At the lake

Yesterday was a beautiful day - warm and sunny - but not too hot. I decided that I needed more photos for my 365-day photo project so I went off to the lake. This is the biggest lake we have in our town. The water is, of course, fareeeezing!!!! This water was ice solid just a month ago, but it has fish, which I think might be trout.

I didn't have a fishing pole (as if)or a boat (as if), but I just hung around watching everything. I've discovered that photographers have to do this a lot. So, with camera in hand, I didn't feel so self-conscious about watching everything! I even felt bold. Look what I just drove through, after all...the drive down to the lake was terrifying ...and nothing can build one's confidence than surviving something like this...(photo from google)...

The potholes were so deep they went to China. Now I'm not usually afraid of potholes but I lead a very over-protected life, and when I am alone and driving, well, I'm afraid of everything, including driving in China! First I tried to back up. If you've ever seen me back out of my driveway, you'd know that didn't work. I mean my mail-box is bigger than a pothole and I can't seem to avoid that most of the time. Going forward again, I managed to hit each of those darn potholes for the third time. I realized then that there was no going back, just like Columbus. Or some other explorer who never returned. I spurred my old, yet intrepid, station wagon ahead and loyally it went, where any smart horse would fear to tread. A couple hours later (which was probably more like ten minutes) I got there - to the lake shore. Whew.

The pictures make everything look perfect don't they? Well, down at the lake it is sort of different, for there is no beach, no benches, even. Just gravel and small rocks, which no one could possibly sit on. I drove ever forward to get to the very end "lands end" which was another bumpy 1/8 of a mile away, and ended in a DANGER sign for the DAM RUN OFF. Gulp. I edged the car alttle farther, while noticing that the other fearless modes of transpertation were of the suv, jeep, four wheel drive variety. Smugly, I stopped beside a shiny new suv, got out, and started snapping. There was a group of rowday young men flirting with the danger area, and a busload of retired veterans lined up in wheel chairs at the shore each with a fishing pole (and no fish that I could see.)

A young man up to his knees in the water, fly fishing, like he really knew what he was doing, got out of the water and came towards me. Oh. Somehow I'd managed to park my car right next to this expert fisherman's. I was just minding my own business...but...he asked me if I was a photographer "from the newspaper". I can't imagine why! Maybe he was hoping to get his flyfishing technique on the cover of our local paper, or maybe I just looked like I knew what I was doing, frowning at my new digital camera, and squinting at the landscape in an quasi intelligent way. But perhaps this chap was as new to fishing as I was to exploring and photography? He held a bunch of fish that were dangling in a professional way from a line. Wow. I was impressed. They looked like this kind of fish:



Actually, they were a bit smaller, like these:




But who am I to criticize? I've never caught a fish in my entire life! And this bunch would make a great meal for four, and due to the current economic crunch catching fish could lower our grocery budget!

The expert fisherman departed, but not before I told him I was not from the newspaper and I hoped he didn't mind if I snapped his fish. He smiled proudly and didn't seem to mind at all. So...where does all this lead? To my new resolution:

I WANT TO CATCH SOME TROUT! Is that too much to ask? How hard can it be, after all? It could teach me patience, too. This young man made it look so easy and graceful. I'm sure I could do it - as long as someone else handled the hooks and the bloody parts of the operation.

So, I learned something about exploring: It's fun if one can manage the fear element. It will also expose one to new interests, while also getting more pictures for the 365 project. So, you never know!