Gone Fishin'

So Flymama and family went fishing. We rented a boat and sat in the scorching sun for ...oh... six hours maybe... more or less.

Here's how things went. First, dear daughter B caught a little flounder:

Two photos, in case it is too hard to see the little fish. Sadly, the flounder has to be 17-1/2 inches long to keep, and this one wasn't, so we threw him back. We hadn't located the tape measure yet, so we didn't measure him, but maybe 13-16".

So, second, I... yes I... caught a lovely flounder:

Sadly, my fish was only 17", and I remind you the fish must be 17-1/2" long to keep, so ::sigh:: I threw him back. If you are wondering why I was so totally covered in clothes on a scorching day in late July, it is because I do not believe in sunburn. I've had my share, and I've given it up for the rest of my life to the best of my ability.

Okay, so next, B caught another little flounder:

Again, the fish must be 17-1/2" to keep, and this one wasn't, so we threw him back. (Are you seeing a trend here?)

So, back and forth it went, fish caught, fish released, fish caught, fish released, etc. All in all, we had a smashingly hot time, and carried away memories and photographs, but no fish.

So funny, but true, our only "Keeper" was caught by our youngest family member, JD:

We ate it for dinner on Wednesday night.

I can't tell you how many got away! We're saying the ones we didn't manage to get into the boat were ALL keepers, the ones that got away! :)

Free Digital Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

So, I just got word, which I want to share--The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Summer 2011 edition is available to everyone for free! Amazing! Get your copy now, and enjoy!

It's Pony Penning Day!

I am in Chincoteague, Virginia, and it is Pony Penning Day!

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then let me assure you that the following non-twaddle book should be on every home school's reading list plan:

 

Sometime today, between noon and 1:30 p.m., the ponies will swim across Assateague Channel and arrive on Chincoteague to march down Pony Swim Lane to the Chincotegue Fireman's Carnival, where a selection of this year's foals will be auctioned off to support the Chincoteague Fire Department. (Oh, doesn't your local fire department wish they had such a sweet deal!)

The above links are someone else's photos from the 2010 pony swim. My camera has a minimal zoom lense, plus (go figure) I got out there only to find my camera battery was getting low... It was so bright and sunny that it was hard to see what I had my camera focused on, but I did my best. My lense did not have the zoom I would have needed for good photos at such a distance, but here's what I've got.

So, we carried folding chairs, an umbrella, totes, water, snacks... and walked to Memorial Park, found a spot, and perched on the rocky shore to await the "big event", with another approximately 40,000 people.

Okay, the planned pony swim starts with crowds, crowds, crowds staking out their space to wait for hours, on land and sea, waiting for slack (low) tide, when the swim will occur -- projected to swim between noon and 1:30 p.m.

Then, in the distant, distance the slightest signt can be seen of the heads of the horses being herded to the shore from Assateague.

Finally they reach the shore and are allowed to enter the water.

That was the last photo I took, because I didn't feel my photos were clear enough to even be able to see very well. But, we had a hot, sweaty, satisfying event, and then walked the two-minute walk back to our cottage and cooled off and got rehydrated. I needed to rehydrate since my adult daughter drank the water that I packed for myself so that when I needed it I found my water jug empty!

So, this afternoon maybe we'll let some kids rent kayaks!