Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

[Bobby Bass]

Every day is another day closer to fishing season, that we can all agree on. Of course for almost everyone it may be even closer or farther away depending on what you consider fishing. March 30th will be the opener for Steelhead on the other side of Lake Iwanttobethere and guys will be wearing snowshoes to get to the water's edge. A few weeks later and we can chase them on this side of the lake. Some people consider dipping for Smelt as their fishing opener and with all of this late snow there might be a pretty good run off in time for it. Others wait till walleye are legal to catch and still another group must wait a few more weeks to chase bass. Muskie guys have to wait yet another two weeks before they can start pitching lures as big as sinks at their favorite fish.

At the Lodge the steelhead guys are starting to gather, they sit at one of the tables near the deck door and chat. Easy to spot some of them are wearing the short little vests sporting all the little pockets and the retractable scissors and forceps and sunglass holders. As we get closer to their openers some will wear their waders in, getting used to them again. They shake hands at arm's length not wanting to get to close and get tangled up in each others vests. Spring steelhead fishermen become summer fly fishermen and we don't usually see them much around the Lodge. They keep to themselves wading through knee deep grass to get back too lazy running water under willow trees off the beaten track.

The then there is Arlo, not your usual steelhead fishermen but there is no doubt that he is a fishermen. We don't see much of Arlo around town as he tends to keep to himself or maybe he just trout fishes a lot. He is what is known as a skinny drink of water. I would say he is about six foot tall and weighs about a hundred and fifty pounds. He has to wear a belt along with suspenders to keep his waders on. He has steel gray hair pulled back into a pony tail and always sports about a weeks worth of stubble on his chin. No one really knows a lot about him but there are a few educated guesses along with a lot of uneducated ones. The best one is that he had something to do with racing and that is because he owns a greyhound that he calls Nascar. Actually I know for a fact that he has had a few dogs and he calls all of them Nascar.

I run into him from time to time as on a hot summer day I will dig me some worms and go drown them on a stretch of creek that in my youth held trout. We have floated a few worms together and chewed on long green stems of grass and listen to the hum of bees and gurgling water flowing over the tops of rounded rocks. Neither one of us will say much, we just kind of tolerate each other being on the same stretch of water at the same time.

This morning he was in the Lodge and I noticed him at the end of the bar drinking coffee and sharing the morning paper with Gus. Duncan was with me and he went right over to Arlo and sat down next to him. Arlo reached down and petted him behind the ears and Duncan let him. Gus waved me over and I dropped my gloves and hat on a stool and walked over. Arlo watched me walk over and before I could say anything he said "You bought Vic's family resort, you know there is a sweet trout stream that drains into the bay, right?" And with that I found myself giving Arlo permission to fish the trout stream and found out all about it. An hour later Arlo got up to leave and pushed his empty coffee cup across the bar. He told me he will be seeing me again and asked how much the grand kids were going to be charging for worms and if he can get a discount if he buys regular like from them. I laughed and told them he will have to talk with the kids. Yup, fishing is getting another day closer, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,019,503}

Jitterbug Lure orginal made out of wood and still in production today, Late 1930's value up to 100.00

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[Bobby Bass]

I had an idea for a story today but I got sidetracked, easy for me to do as the wife says I do it all the time. Anyway I got sidetracked by a telephone call from a friend who was telling another friend about something in a story I wrote and if I remember which one it was. Well if you read this then you know over the years I have written a lot of stories. I do have a good memory but I could not come up with the story that they were looking for. So I got sidetracked by going back and looking for the story and I ended up reading a lot of other ones.

I then got sidetracked again reading about how congress was not going to let the postal service abandoned Saturday mail delivery. They were not going to do it because the Postal System needs to ask congress for permission. This got me sidetracked again by reading an article about President Bush writing letters so he could remember things. Come to think of it that is exactly what I am doing to, I am writing things down so I can remember them and I hope my kids and grand kids will be able to read them. My stories are a way for me to keep some of the past alive and to share fishing adventures and just the simple day to day happenings that always seem to happen but unless written about no one notices.

I hope my ramblings have improved over the years as I use spell check and I even proof read several times before I post, I still miss stuff but I write that off as being my writing style. From time to time I add a picture because as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. Having said this I guess I am really just writing letters and putting them out there for everyone to read. Not as good as the presidents letters and they are not going to find there way to the Bobby Bass Library someday, but I hope they will get read a few times.

My youngest grand daughter never says good bye to me when she visits or when I see her. It used to bother me till one afternoon we were alone swinging on the deck swing. We were talking about everything and I brought up the question of why she never says good bye to me. She looked at her hands and then at me and simply said "If I say good bye then that means I am leaving you, and I never want to leave you" I didn't have an answer to her answer. Since that day I never say good bye to her for the same reason.

So I never say good-bye when I finish a story from Lake Iwanttobethere, someday I will stop writing. I hope it is not for a long time as I think I still have stories to tell and things I want to share with my kids and grand kids and my friends. This thing called the Internet is supposed to be here for a long time and what I write might even last longer than a book in a library. Who knows, anything can happen here from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,022,216}

On a side note I want to send birthday wishes out to my neighbor Chuck who is celebrating his today, it just happens that I to am celebrating my 718th birthday I don't know what Chuck's number is, he celebrates years.

Today's lure is a Dowagic Minnow #00 1930- James Heddon & Sons company of Dowagiac, Michigan

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[Bobby Bass]

Yesterday was my neighbor and friend's birthday, he does not celebrate birthdays as he feels it is a sign of getting old. I on the other hand welcome them like mile markers in the road of life. Yesterday I to celebrate a birthday and as you know I do so every month, yesterday was my 718th birthday. Since Chuck was not at the Lodge to celebrate the guys toasted and wished me a happy birthday. Matter of fact I am kind of an excuse to drink beer and party at least once every month. We don't have cake or any ice cream just a cold one or two to celebrate. Sometimes a tourist not knowing about the monthly birthday party will buy a round for the Lodge which makes everyone happy and looking forward to my next birthday.

The Fellows were gathered around the big round table and they had started celebrating my birthday well before I arrived. I found them sitting at the table with yellow sheets of paper torn from their yellow pad which they refer to as the think pad. Making my self comfortable in one of the wood back chairs I accepted the toast for my birthday and then asked what they were up to. Gary said "Eulogy"

"Who died " I asked, Gary said "No one, but we are getting ready for it" the Fellows had put some thought into this idea before they started drinking and I found out that a eulogy is not only for the dead but can also be read for someone alive. The idea behind the eulogy is to give someone praise and celebrate their life. The Fellows thought they should write their own eulogies so they could find out what they would sound like when they are not around to hear it. I sat and sipped my beer and gave it some thought, it did have some merits. The Fellows did not know where to start, they were thinking they should make kind of a general one that they could just fill in the blanks for who ever died. Now I now what you are thinking that does not sound like the way one should go about writing a eulogy but the Fellows have always done everything together and this is kind of fitting for them.

They were still in the figuring stage when I sat down at the table, the discussion continued about having the pro's and con's of having the local minister or priest talk about their life and them being loving fathers and faithful husbands. Some of the Fellows objected to that as they didn't know how their x wife's were going to react to a statement like that. Steve wanted to know if they should talk about their dogs, trucks and boats that they would be leaving behind and how they had cheated death before. Like that time they all jaywalked on the track during that NASCAR race. They all took a big sip of beer at the memory.

Steve was in charge of writing so he started to put things down on paper.

Today we are gathered here to celebrate BLANK life. He went way before he should have to walk in the green meadows of a hunter's paradise. Where babbling brooks flow with hungry trout and roosters roam every row of corn. Where deer can hardly hold their racks up and the smell of BBQ is every where. Where it never gets to hot or to cold and there is always a shade tree with dry ground to sit a spell on. We all paused some to let them words sink in, they were down right purtty. Elmer wandered over seeing us all quiet like and read out loud the words Steve had written and then said "Somebody's dog die?" From Lake Iwanttobethere {1,024,026}

Suface Minny 1934

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[Bobby Bass]

Yesterday was spent running around town trying to locate a pump to use at the Resort. With temperatures on the jumping deer thermometer in the middle thirties we are getting a slow melt. Not from melting snow on the ground but the buildings are losing all their snow from roofs. Some pretty good dripping going on. I noticed yesterday that the water coming off the Club House roof is pooling at one corner. Snow is blocking it from draining away and the only way to move the water is to put a pump in the center of the pool and sent it, the water over the snow bank towards the lake. I could find nothing at the Resort so I headed into town and the General Store.

Another sunny day and the road is dry except where water has gathered in large puddles from melt. That time of year when the pot holes are reappearing and a few new ones have formed. A real nice one just past the Gulp-N-Go is big enough and deep enough that the Gulp-N-Go is offering free coffee refills if you hit it. Big Earl didn't have a small sump pump but he did have a fountain pump that will work, I bought it and some plastic hose and I was headed back to the Resort. When I arrived I got sidetracked by Skinny and then Vic had lunch ready and I met up with the other guys and of course we had a beer after lunch. By late afternoon I remembered about the pool of water and I went out with my new pump to drain it. Trouble is when I walked around the corner of the Club House the water was gone. It had worked it's way under the snow and had drained away. Just another lesson why someone should not be in such a hurry to fix things.

So I went back to the General Store to return the pump and plastic tubing, I didn't need it so I might as well get my money back. I was on my way back to see Big Earl when I got side tracked by an open parking space out front of the Lake Iwanttobethere pet shop, Paws and Fins. With all of this new room at the Club House I have been toying with the idea of starting back up an old hobby of mine. Back at the cabin I have two thirty gallon show tanks in storage and I was thinking I could set them up in the lobby of the Resort. I parked in the open space and walked into the pet shop and was given a HIYA from Bonnie the owner. Some small talk and I started to walk around looking at fish and it did not take me long to see that everything has gone up since I had my tanks set up. An hour later I left the shop thinking maybe I will just set up the tanks in the lobby and put a couple of turtles in one and maybe some crappie minnows in the other.

