Regarding Fishing

Lane just received a little note from my aunt wondering if he's gotten to fish lately.  She figured it was too cold and the season must be done.  Any normal person would agree with her.  I chuckled.  Fishermen are not normal.  They like the windy days (big water = big fish, if the locals around here can be believed), the freezing cold days (ice fishing anyone?), early mornings (why isn't the sun up yet?!) ... the list goes on.  If you've been following this blog a while, you might have figured out that my husband is a fisherman.  My eldest child too.  Maybe you even wonder, she's busy documenting the fishing but does she enjoy it? 

On our first 'official' date, we spent the day at the coast and finished up at a chowder house for dinner.  When the waitress came to take our order, Ryan ordered the slumgullion chowder and then got a surprise when I ordered the clucks and fries.  Ryan the fisherman just found out that his girlfriend/future wife avoids seafood whenever possible.  Instead of being dismayed, he just decided to view it as a challenge.  He'd help me learn to enjoy fish. 

When we married, we came to an agreement.  I'd fish with him as long as I didn't have to bait the hook, remove the fish from the hook or clean the fish.  I'd even cook it for him, although not nearly as often as he'd prefer I'm sure.  So far the agreement has stood.  Although the other night Morgan announced that she didn't have to eat the fish since Mommy didn't either.  Sigh ... I really am going to have to work on that.  

I do enjoy the fishing part.  What's not to love about watching my children's excitement when a fish lands in the boat?  Or seeing the wide grin on my husband's face just because he's on the water?  Or reading a good book when the catching's slow (although that worked better before the kids came along)?  Or even (dare I admit it?) the excitement of reeling in a feisty one?

Seeing as I am the main photographer around here and also the editor of this blog, not too many pictures get taken of Mommy and even less get published.  Like this one from late summer:

Ryan wondered why I hadn't posted it.  Ummm....I'm grimacing?  "Yeah but you're HOLDING that fish!" he replied.  In my mind I look at this picture and remember the "quick take the picture, I'm going to drop this thing!" feeling, whereas Ryan sees progress.  Sorry honey - I still draw the line at baiting hooks!  And ice fishing ... and super early mornings ... and especially windy days ... I guess you could call me a fair weather fisher lady. 

In other words ... normal.