Tis the Season...for Family Reunions!

Summer at last...well for a few days here and there at least. I have to say this has been the wettest summer I have ever lived through. Thankfully we have had a few good weekends thus far.
Last weekend we had a family reunion for my mother-in-laws side of the family. Held at the 'Family' cottage in Bass River, NS on the Bay of Fundy. Thankfully the weather held up perfectly! Kids went clam diggin' when the tide went out and we all went swimming when it came back in. The ocean water was surprisingly warm considering the low temperatures we have had this summer. After a long swim tummy's were rumbling so it was time to BBQ. Each family had a little something different but for the most part chicken and steaks were had with a variety of different veggies and carbs to accompany the protein.
As the evening progressed it was time to start setting up for the bonfire and fireworks! The kids were all looking forward to that of course. Several of the 'bigger' kids along with a few adults went down and prepared the wood for the fire while the rest of us dressed in some warmer clothes so we could relax on a moonlit beach. Marshmallows and 'Spiders' made from hot dogs were cooked and enjoyed by all. Finally the much anticipated fireworks began. It was quite a light show considering they were just a few packages purchased from a local convenience store.
Finally it was bed time....at least for the kids. Belly's were popping out from eating so many marshmallows and eyes were getting heavy as it was way past their bed time. Now, prior to our trip up I had purchased a 6-man tent and two air mattresses that had to have been 2' feet high. My girls slept in one 'head to toe'. They slept well as a matter of fact! After a few beers and some story telling from those that were still up I finally decided I had better hit the sack. The kids would be up early for sure. Ok, so here is where it gets a little interesting. Remember that air mattress I bought? Great for the kids....not so great for two adults! The next morning my left shoulder was in excruciating pain from clinging to the side of the air mattress so I didn't fall off. Moral of the story...a third air mattress is being purchased for the next camping trip!
All things considered, it was a really great time.
Next reunion...my family. The Turmenne Family. I'm sure there will be something of interest to post from that!!

Most of the 'Matthews' family in this photo.

Fishing at Big Lake

After a very busy Independence Day weekend it's sort of nice to be back in 'the swing of things' so to speak. The weather hasn't changed; still overcast with a tease of sun now and then. When will the good weather start rolling in? A very popular question right now. On Saturday July 4th my dad and I took the boat out and went fishing in Big Lake. Amazingly, the rain held off the whole day. We stopped in Princeton and bought two dozen night crawlers 'just in case.' Once the boat was loaded with our gear we set out to catch some live bait. Chubs! First spot was a dud. We spend about 20 minutes at our first location casting and not even a nibble. So we pulled up the anchor and motored over to another location near Dinner Island. BINGO! We were catching Chubs left, right and center. Just over a dozen were caught and we decided we had enough to keep us busy so we again pulled up the anchor and motored over to another location not far from Red Beach in Big Lake. First cast and both my dad and I had Bass on! All in all we caught nine Bass, one Cat Fish, numerous amounts of Yellow Perch and one Pickeral! Not too shabby at all!