Today finds me at the Lodge getting ready for a surprise birthday lunch for a Lodge member in good standing. Even though it is Silent Sunday I do some times make an exception and I will be the keynote speaker for this afternoon event. I don't have any thing written down to say but I am thinking that I can use the Fellows eulogy that they wrote yesterday and just fill in Nytelyter name where it says BLANK. I guess I didn't mention that it is our own Lake Iwanttobethere Nytelyters birthday today and he is now 636 months old. I will add lib something about his sailing and put in about his fireworks displays but I think I can make the Fellows eulogy work. They just might have come up with a good idea. I don't know how big the gathering is going to be as we do have a special main course for the birthday meal. We found a whole case in the back of the basement storage and we figured Nytelyter would really appreciate it, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,025,882}

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[Bobby Bass]

Over cast sky today but it is dripping outside, snow is still melting on the roof of the cabin here and there is water dripping onto the deck. My ice dam is still up but getting smaller and I took the roof rake and taped a painter's cup to it. I then filled the cup with ice melt and then delivered the ice melt directly onto the ice dam to help speed it's demise. I found out at Nytelyters birthday get together that Al-Mart in the big city has ice melt so this morning I went down and bought a couple of bags. I also saw first hand how some of the budget cuts are effect us. Here at Lake Iwanttobethere we don't have much of a budget for anything but the big city is a tad different.

I am not one to shop the big AL-Mart stores mostly because everything I need I can pretty much get locally. But when I heard about the ice melt I had to make the drive down to get some. First thing I noticed was how many old people were in the store, not counting myself. That and the fact that everyone seem to be riding one of them buggies or scooters that you see on TV all the time. I grabbed a shopping cart and asked where I could find the ice melt and I of course was directed to the rear of the store. Having spent some time in retail I know part of the reason it is in the back is to get you to walk past all the end caps with impulse items on them for sale. I also found out that just about all that little scooters have horns on them and I was horned several times to get out of the way.

One older fellow had a extra battery in the rear rack of his buggy and when he zipped by I was thinking it was for ballast but as he went by he hit me with a Dukes of Hazzard blast from his horn to get be out of his way. He paused briefly at a main aisle intersection before cranking out a wolf whistle. I knew what he had then, one of them programmable car horns with like a hundred different sounds. I could see the need for the extra battery as he didn't go to far before he played something else. I made it back to where the ice melt was and loaded two bags into the cart and began my run back thru the gauntlet of senior citizens.

I took a round about way back to the cashiers trying to avoid the main aisle and went back through the food section. Was a little better back there as people were actually shopping and I mixed in with others pushing carts. I came down the paper aisle when I found a little old lady stuck. She had rammed the paper towel display and was spinning her tires as she was on top of a few rolls of the "Quicker pick er up er" I managed to set her free and she made some small talk with me as she rearranged her hair and purse. I asked about all the scooters and if there was some sale or something on and she told me that since the government has made cutbacks their senior citizen's driver training has been in a pinch. Now they practice here at Al-Mart once a week and with that she thanked me once again and was on her way, bouncing of a display of toilet paper.

Keeping my head on a swivel I made it to the cashier and paid for the ice melt and some jerky along with a KitKat bar that I just had to have. I was going out the out door when a gang of scooters came thru the entrance door. I feel I am safe calling them a gang as they all had bright red flags on whips sticking up from the back of their scooters and were all wearing leather vests. But I might have been too quick to judge as there was a nursing home van parked just down from the doors. Think when I see Big Earl I am going to suggest he order more ice melt to keep on hand, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,028,115}

1915 Nite Luming Bass Oreno

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[Bobby Bass]

Been pretty busy here at the Resort on the shores of Lake Iwanttobethere in a county that no one can pronounce. Spring is sneaking in quietly which is just fine, the red needle of deer thermometer on the wall of the Club House is around that forty degree mark. Yesterday afternoon I saw that it hit fifty but by the time I found Vic to point it out it had fallen back down to forty-eight. Vic just shook his head at me and mumbled something about getting my eyes checked. The weather is the talk around town as the melt is on and every day something new is emerging from beneath the snow. Here at the Club House we are all keeping a watchful eye on things as this is a new place to us and we are watching where the water from the melting snow is going. Already Hammering Hank is rethinking the way he plows snow, we would rather have the melt not flow across the access road.

Club House, sheds, out buildings and cabins are all being checked for leaks, Over night the last of the ice dams broke loose and no one was around to hear them fall. Chuck has tapped some new sugar maple trees and he is working from dawn till after sunset running from the Resort back to his cabin with sap. The new trees just have buckets hanging from them but Chuck is already planning a tubing line for next season. Looks like a few trails for the atv will have to be built this summer as travel is taking up a lot of time. The trees back at the cabin are producing well and along with the sap that is brought in from customers the smell coming from the evaporator is thick in the air well into the night.

We have our own glacier here at the Club House as on the access road running water from snow melt covers the road by mid afternoon. At night it all freezes and if the day time high does not get too much above freezing it stays. The mini glacier adds a few inches in its height from the water running across it every day. As the snow melts in the ditch we expect the glacier will just disappear one day but we have added it to our list of things to do this summer, taking out the low spot. Decks are clear of snow and we have some chairs set up on the main one. With the sun up high and sitting out of the wind I have spend some time out there looking at the Lake and expanding the do list on the clip board. We are still working inside the Club House, yesterday I helped install trim in the upstairs main hall and the wainscoting is now completed.

Main room bar area is clean, floors are waxed and slowly but surely we are adding decorations to the walls. A lot of stuff we have found in storage that was going to be thrown away we have saved. To us old guys the stuff brings back memories so we are hanging it back up on the walls and along the picture ledges. Bait shop area has also been cleaned up and we did it the more modern way. As soon as it got warm enough we just went into the place wearing our waders and fired up the pressure washer. The room is all cinder block so there was nothing going to get hurt and it sure beat washing walls by hand. Tanks are cleaned and Skinny is working on the piping to route the spring water that used to feed the tanks back in to working order.

All of us have been going through our fishing gear looking for stuff that we can hang on the walls and stuff that could be sold. I have made a few orders and we should be getting some stock here in the next few weeks. Not a lot of anything just a little of this and a little of that. Chuck's daughter will be delivering us crappie minnow first so Skinny said he will have the tanks up and running before that happens. Elmer and Marv are already eyeing a spot that they will try crappie fishing when the ice goes out. I think Vic will be happy just to soak a line in one of the tanks. Sunny Clearweather is forecasting each day to be a littler warmer then the last and a good chance of rain on Saturday. Marv has been practicing on the grill, trying to see how big he can make pancakes as we wait for the first taste of new Lake Iwanttobethere Maple Syrup. Last I saw he had out the pizza paddle practicing his flips, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,030,413}

Baby Vamp 1925

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[Bobby Bass]

We had a proper fire at the Resort late yesterday afternoon. With the melt in full swing the fire ring has appeared and it didn't take us to long to get a fire started. I don't know who started it, except it was not me. I was thinking about it earlier in the day and had tossed some branches in a pile. I then got distracted chipping out a trench for some water to move away from the Bear cabin. I caught a whiff of smoke in the air and went around the Bear cabin to find a small fire burning in the ring. I walked over and fed the fire a few finger thick branches and added a few damp chucks of maple. Some smoke curled up from the fire and it looked like the maple was going to catch. Lot of snow on the ground here but there was a small circle around the fire ring that was just wet ground. I went back to my chipping at the Bear cabin where I was out of the slight breeze but in full sunshine.

Satisfied that my trench was working I picked up a section of broken railing from the cabin and carried it to the fire ring. Someone else had been there since I left as I found an axe leaning up against one of the maple rounds that I am sure was being used as a chair. I rested the ends of the broken 2x4's on the round and then broke them with my boot and added them to the fire. Who ever had set up the fire ring had picked a good spot as it was on a slight mound. The water from the melting snow around the fire was draining away and the ring of bare ground was growing. I went back to the Bear cabin to get my ice chipper and headed to the wood shop.

Inside the shop was colder than outside so I open the big door and let some sunshine in. I fired up the old radio and as the tubes warmed up I tossed in a few scraps of wood into the stove and put a match to it. I then started to look for wood that was too big for the potbelly stove but would burn just fine down at the fire ring. Didn't take me to long to fill the wheelbarrow and I pushed it out the open door and headed for the fire ring. Someone had already fed the fire as it was now at least three times bigger then when I had left it. A pile of broken picnic table tops were stacked to one side and I could see tractor tire tracks in the snow. I added my wheelbarrow of wood scraps to the growing pile and pitched a few pieces into the fire.

I decided that pushing the wheelbarrow over to the fire could be considered work by some and I deserved a break. I tipped the wheelbarrow so it was resting on it's wheel and the two handles and used it as a chair. Facing the fire I sat down and dug in my pocket for the cigar that I had not finished after breakfast. Trying to cut down, I have not been smoking a whole cigar at a time this winter. I got back up from the wheelbarrow to find a twig to stick in the fire and transfer the flame from fire to my cigar. With the cigar burning I sat back in my wheelbarrow chair and enjoyed the heat coming off the fire.

I was thinking to myself that a guy could take a nap if he wanted to. The fire was warm but not really hot. The metal wheelbarrow was not really warm to the touch but it certainly was not cold. I heard the tractor heading in my direction but I could not see it as it was behind me. I was not going to stand up, I was comfortable right where I was. The tractor stopped and the engine died. Some clanking and banging then I saw a piece of 2x4 land in the fire to be joined by a couple of 2x6's. I peeked around my chair to see Hank and Skinny tossing the wood. Not saying anything I retreated back into my turtle shell. After a few minuets it got quiet, I assumed they were done unloading. Peeking around the edge of the shell of the wheelbarrow I saw then sitting in the bucket just like I was. "Sluffing off eh!" From Lake Iwanttobethere {1,031,227}

Moonlight Bait Co. Weedless Midget Woodpecker 1919

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[Bobby Bass]

Today is fishing opener for some! Already this morning a couple of car loads of Lodge members left to head to the other side of the lake where the steelhead season opens today. Arlo was driving the first car along with a few of his fly fishing friends. I don't expect to hear about how they did as them fly fishing guys are a quiet group unless you can spike their drinks when they are at the Lodge. In the past I have made the trip over but from what I hear there is a lot of ice and a lot of snow and the older I get the harder it is to walk on that stuff with waders on.

