Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

[Bobby Bass]

 

​June 13th

WELL THE BIG garden is in, finally. I do have some stuff that needs to be transplanted but the spuds are finally in the ground which was the big thing. Of course they have been growing in boxes so I don’t think I lost all that much by putting them in so late. Container garden has been planted for over a week and is doing good and the double row of tobacco is standing up tall and I am looking forward to it taking off here. Of course now that I want it to rain there is none in the forecast but why should I be surprised. I figure the best way to get some rain is I will get the Puddle Humper ready for fishing and the day I plan to go out it will rain.

　

This morning I was down at the lumber yard, needed to pick up a piece of cedar decking to replace a section that split on my big deck. Not looking forward to trying to unscrew screws that have been there for twenty years but who knows I may get lucky. I also had to pick up a concrete sidewalk slab that I will use to put over the top of Barney’s grave as a marker. I loaded that up on a shopping cart and checked out. One of the Luan’s grandsons was working and offered to put the concrete in the Tahoe for me. I told him to go ahead and knock himself out. Having a beard that is going white in summer seems to make everyone thing I am an old man, might as well take advantage of it I say.

　

Speaking of getting old I think I know why Ma and Pa’s grocery does such a bang up business with the older folks. Yesterday I had a hankering for a bologna sandwich and all I had in the fridge was some of the packaged stuff. You got to be working out with the Jack Lalane forearm work out tape in order to have arms big enough to pull the packaging open. There is a lot to be said for just going to see Pa and order your cold cuts cut the way you want and then wrapped in some white paper held together with a piece of masking tape, so much easier.

　

So today the day looks like what Sunshine Ray is forecasting. Cool with a breeze off the lake and some clouds. I started the day off in tee shirt and shorts but I am going to change into some pants and a sweatshirt. Gardens all need to be watered and I will get Barney’s concrete marker set down and I have a coupe of bags of mulch that I want to spread around to make it look good. Have to add his name to the wood marker along side Bud’s name to. Wife says the yard needs a mowing but it is the weekend and we here at Lake Iwanttobethere do have that law against mowing on the weekends. Will just have to wait till Monday but I might be fishing that day so who knows when I will get around to it. One thing about grass it is not going anywhere and it is not like someone else is going to come and cut it.

Last evening with the garden pretty much all done I sat on the covered swing and put flame to a cigar. I was not there twenty seconds when Duncan jumped up and snuggled along side of me. With the cigar in one hand I stroked his back with the other and the daughters two dogs came over and laid down at my feet. The old swing creaked some as I pushed it with my foot and I turned the little radio on to a baseball game. I heard a call of a loon on the lake and a honk of a couple of geese. The sound of someone banging something in a boat across the bay and the smell of a wood fire. Only thing missing was Barney and Bud but they will always be here, with me at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,797,191}

 

[Bobby Bass]

June 14th

SILENT SUNDAY AND it is quiet here at the cabin on the shores of Lake Iwanttobethere. I got a lot of work done yesterday or I should say I got to check off a lot of things on the Honey Do List. With the big garden pretty much in I was free to work on some other projects and I quickly took care of some of the smaller things on the list. One of the things was to move the clay that I had dug up making Barney's grave and I figured it was probably a good idea to move the mound left over from last fall when I dug Bud's. A couple of shovel loads into the wheelbarrow and I thought a better idea was to go over and borrow Chuck's tractor for the job.

Duncan followed me over as he had already tired out the daughters two city dogs. They were sleeping on the deck and would not be moving for awhile. So Duncan and I took the path over to Chuck's and I found him inside the new sauna/greenhouse/guest house looking at a stack of sheet rock. HIYA'S were exchanged and I made mention that I saw the sheet rock and the steel for the roof has arrived. Chuck nodding his head said he was waiting on his son to come over and help him with it. I asked about the tractor and he said no problem, and if I wanted I could dump the clay out back. With business done we both thought that maybe we should sit for awhile and enjoy a break, I agreed. I took my seat out on the screen porch of the sauna/greenhouse/guest house and Chuck yelled out to me if I wanted a coke. I yelled back sure and then he yelled back out to me "New coke or old coke?" I said "Old of course" He then came out with two cans of coke one open and one not. He open his can and gave me the old one.

After awhile I got up and started the tractor and took it over to my place. Scooped up the mound of clay and took it back to Chuck's where I dumped it out back. I parked the tractor and took the path back to my place. With the ground clear I put the concrete slab down and spread a couple of bags of mulch on the boys graves. A couple of sweeps with the broom and the concrete was clean and I picked up the empty bags and told the boys I will talk to them later. Duncan who had been sitting and watching fell into step along side of me and we put the bags in the garbage and went up on the deck to wake the city dogs up.

This morning the city dogs are still asleep when Duncan and I went into town. I needed some gas and so I went to the Gulp-N-Go to fill up a can and top off the Tahoe tank. I could tell right away that Kenny was working as he has recently gone through a divorce and I could hear the country music over the loudspeakers of the gas station when I drove up. I got my gas and a Kit Kat bar and a piece of beef jerky that I split with Duncan, I got the bigger piece. I was heading back through town towards home when I was stuck behind a tourist. You can usually tell by the out of state license plates and the fact that they drive down the center of our two lane main street. Now Lake Iwanttobethere only has but one stop light and it does peeve me when I see a tourist drive right through it. I mean I do to but the locals all know that you can change the light by using your garage door opener.

