Yesterday was a lazy, relaxed day. Summer is drawing to a close (school-year-wise, anyway) and we had had our In Spite of Danny's Rain double birthday/end of summer cookout-but-eat-in thing on Saturday, so Sunday was a day to tidy up after the chaos and do bits and pieces of fun things with the kids. They wanted to go swimming, so Bill took them to the pool and worked with them on diving (they're both learning how to in swim class now) and let them do laps. Hardly anyone else there, which was nice. I stayed home and puttered around yes - enjoying the silence.
And after that they wanted to go fishing, so we packed up some poles and headed off to City Park to try to catch skipjacks (baby bluefish).
The fish weren't there. Not a single bite, which is unusual this time of year. So the kids practiced casting. Julia has graduated to a nice pole and "grown-up" reel, so she was getting used to that, and Alex mainly worked on improving power and distance....
Bill and Alex stood out in the water, but Julia preferred to stay on the sand. She's not fond of crabs tickling her ankles.
But first things first. Take care of the itching.
Ready?
Here she goes.
That's my baby!
Bill had taken the kids fishing for skipjacks a few days before this, and when they got home (with three fish- one apiece), Bill had Julia demonstrate her casting prowess in the back yard. He removed the hook and stood back. She stood at one end of the yard and first time out she hooked a tree. Second time - the skipjack rig went over the fence and into the yard of the neighbors behind us.
Wanna see more? Of course you do.
Look at the bend in that pole! That's power, baby!
It's funny. Their casting techniques match their personalitites.
Julia's is all power and snap.
Alex's is more careful and less aggressive.
Alex was content to cast over and over alongside his father...
Julia, however, has a shorter attention span, and since the fish weren't biting anyway, she and I prowled around nearby, looking for treasures.
Like seaweed...and blue crab claws...
And a teeny, tiny hermit crab residing in a periwinkle shell...
A crab shell...
But then...right after I took this picture...our peaceful meandering was interrupted by a yell from my husband:
"Jayne! Throw me the rope!"
To be continued...
