I mentioned it to the wife. The wife rolled her eyes at me before reminding me that this weekend is Hollering Days here at the lake and they were practicing, guess I had forgotten all about it. Today I went down to the Masterbaiters Shop to pick up a few things I had ordered, actually Vicki was good enough to tack on a couple of cases of bug spray to her order. We can't keep the stuff on the shelf up at the Resort. First I made an appearance at the Lodge, checked my mail and then went down to the shop. I had to park on the access road as all the parking was full in front of her store. Several trailers loaded with canoes and several more canoes on top of pickup trucks and grocery getters. I waited in the Tahoe for a few minutes hoping a closer parking space would open and I noticed a few things.

I saw a lot of newer SUV's hauling old trailers with old canoes and I saw some old trucks hauling new canoes. I am guessing that the old canoes were once new and now that they have been around for awhile their owners have bought new vehicles. The new canoes I explain as being once they, the owner bought the new canoes they could not afford a new vehicle too. As I sat and waiting for a parking space to open I saw teenage boys running around in shorts with white legs showing. Some fit looking guys were standing by the front door making motions with their hands and pointing at watches while another guy stood off to the side trying to get some bars on his cell phone. Trailers sat loaded down with canoes and pack sacks blocked the back windows of the pick up trucks.

A couple of guys wearing khaki pants and wool shirts came out with a couple of bags of oxygen packed minnows. Another group of young guys came out wearing sandals and sweatshirts saying Iowa on them. I was guessing the entire group was together and they were heading to the Beyond the Waters Canoe Area. With no parking opening up I gave up and walked towards the entrance. I gave a few HIYA's to some of the guys who looked at me and they nodded their heads and had the look that I was a local and should be avoided. I made my way inside and Vicki just pointed her thumb back at the back room. I picked up my two cases of bug spray and headed back out the door. As I passed the guys wearing the khaki pants I just said "Going canoeing eh" One of the guys looked at his partner and said "Yup, you picking up the years supply of bug spray" and he grinned at his partner. I just patted the top box on my shoulder and just said "Nope just getting enough for the weekend" and walked away with my own grin on my face here at Lake Iwanttobethere. {2,009,609}

[Bobby Bass]

TOOK A DRIVE this morning didn't have any thing really planned for the day other then maybe a thought of going fishing in the afternoon. But I got wind of a surprise birthday BBQ that was going to be at the daughters this afternoon. Birthday is actually tomorrow and it is not only a monthly birthday but it is a yearly one to. I grabbed truck keys from the wood fish on the wall of the den that has hooks for holding key rings and before I could get to the door Duncan was already there, waiting and wagging his tail. The wife looked at me over the top of the paper and glanced at the window and mentioned it says rain in the forecast. I just told her I was going for a short drive and would be back in just a little while.

Duncan ran out the door in front of me and took a running leap from the deck stretching out to see how far he could land out in the yard before looking back at me. A robin caught his eye and digging into the wet grass with his claws he tossed clumps of it in the air behind him as he gave chase. The bird had seen this all before and was in the air with plenty of room to spare. Duncan changed direction and went to the Tahoe, sat and waited for me to get there. Like the robin I fooled him to as I walked past the Tahoe and opened the door of the Dodge. Duncan looked at me and then at the Tahoe and back at me, shook his head and trotted over to the Dodge. I open the door and he jumped up and was in his spot over on the passenger side. I climbed in behind the wheel and then had to reach over to his door and roll the window down for him.

I turned the key and the Dodge started right up, rolled down my window and adjusted the wiper's blades to take a couple of sweeps across the cracked windshield and cleared the water drops off it. Put the old truck in reverse and it hesitated a second before we started to back up. I turned around and headed down the drive and towards the road construction at the bottom of the hill. We drove slowly through the pot holes and ruts that the dozers had made and me and Duncan bounced in our seats some. No such thing as shocks in the old Dodge and only the springs in the bench seat kept us from hitting the roof.

A few minutes later and we were clear of the road construction and rolling down the dirt road along Lake Iwanttobethere. This is the same road that takes us to a few bird hunting spots in the fall and Duncan with his head out the window was taking in the smells. For him there are no seasons as he can't read a calendar, at least not yet. All I see is his butt and a tail wagging as he works the wind. I am reminded of others before him who have ridden in the Dodge on this same stretch of road. Buddy and Barney the labs and before them Art and Bob the springers. The first dog to ride on that side of the seat with a blanket under her to keep it clean was a lab named Lady. I think back to that big black dog who was way better then me at hunting grouse.