I did come to town to pick up a few things, Easter tomorrow and of course we will be having an Easter egg hunt at the cabin along with a ham dinner. Got the egg part covered as Chuck's hens have started laying again and some of the eggs we will not even have to decorate. I don't know what he is feeding them chickens but there are a few eggs that the shells are looking like rainbows. The wife already has the plastic eggs filled with candy and hid away along with their Easter baskets. She put them where the kids will never look, the washing machine. Grand kids have a busy day ahead of them, they will be heading to the Resort to help out collecting sap and the oldest one will help tap some more trees. About the time they run out of energy they will head to the Club House and Vic who claims to be an expert egg decorator has volunteered to keep an eye on all of them.

Back at the cabin the rag box is at the back door as snow is melting quickly and some muddy ground has appeared. Buddy and Barney avoid the mud spots but Duncan being Duncan walks right through them, or should I say runs through them. Of course Duncan also runs through the puddles of water which does keep most the of the mud off him. The wife puts her hand on her hip and gives me that look and all I can say in defense of Duncan is that he is a lab. Speaking of Duncan he and Vic in my opinion are spending way to much time together. You all know that Barney is known in these parts as a fishing dog extraordinare and Bud has a reputation as a bird dog. Duncan I am hoping will be the best of both worlds and be a hunting and fishing dog. Vic however has other ideas and has been trying to teach Duncan how to play checkers. Ya, I know, checkers an old man's game. I saw them playing the other day. Vic had the red checkers and Duncan had small dog biscuits on his side of the board. He was eyeing the larger biscuits he gets when Vic has to King him.

Already it is over fifty degrees out here at the cabin and there is some lite drizzle falling. Was kind of looking forward to some rain but that does not look like that is going to happen. As I mentioned the rag box is at the back door and now each time the dogs are let out their paws need to be wiped off. They do a pretty good job of wiping their feet but they don't get all the mud off. Duncan has not yet mastered the wiping his paws off but he has learned to wait his turn. I have been watching the snow on the boat house and I would say it will be gone by the end of the day, At least two feet of snow has melted in the last three days on the roof. With six weeks till fishing opener there is going to be a lot of melting before we can get to the drying. Duncan is at my side here at the desk, he is holding the cribbage board in his mouth, time for our game. Have a good Easter from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,032,414}

Swimming Mouse 1924

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[Bobby Bass]

A little quiet time as I am hiding out in the den here at noon time. Easter egg hunt was better then last years adventure as this time we kept Duncan in the cabin so he could not go out and find all the eggs before the grand kids. Coloring eggs with Vic did turn out to be an adventure as Vic might have embellished his egg decorating skills I heard that was going pretty good till the kids starting sticking their fingers up to their knuckles in the dye. It might not have been so bad except Vic instead of using food coloring had instead used different color wood stains and some paint. I told them it will wear off after awhile and just keep their gloves on so their grandmother does not find out. Well that didn't work as number two grandson said he needed to wash up for supper and the wife went to help. When the yelling started I went out the door and grabbed my son and told him we don't want to be here right now.

I had to go to Amy's Bakery for rolls so the son and I spent some quality time together and drove to the bakery. He drove and I rode which I never seem to be able to get used to. I am past giving him driving directions as I have learned if I just keep my eyes closed I don't see anything. We picked up the rolls for Easter dinner and I suggested we stop at the Lodge, it is not too far out of the way. Gus was working the bar and I sat on a stool and caught the mug he slid down the bar top to me. My son headed to a table where some of his buddies were. Sipping on the beer Gus and I chatted some. No word from any of the guys who went to the other side of the lake to catch the steelhead opener on the river there. The day was nice enough, not really warm but fifty in March is a lot better then twenty and snowing. I finished up my beer and caught my son's eye he told his bud's good-bye and they went through that back slapping fist pounding see ya later bro stuff that they do. I looked at Gus and just nodded.

Late dinner at the mother in laws tonight so the cabin is quiet as all the grand kids went home. I was given the evil eye by my daughter as she herded her kids out to the SUV with the wife offering suggestions how to get the remaining color off the kid's hands. The wife waved good-bye to her daughter and grand kids and glanced at me before heading to the kitchen, I think I saw a little grin on her face. Having your own kids go through stuff that they in their youth did to you can be rewarding at times. I figured I was no longer in trouble on the egg coloring incident.

Duncan and I took a walk around the cabin after that, Barney and Bud were sleeping on the floor in the sunshine and didn't want to move. Outside the sun is shinning and the melt continues. Still have a pretty good pile of snow off to the side of the deck and I could just leave it alone but I don't. Every time I go outside I take the shovel and toss snow on the warm deck where it melts and drips down between the cracks. A month ago I was shoveling the snow off and now here I am shoveling it back on, I know, it makes no sense. During this time Duncan is laying on a snow bank busy chewing on a ice chunk, the last of the ice dam that finally fell off the cabin.

Last day of March, tomorrow we turn the calendar and are all that much closer to fishing. Lot to be done and a lot will change between now and then. Snow will be gone followed by the lake ice. Puddles will form and rivers will swell. Car wash will get busy and soon the smell of dirt and BBQ cooking will be in the air. Buds will form on trees and the seagulls will start cleaning the grounds by the lake access. Robins will appear and Edd and Eddie the squirrels will be out trying to remember where those nuts are that they hid last fall, Forty days till fishing, and I am counting, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,033,292}

Kent Champion Floater 1905 [img:center]

[Bobby Bass]

Cabin Fever, what cabin fever? Winter has hung on so long this year that we are going to be in short supply of days to get ready for fishing. The calendar has been turned a page and we are now just six short weeks till fishing, and I have so much to do. At least that is what I have been telling the wife when she starts pointing to things on the Honey Do List that should be done this time of year. She points at the list and I point out at knee deep snow still in the gardens and the stairs of the deck still buried in snow. Ice cover's the ground in front of the greenhouse and there are still Christmas wreaths hanging on the fence. She points at the do list and I follow her finger to the line that says, "Remove wreaths from fence"

The ice of Lake Iwanttobethere still has snow on it and a few still venture out to chase pan fish. Reports are there is still a lot of ice but be careful. Chuck is reporting an excellent year for Maple Syrup, the weather the past week has been about perfect for sap. Chuck was over last night collecting any bottles we might have as he starting to run low. Busy Busy at Chucks cabin as everything seems to be happening at the same time. Over the weekend his spring hay was delivered for the horses as the girlfriend changed her mind and now they are going to keep them. Also the chickens decide that they were going to go off their winter strike and started laying eggs again. Perfect timing on their part as the eggs on hand were all decorated and more were needed. Speaking of chickens with all the snow melt water the new addition to the coop was being threaten by a growing pool of melt water. Chuck had to get on the tractor and do some landscaping.

Car wash has been a popular place in town and that is a sure sign of spring. I was going to get the wife's Jeep washed but when I saw the line I just drove right on by. Right before you get to the Lodge turn off there is a pretty deep puddle, I think the storm drain was plugged and I got an idea. I gave the Jeep a little extra gas and hit the puddle square. Water went up over the hood and I had to turn the wipers on and drove blind for a ways before I could see the road. I made it to the Lodge parking lot and when I got out water was still dripping off the Jeep, that is when I got the second idea. Saying a quick HIYA to Honey the waitress I went into the kitchen and got out a plastic pail. I filled it with hot water and added some cleaner to it and swirled it around some. I then went back out to the Jeep and doused it with the hot soapy water and headed back to the water puddle for my rinse. Down one end of Main Street and back and I had the Jeep clean and blown dry. I had a smile on my face as I figured I can mark that off the wife's Honey Do List.

Driving careful like avoided puddles I took the road out to the Chicken Shack to see if they were open, I had my doubts. Last year they open early but as I pulled up I saw the red closed sign hanging in the door. The parking lot was a pool of water and ice and a lot of snow was still left to be melted around the building. Now I got a hankering for some fried chicken and I turned and headed back into town. I was thinking to myself that instead of fried chicken I could get me some roasted chicken at the Dew Drop Inn but I got sidetracked again. I was driving past the General Store when I spotted Junior driving the forklift with a pallet of ice melt. He was heading towards the front of the store and he had a bunch of guys following behind him. I was reminded of the Pied Piper story and I quickly parked the jeep and headed for the front of the store. Earl was standing with his broom in hand announcing there was a two bag limit. I'm thinking there is going to be a lot less ice chipping in my day, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,034,879}

Shakespeare Baby Revolution 1909

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[Bobby Bass]

The snow is retreating, pulling back from sidewalks and roadways and driveways. Was out early this morning heading into the Masterbaiters shop to be on hand for some morning orders that are due to arrive. Vicki is on vacation and the shop is closed except or a few hours in the morning that I am covering. She is out of town visiting relatives in the Great state of Texas, I don't really know if it is a great state but I guess if you are from there that is how you refer to it. So for the next week I will come down and turn the sign from closed to open that hangs in the door and chat with Mark the mailman when he comes by. I'll check the minnow tanks for floaters and sip a soda and read the paper. Yesterday Arlo came in looking for Vicki and we chatted for awhile. He spoke of not catching anything on steelhead opener but it was good to feel water around the waders again. Had to keep your head up though as there was some floating ice coming down the river.

Coming into the shop there is no traffic to speak of, actually more wildlife then anything. I did have to stop twice and let deer cross the access road and I spotted a of pair of geese. The geese look a little out of place walking along the edge of the receding snow. I could almost hear their conversation as the female looked to be pointing at the snow with her broad wing while honking away at her mate about how the snow was supposed to be all gone. The male had his long neck down and was just taking it all in, he looked at me driving by and I just nodded, been there, done that.

