I'm on a boat

The reunion officially starts each year with the Saturday morning pontoon boat on Greenleaf lake. This year was a year of fishing and the most successful yet. We caught four fish total (2 of which were caught by me, who will be referred to as Master Angler from here on out). Luckily though, Master Anglers are not required to remove their own fish from hooks. Catching and touching are two different skill sets altogether.

The boat is a mixed bag for John Nathan. While, like the rest of us, he enjoys the time out on the lake, his fear of the "scareball" tends to counteract said joy. He puts on 4 different layers of sunscreen in most instances and this year in a last minute "I ain't playin'" move, he went for the umbrella. All this time I have been getting him computer games for his birthday and should have been investing in parasols...

(Like father like son)

(Hadley's first pontoon ride)

(Mom taking a page out of Jess's book and self taking a pic of her and dad)

(I LOVE this smile)

(But all that excitement wears a boy out.)

As we approached the sun's peak, we decided it was time to jump in and cool off. The water was the perfect temperature but without an anchor on the boat, we found ourselves playing a little bit of catchup everytime it started to float away. Due to the migration, we eventually ended up closer to shore and with shore comes plants. At one point they had grown so thick that we needed to drive the boat with swimmers hanging on to get out of the marshy area. The entire time Jess and Joshy are screaming from the plants up around their legs. Jess is hanging on to John's neck, keeping herself afloat by pushing John under. He is trying to hang on to the boat to not get left behind, I am trying to drive slow enough to not leave any collateral damage in my wake. You wouldn't think some water plants could create so much drama but that's easy for the Master Angler to say now. Put me back in the water with the leafy tendrils and I am freaking out all the same. Seriously, it is just gross.

(Reason #102 why it is a bad idea to take a dog scared of the water into the lake with you.)

(Here is the problem. What goes in....must come out...)

One of the best things is looking back and seeing how much the boys have grown. Hard to believe the different three years makes.

Joshy

2010

2009

2008

Ben

2010

2009

2008

As the last requirement of any day on the boat, we wrapped up the journey by getting stuck in the sand. The boys watched as papa walked along the sand bar to try and formulate how we planned to get outselves out. When in a boat, waste deep water is generally not a great thing.

Not to take away the suspense, but between Ross and Dad, they got us going and unlodged from the sand. The rest of us pitched in by...doing nothing. Do I feel bad, you ask. Not really. That is why there is social order. Master Angler at the top and then pretty much everyone else. Yah servents...yah.