Can you tell me where the time has gone?  #26

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “Where did the time go?” Was it related to your children and their growing up way to fast?  Well I do seem to say that from time to time, and this past week was no exception. TC and I were fortunate to have had both our sons home for a visit. Now, what do you think an avid fisherman would do during a visit with their family that loves to fish? If you said fish, you got the gold star for the day. TC, the two boys and I went to the woods on Thursday and came out Friday night. After going through the six mile checkpoint, we headed to Churchill Dam to show the boys what that area had to offer. While there, they both got to fish just below the red stakes at the dam and really had a great time catching fish. We took lots of photos of them with their waders on working their way downstream. At the end of the day, we had a long journey back to Chandler Lake Camps where we were staying for the night, so we called them out of the water, which they were reluctant to do, and headed back down the Pelletier and Pelletier road to the camp.

The next day, we left the camps and headed to our old reliable fishing hole, Ragged Mountain Pond and spend the day fishing. The weather was great, the company was wonderful and the fish cooperated very well. We ended up putting a lot of fish back, but did come out with three nice trout. As we were packing to leave, our youngest let us know that he really didn’t want to leave, so we had them go back out in the canoe while we finished packing. As we were driving out, I looked in the rear view mirror at both boys in the back seat of the truck. They were both sound asleep. It made me think of the times when they were young and we would go on a trip and they would be fast asleep in the backseat in no time.

They both had to head back to their respective homes the following day, and TC and I were both saddened that the time had gone so quickly. Each has his own life now, but they really enjoy coming back and spending time with us which we appreciate and enjoy as much as them. I could not help but watch their faces in that canoe when they got a fish. It reminded me of times passed when they were still young. It brought a lot of satisfaction to both TC and I that they had a good time while they were here.  

You always wish the best for your children, and TC and I are no exception. You cherish the time you have with them and the time when they are home growing up. But when they leave to their own lives, you cherish the time spent with them even more, and you catch yourself saying, as I did, where did the time go?

From the INBOX:
I heard from a reader who read my blog on little Kearston. He sent the blog to his daughter who works for the American Cancer Society. Alison got back to me and wants to be kept apprised of Kearstons progress. If we hear of any updates, we will surely do so.

We all need to be thankful!  #25

You know, I am fortunate. I am very thankful that I have been healthy enough to do the things I want to do. Stop and think for a minute about the things we take for granted every day of our lives.  In my life, I get to choose when I want to hunt and fish. Where I want to go to hunt and fish, and how long I want to stay there.  I get to plan for these excursions without having to worry about other things that might prevent me from doing them, like my health.

TC and I are proud of where we grew up. The people in Fort Kent, not unlike other towns and cities, are hardworking folks that really care about the people around them. We are just a bit more partial to them and what they do. We get back to Fort Kent as much as we can, but not like years past when our family was all together and we visited relatives there.  We still keep tabs on them, and somehow feel their pain when something happens there. In this particular case, the town is joining together to help one of its own.  She is a little 3 year old girl who has been diagnosed with a form of childhood leukemia, and her name is Kearston Albert.

Now, TC and I have never met Kearston or her family but my friends on Facebook from Fort Kent have kept us all informed about her illness and their desire to help the family. See, that is what folks in Fort Kent do so well. They are already developing fundraisers for her and her family to help them as they go forward.  I also read about Kearston in an article that was well done by the Bangor Daily News on September 12.  The article spoke of her mother and how she told Kearston that they were both princesses and were going to slay the dragons together.  My heart melted when I continued to read the article, and after some of her treatments, Kearston told her mother that she didn’t want to slay the dragons anymore.

TC and I will be following Kearston as she travels down the road to recovery.  And I know that our friends in Fort Kent will keep us posted on her progress.  It also puts in perspective for me how lucky I have been and currently am. Each of us needs to remember that as we wake up every day. I know for sure that the next time I go in the woods; I will remember how fortunate I am.

Kearston, you keep slaying those dragons with your mom until you have gotten every last one.  Remember, that you have folks you don’t even know who are thinking of you and your family. We will be keeping track of your progress. That’s what folks from Fort Kent do.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/12/news/aroostook/community-rallies-for-3-year-old-fort-kent-girl-with-leukemia/

My day with Rosaire  #24

If you read my blogs, you know that I wrote one back in April about an older fisherman that I have spent time with over the years. Well, last week, TC told me that it was time to head back to the St John Valley and do some fishing. As you might expect, I jumped at the chance to get up there and to spend some time with Rosaire. Now he is 87 years young and is still going strong. He has been fishing all summer and at certain times, has been doing quite well.  Well, a quick call to him generated a favorable response and up I went.

When I got there, he was just about ready to go. Now, he doesn’t move as fast as he used to, however, he is quick on his feet when it’s time to go fishing. We also invited his oldest son Paul to join us. When I was on the phone with him, I asked where he wanted to go. As always, he said you choose. When we got ready to go, he let me know that we were going to McLean Lake.

Off we went to the lake with Rosaire in front and Paul in the back seat. When we got there, it was a short walk into the Lake from the road where we parked the truck. We carried all the equipment down to the Lake and let Rosaire walk down in his own time. When we got there, we inspected the shoreline and Rosaire did his walk around to make sure all was to his liking. We got in the boat and paddled out. I asked Rosaire where he wanted to fish and he responded, “You are the captain, I’ll go where you want.” That was short lived, because as I was paddling to a spot that I liked the looks of, he quickly told me that we needed to go somewhere else and that spot was not good.  My captain’s job was once again short lived.  

We fished for about 4 hours and Paul caught five trout, but we were fishless. Toward the end, Rosaire let me know, jokingly, that he was two fish short of his limit. That has significance, because the limit on that lake is two fish. At about 7pm, I noticed that Rosaire reeled his line in, took his reel off, and took his pole apart. I asked if that was a signal that he was done and he said yes. He let me know that there were no fish jumping and it was time to go. So, we paddled to the shore, got all the stuff and walked up the path to the truck. I went back to get the things Rosaire was carrying so as to lighten his load. He finally made it to the truck and we headed back to Fort Kent.

All in all, it was a good day. We had not caught any fish, but I got to spend time with an 87 year old man who had a passion for fishing. It has never ceased to amaze me that notwithstanding his age, Rosaire is very agile. He is not as fast as I remember him being in past years, but just being able to fish is a tall order and he does it well. I look forward to next year. Maybe he will really let me be the captain of the boat then. I think not.