My days are all planned out ahead of me for the next week, get up early head down to the bait shop for a few hours. Stop of at the Lodge, check mail and check in with Gus. Maybe do a few errands as long as I am in town and then out to the Club House to do some putzin. Today I am going to stop off at Diggers Greenhouse and chat with the daughter. She has told me the place is real quiet as they are getting lookers but not many buyers. Got to get the snow and ice melted and see some dirt again. Back at the clubhouse the second batch of tomatoes have sprouted and Vic has been like a mother hen watering them and rotating them so they get sunshine. Work around the Club House is progressing nicely, with all the snow on the ground still Skinny and Hank have been around more then what we had thought they would. Won't be long though till it will be time to start putting out docks and they will be to busy to do any work around the Resort.

Chuck is busy with his Maple syrup as last night was another good night temperature wise as it got down into the upper teens and it is suppose to warm up to middle forties today. He is getting close to where he just can't handle any more. This year's batch is really sweet I hear but the wife won't let me open a bottle till we are done with what we have left from last season. Good thing we have Marv and his big pancakes at the Resort. As I look over this update it is mostly about ice and snow and I guess I won't have much to say till we get rid of it, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,035,381}

[Bobby Bass]

You know what they say, there is always the weather to talk about. So I am at the bait shop this mornings after an uneventful ride in. Closed sign has been reversed, shade on the big window rolled up and minnow tanks already checked. I do have the fan on in the corner because I like to see what the slight breeze does to the wall of spoons. Vicki buys her spoons in bulk and gets a better deal if they are not in the packaging. This also allows her to be able to hang more lures on the pegs. Vicki always has said that you have to catch the fishermen before he can catch the fish. The slight breeze from the oscillating fan makes the spoons move ever so slightly from the hooks that they dangle from. Gold's and slivers reflect the sunlight coming in from the big window and the blues and greens and yellows catch the light and bounce it back at the spoons alongside. The Lake Iwanttobethere dentist uses the same idea in his office. Above his chair he has a collection of spoons and jigs that hang with fishing line from the grid work of the ceiling. As you sit back in the chair you have nothing to look at but the lures above your head and even the slightest movement makes the hanging lures shimmer and quiver. I once made the comment that I now know how it feels to be a fish when someone is jigging for you. Mike the dentist just told me it was the gas he had me on.

With the lake's radio station, KCUM playing in the background I was sipping a soda and going over the sport page when I heard Stormy Clearweathers voice. I paused and cocked my head to listen to her forecast as I gazed at the lures. Winter weather advisory in effect for this evening, four inches of snow with another two inches tomorrow. I looked from the spoons to the baseball story I was reading and just shook my head, why not. After April 1st I have made a promise to myself that I refuse to shovel snow. If and when the snow falls it can just sit, I am not going to touch it. Good timing for the grand kids though as they are on break all next week. I am pretty sure the snow is not going to last long but at least they will be around the cabin, and they can shovel.

Duncan came down to the shop with me this morning, he is finally done sniffing everything and is dozing on the rag rug behind the counter. Bud and Barney actually seem to have no problem with him going with me this morning. They each got rubbed behind the ear and jumped up on the couch and were both back to sleep in a few minutes. They both will celebrate their thirteen birthdays in a few more weeks. Duncan gets a lot of attention but the two old men still get their share, last night Barney was sharing the couch with me as I watched the hockey game, head in my lap I rubbed his neck and listen to him snore. Buddy was with the daughter sleeping while she was reading a book and Duncan was just Duncan, chasing cats and looking for someone to play with.

Tomorrow I will be back at the baits shop early, if the forecast holds I will have some fresh snow to drive in. Everything that is brown will be covered back in snow again and there will be some plow drivers with smiles on their face. No doubt there will be a few fishermen in looking for reports about steelhead fishing on the other side of the lake. If it is snowing they will be going because nothing makes a fishing story better then catching one in a snow storm, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,036,678}

[Bobby Bass]

The overnight snow has turned to rain at least for now. A couple of inches of slush in the Masterbaiters parking lot and you can see where trucks have come through the lot to park and footsteps lead from the parking lot to the shop and then back out again. Arlo was here with a few of his fly rod friends, they used the bait shop as a meeting place. Good thing I put the coffee pot on as none of them turned down a cup. After some chit chat they all left, I think they were heading to the river to see if it was any better weather wise over there. Duncan is at the shop with me again today, not because I want him to be, he is in trouble with the wife. Grand kids are all at the cabin this morning as last night we had movie night. This morning the wife got up and started making big pancakes for breakfast. She got sidetracked when the youngest granddaughter fell off the bed when she was in a jumping contest with her cousin. No real damage done that a hug from grandma could not cure.

However, while she was gone Duncan helped himself to the pancakes. Even though she pushed the platter back on the counter Duncan was able to stand on his hind legs and reach far enough to grab a couple of the pancakes. I was in the den and kind of noticed him as he walked by out of the corner of my eye but didn't think to much about it. He is always carrying something around the cabin. I did however notice Barney walking by with the bottle of Lake Iwanttobethere Maple Syrup. Wife returned to the kitchen just as I was returning the bottle of syrup. Wife started in on me for eating the kid's pancakes, dogs were no where to be seen. Duncan appeared a few minutes later licking his lips and the wife put two and two together. So Duncan came to the shop with me as Bud and Barney stood at the storm door watching us leave. They looked kind of cute with their Easter bonnets on as the granddaughters were having a tea party and the dogs were needed because no way were the grandsons going to do it.

I was expecting some customers this morning but with the falling rain no one looks to be going fishing. I expected most of the guys are standing in front of cabin windows watching the rain fall and the snow banks get smaller. Rain seems to have a way of stopping most work outside and reduces inside jobs to just small chores. If it was warmer out I would be sitting on my swing under the canopy with Duncan at my side. But the swing is still in storage and I don't really feel like getting duck hunting gear on to be outside. The telephone rings from time to time with customers calling to ask if we are open. I field questions about minnows and if the smelt nets are in or not. Questions asking if anyone is catching anything and how is the weather out my way. Mostly guys just looking to kill time on a rain day and wishing they were fishing. From what I can tell it is raining south of the lake and snowing north of it, we are kind of in the slush zone right now.

Coming up on one in the afternoon and if I don't see a customer I am going to turn off the lights and unplug the coffee machine. A few more days of covering the shop and Vicki will be back in town. I have earned enough to cover one of the rods I have put away in the back room and I am going to go ahead and have Vicki order the Falcon rod that I have been thinking about. With my HIYA discount and the money I have been saving from my reduced cigar smoking I will just about have it paid for. If I could get some of the Fellows to come in to the shop and spend some of their telephone book money I will make enough on commission for a few more things I have been eyeing in the shop. Well time to close the laptop and close the shop, from a wet day here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,037,765}

[Bobby Bass]

Drip Drip Drip I am sitting in my den with the sound of dripping water coming from just outside my window. Another couple of inches of wet slushy snow covers everything. The roof is covered in the heavy wet snow/slush that is melting as I type this. It is discouraging at best to wake up to yet another blanket of snow when we have the first week of April under our belts. Frank the grader guy has already been by and he rolled up the wet slushy snow with the brown mud and left a ribbon of chocolate covered swirl along the edge of the road next to the ditch. Gray colored sky overhead and no wind to speak of, just the sound of dripping snow melt from the cabin and trees. Boots are back out, not to keep you warm but to keep you dry. Of course we can use the slow melting snow but geeze, enough already. Let there be sunshine !

We are having a little contest down at the Lodge for when it will reach sixty in the shade. With the forecast of another week of snow the betting money in the glass beer mug is growing. Many patrons thought that it would have been sixty by now and have bet that way. At the Resort we have the tractor parked as the ground is soft under the snow. So outside work has pretty much stopped. Looking for something to do we reached into the pickle jar and came up with the front foyer. Yesterday afternoon I hung drywall and listen to the baseball game. If you didn't look outside it could have been a nice spring day. I am out of drywall and need to go to the Lumber Yard and talk to Luaun about maybe getting some delivered to the resort. They have a covered truck that will keep the weather off and the drywall dry.

One more morning at the Masterbaiters Shop and I will be done and Vicki will be back from vacation. At least it was not a good week weathrwise so that worked out well. I don't feel so bad when I get paid for watching it snow and chatting a little fishing. If this weather keeps up I think we are going to have a serious out break of Cabin Fever. I can get to the Puddle Humper but the ground surrounding has several inches of water and ice. I am going to make some modifications that I have been thinking about over the winter but I don't want to be standing in water making them. Actually I think I am following behind on what should be done by this time of the year. I should have all the tackle spread out on the work table in the shop and I should have my sorting and cleaning all done.

I did go through and clean out the wall rod rack, I sent my oldest son home the other day with two rods. Two more rods went to the garbage and I gave away three more rods to a buddy who has some bad luck breaking rods last season. The rods were just hanging there, not being used and I needed the space to store the three new rods that I am buying this season. Besides if all the slots are filled the wife should not notice the new ones. It would actually look good if I had a few open slots in case I might come across something on clearance this summer or fall, you never can have enough rods is my motto.

A little fire going in the fireplace, just enough to keep the chill out. The two old dogs are sleeping on the rug in front of the fire. From time to time they moan a little and their legs kick, no doubt chasing rabbits or flushing a grouse. Not a bad way to spend a wet spring day. From Lake Iwanttobethere {1,039,366}

[Bobby Bass]

I already knew this but I think I found a home away from home. The wood shop at the Resort is carving a niche in me. Today I came right to the Resort after working just a few hours at the MasterBaiters Shop. Vicki was back from her vacation and she came in and we chatted some and I told her what was happening around town and she in turn told me about her vacation. She spent most of her time in Del Rio and spoke of cold beer and sitting in the shade enjoying eighty degree temperatures. I looked close at her and I figured she didn't spend all her time in the shade as she looked a little pink. She thanked me for covering the shop for her and gave me an envelope and a baggie rolled up tight. Not to worry, the baggie held a few hand made cigars that a local makes for her uncle.