For awhile there was some talk of putting in a second signal street light but the vote was against it. It was argued that if we had two street light then we would not have a center of town anymore but we would have an uptown and a downtown. That would change the way business advertised as in Big Earl's General Store where he advertises on the local feed report on radio station KCUM as being located in the center of Lake Iwanttobethere. There was also the fact that we would then have to have timed signal lights and would have to get into traffic patterns and flow charts and it was just decided we would stick with the one signal light and just make the yellow light stay on for a long time. I was thinking about all of this as I came up on the red light. I reached up and hit the garage door opener and the light changed to green and I drove on through, on my way home here at Lake Iwanttobethere

 

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[Bobby Bass]

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​June 17th

Communications Vacation Here at Lake Iwanttobethere starting today. I have been thinking about this for awhile and with things slow here this is a good time to take a Communications Vacation. I am going to unplug, unanswer turn off and just flat out ignore the world except what I can see and hear around me. I have several birthday parties to attend in the next week and I am way behind on fishing time. I am going to spend some summer having a vacation like my grand kids do No cell phones, no e-mail just communications the old fashion way. Talking face to face and maybe some hollering across the lake. Going to kick the can and walk with the dog. Fish from the bank and eat bologna sandwiches on home made bread. Sit in a swing for a spell go to bed late and sleep in even later. I got a few buddies who want to try it to, they are already signed up for a day or two but I plan on it last longer then that. Who knows I might even come up with a couple of stories or two if I remember them that is cuz I aint writing nothing down I just going to enjoy experiencing it, Bobby

[ANYFISH2]

Enjoy getting off the grid, so to speak.  Will be looking forward to your return though.

[vermilionfox]

​June 10th

This afternoon I laid my lab Barney to rest alongside his brother. he was a 182 months old. He now joins his brother Bud who passed last October. The two can now run again together and scout the trail ahead of me. Losing another wingman just nine months apart is tearing me up.

​Sorry to hear that.

[Bobby Bass]

 

 

​June 24th

THUNDERSTORM ROLLING THROUGH here as I type this. Got myself caught in the rain as I just came back from town. I was down at the post office, had to mail a few things and I was out of stamps. I was lucky as I had just timed my visit to be at the post office just as Mark came back from lunch. Last couple of days we have finally had the sky open up and drop some water on us. I mowed the other day and once you gave the grass a haircut you could see the ground was pretty dry underneath. Rain barrels are full again and things are popping up in the gardens. Green house is all but empty, just some pepper plants in there that I am seeing how big I can grow. Tobacco plants are thriving but the ones in the rain gutter gardens are doing really well. Especially the ones that I planted in the shade. Been harvesting radishes and have been doing some weeding.

　

Been busy the past week. Staying away from the phone and off the Internet. I see I have not really missed too much, same stories just different names. Have not been home that much as I have been going to birthday parties which this time of the year means BBQ’s My wife, my sister my own and in a few days the youngest daughter who is not so young anymore. I myself had what some call a big one, my sixty-two birthday. To me it is just my good old 744 month birthday. I did get a couple of gifts but I was not looking for them, what I was looking for and received a lot of HUGS. I prefer the hugs over ties or candy bars, both of which my wife says I don’t need any more of. But hugs, I can always use a hug. But the best present I caught was from my granddaughter, she made me a tied dye shirt and it sure is an attention getter! Matter of fact I was wearing it the other day in town and a little girl pointed and me and I heard her tell her ma "Looks it’s Santa on vacation !"

　

Duncan has been at my side this entire time, with the loss of Barney he now spends even more time hanging with me. That’s OK I enjoy his company and he is becoming a good listener. We have spent time on the covered swing together and he has been busy standing watch over the gardens while I work on some of the smaller projects around the cabin. We spent a few days up at the Resort and more then once I found him sleeping on the big deck on his back with his feet pointing up in the air. I think he is really embracing the idea of being on vacation when he is up there. Not much out of the unusually going on at the RESORT. Bait Room has been busy, Arlo stops by looking for worms to go trout fishing with. Gus checks the mail and gets the paper every morning in the camp boat. The other day I saw one of the FELLOWS Gary working on his five horse Johnson. He had the little motored clamped onto the tailgate of his pick up truck and the lower unit in a five gallon bucket of water and the truck backed up against a tree so the bucket could not fall off the bumper. I exchanged HIYA’s with him and went on my way.

　

Tiny’s new and improved car wash venture at the RESORT is out of business. He was getting so busy there he was looking for ways of cutting corners and increasing his CWPH {Cars Washed Per Hour} he came up with the idea of using the tractor. He would run down to the lake and scoop up water in the bucket and then use that to rinse of his cars, saving time. Unfortunately dropping a ¾ yard bucket of water on a soft top convertible is not what the manufacture recommended. As soon as the car dries out Tiny says he will enjoy it since the owner insisted that he just bought it.

As for me I am going to continue my communications vacation. This weekend is Hollering Days here at Lake Iwanttobethere and I have been saving my voice and I expect to place in this years contest Next week is Whisper week as I will be recovering from Hollering. I still have not gone fishing, at least not in the Puddle Humper as of yet. I have been working on a few things around the cabin and I have been getting the boat and trailer ready so I will be out here soon. Just for some reason this year there is no real urge to get out on the water, I think Barney has had a little to do with that but I am getting better and so is the fishing here at Lake Iwanttobethere

 

[Bobby Bass]

June 25th

 

MY FLIP FLOPS made a slapping noise as I walked across the floor here in the Main Room of the RESORT. I came up yesterday between thunderstorms. Scattered across the booths and chairs was an assortment of rain gear. Boots were tipped over on the floor and the ceiling fan was wobbling on high. Hoods flapped a little and the smell of the lake was thick in the air. I reached down to pick up my right boot and saw that someone thought they were funny because a minnow was swimming in my boot. I carried the boot with the minnow back to the BAIT ROOM where I dumped the water and the minnow into the tank. The big Hamms wall clock was off a few hours as we had lost power for a while last night and I thought maybe I should reset it but I didn’t know the time at the time.

