Day 20: Catching Fireflies on Memorial Day.

I thought I would be all caught up after two days here but I am in fact way more behind than when I arrived. Yesterday we cleaned, organized, and cooked all day for the big memorial day party they have each year. Last year the children read poems about what memorial day is all about, this year we were so cram packed we didn't have a chance to do that. After most everyone was gone the children ran around with a mason jar I had punched holes in the top of and caught fireflies [lightning bugs in the south]. Darting back and forth through dusk their laughter roared above the sound of the cicadas. At one point I joyously joined them running around until I [finally] caught one. After playing a game of apples to apples with the fireflies lighting up the table the children took them outside and let them go into the night, back to their lives. Back to their lives - where so many men and women would like to be but instead gave that up. They gave up their lives so we would be able to barbecue with our families. They gave up their lives in order that we could have food to eat and places to go. They gave up their lives so our children could catch fireflies. Thank you - to all those men and women - who gave us the chance to catch fireflies. That is what Memorial Day is all about.

Day 19: Thats what I love about Sunday

Yesterday I slept past my alarm by 45 minutes - no big deal. My intentions were to type up the blog and fix breakfast - instead I started my blog and Jason came in to make it. I wasn't even done with the blog by the time he finished due to the constant distractions, ha! You've gotta love kids. After breakfast we all lounged around and got ready for church. At their church they have a late afternoon service that also serves lunch beforehand. I think this is a fantastic idea and lunch was absolutely delicious. They even had a huge table of desserts. Since it was their 204 anniversary people were dressed up in old time outfits - non of which I got a picture of. As we sat in the pews we listened to the district superintendent preach. Obviously he his main message centered on the pentecost. I went into church not knowing what that meant - and I just found out, while sitting in the kitchen right now - that I still didn't know what it meant. I thought it was the day Jesus rose to heaven, but Jason corrected us, explaining that it is the day the holy spirit was given to us by God. So, back to the preacher man preachin his word. His message was that pentecost is the day, essentially, that the church was born. Not that the physical place was born - but that the holy spirit could dwell in us, making church a place inside of us. He said this all much better than I can relay but you get the point. He then told a story to help drive the point home. Its about a woman who was driving a nice car. She was stopped behind a car at a redlight and when the light turned green the car in front of her wouldn't go. She began honking and swearing at the driver, even flicking the driver off while she yelled incessent things and continued honking the horn. Finally she went around the driver and at that point drove through a now red light. A police officer pulled her over and arrested her. She was still swearing as she was put into the backseat of the car. After a few minutes the police officer took her out and undid the handcuffs. He explained "I'm sorry ma'am, when I saw the name of a church on the front of your car and a bumper sticker saying I believe in the ten commandements as well as your fish symbol on the back of your car and then saw your behavior I thought surely you had stolen the car." hahaha!! I thought that was so funny, his main point being that the church lives inside of us and as christians we are an example of Jesus and what he lived and died for. Our actions can bring people to Jesus or push them very far away. Anyway, it really stood out for me. I love when pastors use jokes in their sermons to tie the message together! If we say we are christians but act in a way that completely contradicts that - then people will question the premise of that statement. After church Sandy and I went grocery shopping for four hours in order to prepare for the Memorial Day BBQ. Today we are finding different poems for the kids to read to the party in order to honor those who gave their lives for us. Sandy wants me to read the Gettysburg Address - so, I'll have updates on that later!!


Songs of the day:
Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down - Collective Soul [They actually sang this in church ha!]
Strong Tower- Kutless