I arrived at the Resort and found Vic watering tomato seedlings and it looks like he and Marv have gotten together and planted some more seeds. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small yellow envelope and handed it to Vic, "Jalapeno Chili pepper seeds from Texas" I said. Vic smiled and took the unlit cigar from between his teeth and said "Si Senior, I will plant them all" and shuffled off to show Marv his new babies. I went into the cooler and grabbed a soda and headed out to the wood shop. I was thinking on the drive to the Resort that there is one thing that you can always count on during fishing season, Baseball!

I open the doors to the wood shop and left them that way, a glow in the sky showed where the sun was hidden but trying to get through the cloud cover. I turned on the old tube radio and while it warmed up I open the potbelly stove and tossed in several slivers of wood that I had in a box on the floor and added some torn out catalog paper. A wood match left a scratch mark on the door as I dragged it across till it lit. I held it up with one hand as I tried to open up the baggie in my other hand. The flame was getting close to my finger so I had to toss it into the stove but that let me use both hands on the stubborn baggie. I got the baggie open and discovered four cigars inside, I took one out and stuck it between my teeth and took the remaining three cigars and stuck them in an empty mason jar which I then put on the shelf where I had sorted screws into several other mason jars.

Thinking to myself, "let's try this again" I took another wood match and struck the stove door with it. Flame jumped up from the wood match and then settled down. I put the flame to the cigar and took several short puffs followed by a couple of small coughs. "Smooth" I said out loud to no one but myself. I tossed the burning match into the stove where it landed on the paper and a curl of smoke rose. The first match had done nothing but burn itself out, but some flame was catching the paper and I reached in to move the wood over the flame and watched it catch and start burning. I nursed the fire a little and added some more kindling to the now growing fire.

So where was I, Baseball, it is the one constant thing that we have during fishing season. I moved over to the old radio and I fiddled with the dial and soon I was rewarded with the sound of a baseball game. It took me awhile to find out it was not a local baseball game but nevertheless it was a baseball game. I sat down on my repaired wood recliner and popped the top on my soda and looked out at the melting snow and the still frozen waters of Lake Iwanttobethere. {1,040,420}

[Bobby Bass]

Sorry I got distracted by the cigar and the baseball game that I just stopped writing. Baseball has a way of doing that to a guy, you just kind of day dream or keep on working and the announcer's voices just kind of blend together and become background noise. But baseball can get your interest back quickly with just the sound of a bat hitting a ball. An announcer calling a long, long fly ball and it's...... Caught! And with that you return to what you were doing. Painting a railing, sipping on an ice tea or for a lot of people, fishing. Fishing and baseball work well together, they both share a lot of the same things that make them special. They are both made for lazy days in summer and they are both made to be played outdoors. When I go fishing I will try and find a game to listen to on the way to or from the lake. A lot of times I will have a game on while I fish as I can do both at the same time.

I am willing to bet that there are times when an outfielder is thinking of fishing as he waits for the new pitcher to finish tossing his warm up balls. I know a lot of fishermen who played ball and a lot of ball players who fish. Like I say they go together. So I feel that I should be sitting in the Puddle Humper fishing and listening to the ball game not sitting in a broken down chair waiting on snow to fall. Today finds me sitting at the desk trying to finish up a thought I had about fishing and baseball that at the time seem pretty good. Sometimes thoughts are like dreams that are turning out pretty good till you wake up and forget them. A lot of the world's problems could have been solved if guys could remember the answers that they came up with while sitting on the deer stand.

Windy day today, I was just out letting the dogs in and I button the flannel up against the wind. Still snow on the ground and the wind coming across it cools before it hits you. Garden is still covered in snow and the forecast for tomorrow is two more inches of snow with another six inches over night. We are coming up on the middle of April and this is not what the weather should be like. Should be raining instead of snowing and I should not be hearing the furnace click on in the middle of the night. A few windows should be open letting in fresh air to replace the old winter stuff. Sticks of wood should not have to be carried from the wood pile to restock the rack on the porch and I should not be walking in fresh snow to do it.

Fishermen should be standing in waders leaning on the sides of old pickup trucks talking fishing along the road at Mystery Creek. Snow machines should be parked along garages resting on their trailers not still hauled behind pickup trucks on Main Street. Snow should be gone from ditches and Frank the plow guy should be moving class five not slush along the dirt access road. A little green grass should be showing along hillsides and robins should be looking for worms not digging through snow. Big Earl should be wearing his red apron and leaning on his broom after sweeping off his sidewalk of dirt not snow.

It is good to write about these things and have them down on paper. Next year another spring will come and if you could not read about spring you would not remember. Old guys sit at the Dew Drop Inn and have coffee, they speak of the spring of 88 and how late it was. No one really remembers the spring of 88 but if one of them says it was a bad one then it must have been. I don't remember the Spring of 88 as I was not an old guy back then but I wonder if it as late a spring as 13 from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,041,100}

[Bobby Bass]

Weather continues to be the number one topic of discussion around the Lodge. I came to the Lodge early this morning to catch up on some paper work and just kind of hung around the place. The door to the Lodge has been busy with members coming and going. Lunch was loud with Gus making arm loads of Coney's and a second batch of chili warmed up in the crock pot. Elmer and Marv were holding court sitting on the wicker couch in front of the TV and talking of spring blizzards. More of an argument really as Elmer was talking of Lake Iwanttobethere storms and Marv being from New York was boasting of his. Elmer was saying you got to get more than twelve inches of snow and just because you can't hail a cab that does not make a little snow into a storm. Elmer's version of a true winter storm is when you have to hitch up a horse to help drag you through the storm to get to school and when you got there you had to dig your way in.

I could not really give either one of them the edge as they sat on the wicker couch with flowered pillows around them sipping on tea from china tea cups that only the Ladies Auxiliary is supposed to be using. Having tea was Elmer's and Marv's way of living on the edge, if any member of the Ladies Auxiliary ever found them drinking from their cups there would be an "Incident" for sure. The CB radio is on in the corner just down from the popcorn machine. The light of the popcorn machine glows a faint yellow through the buttered cover glass. Hammering Hank is sitting next to the CB with a bowl of popcorn listening into a conversation between Vic and Old Man McDonnell. Trees are swaying pretty good at McDonnell's farm and he is thinking he may have a few trees down but can't quite be sure.

County guys were in and ate quick before they filled their thermos with black coffee and were back out on the road. Have been reports of down trees and an accident out on the road leading to the main highway. No one was hurt but it backed up some traffic for awhile. Jim from the power company called in and picked up a bag of Coney's to go. He had no time to eat as he was on his way to a power outage. I checked the panel here for Windy our windmill and we are all in the green. I did see that we had a wind gust over fifty-five miles an hour and that is close to our shut off. I made sure the alarm was on and went back to the bar.

April 11th, one month till the fishing opener but the weather has us scratching our heads some. Mother Nature has a way of equaling things out and more than one lodge member says we are just getting some pay back for last spring and the early ice out. It is not just us, this storm is pretty big and it started last night hundred of miles away from us. Lake Iwanttobethere has a pretty big effect on our local weather and on this end of the lake we are kind of getting the best or in this case the worst of everything.

Wind gust over sixty miles and hour and wet sticky snow is falling in some areas while other areas are getting a mix of freezing rain and snow. As the storm moves over the lake it is picking up moisture and carrying it far inland to dump. Wind chimes on the Lodges deck are banging off the siding of the Lodge. Windows on the lake side of the Lodge are covered in snow while the other side of the Lodge water runs down the glass. The deck is for the most part clear of snow but just around the corner a drift is growing. The Lodge main door opens and Skinny comes through the door, he stomps his boots on the rug and shakes like a wet dog before taking his winter coat off and hangs it from a wall peg. He walks to the fire and rubs his hands briskly in front of him helping the heat from the fire to dry them. With a sly smile on his face he whispers "Merry Christmas" from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,042,127}

[Bobby Bass]

Day two or is it day three of our Spring snow storm finds me hunkered down at the cabin. Sheriff Tim has gotten the word out over the local radio station, KCUM that local travel is not advised. Of course this now means that anyone with a four-wheel drive truck is out playing in the snow. Kids are not in school as this is their week for spring break so that was good timing. Also was good timing for the county as they had already taken the snowplows off the school buses. For awhile yesterday we had near white out conditions with the blowing snow and of course the snow was so heavy and wet at times it stuck to the side windows making it hard to see when driving.

Some reports of down telephone lines and trees dropping on power lines. High winds are making trees twist and groan and it is a good idea to keep an eye out overhead when walking. Grand kids are here at the cabin as scheduled and I put them to work this morning hauling firewood from the big pile down to the rack on the deck. They quickly tired and I had to point out that Duncan was bring back more wood then them. Of course Duncan was making about three trips to there one as he didn't have to worry about boots and dropping scarfs and mittens. I stood out of the wind and directed traffic and kept an eye on the kids. I even noticed that Edd and Eddie the squirrels were out, running through the snow, dragging their nuts.

Kids after a rest went to work shoveling snow, a lost cause there as no sooner would they clear a path then the winds would fill it back in with snow. The wife cracking the door open told me to have the kids come in, it was a lost cause. I just waved her away and told her to give them a few more minutes. My plan was to tire them out and it seemed to be working. With the wood rack stacked and the trail to the wood pile almost filled back in with snow the kids headed back inside the cabin. I stood on the deck and watched the snow fall and noticed the winds seem to be a little less. It also seems to be getting a little brighter out. That lasted for about a minute or so then a gust of wind snuck around the corner of the cabin and blasted me with snow. I to went into the cabin to find a pile of coats and boots and scarfs on the floor. All the kids were at the kitchen table with hands clenched around mugs of cocoa wearing mustaches. The wife just said she was going to put everything in the dryer so I dropped my coat on top of the pile.