　

We were sitting in the boat last night and we could see the dark clouds heading in our direction. Three across the bench seat we sat as we could just make out the warning siren from the town of Lake Iwanttobethere. Elmer sat on my right and Chuck on my left we all kind of cocked our ear to the sound of the wailing siren. Elmer was the first to speak asking if we should seek shelter. Chuck shook his head no and said this is the kind of stuff memories are made of, stories to tell grand kids or exchange for a beer at the Lodge. Elmer nodded his head in agreement and told us he was proud of us boys, it was his idea to get in the boat in the first place.

　

A few drops fell and they splattered on the floor of the boat like we were in a paint ball war. Big drops that left big marks. Elmer passed me his lighter and I put flame to my cigar before passing the lighter to Chuck. We would have a little contest to see who could keep their cigar lit the longest. The wind picked up and the waves started to build. Maple trees were having their seeds torn from the upper branches and they were reaching out all the way to us. I had my hood up and I could hear the seed pods bounce of the back of my head along with the drops of rain that were getting harder to pick out as there was now so many of them.

　

I was startled at the first bolt of lightning that tore open the sky right above our heads and the peal of thunder a second later shook the seat or maybe it was Chuck. Elmer leaned back in the bench seat making a point to show us how comfortable he was wearing his yellow rain slicker that he wore when he was in the merchant marines. The big hood covered his face and just the curl of smoke came out from under it. A steady stream of water ran down his slicker to fall off and land directly on the top of my right boot. We could no longer talk, the rain was too loud and now the thunder was a constant rumble. The sky was dark but flashes of light lit up the lake for as far as one could see. We could see the waves rolling in on us and perfectly timed we watched as a big big wave gathered itself and took shape. With each flash of lightning the wave top got closer and I will admit I was looking for something to grab onto but the shore broke the waves back and it collapsed on itself just short of us.

One by one our cigars went out, I was doing good till the wind caught the brim of Chuck’s hat and tossed a pint of water directly into my face. I think it was planned but shortly there after his cigar went out to. A rain drop the size of a cruise missile took the red tip right off and I chuckled loudly enough for Chuck to hear me. We could not tell about Elmer’s. We could not see his face under the yellow rain slickers hood. Actually now that I think of it I might just have seen his breath and no smoke at all. We sat in the boat for awhile longer and rode out the storm. Somewhere in there the power went out at the RESORT but we didn’t even notice. Water sloshed deep on the floor and I thought maybe I should turn on the bilge pump but it did not really matter, my feet were soaking wet. With the lightning slowing and the rain letting up some I started humming Ghost Riders in the Sky. Chuck joined in and Elmer started to sing in his old man’s raspy voice. Yup, I think we had a memory making moment, good thing we left the boat on the trailer here at Lake Iwanttobethere

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[James_R]

Holy smokes! What on earth happened to HSO? I haven't been here for 6 months and everybody's gone. Were these new changes meant to bring their page traffic down to nothing? I guess it worked. 

[Bobby Bass]

SUMMER IS IN full swing here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Enjoying my communications vacation and I am finding it a little easier everyday to just walk by the desk and not turn the computer on. I am at the desk today because it is the first of the month, actually the day after and I have bills to pay so I turned on the computer. Thought I would jot down a few lines to let you know I am still a live and kicking and Duncan is waving a paw at you that might be hard to see as he is not really putting a lot of effort into it. Nothing exciting going on around here, I am still recovering from Hollering Days and I was hoping to at least place this year but the top three places were all taken by members of the Woman's Auxiliary.

　

Resting my voice this week and it is a good excuse not to do any talking as when I am in town all I need do is point at my throat and everyone nods their head back at me in understanding. I did go see a movie with one of my granddaughters and it was almost like a date. After the movie we went to Stan and Jean’s ice cream truck and after ordering root beer floats we sat at a picnic table and discussed the merits of the movie, those are her words not mine. I went mostly for the popcorn and the movie butter, and of course a chance to spend time with the granddaughter. Jobs at the cabin are never ending, no sooner do I get a page all checked off on the Honey Do List then I turn it to find that the wife has added some more to it. I actually found an entry that said to add more things to the list.

　

Of course there are some unexpected things that are on the list that are not planned for but always seem to come up. Starter went out on the Jeep so that is parked till I can get one of the boys to climb under it and fix it. I can’t do that, I climb under there and the Jeep goes up and down when I breath, no room for me under there. The bright side of that is that the wife has been driving the Tahoe so I can’t go into town and get stuff to work on the honey do list. The bad side is I can’t go into town. Did an inspection of the boat house and more work. I was under there when we had one of them thunderstorms and it was leaking where it should not be leaking. Now I have to do some roofing that was not planned for. You would think a roof would last longer then twenty years...

Garden is doing pretty good, not great but good. Strawberries are just now starting to get ripe and I have another thief working my berry patch over. I discovered just the other night as I caught red handed and red faced my two year old granddaughter who with her mother and they were trying to escape the garden with red fingers and smiling cheeks. That time of the year that when the grand kids come over they head to the garden looking for berries and they keep asking how much longer before the carrots start becoming eating size. Skeeters have not been too bad and the evenings have been cooling down enough that I have not even put the AC in yet. No fishing to report as now the Puddle Humper is blocked in with the Jeep in the way and the ladders out to work on the roof. As for the communications vacation I don’t know where the extra time I was supposed to be saving went. Time management has always been a problem here at Lake Iwanttobethere

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[Bobby Bass]

4th of July

4TH OF JULY here at Lake Iwanttobethere as well as everywhere else. The 4th means a lot of things to a lot of people and fireworks is right up there at the top of the list. Later tonight when the sun goes down Nytelyter will launch fireworks from Root Beer Island as the rest of us will either sit on shore or watch from boats bobbing on the waters of Lake Iwanttobethere. Before that happens there are a lot of other events to get past here at the lake. Summer is in full swing and with the fourth on a Saturday it is going to be a long day for someone who wants to try to take in all of the events let alone try and sample all of the food.

