Life on the Bay: August 2010

Talent wins games,

but teamwork and intelligence

wins championships.
~ Michael Jordan

Our village is many things to few people. We have our differences to be sure, but we are strong and united when there is trouble, or fun to be had. This past weekend brought a subject near and dear to all of us,,,,, fishing! The boat sat and waited for the boys to try their hand at the annual walleye tournament.

It's a two day event with several divisions and our guys were ready to give it their best with the "Small Program" in the amateur division.

We all waited back at the village for their return on Saturday. It was serious business as the fish were carefully weighed and the best eight were driven over to the official weigh in station. The numbers are recorded and everyone knows anything can happen. Under flat waters, the captain found his fish and day one brought our crew in to second place with only 4 ounces of fish keeping them out of first.

It was a whole different story on Sunday as the teams faced six to eight foot waves crashing over their boats. The story goes that the first place team had several members taken down by motion sickness while some of our boys were yelling "come on waves" and they found the fish again, and again!

Sunday at the weigh in, most of the neighbors went to see the results. The boys were tired but everyone perks up when they hear those magic words,,,,," First Place and winners." To the "Small Program" team, congratulations and thanks for making the village proud!

I asked the captain if he had a secret to his success ,,,,,,What do you think?

A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work.

~Author Unknown

Comments (2)

Imagination
is the highest kite we can fly.
~ Lauren Bacall

Doesn't it feel like summer is zooming by? I can't believe it's already August. The whole summer just goes way too fast. I wanted to remind everyone to put September 9th on their calendar. Come join us Erie Folks at the Tall Ship Erie Event , a benefit for our beloved Niagara. I think it will be amazing to see all of these ships on the bay at the same time. Mark it on your calendar and plan a picnic...come visit Erie and see why it is the best kept secret around. To all my neighbors,,,,, I think it is a good excuse for a party, what do you think?

Life's a voyage that's homeward bound.
~ Herman Melville

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A life without dreams
is like a garden without flowers.
~ Author Unknown

The poor dandelions growing on the side of our drive into our little village miss all the glory of being in the garden. It seems only small children enjoy the deep yellow color and pick them to put under their chins. Maybe we should pick the leaves and add them to our salads...or better yet learn how to make dandelion wine?

Silly thoughts about a small yellow flower we all loved as children.....

I used to actually hate the wind. It made my ears feel funny and chilled me. Living on the water has completely changed my mind. The wind does not just blow or not blow. It dances on the water and does many jobs at once. Right now, it's sending a sailboat past my house at 6 knots while the seeds from this dandelion are soaring away to start new life. The wind decides if we boat or stay home. The more I understand it, the more I love the wind.

I'm a big child at heart.

I think it's important to stay that way

and not lose the wonder of life.

~P. Grier

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Dear bells!

How sweet the sound of village bells.

When on the undulating air they swim!

~ Thomas Hood

This old bell is a new addition to our tiny village. When it was first installed early this summer the kids were told to only ring the bell when they caught a fish...let me tell you there was a whole lot of bell ringing going on.....it's a wonder that there are any fish left in the bay. But now it remains mostly silent. Did the novelty of ringing it wear off, or is it a sign that the fish got smarter? I personally miss the bell ringing. To me it sounds like sheer JOY!

A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it,

A song's not a song 'til you sing it,

Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay,

Love isn't love 'til you give it away!

~ Oscar Hammerstein

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Dream as if you'll live forever.

Live as if you'll die today.

~James Dean

The boat has taken on a life and meaning of it's own. It functions as a boat, a porch, a patio, an auxiliary art studio, a place to have coffee in the morning or dinner at night, and a meeting place for friends and neighbors. It's basically right outside of our front door. You have to walk across a ramp and then a floating landing to get on the boat. The dogs and M & I do this without even thinking. Some of the neighbors find it to be a challenge as well as a test of faith. We have had the boat be a Tiki Bar at party's and if one can not cross the ramp they are shut off! On some days the boat leaves the house and we explore the bay, go to the beach, or it becomes M's giant Bass boat.

Molly is the official mascot of the boat. She stands guard and go's absolutely crazy when M makes fake duck noises. My little quiet Molly turns into a quivering duck hunting beast when the ducks come close, and recently has taken to jumping off the boat in huge escapes to run down the walkway and lunge at the ducks. I never saw her act like a real dog before so at first it was curious and humorous. Now, she's under house arrest until she relearns to behave. There is no hope for M.

Mr. Weasly sits bewildered as he watches all of this noise and excitement. He really never wants to leave my side and he is true and sweet every day.

M is on a secret project to photo the flocks of Purple Martins that come screaming by every night on their way to roost in the reeds at the shallow end of the bay. They don't see us on the boat as the sun is setting and almost fly right through the boat. The bad news for M is that they are flying low and fast so he is having trouble getting the shot that he wants. You can hear their wings slicing through the air as they streak by.

So I sit here with a small glass of wine. My artwork is put away. Molly duck hunts and tiny Weasly sits with me. M is obsessed with the camera and the boat is rocking gently with the last wakes of the day. From right here, the Sunset decides to be a half gray, half glory of something I have never seen before. I look around and remember how much I love life on the bay.