I headed to the den and turned up the CB that was on and sat back in my easy chair and dialed in channel four, the lakes chatter channel. Quiet but that never seems to last long during a storm. Even with cell phones and the Internet up here at the lake the old CB still gets used. If you want to get a secret out that is not really a secret you tell someone on the CB There is no better way other then maybe telling a member of the Woman's Auxiliary, in secret of course. Coming up on noon and Sunshine Ray would soon be giving a shout out to his weather spotters for information. Of course these are not trained weather spotters like the kind that take a class down at the local junior college but more weather experienced spotters. A polite way of saying they are old people with a lot of time on their hands.

"Breaker, Breaker" came over the airwaves. The voice of Sunshine Ray answered back, "Go ahead Breaker" "This is Vic with a snow report" and a pause. " Out here at the Resort we have received about ten inches of double by-pass snow and winds are blowing around your knees at about thirty miles an hour. Some drifting and you may need to shovel a path for your snow blower. Have not seen a bird since yesterday afternoon and all the deer seem to be in the cedar swamp. Winds are still coming out of the north as the chimney smoke is heading south, which is not that bad of an idea, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,042,780}

[Bobby Bass]

Sunny blue sky, not a cloud to be seen and the red needle on the Bass thermometer is pointed at forty-one degrees, above zero! Middle of April and to some this would appear to me just another nice spring day here at Lake Iwanttobethere. The day is starting out like a parent teacher conference, warm, sunny and friendly. Nothing but good things to hear till you hear that word. "I really enjoy having your son in my class, he is such a pleasure to be around and all the kids seem to enjoy his company. He comes to school everyday with a smile on his face and I am surprised at how much he knows about the outdoors, But" and that is usually when the kids chair you are sitting on gets to feel pretty small and your chin resting on your knee is not so comfortable after all. I have a feeling that today is like having a conference with mother nature and we might be going back to school by the end of the day.

Sunshine Ray and Stormy Clearweather are both calling for a 100% chance of snow for this afternoon and high winds will add to the mix. South of us it will begin as rain but as it works it's way north it will turn to snow and we are expected to get another six to eight inches of the drifting white stuff. If this was November I would just say go ahead, bring it on but this is the middle of April and I am beginning to feel a little picked on. Two weeks ago I announced to the wife I was not going to shovel snow anymore this year, since then we have received over twenty inches. Not just the fluffy kind either, the last two storms have been that wet heavy cotton candy stuff perfect for making snowmen or getting cars stuck in.

Since I told the wife I was just going to let the snow melt she took it on herself to motivate me by taking a shovel and doing it herself. Some county plow driver, not Frank took one of them big vee plows and I did our road. He left a big white curl of heavy snow covering the bottom of the drive. The snow was so filled with water that it just hangs like a wave at the end of the drive, It looks almost like you could surf on it at least it does here from the cabin window where I was watching the wife trying to shovel it. I went to get some coffee as the wife was going to be at it for awhile when I heard her back on the deck. She came in with the broken handle of the shovel in her hand and a look that made me grab my coat and go outside.

Since she started it I had to go finish it and I marched down to the end of the drive with my last snow shovel. A few minutes later I broke it trying to chop through the snow curl. Broken shovel in hand I headed to the shop and the snow blower, so much for not messing with April snow. Got the snow wave removed and made a path to the cabin and put the snow blower away, the rest can melt, I hope. Looked at the remains of the shovels and there is nothing I can do, they are shot. I also know for a fact that you can't buy a shovel anywhere so I am down to garden shovels. A three shovel season this year, that is a long winter. Just to end my day I heard the first forecast about the coming storm for today and then found out that my phone is dead, really is going to be a Silent Sunday, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,045,337}

[Bobby Bass]

Sitting at the Resort's main room yesterday afternoon it was suggested that if I stop writing about snow maybe it will stop falling. That having been said we watched as a few more snow flakes drifted down from the sky. Sunshine Ray is calling for more snow to fall tomorrow and another storm coming on the weekend, why not, bring it on. So I am going to try and refrain from writing about snow itself but I will have to keep writing about how the snow is messing with folks. I was out and about yesterday, it being a Monday I just have things that have to get done and with Duncan riding shotgun we ran errands and crossed almost everything off our list. School was closed because of the snow but the baseball and softball teams were down on the field shoveling snow from the diamond. Track team was also out running around on just one lane that they had shoveled off. Golf team to was out banging plastic balls off the side of the school, occasionally someone would get bored and tee up a real ball and everyone would scatter when it came off the wall.

I had getting a haircut and my beard trimmed on the list and when I stopped at Burt's Barbershop there was not an empty seat. Seems everyone had the same idea at the same time. I have been letting my beard grow since thanksgiving, mostly because the wife told me I can't. Now she is saying that I am responsible for the snow, well not me but the beard that is. I thought I would get a nice trim but as I said the chairs were all full. I did run into Laser Larson the county surveyor, he was taking a day off from work. He was complaining to anyone who would listen about the deep snow in the woods messing with his work. We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about when he was going to come out to the Resort. With Duncan at my side we left the barbershop and took the short walk down the street to Rocky's Hobby Shop. I exchanged a HIYA with Rocky the owner and headed to the back where the balsa wood is kept. Rocky petted Duncan and found a dog biscuit under the counter for him. Catching my eye he asked if it was OK to give Duncan the biscuit and I nodded my approval.

I found a nice block of balsa and brought it up to the counter, Rocky rang me up and I paid for the balsa and we exchanged some small talk about what kind of lures I was going to carve out of the balsa. I handed the block of wood down to Duncan to carry and we left the store and walked back to where the Tahoe was parked. I open the door and took the Balsa from Duncan and looked it over, not a single tooth mark in it, I patted him on the head and told him he was a good boy. The ride to the Resort was wet and slush was piled deep along the edge of the road. The only good thing about a snow this late in the winter is that it tends to melt rather quickly. I make the turn at Elsie store and drove slowly along the road that takes me to the Resort. I am looking for deer but I don't see any. Duncan is sitting up in his seat and I have the window open for him. His nose is working overtime as he works the smells of spring that I can't even come close to smelling. I turn on to the Resorts entrance road and I can see the Club House ahead. I am hoping that it will only be a few more weeks before the leaves of trees cover the view and we will be hidden. Can't be much of a hideaway if people can find ya, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,047,272}

[Bobby Bass]

Yesterday afternoon I decided to do a little tinkering with the deer thermometer at the Resort. Vic does not get outside to much preferring the wide open space of the main room in the Club House. I thought I would cheer him up some by making an adjustment to the thermometer. I took it off the wall and moved the spring in back so that it now reads twenty degrees warmer then what it really is. I later found Vic humming as he tended to the tomato seedlings working in a tee shirt. The sun shinning through the big windows was warm and he pointed to the deer thermometer through the window and gave me a grin and a I told you it was going to get warmer look. The red needle on the jumping deer thermometer was nudging sixty.

I must admit that it did feel a little warmer in the main room and Marv was out in the kitchen messing around with his pretzels. I think he has gotten the bread down for our Club House sandwiches so now he is working on perfecting some big New York style pretzels. I have offered to be the taste tester and I actually think he nailed it on the second try but if I stop complaining he will stop making the pretzels. Since there is to much snow to be doing to any work outside work continues inside the Club House. The bait room as we have been calling it is really taking shape. All cleaned out and a couple of the holding tanks have water in them. Nice to go in there and hear the sound of bubbling water. All the guys have been cleaning out tackle boxes and it is surprising how many of us have tackle that we bought on sale or just happen to pick up and never open the packages. We brought the stuff in and now have several peg boards covered in tackle with just a little price bump on the stuff to cover our troubles.

Speaking of tackle I was at Al-Mart yesterday and found several boxes of name brand lures for sale. I dove right in and bought a mess of them. The wife meeting me at the cashier questioned me as I dumped the lures on the counter. I just told her they were for the Bait Room and she just nodded, I think she might be on to me though. Our order of hooks and sinkers came in along with a mess of spoons. A long time ago I used to be in the tackle business so I still have a few contacts and I sent off a few e-mail's and I have been receiving some samples. We have been putting the samples up on the peg hooks and if we sell some we will follow up with some orders. Too bad we can't seem to get any rods for free but I am working on it. I look around the Bait Room and see some of my retirement money hanging on the walls and it looks better there then a number on a piece of paper. Besides I don't see myself lowering any prices because of something that happens in China.

We might have to actually order some night crawlers as having snow on the grass is not going to let us pick any for sale. With more snow once again in the forecast I should go back and readjust the deer thermometer before Vic catches on. Cabin Fever has not happen this season, one sure way to prevent it seems to be having snow fall right up to opening day. I have even been thinking that the tackle box with bass lures might be staying at the cabin. Looking like I will be chasing northerns on opener and if memory serves me right this little bay that the Club House is hid on has some decent northern fishing. I will have to talk to Arlo some more and find out where that creek comes into the bay at, A good place to start there as any. So I am going to go have a pretzel and I tried my best not to mention snow, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,048,224}

[Bobby Bass]

Getting close to the end of the month and since there is five Mondays and Tuesdays this month there will be both a Town Hall Meeting and a Lodge Meeting. I have been hearing some talk of what will be up for discussions at the Town Hall Meeting with the most chatter about a motion to skip spring and go directly to summer. This past spring has not been exactly what the town likes to promote when selling the town. The talk is of just starting Summer on May 1st and if it is a little cool well that is ok, it would be an early summer. If it is warm out the mayor will take credit for catching the summer wave at the right time. For the first time that anyone can remember the town has just about run out of sand to put down on Main Street. I have heard that if we get one more snow storm they will have to take sand out of the golf course sand traps.

This afternoon finds us kind of in no man's land, not really snowing out but not really raining either. If you do stand outside though you will get wet. Water is dripping off the eves of the Lodge and the main deck is clear of snow but it does have some slush around the edge. Gus has the yellow mop bucket at the door and the rug has been changed at least once. If you dare to come in through the door and not make an effort to wipe your boots Gus will glare at you till you do. My office has changed some, I can't put my finger on it but it looks different. I am not spending as much time here as I did before we got the Resort. I have been spending the morning cleaning the oak desk off of paper work. Most of the stuff is just junk mail but there are a few bills that need to be looked at. Gus has taken over a lot of the paper management that he was already doing anyway. When we have the Lodge meeting I am going to push that Gus should be declared the asst. Lodge Manager. I don't know if he will get a raise but the title does have a nice ring to it.