Of course with Lady riding shotgun we did a lot more then just hunt grouse in the old Dodge which was pretty new back then. Together in the Dodge we hauled birch logs stacked higher then the cab and come winter Christmas trees. The old green Jon boat fit in the bed, at least most of it did and a canoe that might have fallen out a time or two. I slowed down some and the Dodge got a little quieter as the old shocks did not have to work so hard. With the widow down I could hear the splashing of the water in the wheel wells as the tires drove through the water filled ruts. Duncan with his head now inside looked over at me with his tongue hanging out and I gave him a rub behind his ear. I looked down and I timed it perfectly as the odometer on the Dodge turned to 225,000 miles and hung there. I stopped and looked around at green trees, thick wet grass on a damp grouse road with the sound of a panting dog at my side and I figured it was a perfect place for the old Dodge to celebrate a birthday, just like me here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,010,736}

[Bobby Bass]

WELL SUMMER OFFICIALLY arrived a few days ago, I think I missed it as it must have happen somewhere else. Here at Lake Iwanttobethere it is once again raining and when it is not raining it is foggy, damp and cold. My gardens are sitting barren with just a few plants breaking out of the damp ground and I swear if you stand in one place long enough the plants start leaning your way looking for warmth. Yesterday I did go fishing and when I left my place it was fifty-five degrees out but I went down the road a piece and found a landing where it was eighty-two in the shade and muggy. Not normally my kind of fishing weather but seeing what I left it was a trade upwards. A few black fly's buzzed me as I got the Puddle Humper ready to launch but I threaten them with the bug spray and they left me alone.

A couple of hammer handle northerns in the first few casts and I was thinking this might not be so bad after all. Came time to move the boat to a better spot and I started the big motor and cruised over to a small bay. Cut the motor and glided to a stop to find that I was too late, the bay was choked with weeds. Should have been here a few weeks earlier but now I had to go to plan B and I headed for a row of docks and dug out the worm rod. A couple of little bass and I was not having much fun, I was looking forward to catching some fish not just beating up water with a spinnerbait or waiting for a bite on my worm under a dock.

Decided to move again but the big motor would not stay running, normally I never have a problem but I was cranking away and it just kept dying. I gave it a rest and went back to the trolling motor and moved along a reed bank picking up a few more little northerns but not seeing any action from anything worth writing about. As I made fan casts along the reeds I got to trouble shooting the motor issue and I think I came up with the answer. I pulled up the lid and sure enough I had forgotten to hook the fuel line to the tank. Took me awhile to prime the motor and burn out the rich oil mix that I had pumped into the motor. The ensuing blue cloud bank that I produced when I got the motor running took care of any skeeter on that end of the lake.

With the motor now running I went back to fishing and moved to a different part of the lake. Buzzbait started getting me a few hits and the docks along this stretch had a few fish on them. Nothing big to talk about but I was catching fish which is always better than not catching anything at all. A little bigger northern hit my spinner bait and sent it back to me missing half of it. I open the tackle box and took out the lure that my grand daughter had put together for me. Chartreuse and blue and white skirt with a double chartreuse grub tail with a big blue/purple and reddish willow blade. I tied it on and gave a shot. Third cast a bass hooked up and I thought what the heck I'll keep throwing it. Since I was not finding fish where I thought I would I went and fished around a couple of islands in the middle of the bay. The middle island I never fish but tonight I made my way around and the granddaughters lure boated me four northerns and six bass with two more bass lost because I failed to set the hook. In under an hour I became a believer in the lure combo.

With darkness falling it was time to head to the landing and I got a last cast in and weaved my way through the reeds to the landing. Skeeters were no where to be found and I was thinking that in itself was a blessing. Then I hit the landing. I think they have a leader, the skeeters that is. They waiting till I had the boat on shore and was halfway to the Tahoe before they came in waves after me. I was trapped away from the boat and its bug spray and the safety of the Tahoe. I made it to the Tahoe and lit up a cigar and filled the truck with smoke before I backed up to get the Puddle Humper on the trailer. I kept the rubber boots on to keep them off my legs and covered up with a rain coat. The cigar I kept puffing on sending up clouds of smoke looking more like a idling truck in the dead of winter. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to break and I am thinking about going fishing. I will make sure that I have a can of bug spray in the Tahoe and the boat here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2017,571}

[Bobby Bass]

I NEED SOME rocks, actually I need a pile of rocks because I don't have any rocks. I came to this conclusion yesterday when I was searching for a rock to throw at the chipmunk that was running through the garden with something green in his mouth. No doubt one of the very small plants that I am trying to grow. I need a pile of rocks because I know that I am not going to hit the chipmunk with one so I will need many. I don't know if it is one of the chipmunks that we called Flash Gordon last year, could very well be his son Speedy but he needs a few rocks thrown his way. I have a driveway full of pebbles but not rocks. What I really need now that I think of it is some stones. I think they are a little bigger then rocks and are smooth so you don't have to move them around in your hand for a good grip before you toss them. What I should have is two piles so I can practice throwing stones from one pile to the other. My days of playing softball are long over and even though I may think I can throw my arm is in no shape to be a serious threat. From time to time I toss a ball for Duncan to chase and sometimes he just looks at me and my feeble attempt and asks with his eyes if that is the best I can do. I have taken care of that by throwing the ball downhill giving the ball added distance by the roll and then walking backwards to make it look like I threw it farther.

