Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

[Bobby Bass]

Here at Lake Iwanttobethere like everywhere else when it is slow and there seems to be nothing to write or talk about we always have the weather. This morning I woke up to let the dogs out on to a rain covered deck and an ice covered yard. I knew it had rained overnight as I was out to get some tools from the shop last night. The snow had a glaze over it and I pulled the hood up over my head to keep the rain drops off. This morning it is still dripping out and there is some ice on the pavement but the ground has ice and is not safe to be walking on. The wife walked out to the Jeep to go to work and as I watched from the kitchen window she started the truck up and started to go sideways in the drive. I met her at the back door and she said she was not going to work, can't get out of the drive.

I made a few calls around the lake and it is just wet on one end but the other end, the trees are covered in an ice glaze. Maybe later in the day things will improve so I can get out and take some pictures or it will get colder here and the trees will lend themselves to some pictures. Right now we are just a tad too warm and the rain has stopped. Three of four grand kids are here they all have a cold and are coughing away. There was only a half day of school scheduled for today and they were not going to go as they are sick. Of course we didn't tell them that, was going to be a surprised then the oldest granddaughter heard on the radio that school had been canceled for the day. They are now all under the electric blanket on the couch with hot cocoa and Duncan trying to get petted by all of them. This of course means that a cold is in my near future as it is impossible to avoid the coughing.

North of here heavy snow is falling but nothing falling here. I noticed yesterday there was a pretty good line of cars at the self-service car wash, I even pulled in and rinsed my truck off. Funny how little things can put a smile on your face as when I went to put the quarters in I found a couple resting on top of the machine. After I rinsed off the truck and got the windows clean again I reached into my pocket and put a couple of quarters back on top for the next guy to find, might as well pass the feeling on. Went over to the general store to pick up dog bones and kitty litter. Good thing I got the big bag of litter as it may have to be spread on the sidewalk if this ice stays. Was thinking about walking down to the mailbox but I am not going to go land on my kister to pick up a few bills. Besides I got a new fishing catalog yesterday that I have not yet looked through.

I think I am just going to head out to the shop and lite a fire in the pot belly stove, crack the door open and light a cigar. I could do the same thing down at the ice house but it looks pretty sloppy on the ice. Sort through some screws and put tools away and maybe cut up a few scrap pieces of wood to feed the fire. Now that I think of it I do have that spare wheel bearing for the Puddle Humper that should be packed with grease. I am sure I could work on that and get distracted by something else. Always something to do on a rain day, even if it is in the middle of January, from Lake Iwanttobethere {924,841}

[Bobby Bass]

Wife was doing house cleaning yesterday and she flipped over the mattress and found my new wallet that she bought me for my 708th birthday. She brought the wallet into the den and holding it in her hand she said "Thought you said you lost this?" Looking up from the desk over the top of my glasses I replied with "No, I said it was not ready to be put in use yet" The wife shrugged her shoulders and dropped the wallet on the desk and left mumbling something low that I could not make out. Seeing that she was clear of the room I picked up the leather wallet that I had totally forgotten about and inspected it. Like a new baseball glove a wallet has to be broken in. This new leather wallet I had filled with old business cards and rubbed some oil into the leather. I then put several rubber bands around it and tossed it under the mattress to cure so to speak.

A man's wallet is not like a women's purse or purses. First off a man's wallet does not have to match the clothes they are wearing that day. Writing this I am trying to remember just how many wallets I have had in my lifetime and I am stuck at three, four if you count this new one. The current well-worn wallet has a corner missing from when Pepper was a puppy and chewed it off. It has teeth marks from Smokie my retrieving cat and some of the stitching is a little frayed. The leather is a dark rich brown while the inside is a lighter brown, the original color. It is of modest thickness as it only has a few cards in it and never enough money. Fishing license and boat registration and a gift card to one of them big box fishing stores. All in all a pretty simple wallet compared to others I guess.

My oldest son has a rat pack wallet, filled with receipts and coupons and discount tire cards. Of course he is still on his first wallet and his is splitting from too much good stuff in it. He wears his wallet in his jeans so it has that rounded shape to fit his back side. Mine on the other hand is always kept in a coat pocket or tucked away in a truck window visor. When fishing it is stuffed in a side pocket of my soft fishing cooler which I guess could be compared to a purse. A mans purse of course, one that is big enough to carry a couple of sandwiches, some soda, a banana and some peanut butter wafers. A hand towel and a couple of them small cooler blocks to keep everything cold. Bug spray and forceps along with my pencil and notebook for logging fish and of course the camera. Guess it is not a purse it is more of a catch all bag. Kind of like the wife's purse that seems to have everything any anything needed at any given time. Really if a disaster was to happen the first thing I would grab would be the wife's purse.

I took the old rubber bands off the wallet and flex it a few times. I add a couple more cards to the slots inside and rub a little mink oil to the leather that I just happen to have handy. A few new rubber bands and the wallet is good to go back under the mattress. I don't need to replace my wallet now as it is in perfectly good shape. Besides the new wallet might just be a good present for the oldest son, his birthday is only ten months away, from Lake Iwanttobethere {926,132}

[Bobby Bass]

Middle of January and the middle of winter as far as I am concern. We survived a second freezing rain event and other then the inconvenience nothing was broken around the cabin. Nice to have warm temperatures in the middle of winter but rain is not really welcomed this time of year. Today finds low clouds over the lake and a few snowflakes fell a few hours ago. Just enough to track dogs across the deck and make the ice covered snow in the yard interesting to walk on. The sun is getting higher in the sky but winter is still pulling on it. It tracks low just above the tree line and as I write this it is trying to burn through the clouds. Winds are calm and we are in single digits above zero, good ice making weather and if you are moving around outside it is warm enough.

Yesterday Abner from the Foggy Bottoms Dairy dropped off a brand smacking new milk box with two glass bottles of milk and a quart of ice cream. I was in town and was talking to his dad Virgil who for years we used to get milk from. As the kids got older we just stopped for some reason. I ran into Virgil at Burt's barbershop and we got around to talking about how the dairy was going and I mentioned how much time the grand kids were spending at the cabin. Well it didn't take to much for him to talk me into giving the dairy a try again and yesterday his son Abner showed up with the new ice box and we rolled back the clock some. I am sure it is just the idea of having fresh milk waiting outside in the box that made my bowl of frosted flakes taste extra crunchy this morning. Even the wife poured some milk in her coffee and left the spendy creamer in it's spot in the fridge.

For me football season is done, all the teams that I follow are out of the playoffs and I need something else to waste my time on Sunday afternoons. I of course do not say this out loud as the wife would bring the Honey Do List to my attention. I have started to do a little cleaning in the den, with new fishing catalogs arriving and seed catalogs I am sure on the way I need to make room. Of course I do not just take the fishing catalogs and toss them in the garbage as I have to sort through them and of course hold on to the Master catalogs for future research. I like to track the price on some of my favorite lures so that when I buy them in bulk I can point out to the wife how much money I saved, even if it does take a few years.

I really should sit down and make a few new lists of projects that really should get done this summer. I should make a list of lakes to be fished and add a few new ones to that list. I need a new rod to replace the one that the tip got broke on. It still works but now it is a few inches shorter and after all it was a few years old and I might just have caught all the big fish it had on it. A few ideas for some videos are banging around my head and even a few photo's that call for me to be at the right place at the right time of the year. Bud and Barney are not getting any younger and I want to spend as much time as I can with them, not to mention the grand kids are getting older and want to spread out and do more discovering. I am going to have to make a list of the lists I need to make or no list at all and just let it all happen. Most of the time that is how it works anyway. Always some distraction that replaced the tasks you are working on and at the time it seems to be the most important thing. With that thought I should just spend more time on the waters of Lake Iwanttobethere and everything should just work out, from Lake Iwanttobethere {927,298}

[Bobby Bass]

One thing for sure, when you live out on the lake and the sun goes down it sure do get dark out. A friend of mine was up visiting from the big city and he made that comment to me over supper last night. Guess I just take it for granted and Doc Burriem says I have great night vision and I always keep a flashlight in my pocket. Those little LED flashlights sure are handy to have around. Of course one of they first things we did when we remodeled the cabin and started having kids was to put spot lights up at the peaks of the cabin. I remember we ran a lot of wire in order to get all the lights to just a few switches at the same spot. I always felt that just because it got dark at four thirty it should not be a reason for the kids to stop being outside playing or doing chores. When we wanted to call the kids into the cabin we would just flash the lights a few times and they got the idea. We do the same thing with the dogs when we let them out and Duncan is catching on that flashing lights means he better finish up with business and get to the deck door.

