Fading Beauty

While Sebastian played in the dirt I sought out the fading beauty of the last days of October.

Quality Time

Sebastian and I took advantage of the great weather we've been having and climbed the dam again at Yellowwood Lake.

We set up first over on the spillway wall. It really looked like there could be some fish down there.

Then we moved over to what must be the honey hole since apparently everybody fishes there.

A lake on a gorgeous day always looks so promising.

But things were slow--or rather, dead--so soon we were finding other entertainment options.

We went down the hill to the creek below the spillway. Sebastian wanted to cross on the rocks again.

There was more water than the last time we were here, so at first we went together, over and back. Twice.

Then Sebastian went on his own. He made it all the way over and back once. Then started out again.

Oops.

He got to his feet again and assessed the damage: pants and shoes wet--and the top of his head. Good save, kid. Could have been worse.

He came back and tried to explain how it happened.

We climbed back up and fished a little more. I cast a few spinner baits, but nothing we were doing was working.

We packed up and went down and loaded the car, but Sebastian wasn't ready to go yet. He wanted to play in the dirt. In this digital age where screens can dominate even a child's experience, I am fully supportive of quality time with dirt and rocks.

Another beautiful afternoon well spent.

Things To Do When the Fish Aren't Biting

I took Sebastian with me to the dam at Yellowwood. I thought it might be interesting to hang a nightcrawler out where I caught those big bluegill the other night.

There's no better way to spend a gorgeous October afternoon.

We put two bobbers out over big juicy worms and waited to haul in the fish. And waited. And waited.

There was time to explore the shoreline. We found a woolly worm, or woolly bear caterpillar, if you prefer. They have a place in folklore as predictors of winter weather. According to the formula, the more black hair, the more severe the coming winter. Looks like a mild winter for this area.

We also found a frog. We thought about catching it but it was gone before we could take a step toward it.

And we broke out the snacks, sat on the dam, and shared the big yucks. One of the great things about three-year-olds is that they laugh at almost anything.

We checked the worms--no teeth marks. We recast, waited some more, then went for a walk. Sebastian found a trail and couldn't resist it. Into the woods we went.

The woods were full of sounds: the whisper of falling leaves, the rattle and plop of falling acorns, the chirp of chipmunks, the rustle of squirrels, and the cries of blue jays and woodpeckers.

Sebastian loved it. He would have hiked all the way around the lake. I got him to turn around by promising that we would hike across the dam to see what was over there.

We went back and checked our bobbers--nothing--and then struck out across the dam.

The old spillway was interesting, and it was an enjoyable challenge to pick our way over the stones by the creek.

We went back across the dam and checked our bobbers again. Still nothing. I rebaited the hooks, cast them way out, and we went back to the woods. Sebastian took his supplies with him this time.

The first time we had gone into the woods I taught Sebastian about being quiet, and stopping and listening in hopes of seeing birds and animals. This time he was leading the way, as usual, and I started saying something to him. He turned and shushed me. "Quiet, Grandpa! We need to be quiet."

Attaboy.

We went off trail down to the lakeshore to see if we could see our bobbers from there--I still had this notion that it was a fishing trip. Sebastian was fearless and broke trail for me.

We couldn't see the bobbers but we saw other things. It was fun to watch acorns plooping into the lake, and Sebastian was good at finding different kinds of fungi.

I cut a sapling and carved him a walking stick while we sat on a log and talked quietly about what we saw and heard. Sebastian has always loved to have a stick in his hand, and he put this one to good use.

Once again, he would have gladly hiked around the lake, but we eventually turned around and walked back out into the slanting sun of early evening. We checked our bobbers again. Still motionless. We checked our worms. They hadn't been touched.

We decided that even if the fish weren't hungry, we were, and packed up and headed home for supper.