Fishing and the Telegraph

You may be wondering what fishing and the telegraph have to do with one another.

The answer is, they don't have anything to do at all with each other.

Other than the fact that across the street from the Speedwell Historical Park, the site where the telegraph was perfected, is a fishing spot.

I'm not sure how it happened but Alec has the idea that fishing is amazing.

He loves to fish.  Before this fishing excursion he had been fishing one time off of the Santa Monica Pier.

Alec was determined that we go fishing while we were out here.  Even though I had not allowed him to pack his Ugly Stick or anything else that looked like a fishing pole.

This fishing experience started off by going to two different sporting good stores, getting slightly turned around and a little lost, finding the telegraph site, and ultimately taking a hike to find the perfect edge of the lake to put the poles in.

I'll just say it.  We were ill prepared to go fishing.  Even with our poles in hand.

 We were very determined to show Alec that would live up to the conversation, actually several  conversations, we had had assuring him that there was plenty of time to go fishing while we lived out here.  Um, we were running out of time.  So, if we needed to fish in the most amateur of ways, so be it.

After finding a decent spot, the hooks were placed, the bobbers, and even lures.

Hey, whatever it takes.

Knowing this was a long shot and knowing the kids would get restless, Jenna and I took a little trip to the grocery store.  In the name of fishing we went to the store to get bait and snacks.  I'm willing to miss out on the fishing experience, or at least 20 minutes of fishing, for the sake of the team.

We arrived back at the fishing spot with bologna.  I think this is the first time in my life to buy bologna.  Anyway, we had bologna for the fish, bread for the geese, and ice cream sandwiches and sour patch kids for the people.

It looks good with the bologna!

Alec did catch one little minnow and sacrificed it while he waited for me to get back with the real bait.

So, this fishing story doesn't end well.

This is really the extent of what the boys caught.
If you're wondering what you're looking at those are weeds.

Meanwhile Jenna and Heath had a great time trying to attract the geese with pieces of bread.

 

It was a very smooth fishing experience until the line started getting really tangled. 

You would think with a pole and the reel the line would stay where it should.

It doesn't.

 

Scott is holding the bundle of fishing line that was ultimately hacked off with a rock.
When I said, "Ill prepared," I was not exaggerating.

I'm not sure the day was completely unsuccessful in the fishing department.

Alec had got the fishing experience he needed and we got to hang out with geese and bologna.