Day 18: Wide Open Spaces

 I left yesterday after eating a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, sausage, and an apple oatmeal bar. Thank you Will and Jamie! I set out for Tennessee at around 11, stopping to visit Eric again before I left. In order to get to Tennessee quickest you have to go all the way up Virginia and then back down - it's really backwards really but if you go straight through the state it takes a whole 2.5 hours longer, due to the mountains. I decided about half way there to take a detour on the blue ridge parkway. Driving along the road I was captivated by how gorgeous the views are.
 I stopped at the top of Roanoke Mountain to release my mother into the wind, sadly I released all of her and I drove back down the mountain mad at my inability to gracefully and carefully do things. Either way, the view was fantastic.
It took a good two hours longer than it was supposed to for me to arrive in Tennessee due to my little 40mph detour into the mountains. It was worth it. When I arrived at the house I was so happy to finally get there. The kids ran out to hug me and I was shocked at how big they've grown! I feel like such an old annoying lady saying that.
I used to hate seeing people and hearing them say "My, look how big you've grown!!" but now I totally understand it ha! Once I unpacked and hung up my clothes we got to "blob" [as Randy would say] around the house until we went to bed. Their dog is so precious.
I have never seen a dog, besides a yorkie, that was so tiny. He's 5 lbs and all white, like Charlie. We also went out to the barn and saw the new lamb, the sheep, the horse, and their chickens - once the latch on the chicken coop is fixed I'll get to start picking up the eggs in the am. I am so ready to be still for 6 weeks in these wide open spaces.


Songs of the day:
Rag Doll - Aerosmith
Love Me - JJ Heller
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Next to you, Next to me - Shenandoah
Springsteen - Eric Church
The Pina Colada Song - Rupert Holmes

Day 17: My hometown

Farewell Delaware. I had so much fun seeing Chloe and Evan, while getting to know her family. I enjoyed talking with everyone in the morning while drinking my coffee and typing up the blog. I set out for Virginia at around 10 am. Immediately crossing the state line my heart began to pound, my mind jumbled, and my nerves were buzzing. Virginia represents for me uneasiness, heartache, and abandonment. It's too bad I hate this place because it's a beautiful, very lush with history and beaches, an abundance of tourist activities for everyone who wants to learn about Jamestown and Yorktown - yes, Williamsburg is probably one of the top ten places people who love history should go, on my list anyway. However - as stated before - I.hate.this.place. Calling my dad, Sandy, Kassie - anyone - I got my mind off the nerves and kept driving. After my first round of phone calls I was fine. I drove along admiring the beautiful trees lining the highways, the beaches, and the signs indicating what was to come. I know it's odd but their road signs are nicely done, I especially like how they have large intricate signs welcoming you into every town.
This isn't just in Virginia - I noticed it in Delaware and Maryland a little as well. haha! I really can talk about anything. Anyway the more familiar the signs, the worse my heart beat and the more stressed out I got - so back to phone calls. As I drove toward Erics cemetary I got a call back from Sandy. I spoke to her as I made the all too familiar turns down each street - none of which I know by name, only by heart. I got there and had to get off the phone because there wasn't a grave marker. Of course, I know the exact spot where he lay and walking back to my car, angry and hurt about his unmarked grave, I began crying. I drove to the office and asked them why it wasn't marked. The answer so obvious it's ridiculous, but you don't think about these things when you're sobbing and angry. Of course, we've never purchased a grave stone, which makes sense when all the details are added up. I got information on how much it would cost to move him and how much stones were - incase he stayed - then the lady began chatting me up about where I'm from, where i'm going, what I do, etc. I totally forgot how the south works haha, everyone genuinely wants to know exactly who you are. She even introduced me to her coworkers, as if I would ever see them again - part of me loves that about this place and another part of me wants to move on quicker than people allow. I drove back to sit with him for a while and left a little of my mom there as I walked away. Driving to Jamie's house was unfamiliar - thank God. Once I got there we hugged and looked at eachother wondering who the other was. We havn't seen eachother for six years so of course we're different. We both changed in similar ways though so we still get along. Walking around the neighborhood with Jamie and her daughter I was taken back by how gorgeous all the houses are.
The old colonial style is really present all over Williamsburg and I love it. It helps that this street recalls nothing for me. It is so muggy here though and I definitely remember the smells that coincide with this time of year. Even Jamie relayed some old memories that I had long forgotten, probably for the better. Once we got back from our walk we watched How I Met Your Mother and waited for her husband to get off work.
We went to dinner at black and blue or something like that. Delicious. When we picked their daughter up from "Mamaw and Papaw's" there were a host of people standing in the kitchen and all of them asked me questions - the typical southern who, where from, where to, how come, and the follow-up questions to each answer. I do love it down here and being around places and people I don't know helps being here at all. Today I will visit Eric one more time before heading to Tennessee. The biggest exhale ever.