Grand kids are all back at their houses but will be here for the extended weekend as yet another day of no school on Friday and then a holiday on Monday. I don't remember having nearly as much time off from school as these kids do. I still think about the kids all the time as they left me their cold and it is now my time to be coughing and looking for the tissue box. I was declared officially sick with the cold yesterday morning when Bud climbed into bed with me. Whenever anyone is sick at the cabin Bud will find them and stay by their side, kind of like a nurse with no benefits. He will not bring the tissue or fill your juice glass but he will be there to clean up your plate of any meals that you don't feel like eating. He is however warm and prefers to sleep with his back pressed up against mine. Yesterday was a good day just to lay in bed and read and that is just what I did. Even had an hour of sunshine to enjoy before the clouds drifted back in.

My friend stopped by shortly after the sun set and even though he was warned I had a cold he still kicked the snow off his boots at the door and came on in. The wife was making potato pancakes and sausage and she told my friend it would be no problem setting another plate. Would be just that much less that I would get to eat. You see I don't get potato pancakes very often, it seems I almost have to get sick to get them come to think of it. With the wife frying pancakes we chatted and caught up on man gossip. Man gossip is a tad different then women gossip as we seem to cover a lot more topics in a lot less time. What can take a minute or so for a man to pass on can be a solid forty-five minute conversation between a couple of ladies and if there are three of them involved in the conversation it is an easy hour. It might be that when men gossip both parties know the parties being gossiped about where as a couple of women neither one might not know anyone involved.

After supper I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and we headed to the den. I brought the lake finder site up on the computer and we compared some men gossip on a few lakes down his way. Mostly ice fishing talk but we were making plans for some soft water fishing that is only four months away. The wife hearing us talk about fishing was no longer interested and headed to the living room and the phone, no doubt to pass on the kitchen gossip she had just overheard, from Lake Iwanttobethere {929,034}

[Bobby Bass]

Tax season is upon us but what is more important it is also the beginning of Girl Scout cookie season! I don't even know how much they are this year but I will be ordering my fix of Thin Mints to be hidden in the bottom of the freezer. I think I heard four dollars a box as the price being mentioned by the guys at the Lodge in the know. Way to much for a little box of cookies but they are Girl Scout cookies. I have had work done on my roof in the dead of summer by merely waving a box of Thin Mints at Skinny. It is not so much that I eat them but what I can get for them out of cookie season. Fishing with Chuck and reaching into the soft cooler bag and coming up with a handful of Girl Scout cookies can really put him off his game. I have even gotten Elmer to give up his last cold beer for a Tagalong making him think it is my last one.

Of course my wife makes her own imitation Tagalongs using Ritz crackers, peanut butter and dark almond bark. If you put them in a Tagalong box you can't tell the difference, at least Elmer can't. I remember when a box of cookies were four bits, for you younger guys that is fifty cents. Even at that price they were making money for the Girl Scouts and at four dollars a box that is getting a little steep to go out and buy a case anymore. But I will buy a few boxes and the wife will buy a few boxes and we will hide them away from each other. Some will make it to the freezer upstairs and some to the basement chest freezer. I am sure a few more will get put away in the shop to be nibbled on when I am out there. One year I gave Elmer a whole box of the Thin Mints but I put it inside a wood box with a glass front on it. The box was all glued together and the glass was a pane of bullet proof stuff that I got from Mike at the junkyard. I gave him a cheap two dollar hammer from Big Earl and attached the hammer with a little chain to the box. Painted the whole mess red and put a little sign on it to break glass only in an emergency. Got a lot of laughs as he could not even get in with a sledge hammer.

Couple of days into my cold and from what I hear I am not the only one. Saw Dave at the pharmacy in search of some vitamin C and he was all out waiting for a shipment. I did stock up on some cough syrup and a few bags of cherry cough drops. Also made a stop over at Little Louie's Liquor and Licorice and picked up a jug of brandy, strictly for medical reasons. A warm thirty plus outside so no need to zip up the coat but I heard Stormy Clearweather calling for a couple of cold nights. Minus twenty or maybe even colder, knew we had to get some real winter weather here sooner or later. With no real snow on the ground when it gets that cold it really feels cold out.

Went by Reed the Realtor storefront, he has two banners up in the windows, one saying he does taxes and the other promoting his travel agency. I think the goal is to get your taxes done there and then let Reed set you up to spend your refund on a vacation somewhere. Funny thing there is his cousin does the same thing I hear down in Florida. Only he wants to send you up on a vacation here at Lake Iwanttobethere, go figure. Well after two here at the lake, safe for me to take a couple of cough drops. Going to pour myself about two fingers of brandy in a glass and drop a couple of cough drops in instead of ice, using cough drops this way has work well on my colds in the past, Elmer taught me this trick, from Lake Iwanttobethere {930,719}

[Bobby Bass]

I'm not saying it is cold out but my neighbor Chuck told me that this morning one of his chickens laid an egg, and the other chickens all gathered around to get warm from it!

HIYA from Lake Iwanttobethere where when it gets this cold we have a hard time convincing people it is the place to be. I am sure it is cold outside your door today to and there are places even colder then here at the lake. Sunshine Ray has been repeatedly telling everyone to just stay inside today as we have a wind-chill advisory up till tomorrow. Temperatures are going to go well below twenty below tonight and will be a stretch for it to see single degrees below zero tomorrow. Not a big deal but it has been a few years since we have seen a stretch of cold weather like this. With almost no snow on the ground the frost is going to be heading deep and that will create some problems even after it warms up in a week or so.

Dogs can be timed with a stop watch when they go out to do their business. They are out the door, off the deck and back again. None of them are interested in making the rounds and checking the yard. Looking out the window here sipping on some hot cider I have been looking for birds and have not seen a single one. Turkey cooking in the oven and the wife is washing bedding both good ways to keep the kitchen warm and the dryer is vented into the basement so it helps warm the laundry room. Duncan just came by the den dragging a towel so I am guessing he is helping bringing the laundry down.

Been a few days since I have written about the lake and fighting the cold that the grand kids gave me. So far I think I am losing as there has not been much of an improvement. Was a good excuse yesterday just to sprawl on the couch and watch hockey games all day and also catch a few fishing shows. Doc Burriem advice is to wait the cold out, as the good doctor says he can treat me for the cold and it will last a week or let it run it's course and it will last around seven days. The good part is it does not seem to be getting any worse, the bad part is it does not seem to be getting any better. The youngest granddaughter called me just a little while go and asked how I felt and if I was getting any better. She then told me she was sorry that she gave me her cold and hopes I get better so I can take her sliding. Pretty tuff to blame a sweetie like that for your cold.

Bud has been spending most of his time with either me or the daughter who also is sick. We call him our nurse but the wife says he is more then likely spending so much time leaning against us because we are warm. Probably true but he does feel good when he lays next to me and his head is in my lap, I would like to think he is there for me. So a few more fishing shows to watch and then football for the rest of the day. A turkey dinner to look forward to and warm blankets out of the dryer to sprawl on the couch with. If I am going to be sick I am at least going to milk it for all that it is worth, from Lake Iwanttobethere {933,582}

[Bobby Bass]

Met up with Chuck down at the Lodge last night, we could have stayed home but been in the cabin so much I needed to get out. Cold is still hanging on but I think I am feeling a little better. Instead of coughing all the time I just have a few spells that I go through. Of course after coughing I get the head buzz and my chest feels like someone is standing on it. Coughing outside in twenty below weather is an entirely different matter, that will bring tears to your eyes which then freeze as they run down your face. Twenty-nine below last night or I should say right before dawn this morning. Don't care where you are that is down right cold. Add in the wind-chill if you are dumb enough to be outside with exposed skin and it is something you will remember.

Fellows were at their round table and trading stories as the guys tend to do about how they have been in colder weather then this. Nothing recent as all the cold weather seems to have happen when they were younger guys. Funny I to seem to remember colder days then last night but the memories are somewhat blurry. I sat off by myself at the end of the bar and I was not the only one who had isolated themselves from others. Matter of fact there were several Lodge members with various stages of sniffles and sneezing. There was one interesting moment last night as a few of the Fellows started to challenge anyone in the Lodge to go streaking with them. Streaking in minus thirty degree weather would sure be something you could mark off your bucket list and not many other people could say they did it. At the time it was only minus twenty-four out and several of the Fellows said they would do it but only if it was thirty below cuz anyone can do it at minus twenty-four.

A little after one in the afternoon now and sunny out, if you don't go outside it looks pretty decent out. Bass thermometer on the wall says it is actually five above. Three of the grand kids are here as school was canceled and they get yet another day off. The wife spent the morning baking cookies and I spent the morning sleeping in late. I have a little headache and I am blaming it on the cold not the wild turkey. Still a couple of cold nights ahead and I do need to head into town and get some errands done. Just a little more than fifteen weeks till I can get the Puddle Humper out onto the water and be fishing. The idea of sitting out on open water with a little warm breeze in my face makes me smile. Another week of cold weather then January is done with and we move into the short month of February. Some snow will finally arrive in March and April will bring running water from snow melt and we will be just a few short weeks till opener.

