TR: Small boy, smallmouth (long)

On Aug 12, 8:20 am, "Tim J."
wrote:
Steve Cain typed:

I took Henry fishing Sunday. It was the first time he and I have gone
out to fish together, alone. We've been out as a family where he and
his mother would play together while I stole a moment to fish, but
never where he and I went out with the express purpose of fishing.
He's two years old, and I feel anxious that I need to start fishing
with him, to start building a fishing buddy right away. My head knows
that he'll pick it up or not, depending on his personality. My hearts
thinks he's going to be a fishing prodigy if only we start right now.
snip

"That's right." Henry went fishing with Daddy.

Damn, that's good stuff. Thanks, Steve. How many times since has he asked
about doing it again?
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------http://css.sbcma.com/timj

He's mentioned it a couple of times, but I mention it more. I think we
have a date for next Sunday morning.

I think about rw, who said that his daughter caught her first trout on
a fly but hooked it through the eye and never fished again. I feel bad
for him, that maybe he lost some extra part of his relationship with
his daughter. I also think of Chas Wade and his story of his son
chasing a big steelhead downstream and the picture of his son holding
up the monster chromer and shouting, and I think he's supremely lucky.
I don't want to push Henry for fear that he gets turned off, but to
see my son as Chas got to see his is heady stuff. He'll do what he
wants, but the urge to meddle is strong.

It doesn't matter yet. He's just along for the ride for a little while
more.

The backpack is pretty cool, but I thought about Frank's situation
when we tried it on at the store. I'm 6'-3 or so, and in the backpack,
Henry sits up another inch or so, and if I duck, his face is moved to
exactly where my face was. I bought a canopy similar to a rain fly for
a tent and it shields his face from brush and gives me a little bump
to know we're about to have an accident. I highly recommend the Kelty
packs. We went to Cabela's and tried on four or five to make sure it
would fit my wife and I while still being comfortable. It has two big
handles on front and back so you can mount and dismount without help.

I'm glad most of you liked the story. For those of you who were
parents, you might remember the repetition phase. He asks the same
questions over and over, he wants the same books over and over (How
many books did you read last month? About three hundred, except that
two hundred ninety-eight of them were "Goodnight Moon."), the same
videos over and over. It gets a little tough to watch "There Goes a
Garbage Truck" with your breakfast every single morning.

On Aug 12, 9:42*am, Steve Cain wrote:

The backpack is pretty cool, snip

That backpack will start building its own memories, if you use it
anything like the way I used ours when my kids were small.

One photograph memory has me and daughter #1, at an overlook in the
Porkies. It's a crisp September day, a few leaves on the maples have
changed, and off in the distance is big, blue Gitchee Gumee. I've got
a goofy grin on my face and #1 looks placid and happy. If a stranger
saw the picture, it's just another of a dad carrying his kid on a
hike. But I know that just 15 minutes earlier, she'd puked her PB&J
after one jostle too many. She wasn't too unhappy before the puking,
and was perhaps mildly happier after. She's always been an easy going
kid, and this day was like most others in the woods with her.

Unphotographed are the many, many XC skiing outings she and I, and her
younger sister and I, took with that same backpack. Yes, you can ski
with it. The "live" load takes a while to get used to, and I never
bounded down the hills quite as aggressively with her on my back as I
did without, but you can do it. Oh, and bundle the load more heavily
than yourself. I'd sweat like a pig most days, but the young one
isn't skiing like you are, so plenty of loose layers. Most days, my
mittens ended up on her hands (er, ARMS!) as an extra layer. Those
little digits can get cold in a hurry!

Lots of other memories as well attached to that Kid Karrier and those
it carried. I gave #2 a piggy-back to bed last night and I'm glad I'm
not carrying her regularly any more! Enjoy these days, Steve, they'll
be distant memories before you know it!

Wm

On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:15:11 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Enjoy these days, Steve, they'll
be distant memories before you know it!

Yes! And about thirty years or so you will be repeating it with the
grandkids. That too will be something to record and remember.

Happy for you.

Dave