River Day 07/27/2015

Tim, Jay, and Pat (happy faces)

 

Not so happy face

It was pretty evident that everyone was in full agreement on having a River Day celebration this week, despite mourning for David...or maybe because of our mourning for David.  Either way, it was a good time to be at the river.  I certainly didn't see any hesitation when I asked everyone if they were up for the river.

Ted, Pat, Jay, Tim and I all made it down this week to enjoy a Monday on the New.  And let's not forget Freddy.  Weather was partly cloudy, with temps in the low 80's.  There were a few sprinkles just before we left, but we weren't bothered by it.

I was the only one to try a little fishing this week, and caught two: a decent smallmouth and a red-eye.  Any catch is a good catch.  The water level was down this week, almost to the normal level for this time of year, so I was able to make the hike through the grass and rocks to get to the main current.  Took a little spill on the walk back, but no injuries.

We built a pretty good fire with the intention of doing a little pitchfork cooking (hotdogs of course), but we decided to use the gas grill for convenience.  We even had some barbeque sauce for old time's sake.  The only thing that would have completed the dinner would have been some macaroni salad.  In the early days of National River Day, the mac salad was David's usual contribution. 

We have a few pics this week, including one of a brick that I found unusual.  Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but moss had grown on the brick only in the indention where the manufacturer's name is imprinted in it.  Just looked kind of neat.

Okay folks, as we're reminded this week, life is short.  Get out and enjoy your River Days with your loved ones, wherever you are.

David Edward Morgan 01/15/1963 - 07/26/2015

 

 

The world is a little dimmer today as we mourn the loss of a brother, a friend, a fellow Rivertarian - David Morgan.

Words cannot express how he has touched each of us, his family, acquaintances, his community, and countless others.

He will be remembered for his constant smile, his quick wit, his loyal friendship, the courage he put forth, and the love that each of us shared with, and for him.

We pray that he is at peace and that his suffering is over.

Whether or not this is the appropriate place for this post, I can't say, but here it is.

He will be remembered far beyond his years spent with us. 

River Day 07/20/2015

 

 

Hey, two posts in the same month! We're on a roll now!  Another great River Day this week (are there any bad ones?) celebrated by a full crew: Kevin, Pat, Jay, Tim, Ted and myself.  The day was mostly sunny with temps in the low/mid 80's.

The river level was still up, compared to the usual level for this time of year, due to heavy rains over the last several days...okay weeks...maybe even months.  In case no one's noticed, it's been a wet summer.  We were still able to get in some fishing, just not in the usual spot.  Tim, Jay and I caught a handful of sardines while Ted looked on and kept us company.  It was more like a night crawler smorgasbord for the fish the way we were feeding them.  But the few we did catch were still fun.

Freddy came down to catch up on the week's conversation, but he didn't stay as long as normal.

We did get in one little project this week: taking down the old flag that weathered the winter.  The bottom was frayed quite a bit and it had started to split up the middle.  Kevin said it was starting to look like a pair of pants.  Ted and I got the wire untangled enough to let it down and it was properly disposed of, closely supervised by Kevin.  We'll get a new used one to put back up as quickly as possible.

Despite the warm weather, we had the best fire on the rive (naturally), but only because the flag needed to be taken care of.  Then again, we'll take any excuse we can to build a fire!

Happy River Day to Rivertarians everywhere!

River Day 07/13/2015

Nearly a month has passed since the last post.  We're really slacking this year.  To be honest though, there haven't been many (any ?) River Day celebrations since the last one in June.  Work, commitments, and family issues seem to be getting the best of us in 2015.

Before I post this week's activities, I'd like to ask Rivertarians everywhere (or anyone else that actually reads this blog) to please remember a fellow Rivertarian, David, in their prayers, light a candle, do a happy dance, whatever your particular mojo is.  He is very ill and not likely to be with us much longer.  May God be merciful to him, and his family.





This week at the river, several of us were able to make it down: Jay, Tim, Pat and I (Mark).  It's been a month since most of us have been there and was a much needed release from....things in general.  And let's not forget our visit from the local River guy, Freddy.

Everyone but Pat tried a little fishing, with little to show in the way of results; I caught a small red-eye, Tim caught a sucker.  The water level was a little high for this time of the year, and a bit muddy too.

We didn't do much in the way of a fire, and it's sad to think it may have been the best on the river.  But, it may have been the best on the river.

Let's all remember to be thankful for the time we get to spend with our fellow Rivertarians, and brothers.  We won't always have these days.