　

Rodeo, stock car races, demolition derby and the pickup trucks pulling boat trailer drag races come to mind. BBQ contest, fresh sweet corn right off the grill rolled in butter from Old McDonnell’s farm. Cold watermelon slices so big they stretch from ear to ear. Polish and hot dogs burnt just right resting in warm fresh buns. Last years state fair pickles and this years Dutch apple pie. Short skirts and halter tops, tans and smiling faces. Friends and neighbors, cold beer, sparklers and firecrackers. Puppies and grand kids, fishing contest, pan fried walleye and jumping bass, teeth filled smiling northerns and bait stealing perch. Kids on docks with little poles with big bobbers and even bigger worms. Smell of grass in the air and waves of corn rippling under a warm breeze. Cows mooing and spotted fawns hiding. Crows looking for free handouts and seagulls cleaning up behind the crowds. Melting ice cream cones and the red white and blue everywhere.

Suntan lotion and insect repellent, umbrellas hanging from arms and sun hats perched on top of heads. Convertibles and slushies. Angry red winged black birds and soaring turkey vultures. Dogs barking and babies crying. Farmer tans and sun dresses. Marching band and flag twirlers, softball game and hot bleacher seats. Warm coke and sticky cotton candy. Willow trees and the shade they provide. Parade and clowns in little cars. Fire truck sirens and lawn mower racing. Sack races and Frisbee tossing. Errant golf shots and a little rain shower. Bees buzzing and dragonflies hovering. Crickets and little frogs, setting sun and the rockets red glare. Just some of the things that come to mind here on a Fourth of July at Lake Iwanttobethere

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[legalmusky]

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​I love it

 

[Bobby Bass]

July 7th

 

[Bobby Bass]

July 7th

UNDER HOUSE ARREST here at the Resort on the hidden bay at Lake Iwanttobethere. House arrest sounds better then being told by Dock Burriem to stay indoors. I have a few health issues that are magnified by the heavy amount of particulates that are currently in the air. Several large fires in Canada are pumping the air full of crud and the winds are bring them right over the top of us here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Last night after supper it was so bad you could actually taste the air and jokingly Vic has been dusting a mirror out on the deck table to show how much stuff is falling. Having Dock here at the Resort is always nice so I went to him and told him I was having a little distress and he told me to get in the Main Room and stay there, so I have been grounded.

　

We did get a couple of inches of rain from the storm that came through here. We were getting ready for it to be much worse but the storm either lost some of its punch or we were lucky and it missed us. The rain we got was more of a steady all night thing not a big downpour with the forecasted high winds. Gardens got a good soaking and they plants are taking off. I think the corn has doubled in size in the past two days. Strawberries are ripening and I notice there is a lot of foot traffic heading to and from the garden here. Does not take long for the word to get out that the strawberries are ripe for the picking. Only thing that keeps us old guys from picking them all at one time is that we get head rushes when we stand back up to quick.

　

Good Fourth of July, lots to do and a lot of people in town for the events. I got my fill of corn and watermelon and I thought I was going to have to bow out as a apple pie judge but I managed to find room. Nytelyter out did himself with the fireworks and was reward with a standing ovation and a long and loud blasting of car and truck horns, clapping and whistling. My grand daughter the fisher person placed third in the bluegill division of the fishing contest and won herself a pole, she told her ma, my daughter that now she needs a rack to hold her rods like PAPA has. Later that day she won a tackle box at the Dew Drop Inn drawing and now she has two of those. I over heard her telling her ma, my daughter that she really is going to need a room for all her fishing stuff pretty soon.

　

The wife’s Jeep is up and running again. Son came over and replaced the starter, was under warranty so it didn’t cost us a dime to fix, pretty rare these days. With her Jeep back up and running I got my Tahoe back and me and Duncan quickly found a reason to come to the Resort for a few days. Speaking of Duncan I don’t know were he is. Last time I saw him he was heading to the berry patch with Vic. Chuck said when he was up there yesterday morning he kicked up a couple of grouse, as soon as Duncan heard the word "Grouse" his ears went up and he gave Chuck a look like "Are you kidding me" Now he has grouse on his mine and whenever someone says berries he is ready to go. So when Vic said he was going to the berry patch Duncan grabbed the ice cream bucket and headed for the door.

So I am sitting in both number one, I have my laptop and a book on the table in front of me. A cigar sits in the ashtray, unlit. Dock Burrium just walked through on his way to the BAIT ROOM and gave me and the cigar one of his doctor looks over the top of his wire rimmed glasses. I just raised my hands and said "I am not smoking it" I turned back to look out the widow and check the tree tops, not stirring at all, The water in the bay is calm and I am thinking of maybe doing some fishing till I see a couple of the FELLOWS walk by wearing gas masks, only here at Lake Iwanttobethere

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[Bobby Bass]

July 9th

 

 

[Bobby Bass]

July 9th

 

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"WHY DON’T YOU just go down and see Big Earl at the General Store and buy a new one?" That is what the wife said to me as she stood in the doorway of the wood shop. On the center table I had the old wood and metal bench that spends three hundred and sixty-five days of the year on the shore here on the hidden bay of Lake Iwanttobethere. Earlier in the day I had driven the garden tractor down to the shoreline and picking up the bench I had balanced it on the hood of the tractor with one hand as I drove with the other. Once I got it to the wood shop I carried it inside and put it up on the cleared center work table. It needed work.

 

I don’t remember when we got it or where it came from I do remember that Barney like to sit on it when he was a pup till he discovered the dock and fish. From ice off till ice back on everyday Barney would spend some time sitting on the end of the dock, staring into the water and watching little fish and big fish. Keeping ducks off the dock and daring the geese to even try and come up on his shore. Even for a big dog Barney sat tall and if you did not know he was a real dog and not some statue on the end of the dock he startled more then his fair share of fishermen when they came close. I spent time sitting on the dock with Barney but I also spent time sitting on the old bench watching Barney watch.

