This last weekend was my birthday. And although I was going to try to blog about the ongoing "cat Pole" that I have ( or haven't) been working on, I decided I would try to blog about the weekend and the activities I enjoyed in Michigan.
That is correct! I traveled to Michigan to visit my brother and our close childhood friend, Eddie Arnold. The plan was to check out the additions they have been working on and to try to do a little mushroom hunting and possibly some fishing.
I figured the Mushroom hunting was going to be easy. The place is smack dab in the woods, so just going out for a walk around the property would allow us to check things out. I arrived Thursday Night and walked around the property just before the dark hit. I noticed that Bug Spray woul dbe required, as all of the mosquitoes were out in force after the rains.
I did managed to find a few inedible ones, but nothing worth harvesting. This was my first "red Bolete" and they are so pretty! Too bad they are not recommended for food. ( toxic tummy ache.)
Eric and I went out the next day and looked around at some of the local trails. We located a nice variety of species, including a few Cinnamon Chanterelles. Milk caps, Russulas, and even a handful of Lobsters!
I was a little disappointed that after three days of rain, we only found a few Chanterelles and no huge cluster like in Iowa or Wisconsin.
But the real event that made it worth the trip was the discovery of a Chicken of the Woods!
And entire tree was covered. I literally walked right past it not seeing the chickens on the other side. It was not until I turned around that I was blessed with the spectacle.
That one find filled up our basket and a box we brought! And it pretty much ended out hunting for the day. We now had more mushrooms that we had room for, so finding any more would have just been a waste.
So.... We loaded up the truck, mushrooms, and fishing tackle and headed to Eds!
I should mention that one of the reasons we brought the fishing gear was because Eric recently made an impulse purchase of a Pontoon boat. It was an opportunity, to be sure! But there were a number of variables that needed to be addressed before taking it out with any serious intent.
First: The boat itself is HUGE! But it fits my brother well and provides a stable platform for three old fat dudes in the middle of a small lake. (I doubt I would feel very confident on Lake Michigan with 4 foot swells!)
Second, It came with a trailer! A nice touch that many pontoon boats lack. We can not take it to any lake with a public access site. Most pontoons are sold to people who live on a lake so no trailer is required.
The problem was that we spent the better part of Saturday trying to get the motor started! It woul dturn over by not start. After nearly three hours of trouble shooting, we discovered that there is a hidden "kill Switch" that my brother must have tripped while out on the lake last. These are the reasons we have to take things out and use them to find out the mysteries... before you get into trouble!
Speaking of trouble. It is always an adventure going out with Eric. I could tell you stores from Alaska that would fill this blog post.... But rather, I will Share the event that happened this weekend. Small things, but still funny stories that fill out the Character that is my brother.
So on our way to Eds, Eric is going up their driveway with the boat. It is a rather wide driveway, but rather than pulling the boat all the way to their house.( Ed lives with his father... Uncle Bill) ANd turning it around there, Eric decides he would rather back the truck, trailer and boat all the way up the driveway so we are set for tomorrow morning! All he has to do is avoid hitting their Mailbox.
Guess what happened?
The mailbox in question is bold and obvious... Away from the treeline or any shrubbery that would hide it. You see, the snowplow takes it out every year. And if the Arnolds put the box away from the road, the mail man will not deliver the mail. So... IT is there. About 10 feet away from anything else so the mailman can use it. And it usually lasts until the snow flies.... When the snowplow comes along to claim it.
But this time, Eric was the Grim Reaper!
At least the post was intact. Just the box itself will require some attention to get bent back into shape so it closes.
It was just one of those moments where "Anyone Else" doing the "Normal Thing" would have avoided the catastrophe. But Eric... in an effort to avoid the catastrophe, makes it a self fulfilling prophesy.
After figuring out the motor issue, we finally were able to get out on the lake. We stopped by the Bait store for gas and Ice. (for Beer!) And I was told several times that "Eddie has plenty of Lures..." so there was no need for bait. I was not concerned, because I was set up for bluegill and have flies and gulper grubs. I had my ultra-light set up and was really not set up for anything larger than panfish.
Which means... I was the ONLY one who caught anything!
It was a nice birthday gift, watching those two throwing off their arms with their huge Pike baits and 20 lbs test coils of line. I probably caught about 20 fish. 4 of which we could have kept. I caught perch, Crappie, Bluegill and Pumpkin Seeds. Eric managed to catch one small percha fter I showed him my set up and tied it up for him. Eddie got skunked.
All I could hear was "We should have bought some bait!" Over and over again. But honestly, with their shark sized hooks and rope-like line, I'm sure all they would have done was feed the little guys that would nibble the bait off before ever getting close to being caught. I'm very proud of myself for not rubbing it in, but there was a secret satisfaction in knowing I could still read the lake and catch something while everyone else struggled....
I brought about 5 lbs of Bluegill Fillets from my freezer just in case we did not get anything.... and it was a good thing too. The fun thing about the Arnold's place is that they have a huge Deck with a grill griddle, and fryer all outside. No need to stink up the house! And with 4 guys who love eating fish, I was confident that I could use up the last of the bluegill and start up refilling the freezer once more.
It was great! Eating the finished fish fresh out of the fryer! (Say that five times fast!) It has been a while since I have enjoyed fish "caveman Style" but I always think that is the best way. (Dave and I did that with Walleye one time.) You have dipping sauce available, but no one used it. No one had to! We also tossed in some slivered Chicken of the woods with the fish and everyone agreed that were awesome! It was a great way to finish the birthday day. No cake required! Just fish, Friends, and lots of Beer!
I came home yesterday and found Chicago to be pleasantly easy to traverse on a Sunday evening. The Cat welcomed me with her angry yowling after my being gone for several day, ( Christina fed her, so she was not hungry...) Overall, It was a good time.
I spent the remainder of today doing laundry and working on the Cat pole. I wanted to show you "work in Progress" photos, but honestly, they look like disasters! It is not turning out the way I had envisioned it! For sure....) So I will end this post with just these pics and hopefully I will now begin the addition of the Foliage. With a little luck, it will start to look like a tree.
In the mean time, I will hopefully work on refilling the freezer with more bluegills and; work on the Cat Tree. And try to make as much time as I have in the morning count.