Now three weeks into the twice daily explosions as they work on the road bed here at the cabin. I almost don't hear the toot of the warning horns anymore but I feel the cabin starting to shake a little. I thought it was just me till the wife mentioned that she was sitting in the living room and her collection of bells are started to ring right after the blasts. There is but five minutes of quiet right between the warning horns and the blast, then the boom and a moment later the drill starts up drilling the next hole. Dump trucks coming and going the sound of the beep beep beep when they back up. Slamming of tailgates and they just keep getting closer. Twelve hours a day six days a week, I keep telling myself how nice it will be when it is done.

So I have been spending some time at the Resort, far enough away that I am not bothered by the construction but so quiet that it almost hurts when sitting out on the deck with a beverage of my choice. Have a couple of geese hanging around the beach area, swimming with their kids and searching for anything even closely looking like it can be eaten. Vic is none too happy as he has to walk through goose turds on his dock every morning in order to get to his boat and go out and get the mail and the paper. A lot of robins even more then last year. I think that spring was just so late that they got this far north and just said good enough lets camp here. Seems you can't have any flat surface left unattended with a roof and a robin will be try to build a nest in thirty minutes or less. Just the other day I had the big shop door open and a robin was trying to build a nest up in the rafters. Can't have that so I ran her out. Not twenty minutes later and I found another robin building a nest on the second to the top step of the step ladder that was leaning against the clubhouse. I had just put the ladder there that morning.

Today is mowing day, should be a fishing day but rain again in the forecast for the next three days. Skeeters seem to have died off some so that is a plus but then I heard this morning that to the north of us it got into the thirties for overnight lows. Not good when we are just a few days away from July. As I look around the Resort the dress is pretty much the same, everyone is wearing shorts with a hooded sweatshirt. Cans of mosquito spray in their back pockets and a rain jacket close by. As for fishing, the mayflies are starting to hatch here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,020,206}

[Bobby Bass]

FRIDAY HERE AT Lake Iwanttobethere and it is change over day. Normally Friday is when the resorts welcome the next weeks load of visitors and last week's group leaves. I was in town this morning running errands as I went to bed early last night. Had nothing to do so I just decided to go to bed and catch up on some sleep. This morning I was up at the crack of dawn, of course I could not see the sun as it is overcast but nevertheless it was still the crack of dawn somewhere. The yard smelled good as I did cut the grass yesterday and there is some green showing in the garden. Matter of fact I even watered a few of the plants out there using the new rain barrel. Strawberries have fruit and I will be keeping an eye on them making sure I get to them when they are ripe instead of Speedy the chipmunk. While the water bucked filled I surveyed the garden and did a little chopping with the hoe. Way behind what the garden should look like but the weather is not helping any. More rain in the forecast and I hope to get out fishing on Monday but I hear talk of thirty mile an hour winds, not good.

Back in town there is a fair amount of traffic for this early in the morning. SUV's packed so full you can't see if there are anyone inside of them. Always makes me wonder when I see them SUV's where they have the little shelf that goes over the rear hitch. Always seems to have a cooler strapped on to them. Makes me wonder why they could not fit that inside their truck, I would think some of them would rather just strap a kid back where the cooler was. Sure would give the kid a good story to talk about back at school come fall. When I go to town on Fridays I usually wear one of my out of state hats, like today I wore the one that says Black Hawks. I find that if I wear my Lake Iwanttobethere hat people stop me on the street and ask me questions. I normally am willing to answer questions but I am not a paid employee of our fair city and standing on the street corner giving directions gets old after a while. If I wear one of my out of state hats people then think I am like them, a tourist and leave me alone. This used to be a lot easier when you could just hang a camera around your neck by a strap, but now everyone just takes pictures with their phones.

I had a list of things I needed and I made my way from store to store. Going to spend the weekend at the Resort and I needed a few things. First stop was the General Store where I needed to pick up dog food for the boys and Big Earl was standing outside with his apron on and his corn broom in hand. We exchanged HIYA's and I picked up my dog food and a KIT KAT candy bar. "In town two days in a row Bobby? Big Earl asked me and I just nodded my head and moved on before this guy who was looking at my hat figured out I was from around these parts. Yesterday I was in town, for awhile. Was a quiet day after mowing the lawn and I decided to take Bud out and work on his bucket list. Yup, Bud as well as Barney have a bucket list. They didn't write them but I have been thinking about things we should share at least one last time. Both dogs are now fourteen and slowing down, Bud more then Barney.

