We’ll, it would be a perfect morning were it not for the mourning… Sadly, we lost another great man yesterday, my uncle Stewart moved on at some point in the afternoon while my wife Karen and I were in a plane, and we learned of it upon landing.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many of my greatest childhood memories revolve around him and “his clan” of my cousins, but it was always a great time hanging with them riding go carts, minibikes, horses, (All before helmets and pads no less! ?) rides in race cars, tow trucks, semi-trucks, etc…
I won’t go on and bore you with it all, but I’ll finish up with this from my second cousin, Melissa May, one of his many grandchildren, who said it best yesterday with this Winnie the Pooh quote. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard…”
I like to think that at least in some way he is now reunited with his brother (My father.) and two sisters that went before him as well as extended family and friends very busy laughing at all of us now having a better understanding of it all.
In better news, I certainly can’t complain about having the beach to myself this morning! I literally walked miles and miles of beach reflecting on things from about 4:30 until a little after 6 without seeing another soul barefoot and in a t-shirt so that’s pretty awesome. (Other people started filtering out to sit and watch the sunrise shortly after 6 for a nice quiet shared experience.)
A huge thanks to Jake as always for house and dog sitting for us; we’ll be back next weekend and you all can start looking for those late winter/early spring river reports shortly thereafter.
For now, all I can say is that it’s cold back home, but judging by my social media feeds those that have braved it are being rewarded more often than not. (Of course, disclaimer, keep in mind that my feeds are full of full time guides and residents from the area that have a bit of a leg up on the average occasional angler…)
Stock is starting to fill in the shelves back at the shop and we’ve got both guide and motel dates still available. Give us a shout to lock in a great trip to the Pere Marquette and we look forward to seeing you on the river, in our boats, at the shop or around the BBT compound. (231) 745-3529
Till next time, take nothing for granted, hug the ones you love and stay warm my friends.
-Steve-