 

The old bench looked even worse now that I had it inside and out of the grass. The metal sides that held the wood slats were rusted and I was missing a board. Several other boards were rotting away and it was probably a good idea I had brought the bench to the shop before someone sat on it and broke the boards and rolled into the lake. The wife shook her head at me and I poked and prodded some. I spoke out load that she may be right, might be better off just to go buy a new one and toss this one in the burn pile. The wife turned and walked away and I sat on my stool looking at the old bench. To many layers of green paint to count on it and more rust then black paint on the metal. I don’t even know what kind of wood was used on the back and seat. Some kind of imported hard wood I guessed.

 

I had a scrapper close to hand and I picked it up and picked at a few flakes of paint. I got to thinking about Barney and how when I sat on the bench and watched him at sunset it was the perfect picture that I never had time to take. Never wanted to get up and lose the moment getting a camera so I would just watch him watching. After a while I started tossing a bobber off the dock with a sucker under it, figured if Barney was going to just sit there and watch I might as well give him something to watch. Little did I know that he became a pretty good fishermen and it got so I could tell by his barks if I was getting a nibble or if something was running with the bait. He even started watching Elmer’s bobber too on the next dock over.

I kept picking away at the peeling paint and I made a decision. I was going to fix the bench and put it back out on the shore, right where I can watch Barney at sunset. Something’s should be fixed and not just tossed away because they are broke and cheaper to replace. Something’s have memories that need to be saved. To someone floating past the shoreline it will just be an old bench sitting in the deep grass looking out over the lake but to me it is a place to keep watching Barney and sunsets here at Lake Iwanttobethere

[Bobby Bass]

 

​July 11th

IT IS NOT the heat, it is the humility that will get you. Words usually spoken from someone sitting comfortable in an air conditioned bar somewhere. Yesterday the daughter and I replaced the roof on the boathouse. The youngest daughter had a day off from work and she with out thinking volunteered to help me with the roof not realizing that I would of course take her up on it. My kids have never been given an allowance instead I let them earn money working with me as they grew up. Of course a couple of things happen here. They get to earn some money, I didn’t just give them money for doing nothing and they learned how to do things. Now that they are all adults the learning how to do things is paying off for them and me. The youngest daughter has learned carpentry skills and she is my roofer. Together we have built several sheds and garages and repaired to many to count. Things have changed some though as now I am the grunt on the ground and she does the work on the roof.

　

After an inspection of the boat house roof it was in need of a little more then some patch work, a few leaks had rotten some sheathing and that had to be replaced. By the end of the day though we had fixed the sheathing and the new roof was on. Some final trim work needs to be done but I will take care of that. The hard part is done and I owe the daughter big time for her help. It was hot out yesterday and this morning we did have to go out and put the ridge cap on. Did not take more then an hour but we were both sweating as unlike yesterday there was no clouds and today not a breath of wind. The daughter came off the roof and I walked over and dropped my tool belt on the grass next to her. I then turned and headed for the lake. I walked out on the dock, turned to face the boat house gave a small salute to my daughter who was watching me and let myself fall backwards into the embracing waters of Lake Iwanttobethere, it was colder then I thought it was going to be!

　

My head just cleared the surface and I was shaking the water from my eyes when Duncan came roaring down the path, hit the dock and before I could yell NO was in the air. Having a full grown lab launching himself at your head is a thing you will remember. I noticed several things in the split second that took several seconds to unfold. First, Duncan can really jump pretty far off the dock. Two, dogs do not gracefully land in the water, they do however land in a kind of cannon ball flop and lucky for me Duncan overshot me and hit the water just past my head. I was just turning my head to yell at the daughter about how close Duncan landed to my head when I saw the daughter in the air doing her cannon ball off the end of the dock.

A few minutes later the three of us sat on the end of the dock with our feet in the water, Well not Duncan he was just sitting on the dock. We let the sun dry us and watched as gills under the dock came out to inspect our toes. The daughter had to leave as she had to go to work but I told her I would be thinking of her as I sat on the dock. That is when I got to thinking about the heat and the humidity as me and Duncan dried off sitting on the dock on the hidden bay of Lake Iwanttobethere

[Bobby Bass]

​July 12th

DON’T FORGET CHUCK’S service the wife said. I was sitting in my chair in the den looking out the big window with Duncan at my side, I was not really listening till she said Chuck’s Service. I know I have been on a communications vacation but I think I would have heard about my neighbor Chuck’s service. I gravely asked "I don’t have to dress up, do I?" The wife answer was "Of course not, it’s Chuck, not a big deal" and with that she gave me a wave and left the cabin. I patted Duncan on his side and since no one was around I had a one side conversation with him. " What is she talking about, a service, I just saw Chuck yesterday when he was coming up his drive in his pickup, Hmm he did have a big box in the back and I had not even given that a second thought, A coffin perhaps. That may seem strange to you reading this but that kind of stuff happens all the time here at Lake Iwanttobethere.

　

I decided I would just walk over to Chuck’s and see what was going on, better to be early for a service rather then late I figured. I took the path and got a little wet, over night we had a thunderstorm and the leaves and branches were still wet. I would bump a branch and get a mini shower for a reward. No extra cars in the driveway so I must be early I thought. I went to knock on the back door but heard Chuck call my name from behind me back in the garage. I followed Duncan over to the garage and walked in, first thing I saw was Chuck standing like a bad dream price is right model in front of a new freezer. That would answer the question about the big box in the back of the pickup. Before I could say anything Chuck waved his hand down the new freezer and started talking about it being an energy star model, frost free and only forty-five bucks a year to run it and he got it on sale from Big Earl. I just shook my head at him and said "When did you get old?" Then I checked out the extra capacity baskets and the "Quick" freeze feature inside the freezer.