Sipping on some hot cider and with grand kids yelling in the background I can just make out Mark the mailman's van weaving down the road. I am sure I will have mail and I just have to decide if I want to go down and get it or send a grand kid. Sometimes them grand kids are handy to have a round. I yell at the kids to all go get dressed, they might as well pick up Elmer's and Chuck's mail to, from Lake Iwanttobethere {934,703}

[Bobby Bass]

Cold enough for ya? That greeting never seems to get old up here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Of course we do have a hard time knowing who we are talking to as I have had entire conversations with people who I thought I knew and found out later they were someone else. Heck when we get minus twenty below weather and you have it for a few days after awhile you do have to get out of the cabin and run errands. I was down on Main Street yesterday afternoon and it is almost impossible to know who you are waving to or talking with. Just like when it is raining out that is a good enough excuse to get out the duck coat, when it gets cold out that is when the old arctic gear comes out. Of course currently there are a lot of guys wearing them colorful ice fishing garb with the matching coat and bibs. I still have an old green air force parka, forty years ago it was several sizes too big and now it might be a size too small. But it does have that snorkel hood on it with the wolf hair trim. You zip that baby up tight and all you get to see out is this little hole rimmed in the wolf hair. Face is all warm and just enough open space to blow your breath out.

I remember getting a good deal on the coat from a friend who had a buddy in the service. The price was right and I bought it and it still hangs in the front closet these many years later. Both of my sons have borrowed the coat and when they were young they drowned in it, but like me they have been growing into it so to speak. The coat has made it to many a December football game and even a few fishing trip's way up north. One or the other son wants to bring it to their closet telling me they will take good care of it but it remands hanging in my closet till we have days like today. Use to have a matching pair of the white moon boots to go along with the coat but those are long gone. Son's borrowed them and forget to tell me, by the time I noticed them missing I would have had to contacted the FBI to track them down. You see that is just one of those things about getting old. I am getting to the point that if I don't lose my good stuff or borrow it out I will never out live it or out grow it.

Sunshine Ray was saying on the radio we had over eighty some hours in a row of below zero weather, I believe him. Normally I don't pamper the trucks but after the second day of minus twenty nights a couple of extension cords were plugged into the shop and ran over to the grills to plug into the tank heaters. Come the morning the bright orange cords looked actually the same way as I had left them the night before. The cords frozen in loops and curls looking more like frozen snakes who died trying not to touch the ground. I turned power onto the tank heater and after an hour I started the Tahoe and let it warm up. I unplugged the extension cord and tossed it away from the Tahoe only to have it stand up in big curls and loops like barb wire tends to do. With a mug of hot coffee I climbed into the front seat and clicked the seat belt and made sure I had the heated seat switch too high.

Another sign that it was cold out was no frost on the windows and the seat didn't go down an inch when I sat down on it. I rolled down the driveway on what felt like square tires and it took a minute or so till they felt round again and the ride got smooth. I was heading for the pharmacy for cough drops and I waved at everyone who waved at me. Didn't have a clue who most of them were as I could not see any faces, just eyes behind scarfs or mad fur trapper caps pulled down tight. I drove by Mabels Steam and Sauna and I am thinking it might be time for a visit, from Lake Iwanttobethere {935,778}

[Bobby Bass]

Inside taking a break from shoveling, over night and during a brief burst this morning about three inches of light snow fell. The sun came out a little while ago and I decided that I would grab the shovel and move some snow off the deck. Bud, Barney and Duncan all joined me and with in minutes there was not a square foot of undisturbed snow. The dogs have been cooped up in the cabin and with the temperature almost thirty-five degrees warmer than yesterday at this time they were feeling a little frisky. I got the deck cleared of snow and took several short breaks making sure I was standing out of the wind and in the sunshine. The wife seeing me outside gave me that look over the top of her glasses and mouth something at me through the door window. Of course I could not hear her but I am guessing she was telling me I was a fool for being outside with my cold.

In my younger days when I got myself a good cold I would go split wood and just sweat that cold right out, of course that was in my younger days. I am unhappy to report that I still have the cold and a few days ago I thought I was getting better but the last few days I have been back to coughing and sneezing again. I think this cold is like a hurricane and I just went through the eye and now I just got to survive it a while longer till I sail clear. Yesterday I totally understood the term "Coughing an Eye out" I had a coughing bout so long and hard I thought my eyeball was going to pop out of my head. Only way to explain it is a lot like when a dentist puts pain killer in the roof of your mouth and it feels like the needle is stabbing you in the eye. What a happy thought eh!

So now a half hour after being outside I have not coughed once, might just go back out and shovel some more. I do know that wood has to be hauled down to restock the rack on the deck for the fireplace. You get several of them twenty below nights and the wood burns quick or so it seems. I was on the phone with Elmer this morning, he told me that Gary, one of the Fellows came by looking to see if he wanted his sidewalk plowed at the book and cigar shop. Normally that is something that Marv himself would take care of as he actually finds shoveling snow invigorating. But Marv is also from New York and minus twenty days are not something he is used to nor is something he wants to become used to. Elmer and I got around to talking about the snow plowing business and how and lot of guys with the fancy rigs are no longer plowing snow because there just has not been any snow to plow the past few winters. I didn't remember Gary having a snow plow and asked Elmer what truck was he using. Elmer told me he didn't have a truck, was using his bike!

Elmer had my attention and I sat on the stool in the kitchen and listen as Elmer took his time describing me Gary's bike that he had converted for snow plowing. Like you I was thinking it is a mite cold to be running a motorcycle in the dead of winter but Elmer told me Gary was using his mountain bike, the pedal one. He had taken the handles off a couple of curved plastic shovels and mounted them to the front wheel and then using a hockey stick he made a wing plow that was attached to the post of his seat. With this lite snow it actually did a pretty decent job as long as he kept his speed up. From what Elmer told me he has almost all the business along two blocks of Main Street. I hung up the phone with an idea, I think I still have one of the kids tricycles around here somewhere, from Lake Iwanttobethere {936,703}

[Bobby Bass]

Well, I could not find that tricycle, I think it is buried in the snow alongside the vegetable garden. I did find a big wheel but them things are all show and no go. I had an idea that I could mount a plow on it and the youngest grandson could take a go at clearing the drive with it. The big plastic tires just spun out on the snow and I was not going to be pushing him around so we trashed that idea. It has warmed up some and if the sun was out today it would be a nice one. Big ice fishing contest going on and I have a pretty good vantage point here at the cabin to see the comings and goings. Only bad part is we are downwind and I can hear the roar of hundreds of holes being drilled. Also a cross country ski race later this afternoon, the few extra inches of snow that fell the past few days was enough to guarantee that the race could go on.

Snow is also good for the luge run as it was getting kind of rough, pretty much just some tuff ice to slide down the chute. I did make a stop at Mabel's Steam and Sauna and I did spend a good hour between the hot tub and the dry sauna. I was just planning on taking a quick dip but I ran into Elmer and Marv and Vic who of course had a coupon. After a hot dip I was persuaded to walk over with them to Del's Pizza and Sub shop where Del is now advertising his place as the "Home of the 10,000 mil Sub's" We each ordered a sub and once again Vic produced a coupon. The better part of the afternoon was taken up and I did notice that I was not coughing as much as I have been. Might be the sauna or maybe it was the sub but either way I felt better. Heading back to the truck I saw Sunshine Ray on the sidewalk and we exchanged HIYA's did a little small talk and I continued on my way. I didn't ask him about the weather as I know it bugs him when everyone asks him about his forecast but I know it bugs him even more when no one asks him at all.

Little snow melt dripping off the eves here I just checked the Bass thermometer and it is thirty-five out, turning into a nice afternoon after all. Saw Eddie the squirrel high up in the cedars bouncing from limb to limb making it look easy. Didn't see his partner though and I even stood on the deck and looked for a while. Few rabbit tracks in the yard so the bunny is still around. Duncan came out with me and was not to interested in the tracks so they may be old. No deer tracks at all which is kind of strange, usually this time of the winter there are tracks under the apple trees looking for that apple they just might have missed. Plastic sleds are stacked on top of each other under the deck and they are tied to a post with a knot that only a six year old could make. Wind was up the other day and blew the sleds into Chuck's yard and the grand kids had to go and get them. I see now they have been secured.

Kids are with their dad's down at the Ice Fishing contest I expect them here later this afternoon. Peace and quiet for a few more hours before the truck door slams and they march into the cabin leaving mittens, hats and scarfs in a trail behind them. I will be brought up to date on the fishing contest and will hear who ate the most cotton candy and maybe even find out if one of them caught a fish. I already made a side bet with the wife on which one of the grand kids will be the first to ask about riding a plastic sled down the clean snow to the lake. As soon as one of them brings the idea up the rest will join in and they will all head to the hat chest to grab dry mittens and hats and pull coats off the pegs. Dogs will all get excited and their dads will cave in and tell them to go ahead with Papa and they will catch up. Somehow without even trying I am now in charge of the four grand kids and three dogs and the wife will smile at me and push me out the door. I will then find myself trying to untie the special secret knot of a six year old as they chase barking dogs.