I do have on the calendar it is time to give performance review's to both Vinnie and Honey, the two latest Lodge employees. I thought today would be as good as any so I picked up a clip board with a bunch of old order forms on it and headed out to the Main Room of the Lodge. It just so happen I had a number two pencil handy and I thought I looked pretty manager like with my clip board and pencil. The Fellows were all in for lunch and both Honey and Vinnie were waiting on their table. I stood off to the side and made a few check marks on the order form that was on top. I am guessing both Honey and Vinnie have been evaluated before as I heard Honey call Gary sir while taking his order and Vinnie had moved a folded up towel over his right arm, just like them waiters in fancy sit down waffle n chicken places do.

I made a couple of more checks in boxes on the order form and moved around the table. I moved in closer to hear Honey say something to Steve about "In his dreams" and overheard Vinnie calling Tiny an "Old man." They both went to the kitchen to get orders and I returned to the bar and dropped the clipboard on the polished wood top. Gus came over and wiping his hands on his apron looked at the clipboard and a big smile appeared on his face "Where did we get the money to order a new grill? From Lake Iwanttobethere {1,049,898}

[Bobby Bass]

Power was out for awhile this morning, not long enough to be a problem and it was after daybreak so there was no need for candles to see by. I might not even had known there was no juice if Buddy had not woken me up by staring at me. For those of you who have dogs you know they can wake you up just by sitting patiently at the side of the bed and stare at you. I found myself woken from a dream of a warm summer breeze in my face only to open my eyes and see lab eyes looking back and the smell and feel of warm dog breath. I tried to get out of the bed quiet like as to not wake up Duncan but he was up nails sliding across the wood floor in a race to get to the deck door first. I had to wake Barney up and he looked at me with a glance that told me he was not done sleeping. I followed the dogs down the hall and noticed the night light was not on, several flicks of the hall switch told me the power was out. Why do we do that? Flick the switch off and on several times, like it is going to or ever has made a difference.

I had to push open the storm door and was greeted with the deck pretty much buried in snow. Dogs ran around me to do their thing. Duncan in the lead jumping into the closest snow drift while Bud and Barney picked their way to places to lift their legs. I pulled the door closed and made the rounds of the downstairs, opening drapes and adding wood to a few red coals in the fireplace. April 19th and I am tending to a fire, not a good sign. Bud barks and I am trained to let him back in so I open the deck door and they file in. I close the door and step around the little piles of snow they dragged in and head for the kitchen just as the power comes back on. I hear the click and whirling of things powering up, the hum of the fridge and the aquarium pump.

Phone rings and I answer it, Chuck on the other end of the line and we chat for a few minutes. He has been up early, having chickens tends to make you get up most morning before you want to. Winds are picking up but Chuck reports we got twenty inches of new snow. That makes almost thirty inches on the ground, not good for April 19th We end our call agreeing to meet over at Elmers around noon to dig him out. I no sooner put the phone in the cradle then it rings again. I look at the caller ID and CLUBHOUSE is on the screen. I pick up and it is Vic. First thing he says after HIYA is that the Club House is buried and Elmer is with him. Told Vic it will be awhile before we can get out there, need to dig ourselves out first. Vic says not to worry they have food and beer and the power is on.

I know I made a promise to the wife that I was done shoveling snow after April 1st but since then we have received over forty-one inches of snow. When talking about forty-one inches it should be about a northern not about how much snow has fallen on the local golf course. Time to make a path to the shop and I hope I have enough gas on hand to fill the snow blower a couple of times. I for one am not too happy but nothing can be done. Later today or maybe tomorrow I will lean on a borrowed shovel and Chuck and I will chat, I am sure we will say "Ya know, we really do need the moisture" from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,051,421}

[img:center]

[Bobby Bass]

Moving around this morning like an old man, a sore old man. Moved snow for most of yesterday afternoon, Cabin here is cleaned out as is Elmers place. Chuck still has snow to move as he has the longest drive between the three of us. But we just made a path down the center and we will let the sun take care of the rest. Already this morning snow is melting from the roofs and a steady stream of snow melt water is coming off the eves to splat on the deck before running between the cracks to the ground below. Busy morning as the snow does not stop plans that have already been made. Next door at Chuck's the Farrier is working on Chuck's girlfriends two horses. They had scheduled the horses to have their hoofs checked and new shoes if needed. I was woken early this morning by Chuck's new car alarm. Seems the rooster has taken to sitting on top of the car and announcing to the world when the sun rises from there. Also announces anything or anyone who moves around the place.

Grand kids were at the cabin last night for movie night, they watched the Avengers which might not have been the best movie for them to watch before bedtime. After the movie was over they all picked and argued over which super hero they were which resulted in a battle royal as they saved the cabin from unseen aliens. This morning was peaceful till the sound of the car alarm woke up the two youngest grand kids who decided to come in my bedroom and ride my back like a rodeo pony. Trying to buck two sixty pound kids off your back in bed is like trying to get rid of an old girlfriend, once they have their claws into you they are hard to shake off.

Well, if I was not sore from wrestling with the snow blower the rodeo didn't help any. The wife yelled that breakfast was ready and the grand kids headed to the kitchen for pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse's head and I followed in their footsteps. Got sidetracked by dogs wanted to be let outside and I now followed them. April 20th spread out in front of me but not the look I was looking for. Black ribbons of dirt with three feet of snow piled alongside where the snow blower had cut paths in the yard. Icicles hang on the north side of the cabin and reach down to the ground, water drips off of them making holes in the snow below. A few robins fly by not looking too happy, if they are searching for dry ground and green grass they are in the wrong place. Boat house roof that was clear of snow is now back under a blanket of it again. The Puddle Humper sits patiently under it's tarp waiting for me to come and uncover it.

The Resort road was not as bad as it could have been, the snow had drifted but lucky for us it was all on one side. Did not even need the plow to drive in. But once we got to the Club House we had to get the shovels out and dig doors out. We found Vic and Elmer sitting in the main room, sipping on beer and playing cribbage. We worked on clearing snow away from doors and made a few paths. We are counting on Sunshine Rays forecast of the snow finally being done and are waiting on the melt. We got to the deck and Elmer had left us a little something on the table there. He wanted to put a carrot out so to speak for us to shovel the deck off and to show just how much snow had fallen here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,053,009}

[img:center]

[Bobby Bass]

Silent Sunday here at the Cabin and it is pretty much that. Was outside with the dogs for awhile making the rounds of the place and working on the To Do List in my head. A light gray overcast sky and just a lite breeze. I can almost convince myself that it is a warm breeze with my hands in my pockets. Still some snow on the cabin and out building roofs but it is melting and water is dripping. Ice on the sidewalks and low spots in the drive are frozen over. Someone is burning and the smell of wood smoke clings to the air. Can't tell where it is coming from as the smoke must be about the same color as the sky. The smell smells good but then I like the smell of wood smoke. I eye where the fire ring is buried under snow and I have a brief thought of digging it out and starting a fire, but with no shovel I abandoned that idea and decide just to enjoy the smell of someone's else's fire.

I check the greenhouse out and almost no snow on the south side but six feet of snow on the north side. There should be plants out here growing but I am not even going to try and put anything out there till the first of may now. I have seedlings started, they fill the window sills inside the cabin and of course at the Resort, Vic is tending to seedlings there. Sparrows flutter from leafless branches before moving on to be replaced by more of the same. Robins are calling out to each other as they advance through the yard like soldiers checking out a farmhouse. Their calls can almost be mistaken for Marco...Polo... I watch as they to move on.

Cabin is quiet, wife has taken all the kids back to their parents, just me and the dogs making our rounds. Elmer is at the Resort and Chuck is out doing something with the Girlfriend, something about Sunday being their date day. They took the car so the rooster is not sitting on top of it but he must be busy doing something as I have not heard him for awhile. Spent a few minutes standing on the dock but not much to see, just a lot of snow covering a lot of ice. I would say we are at least three weeks behind spring here. Of course a few days in the sixty's would have a huge impacted on all of this snow and ice. And if we could get some nice rain showers that would really knock the snow down. Road restrictions are going to be up longer this year and already the local Conservation Officer has been by spreading the word that a few spawning areas may have to be closed off this year. Should know more at the Town Hall meeting at the end of the month, he is going to be a guest speaker.

At the Lodge there has been some moaning and groaning about how this late spring is going to cut our fishing season even shorter. Not to mention our schedule for town events is going to be effected, another topic for the Town Hall meeting. It looks like we will actually have something to discuss at the Town Hall meeting and of course with the Lodge Meeting the next night I am sure somethings will spill over there to. The Lodge is already getting several calls a day asking about ice conditions and we can't really give any because the ice is under three feet of snow. Gus has changed the outgoing message on the answering machine to just Jingle Bells with a message to please hold, all of our operators are out shoveling, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,054,116}

[Bobby Bass]

This morning I lean back in my chair in the den and gaze out the window trying to think of a topic to write about that does not have the word snow anywhere in it. It does not appear that I will be able to do it as I watch snow fall from the branches of the apple tree just outside the window. Last night the snow started falling, again. Big flakes like quarters came falling down and not just one or two here and there. The flakes came quarter size down into my hands like I had just won at a slot machine. An inch an half fell in an hour and it stayed at that rate till the ten o'clock freight came by. Had to strain to hear the train as the new snow muffled the sound of the train on the tracks. When it was done the snow was a big Hamms can deep on the railings and deck. Tree branches hold a layer of snow several inches deep. The snow is lite and there is no wind so it just sits there, balancing and being all white like.