　

So I leaned back in my chair with a cold Hamms in my hand, a few more were in the "Quick Freeze section" of the freezer, we were checking the freezer out and just chatting. Topic came up about the service and it made sense to me. Chuck was having a service for the old freezer. The plan was to dig a grave in the pasture and just bury the old freezer since you can’t get nothing for it from Mike down at the scrap yard and the FELLOWS no longer will just haul it away for free. The FELLOWS like most handy men would haul scrap away for free when scrap was worth something or charge you a small fee when scrap was down. What ends up happening is they don’t make a trip to the scrap yard for just one appliance so they bring them home and toss them out back till they get enough for "A Load" of course the money is spent for hauling the appliance away so what happens is the FELLOWS never get around to getting rid of the scrap till Sheriff Tim threatens them with a blight ticket.

　

The FELLOWS are out of business doing scrap as none of their wives or girlfriends will let them stock pile scrap anymore. Of course there is or was the incident with the microwaves that really was the last straw so to speak. Microwaves you have to pay to get rid of and the FELLOWS made some pretty good beer money hauling them away. Of course when they got a pretty good pile at Tiny’s house Sheriff Tim took notice and told them they had to get them out of the front yard. Tiny found out how much it cost to get rid of them and instead he came up with another idea. When Sheriff Tim wrote Tiny the blight ticket he fought it claming the microwaves stacked on top of each other were not junk but a "Microwave Tower" when that didn’t work he then claimed the tower as "Art" The ticket was dropped when a couple of tourist were seen in town asking for directions to the "Microwave Tower" here at Lake Iwanttobethere

​

[Dotch]

Mmmmm...cold Hamms. Is there anything they can't do? 

[Bobby Bass]

Mmmmm...cold Hamms. Is there anything they can't do? 

​I understand that the FELLOWS are not very good at Needlepoint and making French Pastries or is it Pasties, you know the ones you don't wear or put gravy on.

[Bobby Bass]

July 17th

 

SUMMER HAS REACHED its halfway point here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Has been a wet one so far which is good or bad depending on how you look at it. The lake was down since we did not have much snow to melt but now with the rains it has come up some. I only just the other day put the a/c unit in the window of the cabin and have only turned it on twice this week. A few thunderstorms have come through but it seems the real heavy rain and wind has gone around the lake so no damage or trees down around here. I got my roof on the boat house and even the trim has been installed. Yesterday I put ladders and saws and tools all away and took a step back and looked at the finished boat house, good to go for another twenty years I hope. Over at my neighbors Chuck’s place he to got his metal roof on his new building, still has trim to do but then he had a lot bigger roof to do then I did.

　

Gardens are doing good and I am pleased with the rain gutter gardens that I am experimenting with this summer. I am already making plans to expanded them next year. Tobacco is starting to grow and on some plants you can see the difference from day to day. Yard is all mowed and even trimmed but with all the rain it is a weekly chore, normally by this time of summer it slows down but not this year. Every morning now I make a walk of the gardens and pick strawberries for breakfast. Raspberries are starting to ripen also so I have a choice for what I want to put in the blender. Number three granddaughter who turns two the end of the month has discovered she loves raspberries and at her height she gets to pick all the low ones on the bushes. She has not figured out the part about putting the berries in the bowl they instead seem to end up in her mouth.

　

With the boat house repairs made and now cleaned up and the Jeep back running I can turn my attention to fishing myself. Normally I would be out a few times by now but this season I have been nursing a shoulder and I think after putting the roof on the shoulder is working OK. I have lost a few trips fishing but I did get stuff done around the cabin which I hope will mean a few extra makeup fishing trips later this summer and fall. I much prefer middle of August till late October for fishing and while everyone else is watching football I will be with Chuck alone on Lake Iwanttobethere catching fish, I hope. Of course I do keep an ear open for fishing reports and most of what I have been hearing this summer so far as that fishing has not been all that great. Sure people are catching fish but not many big ones and they are sometimes having to work for a meal on some days. The steady dose of thunderstorms have a way of keeping people off the water. Arlo though has been having a good trout summer, all the rains are keeping his creeks wet from bank to bank.

My neighbor Chuck has been having a busy summer also, he just dropped a mess of trees that are infested with pine beetle and another big bonfire is scheduled in the pasture later this week. Terrible to see all that wood go to waste but nothing can be done. He to is hoping to finish up his big projects so he can join me fishing this fall, of course we will also have to fit some hunting days in here with Duncan, going to be a busy fall I think here at Lake Iwanttobethere

 

Edited July 17, 2015 by Bobby Bass

[Bobby Bass]

 

July 19th

SITTING INSIDE THE cabin with a glass of lemonade and a panting brown dog on the floor alongside of me. We had a huge mayfly hatch here and I just came in from a half hour of using the leaf blower trying to clear the deck and driveway. I suppose the floodlights attracted the invasion of mayflies as they are everywhere. I first noticed them this morning when there were dozens of them resting on top of the skylight. I let Duncan outside and he ran across the deck to the grass trying to figure out what he was walking on. I got the leaf blower out and blew away hundreds if not thousands off the big deck and the path to the dock. Somewhat of a losing battle as no sooner did I blow the dock off then the path back to the cabin was covered again. I was thinking about fishing today but I can’t compete with all of them mayflies on the water. The sound of gills snapping up the mayflies off the surface sounds like the Ladies Auxiliary at a free buffet line.