Songs of the day:
Little Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
Your Hands - JJ Heller
I Feel Good - James Brown

Day 16: Beach, Smore's, and Movie Night

I want to live on a lake. No matter how small. Because yesterday when I woke up, added to the many other days I woke up on the water, I have decided that nothing beats drinking coffee and staring out at the water. The early morning haze creates a calming sensation and as it disappears, so does your sleepiness. Yesterday I typed my blog while watching this haze disappear and listened to Chloe and her family mingle around the house. We went out to run an errand before Evan woke up and on the way back stopped in for handmade donuts. You get to pick your toppings and everything. I saw several of these places along the road - I think Minnesota needs to get with the program. I suppose I just need to learn how to make my own donuts :) After we got back and packed Evan up we drove over to the beach.
 As we drove along trying to find a parking spot we were cut off by half a dozen fire trucks and 3 ambulances all parked along the spaces with their sirens flashing. Plan B, we parked kind of a ways down and walked up. While we walked and scanned for places to grab lunch a woman started calling to us to come enjoy their Irish Eyes - that was the name of the restaurant. She kept repeating for us to come in and told us how good their food was [relentless], so we gave in and sat down. The food was good but the lady was weird pretty much the whole time. After lunch I kicked off my sandles and we strolled the beach.
The waves were wicked huge and I wished I had my bathing suite so I could go swimming in them - but after testing the waters in comparison to the temperature outside I decided I probably didn't want to go swimming anyway. Evan was, as always, happy and giggling running around the sand with the balloon he had gotten at Irish Eyes. He is so funny because every time Chloe says something or directs him he goes "No way wuvy" - thats what he calls her, Wuvy. Like lovey with a W.
Of course he always ends up listening but his expressionless face and emotionless tone when he says it makes me burst out laughing everytime. Walking, and running, down the board walk Evan said "Hi" to everyone and even walked up to some old man and showed him his balloon. We got icecream - mine an icecream sandwhich and Evan a spongebob cycle - and as we ate Evan slowly turned shades of red and yellow from the dye on in the icecream. Running back to the car Evan dropped his icecream and stared at it as if something extremely monumental and tragic had just occured. Once we got back to the house Evan and I, boiling over with energy, wanted to go outside - so Chloe took us out to play haha!
No but really, Evan and I ran around like crazy kids playing frisbee and laughing. He does this thing where he just runs at you and doesn't stop until hes toppled you over - poor Chloe! Her whole back was covered in grass scratches. Grass wounds aside I had a blast with them. For dinner we had turkey burgers and sweet potato fries - delicious. Craig came over and we all went out to start a bon fire for smore's.
 Craig thought we needed lighter fluid to start the fire so when he went back home to get some I took over and when he got back I had a roaring fire - no lighter fluid needed - that's how us Minnesota girls get the job done ;) I felt bad taking his little man moment away but it is me after all. After we each scarfed down three smore's we headed inside for We Bought a Zoo. Craig left about 20 minutes in and I bawled half the movie - something I am sure he did not want to sit around for. Chloe kept warning me about parts I would cry at and she was right every time.  I loved it - I love all those sappy little heart warming happy movies. Sadly, the actual family that bought a zoo that the movie is based on lives in the UK or somewhere not here. Either way - I would watch it again. Today I head to Virginia, it has been so wonderful seeing Chloe and meeting her family after four years of friendship. I really appreciate all of the hospitality everyone has shown me on this trip.

Day 15: Washington DC Day 2 and Chloe!!!

Yesterday I woke up at 7 in a much better mood. After showering and making coffee, I sat out on the porch taking in the humid morning air and typing my blog. I took the train down to D.C and went about going to my tour of the Potomac River. I was excited because I got to take a different colored bus tour line and see a whole other part of DC on my way. We passed Embassy Row where diplomats from other countries stay. We drove through George Town, with its beautiful homes and quaint little shops I am sure the pricetag to live there is high. Since the tour guide took his sweet time leaving the station we didn't show up to the tour until 15 after 11 and the boat only leaves every hour on the hour. So we all sat, waiting patiently for the boat to come back around. At 5 to noon the boat came back and so did a flood of Asian tourists. The captain told us we had to let the Asian tourists on first because they were a large group. 