With the knot undone the sleds are grabbed and as quickly as they can the kids will run to the track that leads down to the ice and the ice house. Looking back at me I will wave them on and with each one having a dog running alongside them they will launch themselves down the hill. The youngest granddaughter is last and I see she is waiting for me. Holding on to her plastic sled she says "You can ride with me" I sit down on the sled and she sits in my lap and I push us over the point of no return and we slip down the hill. We make the transition to ice and make it a fair distance away from shore, just a short walk to the ice house. Feeling my age I will get up off the sled and the granddaughter will already be running towards the others, "Papa, don't forget to bring the sled" I know this is what will happen as it has happen before time and time again, I am always a sucker for a cute blond, from Lake Iwanttobethere {938,802}

[Bobby Bass]

Town Hall meeting last night as it was the fifth Tuesday of the month. Normally this time of the year we have the town hall meeting out on the ice but this year's ice village is some what scattered. The old mobile home with the hundred and sixty-three holes in the floor was not hauled down onto the ice so the meeting was held at the Lodge. Seeing as the town has not held a meeting for awhile and there was not a Lodge meeting this month there was a lot of committee meetings held. After the general meeting and the reading of the minute's groups broke up and scattered to various round tables in the Lodge for discussions. I have been easing myself out of several groups as I am starting to get the hang of this retirement lifestyle. No longer the chairmen of several groups I still do have some impute as an advisor. A sneaky way of suggesting that things should be done this way or that but not having too actually do anything.

Reminds me somewhat of the title of foreman, A foreman may direct others on a job site but a working foreman is someone who still has to do the work. Guy still does the same job as before but now he has a title. Of course there is a general foreman whose job is to get blamed for everything. I like the advisor title better, allows me to move freely from table to table with a mug of Hamms in one hand and some blank index cards in the others. Nod my head from time to time and move onto the next table. Of course the town is running along just fine, the current leaders just need to smile and kiss babies and the people who have been running the town are still steering and turning the wheel. The town of Lake Iwanttobethere is a lot like the weather, we have good times and some bad times but they all still average all out.

The ice village is on the ice and it may not look as pretty as it has in the past. There are no straight streets and the garbage cans are scattered, but the access is busy on decent days. We are behind on snowfall but with the snow of the last week there is enough to get out and ski and we are starting to see some sleds parked out in front of the shops and vistors driving through town pulling trailers. Ice carnival to be held next month and we will be picking on a weekend to harvest ice for the Lodge's ice house. A weekend lumberjack contest and the dog sled races which were pushed back a month but are still in the works. Old McDonnell's farm is offering hay rides in the evenings and Stormy Clearweather is calling for a few more cold nights but it looks like things will be milder. Maybe not our best winter but to the town that means we are looking forward to a better spring. Has to be better then the flood we got last spring and all the damage that we are still working on.

I have had jury duty the past two weeks so that has changed my schedule around some. Don't expect to get called in the rest of the week so my service will be done and I will get back to sleeping in late again. It did give me a reason to go into the big city and spend time with my daughter so it was not lost by any means. Of course I also got a chance to troll through a few other bait shops and I have a few ideas on maybe buying some lures. I first have to clean out some tackle boxes so I can make room. It is after all still winter and we have to get through winter before we can get into Spring, from Lake Iwanttobethere. {940,741}

[Bobby Bass]

Tomorrow is Duncan's birthday, how quickly did he get to be two years old. It is also the daughter's lab Buster ninth birthday and of course the big one is the oldest granddaughter turns eleven. February first is going down as a pretty big birthday day. Of course I have been kidding the granddaughter for the last month about the big birthday party plan. How we are going to have a doggie slide and a bobbing for milk bone contest. Raw hamburgers and everyone will get colorful collars to wear not to mention the special birthday cake that grandma will be baking. She is getting old enough that I think she see's right through the teasing but a grandpa has to try. Speaking of Duncan he is sitting next to me as I type this trying to get my attention. Whining for me to get up and follow him somewhere.

I follow Duncan out to the kitchen where he sits and looks at the jar of dog biscuits and then back at me then back at the biscuits. I take the hint and give him one and he lopes to the living room to jump up on the couch and hold the biscuit between his front paws he crunches it into smaller pieces. The wife is not home so I don't yell at him to get off the couch. I return to the den and the desk and as I sit here I suppose I could make out his report card. I am very happy with how he has turned out. I thought he would be a little bigger and heavier but that just might be because the other boys Buddy and Barney are so big. He has all the commands down that we want him to learn and his only fault that he has is that he is too happy to see the wife when she comes home. Part of that may be the wife does not talk firmly enough to him ordering him to stop jumping. He does not do that with me but then I let him chew on my fingers and let him take me by my hand and lead me places.

He has been excellent with the grand kids and has learned not to chase the cats, unless they run. He shares his food with the other dogs and takes turns at the water bowl. We did spend some time grouse hunting this past season and he did well. Of course he is first a family pet then a hunting dog so as time goes on I expect him to get a little better at the hunting part. For being two he is pretty laid back and well mannered. Still a puppy though as when strangers come to the cabin he will bark but will come to stand behind me looking for protection. I have noticed that he is starting to stand in front of me blocking visitors. I know this because his tail is beating my legs up from wagging so hard. Normally by now he should be done growing but he seems to be having one last growth spurt as he can now look over the kitchen table. Sometimes a little unnerving when eating breakfast and he pops up on the other side looking for my last strip of bacon.

One last thing I should mention on his report card is his singing voice. The other day both my wife and I were gone and the daughter was home but Duncan did not know it. The daughter said Duncan sat at the top of the stairs and howled. That kind of howl that only chocolate labs seem to do, the I am all alone what am I to do blues. The daughter listen for awhile and started laughing, Duncan heard her and sought her out and only as a lab can do made it look like the joke was all on her and there was nothing wrong. Of course five minutes later he was back on the stairs howling, guess he still had a verse left in him, from Lake Iwanttobethere {941,302}

[Bobby Bass]

So I am at the Lodge last night and it is kind of slow even for the Lodge. Guys were just kind of scattered around the place watching a little basketball on the TV and others playing cards. A few guys were just sitting by the fireplace with their beer mugs resting on their chests looking into the fire lost in their thoughts. More then likely they had been sent out by their wives to pick up something and had found themselves here instead. A few more guys were gather in the corner listing to the CB on the lakes fishing channel trying to decide if it was worth a trip out on the ice to fish. Couple of the old guys were out fishing off Root Beer Island and there was some chatter going on between them. I wandered over to give a listen and right away I knew it was Elmer and Marv talking. Since Marv is only a few years removed from New York you have to have an ear to understand what he was saying and it sounded like Elmer didn't have his teeth in so he was hard to make out.

When I open by mouth to tell the guys they were being played with I got hushed up so I just let their imagine run wild as they listen to Marv and Elmer boasting of the nights catches. Faint in the background I could hear another voice and it took me awhile but then I figured it was Vic fishing from his pond behind the retirement home. I have noticed that after a few cocktails Vic can hold his own telling stories with Marv and Elmer. Seeing what was happening I just kind of eased my way out of the group and went to the bar for a refill of my mug. Gary one of the Fellows was just getting a refill on a pitcher and I followed him over to the big round table where the Fellows were holding court. After a round of HiYA's I took the offer of a chair and sat down next to Gary. "So what is tonight's topic?" I asked. Steve looking over one shoulder then the other said "De Fibulators"

I looked cautiously around and leaned forward onto the table and whispered "You mean that machine you guys made to tell your wives lies with? "A round of nervous laughter sprang up from the table and all the guys looked over their shoulders and Steve said " We don't talk about that anymore, Gary's lawyer told us not to mention it. I nodded my head remembering something about the machine that would make little fortune cookies with lies for all occasions. "So what are we talking about then?" I asked. Looking over his shoulder Gary looked back and said "We are thinking of all going in on one of them medical Defibrillators for when you have heart problems. We are thinking of mounting it in our boat and then tweaking it so we can use it as a battery charger and maybe run our phones off it." Steve added "If it works it could be like one of them multi function tools and we could make hundreds of dollars off them!"

I leaned back in my chair and I gave it some thought, "So you would use this when you are fishing right? Several guys around the table nodded their heads, and you would be out on the lake in a metal boat right? More heads nodded around the table, "You will have to let me know how that works out for you, from Lake Iwanttobethere {942,609}

[Bobby Bass]

Crunch, Crunch..... Scrape..... Creak.. Crunch..Crack!...Crunch Crunch Crunch......