　

Looks like several warm days are going to take up most of the week with no real rain forecasted. Of course Sunshine Ray will take the credit if it does pan out that way. I have been pretty lazy the past few days, red needle on the bass thermometer has been nudging the bottom of ninety and if it was not for the wind it would be uncomfortable just sitting out on the deck in the shade doing nothing. The wife has been attending her high school reunion events in town. I have been left with Duncan which is just fine for the both of us. The wife has an old high school girlfriend staying with us and it is like the two of them are back in school again. Lot of whispering going on and smiles at me when I walk by. I am four years older then my wife so I don’t really know any of her high school friends or classmates. Of course this does not stop me from pulling a few chains when I have been in town.

　

Last night I made a trip to the Lodge for awhile and when I drove by the high school they were having a mixer. I drove by slowly and waved and honked at people and it is funny how when someone honks the first thing you do is throw up your hand to wave back. I smiled and chuckled some to myself as I drove by and they stood there waving their hands back at me trying to figure out who the heck I was. Later at the Lodge I found out I was not the only one messing with the class of 1976 as some of the FELLOWS attended the mixer and they didn’t even go to the school but they had heard there was a free bar.

So I have been in and out of the cabin today, started writing this early this morning then got distracted a few times. Just came in now from checking the gardens and watering some of the potted plants which when it is hot and windy out tend to dry up quickly. Big deck is in the shade so I sat a spell and just took in the breeze and watched as the Mayflies just kind of disappeared. Guess they had somewhere to go and in there place I now have some dragon flies buzzing the place along with the welcomed bees. Some horseflies the size of small bombers have started showing up. And if it was not for the strong winds skeeters would be joining me in the shade. We do have a hummingbird that has put my flower pots on his or her daily fly by. Well the wife is back from seeing her old girl friend off and now I will have to lit a cigar and sit in the shade and act interested in hearing all that she has to say about the past weekend. I will make sure that I face the water here so I can at least watch the bluegills feast on the Mayflies here at Lake Iwanttobethere

 

[Bobby Bass]

July 21st

WHEN IS FIFTY-NINE degrees cool? It sure feels cool after a week of temperatures in the eighties. I was up walking the gardens at seven this morning and fifty-nine degrees felt a little cool, almost cool enough to put on a sweat shirt but after walking a little I warmed up. I was thinking about this past winter and how fifty-nine degrees would have been a good excuse to be walking around in the snow in just a tee shirt and shorts. Fifty-nine degrees is a great sleeping temperature and the cabin cooled off nicely last night. It did get a little warmer then what Sunshine Ray was forecasting but I did not have anything planned for yesterday so I just relaxed and spent most of the day in the shade reading.

　

My neighbor Elmer spends a lot of his time in what he calls the Squirrel Cage. It is a screen house that he has on his back deck and people in the city would call it a three season porch. He has a big table in there with several easy chairs and a fridge. He also has a ceiling fan and drapes that he opens and closes depending on where the sun is and how much wind is coming off the lake. He calls it the squirrel cage as he feels like a squirrel in there trapped but cozy. Elmer spends a lot of time just sitting in there and reading and now as I get older I find myself doing the same thing, just sitting outside kicked back and reading. Yesterday I spent time on the deck reading after an afternoon of shopping with my two daughters. The wife took the grand kids under her wing and the daughters convinced me to be their chauffeur as they when shopping. I drove them to the main doors of several stores, dropped them off and then picked them up when they were done. So much easier to hit a lot of stores that way.

　

I didn’t mind I had a baseball game on the radio to listen to and a cigar to smoke. While I was waiting at one store I cleaned out my phone of pictures and I found a video that I had completely forgotten about. It was of Bud walking into the den and barking at me. I played it back several times and that annoying loud bark of his made me smile and reminded me how much I missed him. When the girls came back to the Tahoe I played the video for them and they watched it a couple of times, we drove to the next store talking of Bud and his annoying loud bark. I am kind of a middle of the road tech kind of a guy. I have a cell phone but nothing really special, nothing like my kids that they carry around and have their whole lives on. I have GPS and a pretty decent graph on the Puddle Humper but a lot of time I don’t even turn it on. But yesterday I was glad I had video on my phone and I had found a memory of Bud.

　

I always say that the best time of the year is in middle of September, the weather is dry for the most part and all you need is a sweatshirt and you can still wear shorts. Fishing is good and bird hunting season has just started. Skeeters are gone as well as the biting flies. Lakes are quiet and there is no problem finding parking at the landing. Supper is fresh fish and veggies from the garden and apple pie is not too far away as the trees are full of ripening apples. Grass no longer has to be mowed every week and there is a hint of color on the leaves on the trees. A good time of the year to be out and about but this time is not so bad either. I spent the late afternoon sitting on the deck sipping lemonade and I would look around me when I got to the end of a chapter in the book I was reading.

A soft breeze made the wind chimes ring just a little, robins singing, bees buzzing by being busy. Yellow blossoms on the tomato plants in the big deck planters and the cucumbers climbing the trellis. Small cucumbers already growing the size of my little finger and it looks like there is going to be a lot of them. Out past the railing I can see the big garden and the corn is starting to get tall enough so that the wind makes the tops shake some. Duncan laying in the grass in the middle of the yard on his back with his feet pointing at white clouds floating by and his tongue hanging out of his mouth totally content just to be where he is. Sound of small waves lapping against the dock and the sound of the old wood row boat creaking as wood rubs against wood. A distant cow mooing from Old McDonnell’s farm and a single curse word coming from my neighbors Chuck’s place. I think he messed up on something as he is putting the roof trim on his new building. I sit and listen for a follow up curse but it must not have been that bad and all is quiet here on the hidden bay of Lake Iwanttobethere

 

 

 

[Bobby Bass]

July 22nd

 

　

　

WENT TO THE Zoo today, twice! First off, yes we do have a Zoo here at Lake Iwanttobethere, not like a big city Zoo but never the less it is still a Zoo. I was at the Zoo twice because the number 2 grand daughter is in Zoo camp this week. The daughter was having car problems so at seven this morning I got a call to see if I could run the grand daughter to and from the Zoo. I picked the grand daughter up and we made small talk on the way to the Zoo, she told me she got to watch when they fed the lions on Monday. She told me the big male gets twenty pounds of ground beef and I asked if it was a big cheese burger and got a "Look" in return. We parked near the entrance because all I had to do was check her in and I open the door of the Tahoe to find a Peacock about five feet away in the next parking space over. The bird was giving me a look like I just took his or her space.

