4th Of July at the River (in Alabama)

Nanny, PowPow, Dakota, Mason and myself, headed down to Joe Wheeler in Alabama on Saturday July 3rd. (Phil had to work.)Mason and Dakota rode with PowPow in the motor home, while I rode with mom pulling the pontoon boat. We went fishing for a few hours after we got there, then put out some trot lines. Mason was in "awe" as we headed down the river in the boat. I was nervous about being in the boat with him, but Mason did great. He didn't run around like I thought he probably would. He either watched us fish or played with his toys. He was so good for our 3 day weekend at the river. Thankfully, Phil got to drive down on Sunday(July 4) afternoon and enjoy some fishing with us. We got 98 catfish off of the trot lines. Wow! That's pretty good, considering we haven't put out trot lines in about 7 years or so.


Mason trying to figure out the crickets.

As soon as I snapped the picture, Mason somehow got his finger in the shot. Little Stinker!

Even though there's almost 7 years between these two, they actually play really good together. Mason loves his Uncle Dakota, he would literally follow him anywhere. I think Dakota gets just as excited as Mason does when they get together.

Dakota's big catfish he caught while we were trolling.

Phil took this group shot of all of us. I think his expression is due to him concentrating on taking the picture. He looks a littel mad, but he wasn't. They wouldn't give time to set up my tripod real quick since we were trying to get things together to head back home.


Being at the river that weekend brought back so many memories from my childhood. When I was about 4 or 5, we started going camping/fishing at the Fisherman's Resort in Alabama almost every weekend, until I was about 11. Then we continued to go fishing off and on, but then just eventually stopped going all together, pretty much due to my interest in horses and barrel racing. We went fishing for a day when Dakota was 2, but we hadn't been back until this year. It's weird, because that was a big part of my childhood, the camping, the fishing, our group of family and friends that went also, the sitting around talking by the fire, trying to catch minos in my fishing net, riding my bicycle around and around the campground. Of course there is almost 17 years difference between me and my brother. But hopefully Nanny and PowPow will get back into going if not every weekend at least once or twice a month during the warm season. I would like for Mason to have some memories of the campground as well.