Who ever said winter is quiet never walked across a wood deck covered with frozen snow at first light. I let the dogs out first thing this morning and I had to go out to the truck to retrieve a fishing catalog that I had forgotten to bring in last night. The dogs went out the door and headed toward the lake to do their thing which left me alone in the quiet of the cold morning. I tend to move kind of slow in the morning especially when it is cold out and I took my time getting to the truck. Since I was looking where I was putting my feet I guess that is why I heard all the noise I was making as I crossed the deck before stepping off into the yard. No soft snow in the yard as it is all crunchy, with each step I sound like I am walking on gravel.

So now I am walking on the noisy snow trying to be quiet but failing miserable. I pulled my hood of my coat up around my ears as it is colder than I thought it was. I didn't plan it but the hood is now focusing my hearing even more. I stop in my tracks and just listen for awhile. Looking upwards I spy a crow sitting on the power line watching me, he looks cold. He or she is sitting on the line kind of hunched up. Hard to describe, it is like the crow is trying to make himself small and his head is pulled down on his chest. He is looking at me or at least he is pointed in my direction, I can't really see his eyes from where I am. We stand and sit and stare at each other for a moment. The crow I am sure is not thinking anything but I am thinking he is probably thinking to himself why I am just standing out in the cold doing nothing. Funny thing is I am thinking the same thing about him. Has to be a warmer place to hang around then clutching to a power line in the middle of no where.

Crunch, I take a step towards the crow, being stealthy ain't working this morning. The crow sits up right and taller on the power line. Definitely looking at me now he cocks his head and then just falls off the power line. He drops a few feet before he opens his wings and does a sharp turn away from me and flaps his wings a few times. He fly's away and tosses a caw at me before disappearing from view behind a pine. I watch as he fly's away and I see my breath rise in front of me, I shuddered a little and zip up my coat. I do it quick so I can put my hands back in my coat pockets. No longer trying to be quiet I walk across the hard snow to the truck, the crunching snow calling out like a cadence to me. Crunch, Crunch, Crunch.

Even the door of the truck opening sounds loud, creaking and fighting against me for the first few inches then it gives in with a groan and opens easily the rest of the way. Catalog rests on the seat right where I left it and the paper is about as cold to the touch as something can get. I tuck it under my arm and close the truck door. I turn to head back to the cabin and in my way sits Duncan. I never heard him arrive, probably was walking with me the entire time, I think he has Ninja skills, from Lake Iwanttobethere {944,300}

[Bobby Bass]

I would imagine if you took a plane and flew over the town of Lake Iwanttobethere this morning we would look like a busy little ant farm. Over night about two inches of lite powder snow fell quietly covering everything in a clean blanket. I first noticed it when I went to the bathroom and the skylight was dark. Since I get up about the same time every morning and the days have been getting longer there should have been light coming through the skylight into the bathroom. I turned on the overhead light and saw that there was snow covering the glass. A glance out the window confirmed it had snowed and a few minutes later dogs were out the deck door running like kids in the freshly fallen snow. I got my boots on and checking the bass thermometer on the cabin wall I saw it was warm enough that a hat was not needed.

Walking around the lot I found that my stealth skills had returned as I was quiet, might also be that the new snow was covering the dragging of my boots. Yesterday crunching snow was replaced with the quiet squishing of new snow under my feet. I picked up the shovel and cleaned off stairs and made a path to the shop. Two sets of fresh deer tracks down by the apple trees so I guess the deer are still coming in to check. The lake has a new blanket of snow and it looks like a white desert. A bright blue ice house sits off the point but it very well could be a mirage. The dogs thinking I am heading to our ice house dash out on the lake. They weave in and out like a basketball team practicing a figure eight fast break. I stop at the dock and just take in the morning and they skid to a stop and watch me for a few heart beats before racing back to shore.

When I was young it seem every farmer had a back hoe now it seems everyone living out in the country has a Bobcat. Two inches of snow is more than enough reason to start your Bobcat and go play in the snow. I stand on the dock and hear the whine of Bobcats dumping snow and the clanking of buckets. I had some morning errands to be done so I took a broom to the trucks and cleaned the snow from hoods and windshields. Bud and Barney went back in the cabin to take a nap but Duncan was ready for a ride and no sooner did I open the Tahoe door and he was in. We have not had a lot of snow this winter so moving a few inches of lite fluffy stuff even this late into winter is considered fun. As I drove down Main Street on my way to Ma and Pa's Grocery, shop keepers were out in full force with brooms and shovels.

Big Earl was of course already done at the General Store, armed with his red handle corn broom and wearing his apron he stood at the front door daring a snow flake to fall on his clean sidewalk. Out back Junior was in the Bobcat moving snow from one side of the parking lot to the other. I always thought it was kind of funny the attitude we have about snow here at Lake Iwanttobethere. I guess we share it with others, we refuse to give up any of our concrete to storing snow. If snow falls on a sidewalk, parking lot or driveway it must be relocated to a grassy area. There has to be one really big snow storm for us to give up a parking space to the storage of snow. We can usually tell how bad a winter will be by how far back Elmer pushes the snow from his driveway. I bet you have someone in your neighborhood who does the same thing. From a clean white winter day here at the lake, we are just busy moving snow, from Lake Iwanttobethere {945,389}

[Bobby Bass]

You have read about the Lodges lunch hour Coney's so here the secret sauce is revealed.

[Bobby Bass]

I have a special announcement to make...... I bought a resort! Yup, I am now the proud part owner of a resort right here on Lake Iwanttobethere. We are still working out a few minor details but it is a done deal. Had our last meeting with Reed the Realtor last night and we all signed off on the paper work. With out going into a lot of detail I found out that Vic owned a resort that has not been open for about twenty years. A Ma and Pop operation that had been in his family for just about forever. Vic is not really happy with the fishing at the retirement home and was looking for someway to move back to the old resort. Marv has decided he is staying here at Lake Iwanttobethere and that it was time to move his airstream trailer off Hammering Hank and his daughter Tess's property. Since Elmer and Marv are now the best of buds and have been hanging out with Vic and they got to talking and the old resort came up.

My neighbor Chuck is looking to expand his Maple Syrup business and the resort has a pole building not to mention a stand of Maples. I have retired and not spending as much time at the Lodge so somehow I got pulled in on the deal. Ok I might have tossed my hat into the ring as I thought the idea of having my own resort is actually a good idea. We signed the paperwork last night and now we own a resort with Vic as our caretaker. Now I already know what you are thinking, a bad idea right? But we did put some thought into it as the five of us sat around the big round table at the Lodge and tossed the idea of owning a resort around. First off, we are not going to open the Resort to the general public. If we were open then we would have customers that we would have to wait on. We would have to have cabins in working order and mow the grounds, put out docks, clean fish and haul the garbage away and have to entertain kids while their parents are drinking in the resort bar, did I mention the resort has a bar?

The first order of business was to name the resort just so we would have something to call it in conversations. We tossed ideas around and as we talked something always seem to come up a lot. The resort is close enough to a lot of things we will need to be close enough to. It is close enough to the lumber yard because we are going to have to do some roofing on the cabins, It is also close enough to town and the General Store. I can get to the resort dock from my dock over the waters of Lake Iwanttobethere, it is not too far but actually it is close enough. Which mean that Elmer and Chuck can reach it to. If we put a motor back on the S.S. Mistake it will be close enough for the old pontoon to make it to. The more time we spent at the round table talking about the resort the more it sounds like a plan that some kids would make over the building of a tree house.

Now there might be a minor problem on my end as I have not yet told the wife that I or I mean we are the proud owners of a tree house, I mean resort. But I am sure she will understand. For years she has been telling me to clean out the old shop and garage of all that "Good Stuff" I have gathered over the course of many years and many jobs. Now I have a place to bring all them windows and odd ball pieces of trim and siding and shingles. The old work trailer can be put to use again and Vic tells me their was a big garden there at one time. I can see a lot of potatoes in my future. Maybe even a greenhouse. So before I forget we have decided to call the place "Close Enuf" right here at Lake Iwanttobethere {947,316}

[Bobby Bass]

Well, the bear is out of cabin number one.......

I was just going to post that one line and let you think about it for awhile. Depending on how much time you have on your hands you could let your mind take that line and run with it for awhile. As you know I have bought into a resort here at Lake Iwanttobethere and you would be right in assuming that the bear was in a cabin in that very resort that I just bought. Cabin number One would have been another clue that it was in the resort and now you are probably thinking about what kind of condition the cabin would be in if it had a bear in it in the dead of winter. Your thoughts might wander to who or how the bear was found. How was the bear removed from cabin, did it go on it's own? Was it persuaded to leave? Was it alone?