FBI

Naturally I took the back of the line because I wasn't going to fight my way to the front. Well apparently that was a mistake because when it got to me, I stood there alone, as the captain and his first little matey scanned the boat and told me there wasn't a seat left for me.


I exclaimed that I had waited an hour and they said sorry and I turned away, went to sit down, and started crying. hahaha maybe dramatic but I had come down to DC instead of going to Delaware primarily for this boat cruise and I was already an hour behind. While I was figuring out what to do the captain yelled "Ma'am, come on" and summoned me onto the boat.
 I asked where I should sit and he said wherever. Well I was humiliated and angry with them for telling me no and then saying yes once they saw me crying - how dramatic. I would not have begged them for a ride nor would I have bargained my way on the boat but with everyone watching they just decided if I were going to cry then they would let me on. I am thankful I got to do the tour but annoyed with how they handled it. To make matters worse a coast gaurd jet ski drove up beside the boat and waved me to sit down - and since I didn't have a chair I sat on a step stool that had those spikes on it to keep you from slipping.
My butt and thighs hurt so bad by the end of the trip and I had a hideous grid pattern under my dress haha!! Besides being annoyed and embarrased the trip was fun and the veiw on the monuments from my place on the boat was wonderful. When we got back I figured out how to get to the famous chili dog place - Ben's Chili Bowl - where the president and other famous people have all eaten. It's located as 1312 U Street, incase anyone's in the DC area.

I took the red line to the green line, which worked out in my favor since I needed the green line to get home. That place totally made my whole day. The atmosphere was so fun and family like - in fact the managers uncle was eating and he spilled something so the manager blamed me haha! When I finally got back to Gerry's a quickly packed up and hit the road heading for Delaware to see Chloe! I hadn't seen Chloe and Evan in two years and during the three hour drive my nerves and excitement were nearly bubbling over! On my way I saw a police pickup truck pull someone over! I wish they had police officers in pickups where I come from!! Next on my little list of wonders is Delilah. I used to listen to her as a kid growing up on the East coast and in the South. She doesn't exist in Minnesota and most people my age would never listen to her, but flipping through the radio stations I heard her voice crooning over the radio and started bouncing up and down in my car!!
What a wonderful little surprise. At Chloe's I jumped out of the car and we hugged eachother like fifty time before going inside. Evan was watching Monters Inc. and didn't even notice me but he is so flipping cute! Chloe's friend, Craig, picked us up and we went out for wings at this place called Bethany Blues. If you get an alcoholic beverage you get unlimited wings for ten cents a piece! We had a blast, I ate 15 wing, Chloe had 20, and Craig had 25. Afterward we moseyed on over to the grocery story and bought pints of Ben and Jerry's - I have decided I want heath bar and cookie dough mixed together!!! Sadly, I forgot my camera so we didn't get any pictures. We went back to Chloe's and watched Hot Rod - hilarious! Anyway, what a great day and I am so excited I'm getting to see Chloe and Evan!!

Day 14: Washington D.C Day 1

Waking up in probably the worst mood ever resulted in my almost totally disregarding D.C and heading straight for Tennessee. I was annoyed, hot, and lazy. I forced myself off the couch around 9 and made myself coffee, finished a cup of jo, and researched vet schools in the country. When I found out Harvard has a vet school I called Diana to tell her I was applying to Harvard next year ha!

I don't know if it was the coffee or talking to the always funny Diana but my bad mood was lifted. Oh yes, and the next-door-neighbor Bill also offered me some creamer for my coffee and chatted with me for a bit, so I suppose the friendly conversations of the morning got me ready for the upcoming long day. Pulling on some jeans, a T, and my baseball cap I headed for the Metro. Like you're average day blonde it took me over five minutes to figure out how to use the swipe cards - then I figured out the always successful method of watching someone else do it, brilliant.

Transferring to the red line was much easier, as I just had to sit exactly where I was - this is important later. Once in D.C I called Debbie to find out where to go to get the double-decker bus tickets. With her ever helpful directions I found my way, purchased the 55 dollar deluxe package and went on my way. That may sound like a lot but by the time my 7 hours of touring was all said and done I would have only seen half as much had I not purchased the whole package. First stop - the capital. Sadly, as this shows how uneducated I truly am, every time I saw pictures of the capital building I just assumed it was the white house. Yes, here I am, baring it all for you! I am dumb.