Of course between the two Bud has always been the hunting dog so he might have more miles on him then Barney the fishing dog. Yesterday after I mowed Bud was watching me from the deck and I decided we should go take a ride. I called him to the Dodge and helped him up into the passenger seat and we rode into town together, Bud ridding shotgun. We went to the drive in and I ordered a kids meal, cheeseburger with no catsup, mustard, pickles or onions and then we went and found Jeanies and Stan's ice cream truck where I ordered a simple sundae. Next stop was Mystery River where the grass was deep and it went right up to the waters edge. Bud and I sat on the bank and he ate his kids meal. He had his cheeseburger and apple wedges, I drank the juice but he got to lick all of the sundae out of his cup. Just seem it was time for him to have his own since he has only gotten to share my burger in the past, Just something we won't mention to the wife here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,022,544}

[Bobby Bass]

LOTS OF MUD is my answer when I get asked how is the road construction is going out my way. Yesterday afternoon I got in a little fishing, forecast was calling for rain but it had not yet started so I took up Chuck on his offer and went fishing in his new old boat. Different being a back seater in someone else's boat as I had to grab a tackle box and put stuff in it that I would need for an evening on the water. Three rods, my life vest some rain gear a tackle box the brown bag lunch from the fridge and a couple of bottles of water. My hands were full as I made my way to Chuck's on the trail that runs between our two cabins.

With gear stowed in the boat I put flame to a cigar and stuck my arm out the passenger window of the Chuck's Chevy truck and we made our way down the drive and to a bay that Chuck has been fishing. Captain Chuck told me he has been having some pretty good fishing over on Crazy Bay even though he has had to fight the wind the past few afternoons. We arrived at Crazy Bay and I got out and started to direct Captain Chuck down the landing till I noticed he was totally ignoring my fine directions. I had to remind myself that he was the Captain and I was the passenger on this fishing trip. I stood back and watched as he launched the boat and then parked the truck in the high grass out of the way. Am so use to fishing out of my own boat that fishing out of someone else's was going to take a little time to get used to.

I started calling Chuck Captain Chuck and I moved my gear to the back of his boat and made myself comfortable. I asked if I could help with anything and Captain Chuck told me he had it all covered and in a few minutes he had the trolling motor down and we were fishing the shoreline down from the access that was out of the wind. About ten minutes later and we were out of the calm and in the wind and I kind of like being in the back of the boat. Captain Chuck was busy making adjustments with the trolling motor and trying to cast. All I had to do was try and keep my hat on and fish the spots he kept missing. I went to change my buzz bait to a big spinner but realized I had not packed any in the tackle box I brought. Could not find my line pick when I got a back lash in one of my reels but I knew right where it was in the Puddle Humper back home. We caught a couple of small bass and had a nice northen made a run at Captain Chuck before splashing her tail and sinking out of sight.

Captain Chuck pointed off to the other side of the bay and said "That is where I have been catching some nice fish" and we looked at the white caps rolling across the reed bank. "But maybe not today" and Captain Chuck turned the bow towards some water with less wave action. We fished some and we talked some, told Captain Chuck he needed a name for his new old boat and he agreed. He also told me to stop calling him Captain Chuck which I told him I could not since we were fishing in his new old boat. Sky was getting a little gray over head and it was about seven thirty when I said "You know it should be a lot lighter this time of the evening" About five minutes later it was like someone turned the lights out as a big dark cloud came over us from behind the tree line and took the light with it. As luck would have it I got a hit on my spinner bait and there was some weight to it. I was trying to get a decent northern in the boat as I raced a wall of rain marching its way across the water at us.

I took a chance and yanked the northern over the side and into the boat and scrambled to get my rain coat on. Captain Chuck seeing the fish was in the boat pulled the trolling motor out of the water and came from the front of the boat to drop down behind the steering wheel. Holding feet up from the trashing northern on the deck he started the engine and we made a tight turn and we headed to the landing. We would have made it to but the rain caught us like it was chasing us and we were wet by the time we put the boat on the beach and walked to the truck. Have to remember we are old guys and we don't run anywhere any more here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,026,827}

[Bobby Bass]

SUNDAY FOUND ME making the rounds at the Resort. To windy to go fishing at least I thought it was to windy. Come fall when we are running out of fishing days then the wind will no longer becomes an excuse to stay on land. Of course there was the thunderstorms that kept rolling in on us, the brief heavy downpours of rain and of course the hail. Today as I write this I am bothered with mosquito bites that I got yesterday afternoon, I think. The sound of rain was good cover for the skeeters as I think they were hiding out from the rain and when we took cover from the falling rain it was just like walking into the skeeter's trap. I know I have a few bites on my back, at least it feels like it. Or maybe it is time to fix the screen on the bedroom window in the Clubhouse.