　

The granddaughter said she was not too sure about this as we both got out of the truck under the watchful eye of the Peacock who was standing on one leg and leaning in our direction. For awhile there I though the bird was getting ready to deliver a superman punch at one of us. We walked around the truck and the bird went his way and we went ours. After I signed in the daughter I went back to the Tahoe and got in just as the Peacock came around from the next car over. I backed out and the Peacock walked right to my parking space and gave me the evil eye. I made a mental note not to park there when I return to pick up the granddaughter.

　

Since I had a few hours to kill I made my way over to the Lodge. Found my parking space open at the back and checked for Peacocks before I got out. Walked in from the bright sunshine to the darkness of the Lodge and the sound of coolers running and the welcomed cool breeze from the ceiling fans. Drapes were pulled across the big windows to block the sunshine and the TV was on in the corner, tuned to some news channel. I walked over to the popcorn machine and filled a bowl half full and headed around the bar to my office, well actually Gus’s office in the summer time. Found the inbox with my name on it and a mess of outdated pink message slips along with a couple of bar tabs. Took a glance at the calendar and saw that it is my birthday today, yup I am 745 months old today. To me that sounds like a piece of apple pie on the house so I headed through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

　

Radio was on and I spotted Gus with a big mound of dough, he was rolling it out and as we chatted he used a beer mug to cut out big biscuits. I watched as he loaded up the cookie sheets and set the soon to be biscuits in the oven. Nothing new going on, Lodge has been pretty quiet. Lunch is always busy but after that no one really shows up till the sun goes down. Honey Sauce was scheduled to be in soon and I decided I was going to move on but told Gus to say HIYA to her for me. Went out the swinging screen door and left the cool of the Lodge for the humid morning. Got in the Tahoe and rolled the windows down and took a drive down along the access road. Few guys were already fishing or maybe they had been fishing overnight, was hard to tell if they were sleeping in their chairs or just had their hats down low to block out the sunlight coming off the slack water of Lake Iwanttobethere.

　

As I drove through town I got waved over a few times for a few conversations. Asked for directions twice by some tourists and some out of state SUV honked their horn at me, Don’t know what I did so I waved most of my fingers back at him. Got back to the Zoo just as the granddaughter was coming out, didn’t even have to park, just rolled up and she hopped in and I signed for her. Good thing to as I was just pulling away and not one but a gang of Peacocks appeared in my rearview mirror. I swear one of them was pointed a wing at me and it was easy to make believe they were talking about me being the guy who took their parking space this morning, here at Lake Iwanttobethere

 

[Bobby Bass]

 

July 24th

PERFECT TIMING I was thinking this morning when I woke up. I rolled over and opened my eyes to find Duncan not inches away from my face looking back at me. I already knew why he was sitting at the side of the bed with his head on my mattresses, staring. He had to go outside. Now that I was awake I rolled on my side, put my feet on the floor and sat up. I stretched some and rolled my head on my neck to make sure it was still working and that is when I noticed the sound of rain falling over the sound of the chugging A/C. I stood up and walked to the window, moved the blinds and was greeted with a few beads of rain running down the window, perfect timing as just yesterday one of my rain barrels had gone dry.

　

I followed Duncan down the hall and I let him out the deck door. A few rain drops were not going to slow him down at all and he ran out the door across the deck and jumped into the new day. I followed and I think I missed the rain as all there was just drops coming off the roof to splat on the wet deck. I checked the red needle on the bass thermometer and it was just a nudge below seventy but with it wet out it felt pretty comfortable. I followed Duncan off the deck into the deep wet grass of the yard. I was suppose to mow yesterday but I just didn’t get around to it. I think I was distracted by a book and the afternoon movie that I went to see. My shoes were wet in the first few steps and I took a tour of the gardens, Looks like enough rain fell that I will not have to water and I checked the empty rain barrow that had some sloshing in it when I tipped it but no where close to being full.

　

Duncan took care of his pressing needs and soon he was a step behind me as we walked the yard. I kind of felt like a foreman as I talked to Duncan as I inspected the strawberry patch and the flower pots. He would pause behind me and look where I looked and if he had a clipboard I would think he would be taking notes. I open the big gate and went in the garden, Duncan is allowed in there now as all the plants are big enough that he can’t step on them any more. He quickly goes up and down the rows looking for chipmunks and rabbits and returns to me and gives me the" All Clear Boss" bark. I grab the hoe that is leaning up against the fence and walk the rows, chipping away at weeds that always just seem to pop up overnight. Does not take long and I am wet from the knees down, we got enough water to get everything wet and as I look at the raspberry bushes I think I should have brought out a bowl.

With the yard walked I let Duncan back inside the cabin and headed to the kitchen. I am thinking that a sandwich might be good for breakfast this morning. Unusual you might think but last night the wife was in town and she did not feel like cooking so she brought home the town bird for supper. OK we all know we have a state bird but Lake Iwanttobethere a long time ago declared that rotisserie chicken is the town bird. Was thinking a chicken sandwich just might hit the spot that is when I heard the wife yelling. As I open the fridge and reached for the bird I smiled to myself as I figured Duncan the wet brown dog had climbed in bed with the wife, Just perfect here at Lake Iwanttobethere

[Dotch]

Many a morning when I open one eye, the first thing I see are Ruby's nostrils staring me in the face from the edge of the bed.