If you sit and think long enough you might be asking if the bear was a wild bear, you would think so. But it could have been a circus bear, one that had escaped from a passing train. I didn't mention that we found strange tracks leading up to cabin number one which made us investigate. Not bear tracks but tire tracks from a single tire. We got suspicious when we saw the unicycle leaning up against the side of the cabin to the right of the open door. Did the bear wear a hat? Because most of the bears I have seen in the circus wear hats like they belong to some Lodge and they all seem to have a gold tassel hanging off the top of the hat. Or it could have been a wrestling bear who just found the unicycle and figured out how to ride it. Don't care for wrestling bears, I have had some bad experiences with them before.

This post might seem a little different then what you normally read. Might be because having an encounter with a bear in a dark cabin can have that effect on a guy. Bears can run really fast, did you know that? Bears can run really fast when chasing fat old guys in knee deep snow. Fat old guys can get really motivated when being chased by bears, especially if all they have to do is out run the other fat old guy next to them. Lucky for me Elmer has been chased by bears before and as he ran he was tossing his moon pies from his pocket over his shoulder. I made it to the Tahoe and was in the front seat with the door closed just as Elmer made it to the passenger's side. The bear was pawing the snow looking for more of the tasty moon pies and could care less about us. Elmer breathing hard and with a big grin on his face turned to me and just said "Close Enuf for ya" from Lake Iwanttobethere {948,274}

[Bobby Bass]

The big main cabin is in pretty good shape at "Close Enuf" Vic wanted to move right back in but he is paid up till the end of the month at the retirement home and there is no refunds. This will give us three weeks or so to do a little remodeling and fixing up. Hammering Hank came in with the work truck and with the plow cleared out the main entrance road and did a little pushing of some snow. Vic rode shotgun as there are some stumps along the road that he needed to point out to Hank. After opening one lane and then widening it some Hank hit a few stumps with the plow and declared it was close enuf.

The bear was not a problem as it appeared to be just passing through, this morning there was no sign of him or his unicycle. With a fire going in the potbelly stove of the main cabin we pulled up chairs and started to make a to do list. Elmer and Marv were taking inventory of the bottles on the back bar of the bar. Underneath the bar they found a box of pull tabs and with a dusty bottle the two of them sat down and started to pull the tabs. Chuck walking around the bar with his clip board stopped at the table and asked if they had won anything yet. Elmer held up a five dollar winner and Chuck asked him who he was going to collect from. Elmer looked at Marv and said "As the owner of this fine establishment, you owe me five dollars!" Marv looked at Elmer and held up a pull tab, "You owe me ten!"

Moving snow and getting inside the cabins was first on the list but with a snow storm on the way it didn't make much sense to have to do it twice. We sat around a long table that is so big it looked like they built the cabin around it. The table was covered in cigarette burns and stains from long forgotten drinks spilled on it. I was thinking to myself how I would resurface it when Vic started to tell stories about the table. After listening to a few tales I knew we were going to leave the table just the way it was. This place was Vic's home and he was going to be a great source of information. So we didn't really get much done other then plowing a road in so we can get in and out. The main cabin has an apartment upstairs with stairs that lead up from the door off the small kitchen. The main room has a small entrance area with a short hall. You need to come in the first door, close it then open the second door to get in the main room.

The great table as we started to call it sits in the center of the room and a Cherry bar runs along one wall. Not a very big bar I am guessing sixteen feet or so but it sure is pretty. You don't see Cherry bars much anymore and it's deep dark reddish wood looks like you are looking into a barrel of well aged brandy. It could use a few coats of varnish and I can see myself in here come this summer with the windows open and a cold beer in my hand. A couple of pinball machines sit dark against the back wall and a dart board hangs on the wall under a cracked Hamms sign. A few tables are scattered about and there are four booths up against the wall under windows that look out at the water of Lake Iwanttobethere. It might not be the best resort on the lake but for right now it is close enuf, from Lake Iwanttobethere {949,428}

[Bobby Bass]

Like a kid with a new toy I want to be over at the Close Enuf Resort today but I know there are things here at the cabin that need to be done. The forecasted storm has arrived about thirty minutes ago and already the windows on the lake side of the cabin are covered in snow. Depending on who you listen to we are going to get anywhere from eight to fourteen inches of that heavy wet heart attack snow. I kind of miss the old days of weather forecasting when they would tell you a storm is coming and within a day or so it would arrive. Now a days they tell you what time of the day it will get here, how long it will stay and what it is going to leave behind. Kind of takes the adventure out of it if you ask me.

Got some pretty good wind gust's going on here and the big blue spruce tree is doing some serious swaying back and forth. This morning I went into town and I finally filled the gas can for the snow blower. I figured if the report is right about the heavy wet snow I am not going to be doing much shoveling of it. Of course the roofs will have to be raked of snow and that stuff is heavy by itself, another reason to get the snow blower out for the first time this season. Extra firewood was hauled down from the big pile which is not so big anymore. The outside rack is full and I tied a brown tarp down over it. The inside box is also full and I have a nice fire going in the fireplace. Matter of fact as I write this I can hear the popping and crackling of the burning wood.

The wife has left me, not to worry she will be back. She went this morning to her mothers to give her a perm. I do not allow perms done here at the cabin in winter, I can't stand the smell that lingers for hours in the air. A little winter storm is not going to stop the wife from going to her mothers and pick up on hours of gossip and family doings. If the weather gets bad enough she will just spend the night and I will be left here alone with just the dogs, dang. Before she left she made a big bowl of potato salad and I have Coney fixings and a six pack of beer in the fridge, I will be just fine. I did tell her about the resort and I was a little surprised how well she took it. Last night I took her over and we did a quick ride around the place and she looked over the cabins and out buildings. She gave it her approval and then was pretty quiet on the drive back home. Later that night I found her at the kitchen table making notes on a yellow legal pad. Looking over her shoulder I asked what she was doing and she told me that she was just working on some ideas on how we are going to "Decorate" the cabins, she was thinking each cabin should have a "Theme"

I just nodded my head and walked away, too bad that jelly spilled on the legal pad this morning and Duncan while licking the jelly smeared the writing, but that stuff happens..... Just stepped outside to let the dogs out for a moment. The snow has changed into big fluffy flakes but the wind is still blowing briskly. Bass thermometer on the wall is holding right at thirty above and there is a good inch of new snow on the deck already. I think I am going to crack a beer open and get a book. I will have to move Duncan out of my easy chair in front of the fire but with the wife not home I am sure he will find a comfortable spot on the couch. No football or hockey to watch so I guess a good old fashion snow storm will have to do, from Lake Iwanttobethere {950,444}

[leechlake]

Bobby,

could you clarify what the Lodge actually is? I was under the impression it was kind of like a lodge at a resort and now that you've bought a resort I've become confused. Thanks, I need to stay in the loop!

[Bobby Bass]

Bobby,

could you clarify what the Lodge actually is? I was under the impression it was kind of like a lodge at a resort and now that you've bought a resort I've become confused. Thanks, I need to stay in the loop!

The Lodge where I so often hang my hat and where the Fellows gathered to discuss ideas is kind of like a Moose Club or a VFW if you have been thinking it was a resort then you might have had a different take on a lot of stories! I have recently retired as the manager of the Lodge but no one has been hired to take my place so I am still in the loop so to speak. Thank you for asking and I hope that answers your question, Bobby

[leechlake]

thank you. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this but I woke up last night and was thinking about the Lodge and my confusion. I now understand. I may send my resume to the Lodge for consideration. I have no experience managing a place like that but like the concept of the Lodge!

[Bobby Bass]

Snow has come and gone here at Lake Iwanttobethere, we received about eight inches during the storm and some blowing winds made a few drifts. Took me a few hours with the snow blower to clear up around the cabin and then I hooked up with the guys at the resort. Someone has been there just about all the time the last few days and the heat has finally warmed up the walls and furniture in the main building. I don't want to say it is cozy but we are getting comfortable in the place. Might take awhile before guys will have a favorite chair to sit in or a spot to hang their hat so to speak.

We have noticed that we are a group of planners and we have been doing some planning and coming up with ideas. Of course as planners we are making tweaks as we go as that is what planners do. One of the first things we have decided is that Vic is not going to be able to use the upstairs apartment. Part of the reason he is in the retirement home is he just does not do stairs well. We put on our thinking caps and Chuck mentioned that he has an old hay conveyer belt that we could install in the stairwell and Vic could just ride it up and down the stairs. We did some thinking on that and we could not figure how we would get the belt inside the stairwell. So we moved on. Then we got to thinking that if we are never really planning on opening the resort to the general public then we wouldn't really need a dining room. The main building does have a dinning room off the kitchen and with some work we could just turn that into a bedroom and a nice little living space. We ran the idea pass Vic and he thought it was a great idea. Heck the space would be even bigger then what he has at the home plus he would have direct access to the screened in porch and the bar.

