One Of The Best Days Of My Life

One Of The Best Days Of My Life

Abby, our boxer, woke me up about 0700 by snorting and slobbering at my bedside. I surmised that she wanted to go out. Thus, I walked downstairs and opened the outside door and she just stood there, looking at me. Ahh, she wanted food, not out, I told her she shouldn’t wake me up on a day off, that it wasn’t time for breakfast, and to go back to sleep. Abby, always the good dog otherwise, did just that as did I. A couple more hours go by and Jeffy and I finally wake, feed Abby her old dog diet prescription dog food and start to load the truck. Day’s list: Clay launcher, 12 gauge shotgun, shells, clays. Rifle, pistol for target range and targets and stapler to put targets up. Long Bow, target arrows for 3-D archery range. Waders, 4 foot spin casting rods and short fly rods for brook trout fishing, Michigan Style. Lots of flies and tackle. Cooler, Mountain Dew and snickers for Boy, bottled water, apples and oranges for Old Man On Prescription Diet, off we go. Crap, remembered everything except cash, check wallet, shoot, only 10 bucks. Oh well, we have everything we need.

The one hour drive into the Seney National Forest was “totally cool” as Jeffy would say. Passing over river after river, seeing deer, and eagles and cedar forests, really made the time go by. I had a rough map drawn by a nurse that fishes up in here with her husband sometimes---so I missed a couple turns, but finally found the stream she was talking about. Sorry, I still am not sure of the name of it. Jeffy was whining a bit, it was a long ride, and he’d still rather be back in Ohio with his gaming buddies he said. Well, after multiple tries upstream with flies and even worms, no trout. Jeffy was thinking about calling it a day when he hooked into a beautiful little 6 inch brookie a few minutes later. It was pretty exciting to see that trout dangling from his line---not so exciting to see it drop off though. Anyway, the chase was on, he tasted blood. Soon it was, “I can do it Dad”, “let me take to rod Dad.” I was so proud of him, so happy to see him get the fishing bug. I wished my Dad, his Grand Dad could be here, seeing him get excited about it and take control. Most of the rest of the time I was busy changing hooks and bait for him. He caught another that was a bit bigger. Too bad the big one got him snagged on some logs. I almost didn’t have the heart to tell him that he wasn’t snagged at first, that the bouncing log was a big trout---but as all wise and big old trout do, he found a log and took some fishing line around it. I wonder what kind of old trout prescription diet he’s on, hah. That Old Trout is still partying and carousing and eating any kind of food he wants and all kinds of sickly bugs and and I bet HE never had a low fat lunch. Maybe I should have just been a trout.

Well, it was time to go, I was getting very hungry after my breakfast of a banana and coffee and we both wanted to shoot. So, we went back to Seney and found the first diner, nope, don’t take credit cards. Found a little bar and grill in MacMillen, nope, don’t take credit cards. Remember, I was out of cash,. Finally, almost to Newberry, we found a family restaurant that had the VISA sticker in the window. It was a war zone in there. The tourist breakfast crowd had destroyed the place, There must have been 20 tables with empty plates and discarded food on them. So much for the bad economy and gas crisis—looks like Michigan folks are touring Michigan again instead of California, Florida, etc. The waitress was the busboy, waitress, hostess and cashier. That’s the U.P factor at work, don’t be in a hurry my friend. Fortunately, there was a salad and soup bar with three soups. Beef barley, chicken noodle, and split pea so we could start eating low fat food right away. Jeffy then began to say he wasn’t hungry anyway, that he didn’t want to eat and wished he were back in Ohio, he was pouting. He said that the fishing was ok, but he’d rather be back with his buddies. I looked at his blue eyes, then I looked at the rain come down on the parking lot and can’t remember feeling as sad as I was. I saw my father’s face and remembered him taking me brook trout fishing for the first time, and I remembered it rained that day too. I didn’t say anything at first, then, with my voice choking, I said, “ Jeffy, I would give anything to have one more day with my father, even just one more hour, just one more day, one more day. Maybe now you don’t see that, but someday, you will want to be here with me having those chicken wings.”

It rained all the way to the shooting range and then it rained as we parked there. Jeffy said, “let’s give it 15 minutes”. 15, 20, 30 went by and finally, it stopped. We proceeded to shoot over 60 rounds. Jeffy connected on about the 6th clay, remembering to put all his elements together. He was feeling very confident towards the end, and challenged me to a duel. He said, best out of three and if I win I get a 25 dollar game for the X-Box and if you win, I owe you 5 hours of work. I said, it would be best if your Christian heart would just work for you Dad for free, but ok, it’s a deal. He won round one with ¾ clays. I won round two with a perfect 4/4. Then, I couldn’t hit anything, 0/4 and Jeffy ¾. Thus, Jeffy 2, Dad 1. He began round three with 2/2 and then missed the next two. I found the zone, and hit 3/3 when he conceded. The barrel was so hot at times we had to let it cool. However, his newfound excitement about our time together could not be cooled. Despite his loosing the competition, I think he realized he won something greater. He won, stole away from fate, an incredible day with his Dad. I think, although he didn’t say it, it was one of the best days of his life. I know for sure, it was one of mine. I know MY Dad was there with us the whole time, trying to find us a trout or two, watching his grand son shoot clays like an expert. What a day, what a day indeed, One of The Best Days Of Life. Hey, you know what’s “funny”, I haven’t heard a word about friends, Ohio, or being anywhere else in the 4 hours we have been back home!
From the Naubinway Nook, I am, despite a low fat diet, a happy father, best wishes,
Jeff