As I was saying I was making the rounds of the campsites and of course if a refreshing beverage of my choice was offered I was accepting. The proper payment of a refreshing beverage of my choice was of course information about fishing here on Lake Iwanttobethere. During this afternoon of playing Host I spread a wealth of fishing knowledge among the tourist of the camp. Well maybe not since just about every one at the Resort is a town local and Lake Iwanttobethere is so big that even all the locals have their own Honey Holes. The weather was an interesting topic as it was changing about every ten minutes or so. We would have blue sky then a pop up thunderstorm would drop rain on us and a few of them later in the afternoon produced hail. Nothing real big perhaps the size of a dime but yet big enough to sting if you got hit on the top of the ear.

I was over at the Fellows camp when the hail was falling, hiding under a tin metal roof they had erected where they have their campfire. Not much talking was done when the hail fell, might have been because you could not hear anything but the hail on the roof and the Fellows were more concern about the beer that was sitting on the picnic table, the cans were taking a beating. The one thing that was a constant during the entire afternoon was the wind. It never really did get calm that I remember. When the wind died down to about fifteen you could stop holding on to your hat but most of the day it was up around twenty-five or so and then there were gusts on top of that to maybe forty. In the city you have buildings to block the wind some but sitting on the edge of a lake forty miles an hour winds will take your breath away from ya.

Keeping fires going was a chore as most of the wood was wet and when you did get a fire going the smoke seemed to want to go up your nose. I had to cook my hot dog over at the Fellows campsite using a bic lighter, no easy chore. I know you are probably thinking why didn't we just all go inside the Clubhouse and get out of the rain and wind, well that is a simple answer, We were camping! That and the fact that it was eighty degrees out with a wind and a occasional shower it was almost perfect drinking weather. To wet to paint or mow to windy to do any ladder work, yes sir re just a good day to sit back, dodge some hail and drink the refreshing beverage of your choice, or what ever was being offered here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,029,036}

[Bobby Bass]

CHAIN SAWS ARE LIKE mother in laws, here at Lake Iwanttobethere everyone has at least one. Tuesday afternoon found us with a much better day but instead of fishing we spent it on cutting wood. Monday afternoon as I was sitting out of the weather at the Fellows camp at the Resort I along with some of the Fellows heard a loud cracking sound. It was pretty loud as we could hear it over the howling of the wind and our attention was brought to a large maple tree just off the Resort proper but still in sight. The wind was twisting this big old maple pretty good and the tree had a full head of leaves so to speak which was not helping any. The wind was catching the leaves and twisting the tree and sooner or later something had to give and it was the tree.

We stood and watched as the tree just kind of gave up and split. A large limb snapped right off and the rest of the tree just kind of followed the limb down to the ground. The tree settled onto the ground and it made a groan when it came to rest, at least that is what I heard, strangest thing. The down tree soon gathered a crowd as I along with others walked over to survey the damage. We all looked at it differently, Hammering Hank saw fire wood, Vic saw a lot of cleanup and I saw maybe a bench or even a table down the road. I looked at Chuck who has a saw mill and we both had the same thought about harvesting some straight wood from the tree. Not much we could do that day as it was still windy and we don't usually travel with our chain saws in our trucks.

Yesterday after breakfast we attacked the Maple tree like a swarm of human ants. Guys like to cut wood especially when they don't have to cut wood. We had a pretty good turn out of guys and the Fellows were all there to. Chain saws appeared from behind back seats and from the backs of pick up trucks and it did not take that long before the limbs were separated from the trunk and the brush was hauled back into the woods. Having a tractor with a bucket works o so much better then having to drag stuff by hand. If it was thicker then three inches it was cut into firewood. Bigger limbs headed to the log splitter and then tossed into the bucket of the tractor where they were dumped in a pile over by the wood shop. Gary one of the Fellows brought out his "Beast" chain saw and went to work on the trunk. Sawdust was flying as he did his Paul Bunion (a local guy) impression and by late afternoon the tree was gone and just a stump was left.

Chuck and I harvested a couple of nice sections of straight wood that will get some attention. Would have like to taken some bigger pieces but just too big and way too heavy to try and move. The Maple will find its way to the saw mill and when it dries I am sure I will find something to do with it. For now it was just dragged to the wood shop and it will rest there till we get around to it. Vic fired up the BBQ and we had some man size burgers and a few beers and as we sat on benches and leaned against pickup trucks we talked chain saws and bar oil. Wood chips were brushed from hair and pockets were turned inside out. Leather work gloves were set on the back of chairs to dry out. I was a little sore but it was a good sore, comes from working with your hands and knowing that you were going to make good use out of something and not let it go to waste. The big maple is gone but the guys will talk about the wind that took it down and we will gather around the fire place this winter and tell stories of the tree as we hold our open hands to catch the heat from it here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,034,608}

[Bobby Bass]