Now we just have to get around to doing the remodeling, we had the planning part all figured out it was just the doing part we needed a little help on. That is when we hit on the idea of doing some bartering. Instead of opening to the general public we will barter out some of the cabin time for general repairs and maybe some needed goods and supplies. We all sat back in our chairs and toasted ourselves to a brilliant idea. I must pat myself on the back as I was the first one to embrace this idea of bartering for goods and service. I made a phone call to the Johnson brothers at their brewery and lined up a keg of Needabeer to be delivered to the Resort tomorrow. In exchange I gave the brothers a free weekend tent site for opening weekend. My next calls went to Reed then to Hammering Hank and we negotiated for him and Skinny to come over with the work truck and haul away the old dinning room tables and chairs, They are going to Reed the Realtors place where he has a buddy that runs an auction house. Hank and Skinny will work for beer and Reed will give us a cut on the auction sale.

With a plan for the new living space in motion we all sat outside in the screen house and enjoyed the bright sunshine coming in. The five of us sat on old benches and chairs in need of paint and from time to time offered up ideas of what we could do to the place. I did notice with no womenfolk around we are not in a real hurry to act on any of our ideas that involve work. Today just having ideas was Close Enuff, from Lake Iwanttobethere {952,614}

[Bobby Bass]

Done running errands in town already this morning, on my way in I saw the county was out clearing away snow from the wayside rest just outside of town. They had one of them bobcats with the big snow thrower attachments on it. There was a drift at the entrance big enough to make using the blower worth wile, of course it being a county rig it didn't really have to make sense. Behind the bobcat snow had been removed and a wall of straight snow was left behind. Looks just like one of them mining core samples as you can see the layers of snowfalls that have fallen this winter. Not to many layers as we have not had all that much snow till this past week. Stormy Clearweather is calling for more snow today but she may be wrong, nothing but bluebird skies overhead right now.

Down in the big city the boat and camping show kicks off tonight and as of now I don't have any plans on attending. Spent just enough money last year down their buying the new graph for the Puddle Humper that I don't feel the need to go this year. Might also be that I see that they raised the ticket price a dollar again and parking is another four dollars. By the time I park and buy tickets for me and the wife twenty-five bucks is gone and I still have to put gas in the Tahoe to get me there and back. Now add the price of a couple of semi cold glasses of beer and some beef jerky and I would have to go on Thursday and call it a Valentines date for it to make any sense.

On the brighter side it is the middle of February already and it has taken this long for it to actually look like winter in these parts. There are snow piles along the sides of the drive and deep snow covers the shingles on the out buildings. Icicles hang from eves and when it warms up some today there will be the sound of water dripping from them. The Luge down at the Lodge finally has a nice smooth track and with no school next week we are expecting it to be used a lot. Ice fishing contest this weekend and then during the week next week we will also be harvesting ice for the Lodges Ice House. Thinking ahead we are going to see if we can cut some extra ice and bring it to the Resort, as there is also and ice storage building there. But we will have to clean it up before we can use it, so it might not get done this season.

Suddenly we are a mite busy around here, With work around the cabin and now adding the Resort and late winters projects at the Lodge the days really do need to get longer. As mentioned already the grand kids are out of school next week so I am already lining them up to put them to work. I will give them flashlights and send them off on their own Indiana Jones Adventures into the cabins. Later today the Beer should arrive and we will have another planning session. High on the list is we need to name buildings. We have the main cabin/building, several cabins, pole barn, work shed, barn, two garages and what was once a bait shop/store. We need to name them all so we know what we are talking about. Cabin One has already been renamed the Bear Cabin as that was an easy one. Add the ice storage building and some long forgotten out houses and the Close Enuff Resort won't need any new building for a little while, from Lake Iwanttobethere {953,276}

[Bobby Bass]

So it starts, the teasing from Mother Nature. Yesterday it reached a high of forty-five on the old bass thermometer handing on the wall here at the cabin. The jumping bass was looking kind of happy if ya stared at the thermometer long enough. Today it is windy and in the mid twenties, not bad but then again it is not forty-five. Some sunshine slips in between gray clouds and Stormy Clearweather has forecasted some snow showers. Was supposed to snow some yesterday but it never happens, it got to be to warm. Today the wind is banging wind chimes and in the cold the chimes clanging against each other sound cold to. Yesterday with a fire going it got warm in the cabin, matter of fact I was thinking of opening a window. Today the fire is still needed to keep the chill out and I am looking forward to the return of sunny days and free heat coming through the windows.

Days are getting longer by four minutes or so, the sun is rising the same time I get up every morning and I am going to let it start winning here soon. You are not going to be seeing me up at five forty-five in the morning coming mid June. I will however keep going to bed after sunset and once fishing season starts I will be on the water still fishing long after the sun has slipped away and twilight has it's brief hold. There are several different names for that time after the sun falls, most people call it twilight. Photographers call it the Sweet Light and painters refer to it as the Blue Hour. My daughter is a painter so I learned of the Sweet Light and Blue Hour from her. I just call it a real good time to be on the water in mid summer tossing top water lures. If you position the boat facing where the sun settled you can still make out the wake of a working prop bait as it comes back to you. A big splash is visible and the sound of a fish clearing water is echoed by the darkness.

Thinking of a warm summer night with soft breezes and calm water at darkness might be a little out of place here in mid February. In four months the sounds will change, no longer will the sound of a heater be heard in the background. The snap of a fire will be gone as the fireplace will sit cold and silent. Pretty sure mosquitoes will be around and their annoying buzzing will be heard. Elmer says they never bother him, I think that is because at sundown he just turns his hearing aid off. The fire will not be gone though, I am sure the fire pit will be crackling and smoke rising up through the blue light of twilight. Backs will lean deep into chairs and legs will stretch out, shoeless feet with wiggling toes will seek the heat of the fire. Falling ice will be heard if listen for, not the ice sliding off roofs in winter but the sound of clinking ice in a glass.

If it is a hot night there will be some complaining, someone will wish out loud for a cooling breeze to take the heat and the skeeters away. They are usually the same ones who wish for snow in summer and rain in winter. I'll just sit with my old friends around the fire and wish for another tomorrow from Lake Iwanttobethere {954,444}

[Bobby Bass]

We made a trade yesterday with Elise the owner of the Doze Inn. The Inn sits right off the main road from the town of Lake Iwanttobethere. It just happens to be where you turn on to the dirt road that will bring you to the Close Enuff resort. The Doze Inn is busy in summer but just has a few visitors who rent a weekend at a time come cross country ski season. Elise waved me down yesterday and asked about all the traffic that was going along side her Inn. I explained that me and my partners had bought the old resort and would be spending time down there. She was happy to hear that Vic would be returning to the resort as I guess the two of them had gone to high school together. As for the trade when I told her we were cleaning up things and selling the tables and chairs from the dinning room she asked if she could get a couple of tables and some chairs for her small lobby. She puts out coffee and juice and donuts for her weekend guests there.

A little bartering later and I had a used bedroom set for Vic's living space complete with a couple of dressers. I gave up two tables and eight chairs along with a weekend in the bear cabin. Elise tossed in some wall space on the side of her Inn where we could hang a sign giving directions to the resort. Seems back in the day Vic had a resort sign hanging in the same spot. We also came to a verbal agreement about sending customers to each other. On the corner of her Inn she has a small gift shop that sells some Swedish handmade items and in return she will send us some of her guests. So now we are thinking we may have to work on cleaning up the little bait house and maybe stocking the minnow tanks. Having owned a tackle shop years and years ago I still have some inventory in my basement. The idea of having our own bait shop is sounding kind of good, we figure we can hang a lot of stuff we have just hanging around.

As you can see we are still doing a lot of planning we know we are not going to be open and up to speed in just a few months but it is always good to have plans and then take the time to tweak them. Last night I was in the Lodge and word has traveled about the resort. Guys were trying to buy me beers and get an inside track on a cabin or a tent site to rent. Sticking to our barter idea I just took names and started making a list of what was being offered and a general idea of what was needed in return. The bear cabin already is a popular place, seems there is a story going about the bear and the claws marks on the door jam where it took a swipe at me and missed. Now I am not saying it happen nor am I saying it didn't happen but I do have on my work list to bring out the wood chisel and freshen up a few old scratches.

Somehow I have become the manager of the resort, Vic is the caretaker and Marv and Elmer are in charge of ideas. Chuck has become the foreman and the one we blame everything that is not done on. Chuck does not know that but he will when he reads this. Hammering Hank and Skinny have become hired hands and Tess and my wife are now interior decorators. Grand kids have become groundskeepers and the oldest granddaughter is going to learn how to become the dock girl. So far Barney has taken a real liking to the place and he might just spend the summer here being the porch dog. He looks good laying in the screen porch sleeping in the sunshine. Echo the wonder dog might be our watch dog, she just runs around the place barking at everything. She is not a real watch dog, but she is close enuff from Lake Iwanttobethere {955,529}

[Bobby Bass]

I am always surprised at how quickly things can come together when you have a lot of hands doing one job. Yesterday afternoon everyone was at the resort and even though we all worked well after dark we were rewarded with a clean place to hang our hat. The bar and kitchen area is now clean and the dinning area has been emptied of tables and chairs. Windows have been washed and floors mopped clean. We took about half of the plates and glassware and sent them with Hammering Hank to auction. Skinny did some work on the walk in cooler and the grill after some serious cleaning had hamburgers sizzling on it again. The leather booths were cleaned and today we are going to strip and wax the floor, bet it has been twenty years since that has been done.

