Forecast- Cold

The high of twenty two today and a low of twelve. Forecast for the next few months is cold, very cold. Its mornings that are like these, making it so tempting to take the rod out and try my luck. Fighting the frostbite, or feeling of such that quickly consumes the fingers and toes, its all you can do to keep them warm enough so as not to fall off. You wouldn't think by how beautiful and calm everything is, how frigid the air really is. You wouldn't think that the slightest bit of moisture on your boots instantly freezes your feet to the deck of the boat. Its hard to imagine your fishing reel seizing up while the line is still in the water because a coating of ice now overtakes any mechanical capability there was. However cold it may seem, the fish are still there and waiting to be caught. I rowed my boat to the other side of the river, trying to give myself another advantage over the fish by coming from a different angle. So as I row, closer and closer I get to the sheet of ice that now wraps the shoreline, being preserved from lack of sunlight. I smash into it, hardly even a crack. The ice is getting thicker by the day and soon the lake will be frozen. At that point I'll be wishing I had a pair of skates to enjoy the largest ice skating rink I'll probably ever be on. First cast off the new side, watching and listening for any animals at my back, testing the drag to compensate for the ice already forming on the rod tip, I barely start to reel and out of no where a tug that nearly took the iced over handle of the rod out of my double layer gloved hands. It was already a good fight when a couple minutes into it my arm was feeling the strain. This was a hen, a massive female rainbow trout that was so gorgeous, so football shaped and such a reward, it was all I could do to pull my camera out and snap a few shots before releasing her. I would estimate over five pounds and approximately the shy side of two feet. She was my pride and joy.

I would go on to catch a few others, nothing that nice, however on my way back up to the boat, almost in the exact same spot, another cast produced similar results. This time with a male, perfectly unblemished, colors that would define a rainbow out of an encyclopedia, and just the look of purity. The thought of dinner didn't even cross my mind with that one, and a clean release was the end to a great morning.

Breakfast, now lunch would be Grayling Fritters missing the tartar sauce though. Its a very good white fleshed fish that requires skinning prior to cooking. The texture is much like Halibut, but there is no comparison. It was a good snack. I am pleased to say that there are river otters here, and this time for certain. There is a family of four across the way, coming out in the mornings occasionally, mostly at night to play and swim, knock each other around a bit and dive off of rocks. They are an entertaining bunch, and hopefully they won't hesitate to become neighbors as the time moves along. Picasso is constantly harassed by the fox and I've just let them be. The most reliable is the fox, who comes for breakfast and dinner. He leaves in the day time, most days that is and I don't know where he is off to. We all have things to do I suppose.

I had company the other night for dinner. It was my sister and her husband via Skype. That video chatting has been interesting to see people from a distance but I like it. The menu was soup, and mine was more of a stew, called Hash brown stew. I don't have potato's so boxed and dried hash browns work just the same, adding a distinct flavor and overall I'm pretty sure I'll never eat hash browns and look at them in the same way again. No picture* (Picture soupy hash browns)

I am out of pistachios, out of Costco trail mix. I only have one bottle of salsa left so outlook on life is a little grim. There is plenty of other food I'm sure I'll get my hands into, not the normal snacks, but with cases upon cases of olives, its quite possible I will enjoy the taste of an olive by the time I leave here.

I am in the process of creating my Thanksgiving menu and look forward to having another dinner with the family.

Out in the lake, rowing seems to be my best alone time, an escape from the hustle and bustle of the cabin. Its quite calming to sit there and have so much vastness surround you. I caught a glimpse of an Eagle that soared overhead to see what I was up to. I felt each wave push me just a bit farther from home, and the breeze that pounded the exposed parts of my face felt like someone was pressing an ice cube against the skin. I had taken a small cigar to enjoy, but forgotten in the midst of losing my mind to other distracting thoughts.



*Just once more