WENT FISHING YESTERDAY Took a rode trip around the lake to a distant bay that was supposed to be a hot spot. The daughter wanted to go fishing and she had a day off from work and I told her to go a head and pack a cooler and we would head out to a new secret spot. I like it when the daughter packs the lunch, big change over the brown paper bag lunch that is always waiting in the fridge for me. We loaded up the Puddle Humper with the daughter's rods and set out to the secret spot. Took over an hour of driving and I had to look at the map a couple of times but we found the landing. We did not get out of the Tahoe, for the first time that I can remember I was done fishing before I even started. The reason, Wasps. Hundreds of them were swarming the Tahoe as we sat at the landing. I don't know if we drove over a nest or someone was there and did something or they were holding a union rally protesting white Tahoe's but they were banging off the glass loud enough to hear inside. We talked and decided to go to another small bay that I knew of just ten minutes away and we turned around in the landing area too only have the wasps follow us down the road, they were really mad about something.

Flies greeted us at bay number two and this was looking like it was going to be one of those kind of fishing days. We launched and the flies stayed on shore and no sooner did we go about a hundred yards and the wind picked up. We spent two hours tossing a little bit of everything and had one bite to show for it. The daughter was not having a good time and to my surprise she said we should change bays, again. Told her I knew of another bay and we could be fishing in forty-five minutes, she flashed me the thumbs up sign and we made a dash for the landing. We pulled up about a hundred yards from the landing and sat back in our seats as we watched and listened to a couple yell directions at each other as they tried to load their boat onto a trailer. From our vantage point that had two problems, one they didn't want to get wet and two they didn't want to get the trailer's tires wet either.

Finally they put the trailer deeper into the water and got the boat out of the water and up out of the way. The daughter and I beached the Puddle Humper and working like a well-seasoned NASCAR pit crew. We were loaded, tied down and gave a polite nod of our heads as we drove past the couple still working on their boat. Forty-three minutes later we were fishing on another bay. Five minutes later both the daughter and I had already lost fish and we were both in a happy mood again. Fishing was much better as we caught several hammer handle northerns and even managed to put an eighteen inch bass in the boat with the sun setting into the trees. With just enough light to load the Puddle Humper on the trailer we called it a night and headed the Tahoe for home. Never took a lunch break but now we started to dig in the cooler and soon I was munching on a ham and cheese on rye sandwich with Peach lemonade and cubed chunks of watermelon. Yup, I like it when the daughter makes the lunches.

This morning I drove into town and had a short wait at the car wash. The Tahoe was dust covered and the windows were cover in the splatter of moths and other bugs that didn't get out of the way in time. Lot of traffic in town as people were gearing up for the parade and of course I saw a few floats heading over to the high school where the parade will start. I ran into Chuck who was also in town running errands and I told him about not being able to fish his hot spot. We chatted about a few other things and he asked if I was coming to the parade, two of his granddaughters will be marching in the percussion section. I asked if they are in the rim fire or flintlock section and he told me he had one in both. Fourth of July parade, always a big bang here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,040,365}

[Bobby Bass]

FOURTH OF JULY here at Lake Iwanttobethere is just like the fourth anywhere I am guessing. BBQ and parade, some fireworks at dusk and maybe some illegal firework displays. Howling dogs and the pontoon flotilla cruising the water of Lake Iwanttobethere. I say this because in the past I have written about the parade and about the go cart and lawn mower races. Sailboat races and fishing contest and of course the doings on down at the park. But some things just seem to change a little over the years and as I get older I tend to see the fourth a little differently.

The fourth of July this year was a quiet one and I say that because for the first time in almost a month I had a Friday where no one was blowing stuff up with a big enough bang that it would shake the cabin. Today I am surprised to find that they actually gave the road crew a three day weekend and it is quiet enough to sit on the deck and not have to yell to be heard. Then again there was a few things that I did notice when I was in town for the celebration. My neighbor Chuck was in town, he had a place just down from Ma and Pa's Grocery to sit. They had put down some beach towels on the curb and his young granddaughters were sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start. I should take a moment to tell you all that we love tourists, we really do, we love to take their money. Being a tourist though does not give you the right to be rude and on parade day we had a few rude tourists.

The gals were sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start and when the marching band struck up the first song people turned to look up Main Street to catch the first glimpse of them. This is when some tourist just walked around the girls on the curb and stood in front of them blocking their view that that had been waiting for. Now Chuck being Chuck would usually step up and say something to the tourist but with the new wife close at hand he was more reserved. Especially when she whispered loud enough for me to hear "Don't make a scene" I could see Chuck nodding his head but I also knew Chuck would have a back up plan. The plan was simple but effective, he bent down to his granddaughters and gave them each their own sparkler and then he lit them for them.

The girls waving the sparkler's inches away from the bare legs of the tourist who were blocking their view caught their attention. They turned to complain but a glare from Chucks wife quickly had them searching for what one said "A better location" I chuckled to myself and leaned over to Chuck to tell him "Well done" and we both went back to watching the parade and the marching band that was now passing in front of us. I thought the firing of the flintlocks at the end of the song was a nice touch by the percussion section. With the smoke from the flintlocks clearing I watched the rest of the parade and then hitched a ride down to the park. Smell of watermelon was in the air and mix it in with corn on the cob being roasted and sizzling brats on BBQ's my nose was soon twitching.