This morning I sit in the chair and as the sun rises in a cloudless sky the growing warmth helps loosen the grip of the snow on the branches. Like little avalanche's snow falls from the top of the tree to hit the branch below and more snow falls to the next branch as it cascades down through the tree till it finally finds the ground below. Yesterday was Earth Day and I thought there might be something to write about there but I think you have to see some earth and yesterday it was all about snow, again. Ticket scalper's have come north to Lake Iwanttobethere, not to sell tickets to baseball games but to sell shovels and ice melt. They have a tent down at the access and are doing a brisk business. I have thought of checking them out but I am determine to try and hold my promise of no shoveling after April 1st I have had to take out the snow blower but that should not count when you get fifty inches of snow. Just when the snow starts to melt and I can relax some, it snows again, like last night.

We have received a season worth of snow in April and a eight foot 2x4 worth since March if you are a fishermen we have received over a hundred and twenty inches of snow this season, that is deeper then a fly rod is tall. But the end is near, Sunshine Ray is forecasting temperatures to rise into the sixties by this weekend and Stormy Clearwearther says he is wrong, she says we will hit seventy! I don't know if I will be able to handle seventy without sitting in front of a heater. I think I would have to install the AC and make some ice tea. Of course if it does get that warm I will more than likely be sitting on the deck surrounded by a melting snow banks seeing totally confused snowshoe hares running by. Robins would be peeping "Finally" and the geese would now be honking at their mates about finding a nesting site.

I did have a thought about how the Fellows in the Lodge were handling yet another snow fall. Eight inches of fresh snow is not considered a storm in these parts especially this season. The fellows more then likely spent the evening watching the snow fall holding on to mugs of ale. Their beaver capes hanging heavy on their shoulders as they gaze through the smoke filled air of the Lodge. A window may have been cracked some but no one would notice. Fingers combing tangled beards that should have been cut by now. They were waiting for ice out and snow to melt. It had been a long winter, but like their fathers before them and their fathers before them there was not much that can be done to speed the melt. They had not heard of the forecasted warmth for the weekend for if they had they would have also learned that yet one more snowfall was coming to Lake Iwanttobethere {1,055,955}

[img:center]

[Bobby Bass]

I'm in the zone right now playing the waiting game, kind of like the day before the game. I know fishing season is almost here but it is not here yet. There is a lot to do but still a lot of time left to do it in. I am almost ready to get really started but the playing field is not nearly ready. Spring is wandering in like a doe crossing a city street waiting on her fawns. She will take a few steps forward, will stop, take a step back before checking both ways and moving forward a few steps only to stop again. The doe like this year's spring seems to spend more time looking behind her for her fawns then looking forward to summer. A car rolls down the street and now the deer and her fawns leap into action, actually they don't. The doe heads for the side of the road, hooves clicking on the pavement and the fawns follow. They all seem to make it to the old brown grass in the ditch in time to watch the car go by. Not in a big hurry but they do get where they want to be, kind of like spring.

I was out yesterday evening heading into the Lodge when I noticed that after a day of partial sunshine and a few small showers a change was happening. The snow was losing its grip and was pulling back into the woods. Black top road was dry and snow banks along it were gone. Instead of snow there was now just brown grass and small broken branches. I had to stop at the end of the drive and wait on a doe and a couple of yearlings to walk on by. They took so long that rather then beeping the horn at them I just put the Tahoe in park and watched them take their time crossing from right to left in front of me. The last youngster crossed and I reached to put the truck back in gear when two more climbed out of the ditch to follow the first three. I waited and now looked to see if there were any more deer coming and sure enough two more popped up and walked a little quicker trying to catch up with the group. I watched them go by and then slowly turn out onto the road just in time to see a raccoon stroll across the road just in front of Elmers drive. A good sign, seeing the woods come alive again.

I was in no hurry to get to the Lodge so I drove down the road like a deer. Not in any great hurry I rolled down the road looking off to the side checking how far the snow had melted wondering where all those piles of leaves went from last fall. Lots of robins in groups of two's and three's and sparrows fluttered along the side of the road. If I had driven fast I would have gone right past and not even noticed them. I started looking for green grass but I didn't see any, might be a while for that. A few pairs of geese walking or should I say waddled over low cut brown grass from cabins whose lawns are close to the road. A few walkers out as I get closer to town, with the shoulders clear of snow but the trails still wet and muddy the walkers take to the road. I get a few nods of heads and a few waves as I slowly drive by them.

The town of Lake Iwanttobethere looks dirty, still piles of dirty snow that take longer to melt. Sand along the street curbs and dirty store front windows. Paint that needs to be touched up after what has been a very long winter. The town like the deer is waiting for something to move it along otherwise it is just going to take its time and meander along. I think we need a good thunderstorm, better yet a seventy degree day with a thunderstorm or two. We need to wash winter away and speed up spring, maybe this weekend it will happen here at Lake Iwanttobethere. {1,057,767}

[Bobby Bass]

Snow, its melting! That felt so much better to write that then saying it is snowing again. Yesterday I spent time at the Lodge had some work to do and I was rearranged things in my locker in the basement. Like most of the guys at the Lodge I use my Lodge locker to store and kind of weather things in. I had a few bags of fishing lures and odds and ends that I had bought at clearance sales or just on sale or just because I needed them. From time to time I will open the locker and add a few things and bring a few things back to the cabin. Also is a lot easier to remove the packaging at the Lodge and dispose of it. The dumpster out back of the Lodge this time of year can be pretty interesting with various delivery boxes tossed in it. Empty shot gun boxes, reel boxes more then a few boxes that that ones held golfing irons. Golf ball boxes and empty Kit Kat bags are also common but something you never find in the dumpster is golf clubs or old fishing lures or rods, wonder why that is?

The Fellows spent time on the deck yesterday afternoon, they were busy wagering on visitors to the landing. They had shoveled off enough of the deck so that they could arrange the chairs out there to be up against the Lodge in the sun and out of the wind. Still lots of snow to melt and the deck has a big pile in the corner that does not get direct sunshine and will have to wait till the weather just warms up. So the Fellows are on the deck with the winter coats on but unzipped, sipping Hamms and smoking cigars. They are betting a quarter at a time on guys who drive up to where the dock will be going in and the bets range from if the driver will get out of the truck, will the truck stop and the money maker is if the driver will stop, get out, look at the ice and either shake his head or shrug his shoulders. I put two quarters down on the railing and told them to let it ride on the shaking head, by the end of the afternoon I had made a couple of dollars.

Hammering Hank is getting a little nervous, he has a stack of them index cards in his front pocket of his bibs with jobs that need to be done before the opening of fishing season. A lot of them have to do with putting docks in and the lake is still deep in ice. Every one of the orders has instructions to get their dock in as soon as ice goes out. Hank keeps telling them he is not Santa and he can't do everyone in one day. Hank and Skinny have been busy though, All the orange barrels from the softball field and parking area have been moved back behind the Lodge's garage and the county has taken all of their orange barrels off to some secret construction site. Word is that they are going to wait for the night before fishing opener to put all the barrels out on roads that fishermen take to their favorite lake.

The snow is gone down in the park and Skinny and Hank have gotten the hockey boards down and stacked. Picnic tables are kind of out and fire rings are cleared of last year's garbage. Gulls have been coming in the past week and marching across looking for food and several pairs of geese patrol the shoreline. County should be coming by soon with the caravan of street sweepers and water truck, once they do it will look a lot better. Now if we can just get those thunderstorms that Stormy Clearweather is forecasting we will not have to talk about snow any more, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,059,300}

[Bobby Bass]

Been six months but the Bass thermometer out on the deck is finally pointing at sixty and I saw a fly. Been spending the morning watching the red needle slowly climb past fifty till it got stuck right under sixty. A tap of the finger made the needle jump up before it settled right on sixty. A few cabin windows had plastic removed and screens were put in place. Furnace was switched to the off position and the windows were cracked open. A few minutes later the wife came in the den and said it smelled good in here and saw the open window and just nodded her head in understanding. All three dogs are out on the deck laying in the sun with backs up against the warm siding. Been six months since we have had sixty degree weather, way too long if ya ask me.

Rain in the forecast for tomorrow evening, what was to be thunderstorms has been down graded to a chance of showers. Either way the rain will help with the snow and wash the deck off some. Yesterday I put new wiper blades on the wife's Jeep, I had to move it and I noticed the blades were shot so I went into see Dan at the auto shop and bought a new set. When I got back to the cabin I had to fiddle with the blades to make sure they snapped on right and I needed to test them. Garden shovel was sticking in a snow bank so I tossed a few loads of dirty snow onto the windshield and gave the wipers a try. They worked good but I noticed the snow was not exactly very clean. Must have been snow that the snow blower had tossed when cleaning the parking area.

I went inside to get some glass cleaner and some paper towels, but when I got back out to the Jeep I got side tracked by the passenger window of the Tahoe. Duncan has been riding shotgun with me and on the last trip he smudged the window up pretty good, I was meaning to clean it up and now I had the window spray so I did all the windows of the Tahoe and just left the bottle and towels on the front seat of the Jeep, I'll get back to it later. Still early in the day and the snow is not really melting much, I expect as the day grows into the afternoon stuff will warm up and there will be plenty of new puddles for the dogs to step in. Grand kids are over and they have been digging the swing set out, Got enough snow moved that they can swing without dragging their feet in the snow anymore. Big pile of snow on the deck but every time I go out I kick it down some, sun will be coming around here soon and I am hoping it all melts today or at the very least by tomorrow.

Thinking on taking a drive down to see if the Chicken Shack is open yet. I will drive by the big river and I hear that is open, be nice to see some open water. I can hear the wife yelling from out back and I go out onto the deck to see who she is yelling at, guess it was me. She wanted to know how all of this dirt and little rooks got on her windshield. I shrugged my shoulders and did my best to deny any knowledge. She went around the Jeep and opened the passenger door and held the bottle of cleaner and roll of paper towel in her hand and shook them in my direction. I pretended not to notice and instead made a deal of looking at the bass thermometer which was pointing at fifty-nine. Sixty was nice there while it lasted, from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,059,995}

[JeremyCampbell]

This would make a nice book