Way back
Quintessential Maine, Somesville bridge. It’s not my best effort, but this was a long time ago and before I knew better. The first balloon festival (for me) had the searing memory of Lisa dipping her poison ivy covered arms in a bucket of ice at a soda vendor; no, not pictured here. How about a field of wildflowers they planted just for my camera? My dog Nellie, I loved that dog! One more summer image, fishing, the water was about 18 inches deep. But, you get the idea. Idyllic, childhood. It was a different time. Good. Better, that’s harder to say.
Off season
I like the action. There are telephoto effect images to make it look more crowded. And there are people to populate the beach with activities like kite flying and fishing. It’s all interesting. Meanwhile we can stroll unimpeded. I would admit I miss the bikinis but Colleen would pinch me. Hey! Right about now it’s new year’s and they are readying to go into the ocean for new year’s day. Nope, not me.
Once upon a time… perfect
Did you ever have one of those perfect days? You know. It’s one that sits there in your memory and comes back with a smile. We did this exactly once. I don’t know why not.
You might think the water was deep. I’m not sure the kids were even using any bait on the hooks. I certainly know they would not have cared. It was idyllic just having a private moment there all alone. There was no one else, no music, nothing… just the soft summer breeze and total serenity. I’m wishing now that we had gone back. Would that have changed the memory? I wonder if the kids remember this one.
Fishing
There’s a lot to talk about in this photo. It was the summer Lisa was riding all over Long Island. She was exercising and training diligently. I hadn’t caught the passion yet. She would ride all different routes and explore roads one might not ordinarily wander. She found a small body of water. I don’t quite know what to call it, river, lake, cove, inlet or what.
We piled the kids into the Volvo wagon with an inflatable raft stuffed into the back. We brought the dog and some fishing poles. No bait – more about that later. I launched the kids in the raft and let things play out. Ok, not exactly poles, the gear had spinning reels and bobbers. I think we probably had them from my brother John, the real fisherman in the family. Who knows if there were any fish? For bait I made an executive decision. I could have dug around for worms. Who knows? I could have found some in our rock garden. But then who’s going to put the squirming worm on the hook? And, if the kids catch a fish, then what? We weren’t going to be eating the catch. Hence, no bait. Funny?
Well the kids didn’t notice and didn’t mind one tiny bit. It wasn’t about catching fish for them either. The whole deal is about nature, camaraderie, peace, and solitude on a summer day that stretches lazily forever. Of all the things I did with my kids this was one photo of a memory that I cherish. We never did go back to that spot. There are times when a special moment has come and gone before you know it. Like I said before, I have been lucky to have preserve the memory of some of those moments.
photobackstory 