Some clouds came and went and a few rain drops fell, nothing to get ya wet but enough to make some people run for cover. By sunset the clouds were gone to bother someone else and we arranged our picnic tables and chairs to look out at Root Beer Island and the evenings high light, Nytelyters fireworks display. The marching band played and the timing was perfect as the fireworks were high lighted by the band and the band high lighted by the fireworks. The big closing number had the crowd up clapping and cheering and the final burst had the sky lit up overhead and when the percussion section fired off their flintlocks it was like you were really there, and I guess you really were here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,045,404}

[Bobby Bass]

HEADED INTO TOWN this morning and as I was going out the door the wife was talking about having a hankering for some potato salad. I took that as a hint and added it on to my list of things to get. Road construction crew is working hard, I got a few waves as I drove by, but I had my windows closed and the a/c running. I got to town and I see Main Street is clean and all the hay bales have been removed from the go-cart races. Park is also clean and you can't even tell that the beer ball softball game went into extra innings. Mini- donut cart is stilled chained to one of the maples and so is the hot pretzel cart. I am guessing they will stay there till the county fair opens. A few boat trailers at the access and you can see a few boats out past Root Beer Island. Swimming area has kids out on the diving float and the town's lifeguard is hard at work, no doubt trying to score on one of the tourist girls he is talking to.

First stop is the General Store and I give Big Earl a HIYA as I walk past him into the store. Had to pick up some paper toweling and kitty litter. Made some small talk with Barb the cashier before heading back out to drop the toweling and litter in the back of the Tahoe. Next stop was Amy's Bakery and as I made the short walk to her shop I fell in behind a younger couple who were not local's but I am sure tourists. They were busy chatting back and forth between themselves and when they reached the corner they split apart but I could still hear them chatting away. The gal who was still in front of me walked right up to Amy's Bakery and went inside. I followed her in and I got a better look at her as Amy waited on her at the counter. I had first figured she had one of them headsets for her cell phone on but when I got a good look I saw she was wearing a Google Glass, hi tec arrives here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

Amy waited on the gal and then she left still talking away and in her own little world. I picked up some French bread and a quart of potato salad and made small talk with Amy before heading back to the Tahoe. A few other stops were made, Ma and Pa's Grocery, the Close Enough Shop and then I made a brief stop at Reed the Realtor place. No one answered the door so I just left a note on the door to call me. Getting to be that time of the summer to plan our baseball trip to the big city. Next stop was over at Rocky's Hobby Shop, needed to pick up some paint to touch up some lures I was working on. When I came out of Rocky's I noticed a small crowd across the street at Paul Bunion's TV Repair shop. Not having anything better to do I walked across the street and managed to see what they were all looking at. The guy who was wearing the Google Glass was talking to someone about this cool TV he was watching. I looked over his shoulder to see an old 12 inch black and white TV flickering behind the store front window. Guess this was something so old it was new to the hi tec guy.

Arrived back at the cabin and Duncan ran out to greet me, the old dogs Bud and Barney were no where to be seen. Then I spotted Barney down sitting on the dock and Bud was laying fast asleep under the Puddle Humper in the shade. I gathered up bags and made my way into the cabin and into the kitchen. I was about to tell the wife I had brought her potato salad when I saw the rising steam coming off the stove and through the haze I cold just make out the wife. Why do ladies have to boil water and make potato salad when it is ninety degrees out? Rather then yell which I knew from the past was not going to make any difference I set the bags down and went into the den. I put my keys on the hook and set my wallet and cell phone down on the desk. Walked down the path to the dock and stepped out of my shoes and went the end of the dock. Turned to face the cabin and just let myself fall backwards into the lake. When I came to the surface Duncan was standing at the end of the dock with a ball in his mouth. Seeing me he opened his mouth and dropped the ball into the water and barked once. I must have had water in my ears because it sure sounded like "Fetch" to me, Yup just another summer day here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,051,555}

[Bobby Bass]

COOLER TODAY BUT the trade off it is raining some from time to time. According to Sunshine Ray we are suppose to get some strong winds again this afternoon with the occasional pop up thunderstorms. I am thinking it might be better to fish off the dock then take the Puddle Humper out. This time of the year rain is always welcomed by someone, mostly farmers and gardeners but not so much by parents who would rather like to see their kids outside then inside. Has gotten to be that time of the summer that every time I walk into the gardens to check on progress I pick up a hoe. Still working on hilling tatter plants and cleaning up weeds around the corn and in between the rows of vegetable plants. I did eat the first radish and picked the first strawberry the other day. Have been keeping that a secret from the wife as I figure if I am out there doing the weeding so I should reap the benefits. This is the second year that all the strawberries are inside the fence and in raised beds. I no longer have to share them with Bud who would get to them before I could.