The back bar glass has been cleaned and a few bottles that were left have been wiped off and put back on the shelves. I doubt if we are ever going to pour from them but they look good shinning up there. The keg of Needabeer was tapped and Vic was given the honor of drawing the first beer. Some sodas were stacked in the fridge under the bar and the ice machine was turned on and we have cubes! Over a dinner of burgers and chips we crossed off a few things on our huge to do list and came up with a name for the main building. We have decided to call the place "The Clubhouse"

Now the name has a couple of meanings for us, I make a pretty mean Clubhouse sandwich and we figured we needed something that people might come here for. We of course will have chili and Coney's but I wanted us to have a little something else. I have been eyeing where Vic told me they used to have the family garden and I think I can expand it some and we will be able to grow our own tomatoes and lettuce, add in some home grown spuds and we can offer up a home grown samwich and some fresh home grown fries. Marv worked for awhile as a baker back in New York and says he can still bake bread so we might try that, the clubhouse could be a real name maker for us. Another reason for calling the main building the Clubhouse is we needed a name for it, can't call it the Lodge because we all spend time at the Lodge and we would get confused as to what Lodge we were talking about. Something else we are going to do is paint the outside doors all a different color, will make it easier for us to tell guests which door to go in to.

The Clubhouse will have a front door that will lead you into the second door that will take you into the bar area. Vic has an entrance door to his living space, another door will lead you to the screened in porch area yet another door will take you to the back of the clubhouse that goes upstairs. While we are at it we are thinking of painting the cabin doors different colors and we of course have to have a colored door for the bait/tackle shop which is at the back of the Clubhouse. I know this is all confusing that is why we need to come up with some kind of system. As we figure it out I will pass it on to you. I'm thinking maybe my daughter the artist will have to come up and paint the doors, won't be done today she has plenty of time. For now the main door is clean and that is close enuf, from Lake Iwanttobethere {957,253}

[Bobby Bass]

It took everyone we could find to lift the Great Table, flip it and put it upside down on the bar so we could strip and wax the floor. I had borrowed both the sixteen and twelve inch buffers from the Lodge and the floor was stripped quickly. It was done so fast because I really don't think there was any wax left on the floor to beginning with. Thinking ahead Hammering Hank and Skinny and brought sanding screens with them and the plan was while I seal the bar floor and wax it they would go ahead and screen the maple floor of the dinning room, soon to be Vic's living space.

The guys have experience at doing this as every couple of years they do the church gym floor so doing the dinning room should take them no more then the afternoon. With the bar floor dry and everything off the floor I got out the wax bucket and my wax mop. To keep the room clean of sanding dust Hank closed the door and put duck tape around the edges. Then for some reason he taped some newspaper over the glass window. I turned on the exhaust fan and went to work sealing the old black and white checkered tile floor. I kind of sealed myself into a corner and I sat in one of the booths admiring my work. I could hear the sound of the buffers running and the muffled sound of Hank yelling at Skinny and Skinny yelling back. After twenty minutes or so the sealer was dry and I started to lay down the first coat of wax. As I was waxing I saw a few of the Fellows walk by the windows heading towards the dinning entrance.

With the first coat of wax drying I was sitting back in the booth with my feet up resting on the other side. My two young grandsons waved at me as they walked alongside the Clubhouse with their dad carrying his toolbox. With the first coat of wax almost dry I looked out the window to see Gary and Tiny going by carrying some two by fours and a plank. Next I see Elmer and Marv passing by and they kind of avoid looking at me. The wax is dry now and I walk over to the dinning room door but I can't see anything with the newspaper covering the glass. I can hear muffled talking and the sound of at least one buffer running. As I get back to waxing I am thinking Hank and Skinny have brought in some help and by the time I am done with the third coat maybe they will be done sanding.

I am sitting back in the booth admiring the two coats of wax I have down and the old black and white checkered floor does not look brand new but it sure does look purty. I'm thinking if I bring the car buffer over I can sure polish up that brass kick rail on the bottom of the bar. I start putting down the last coat of wax and this time I am working backwards. It is quiet and I don't hear anything coming from the dinning room, no sound of the buffers. I stop and listen careful like and I can hear some soft conversations going on, that is not good. Then I hear a distinct GO and hear some brief cheering and large thump and some clapping.

I keep waxing and every few minutes I hear the same thing, someone yelling GO I think it is Elmer and then cheering and a loud thump, sometimes two thumps close together. I wax my way right up to the dinning room door and I stand and try to peek around the paper which has slipped off to one side. There is just enough of the paper off one corner that I can see into the dinning room and the doings going on.

The room is kind of heavy with sanding dust and it looks kind of yellow through the light coming from the work lights hanging from the ceiling. I see several two by fours connected and laying on the wood floor. Up against the wall I see a plank on edge and I can see everyone standing on the other side of the room. I see the blue and yellow extension cords laid out in the center of the room. The yellow one is close to me while the blue one is on the other side of the two by fours. Several tool boxes sit open by the door and both buffers are alongside. The crowd of guys step back and I see what they are up to. My six and seven year old grandsons are wearing their bicycle helmets and elbow pads. They are sitting on top of belt sanders and the two by fours are now seen for what they really are, a belt sander drag track!

Elmer sanding with paper dust mask over his mouth raises his hand and shouts GO the two extension cords are plugged into the outlet, the lights in the room dim for a second and the boys on the belt sanders take off down the track to end twenty feet later hitting the plank protecting the wall. They tip over laughing and the men cheer, they all seem to be holding their own belt sanders waiting their turn. I watch a few more runs waiting for my wax to dry, as soon as I can cross the floor there is going to be some yelling. They don't know it, but I got my belt sander in the Tahoe, from Lake Iwanttobethere {958.441}

[Bobby Bass]

Not much work was done in the Clubhouse on Sunday, everyone was at the Lodge at one time or another as almost everyone in town was involved in the ice fishing contest. I guess I am still the manager of the Lodge but I am no longer receiving any pay, which is no change from before since I never have received a paycheck. But it was agreed on that I would no longer have to pull any shifts bar tending and can come and go as I please. So this works out just fine with me as it will allow me to "Borrow" items from the Lodge. Having said that the twelve and sixteen inch floor buffers along with the left over wax and sealer have been returned to the basement storage room. This morning finds me with clipboard in hand ordering candy to refill the case that was wiped out by kids yesterday.

Fishing was kind of slow and but I am happy to report that a two pound bass won the ice fishing contest. The best part was it was caught by a die hard walleye fishermen who does nothing but trash talk about bass all year round. He was pretty happy holding up that bass and his winning check for the Lake Iwanttobethere Times photographer. Weather was ok, could have used a little sunshine but the wind was a non factor. Hammer Hank and Skinny plowed the ice roads and at the end of the day a few of the guys took advantage of the clear roads and some of the shanties came off the ice. Ice fishing is drawing to a close here but the cross country skiing has taken off. With the recent snowfalls the trails are in excellent shape and Main Street is seeing some weekend traffic.

No school this week and we expect the Luge to be a busy place with kids riding all day for free. I expect that next Monday I will have to order more candy and chips to fill the case again. Several of our vendors here at the Lodge have heard about us opening the Close Enuf Resort and are asking if they will be needed. I told them we are looking to do some bartering and I think I might be able to trade pizza to the milk guy in exchange for ice cream for the chip's guy and then trade chips to the pizza guy. Some where in there I should be able to get pizza, ice cream and chips for the resort. Toss in a few weekend camping spots and I can save us a few bucks.

Today's report has taken me several hours to write as I keep getting interrupted. Stan and Jean were just in with their ice cream truck and they were on their way down to park by the ice rink. They to heard about the resort and were asking about a parking space for their rig. They would be willing to provide some banana splits at a very deep discounted price. They were in a hurry and said they would get back to me come closer to fishing opener. Elmer and Marv came in as Stan and Jean were leaving and they exchanged HIYA's I told Marv and Elmer since they are the thinking part of this partnership to come up with a way for us to have cabin's, tenting sites and now a place to park a few RV's besides the space we already have for Marv's air stream. The three of us stood leaning against the candy case quiet like for awhile, Marv then said "Good thing we are not going to be open for the public" I nodded my head and got to thinking about renting the rooms upstairs of the Clubhouse as a bed and breakfast, from Lake Iwanttobethere {959,975}