The wife is calling me a profiler lately, and I admit I have become one. I have been profiling robins and everyone that fly's by I'm watching to see where they are heading. Dang birds are still trying to build nests around the property and I have no problem with them in trees but just stay away from the boat house and my ladders. Mayfly hatch is in full swing and some of them guys are really c-130 size. Add the dragon flies that are showing up in flights and it is best to walk around outside the cabin with your mouth shut. Elmer says fishing off his dock has been poor with all the bugs but then Elmer does not really put to much effort fishing off the dock. Just the other day I had to remind him that he is running low on sucker minnows.

Skeeters are another matter the big ones that you can spot heading in your direction from yards away have been replaced with what I call darters. The small tiny little skeeters that throw themselves at you like darts. No messing around looking for a patch of bare skin they just dive bomb in and hope to hit a bare spot. I think their bite is worse then the big guys or I guess I should say gals. Ticks have not been seen which is a tad strange but the spiders are starting to appear. Can't walk into the wood shop without have a few silk strands to go through. Of course not as bad as last year, there was a time there where I had a spider hatch in the shop and I was not in there for a week or so. It was like being in an Indiana Jones movie when I did go in, webs and spider line everywhere.

As I sit here in the den and I am looking at falling rain out one window while I see the steaming roof of the greenhouse out another. A brief shower just fell and has now moved out over the lake. I did have on my to do list today to go and look through my wood pile and see what I have on hand. The granddaughter is going away on vacation here soon for a week and it would be nice if I could build the tree house while she and her sister are gone. Speaking of sisters I just found out the other day that the girls are going to be big sisters, that is how I found out from my granddaughter that she is going to have a little brother or sister and I and the wife are going to be grand parents once again! Come spring I will have someone else I can write about here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,053,614}

[Bobby Bass]

NEVER A GOOD day when you break a fishing rod no matter how many fish you catch. Yesterday it was like a perfect day to go fishing, wind was just right, partly cloudy sky and temperatures a steady seventy-two. Packed a lunch, added some extra chocolate chip cookies and was on my way fishing by two in the afternoon. Arrived at the bay and no one was at the access, launched the Puddle Humper and took the best parking space for the Tahoe and trailer. Pushed the boat out from shore and uncovered the rods of their protective travel sleeves and promptly lost one. I can only figure it must have fallen over the side of the boat and sunk, not a good way to start the afternoon of fishing.

Looked like a top water day so I started of buzzing my way down the shore line. A couple of snake northerns around the pads but no matter what I tossed over the top of the pond weed nothing was biting. I headed to a big bank of reeds and the bites picked up as soon as I got a hundred yards or so in. Black flies were going after my ankles and chewing me up! I got out of the reed/pond weeds but it cost me. I had the new worm rod on the front deck and a reed caught the tip and before I could do anything the front third of the rod got caught behind the bow cleat and it snapped. No sense in swearing as I was all alone so I just muttered some to myself and held the two pieces of a one piece rod in my hand. I got out of the reed bank carrying a bunch of stowaways as the boat was buzzing with flies. I did have a smile on my face when I reached under the seat and pulled out a can of yard guard and sprayed the boat and flies down. Dozens of them fell into the water and I was not about to throw them any life rings.

From there fishing got only worse. Bites were few and far between and I beat up the calm water with a buzz bait and then a frog and even a prop bait. A few days earlier I had banged by wrist against a door and now with all of the casting that was starting to bite me from time to time. I was thinking maybe I would be pulling out early when I had the passing thought of fishing where they ain't. I was fishing a fall pattern and we are only in the second week of July. I headed to the other side of the bay where there are no reeds and no pond weed and starting throwing a spinner bait down the shore line. Ninety minutes later and I had boated sixteen fish and was feeling a lot better. No real big ones, a couple of sixteen inch bass took honors and a couple more northerns went over three pounds, but everyone bent the rod and that is what I had gone fishing for.

I tossed the spinner bait till I was at the landing, hoping for a big one to give me a last cast bite, but it didn't happen. Skeeters were not too bad at the landing, maybe because I had the can of yard guard at the ready. Puddle Humper went on the trailer and I was all secure and headed back to the cabin munching on chocolate chip cookies and listening to a baseball game on the radio. The home team was even ahead in the score so even that was working out. Arrived home well after dark and left the trailer hooked up. Was greeted by dogs and a wave from the wife. Heading for the kitchen and made myself a roast beef sandwich. With the sandwich in one hand and a glass of milk in the other I stepped outside onto the deck and looked at a bright moon and a calm Lake Iwanttobethere, sometimes there are some really good days, even if you do break a fishing rod here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,061,788}