Well not anymore! I toured the inside of the gorgeous capital building! In the beginning we watch a 13 minute video - to which I mused about how conflict free the video is. I wish views of this country were so simple. When we got to the tomb area of the capital I really badly wanted to stand on the star that marks the exact center of DC but our tour guide was a stiff so not a single one of us got to have that joy. I thought about being rebellious and sneaking back in when the tour guide wasn't looking but I didn't want "kicked out of nations capital" stamped on my record. Hi, I'm goody two shoes - nice to meet you. ugh. Anyway - we moved on to a bunch of dead peoples statues and that was that. Nice experience. I learned that when the house/senate is in session, they raise a flag above that wing of the building - that day only the house [ I think ] was in :) The next time I hopped on the double-decker we had the funniest tour guide ever!! I didn't even want to get off the bus, in fact I waited a few stops past mine just to listen to him.

He asked everyone where they were from when they came up the stairs. There were people from Australia, England, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Canada, Minnesota [me ha!], Jersey, and Chicago. What a bunch!! I got off at Lincoln Memorial and made my way backward toward the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. Upon getting off the bus I walked over to the Vietnam memorial first. It was heart wrenching how many names were engraved along the wall - and even more heart wrenching to see the old veterans in their wheel chairs sitting and looking up at all the names, contemplative looks on their faces.

I smiled and nodded at every vet I could until I got to the little sandwich shop - which is a total rip off I might add, my sandwich, yogurt, and sweet tea cost me 11 bucks. In the Lincoln Memorial kids were crowding all around me and yelling all sorts of crap while I stood looking waaaay up at Lincolns huge head and enormous hands. Funny, because I don't remember anyone being around when I was a little kid and went to DC. The Martin Luther Kind, Jr. exhibit is really awesome. They made a "mountain of despair" and cut out "a stone of hope" with that quote on one side and MLK Jr. carved out of the front. Along this wall behind him are quotes from speeches he gave all across the country and in Sweden. I hopped back on the bus, and to my despair not only was in not my tour guide but there wasn't a tour guide at all - for the rest of my buses - just an audio dude. I got off at Arlington Cemetery and proceeded to the women’s memorial.

I watched a video of Vietnam nurses. It was just heart wrenching. The stories the women told and how it was for them when they got back - nobody wanted to talk about it and they were looked down on. I know the country wasn't behind the war but these people still put their lives on the line for us. Anyway, no politics here!

 In Arlington I walked all the way to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and watched the changing of the guards, again - I remember us being the only people there when I was younger. I really think we went during the off season. Walking back down the hill I stopped and filled my water bottle at a spicket in the ground. Only after I started drinking the water did I realize that was the hose hookup - I hope that wasn't disrespectful. It tasted like drinking water from a hose ha! Once back on the bus I had one more stop - the White House.

I got off the bus, walked around like a chicken with my head cut off, and after asking a group of police officers, found my way. It's fun looking in the windows imagining whose looking out at you and whether the President is in there ha! I found my way back to the metro. While standing in line I stood over a foot to read something and when I went up to the kiosk the girls behind me starting sarcastically talking about how "the girl in front of them" must not have known there was a line, that or I liked to be rude. Dumb girls. Here's where my earlier story comes into play. Left to my own devices I ended up getting on the train to Virginia instead of Maryland. So, nice little 25 minute excursion - not! When I finally made it back to Gerry's I was hungry! He made us t-bone steaks, wild rice, and sweet corn. DELICIOUS! Afterward we had Boston cream pie, which I must say was also scrumptious. Needless to say, I had a great time in DC. Beautiful city, nice [enough] people, and more stuff than I could do in a year - let alone two days. Today is my last little soirée before I head to Delaware!

Day 13: Massachusetts - Maryland

This morning I walked into the living room and took in the wondeful foggy humidity that overtook the bay. After making coffee I rounded up a towel and headed out to the outdoor shower. It was perfect. The air outside the cottage was dewey and sweet, even a little chilly. I took a hot shower in an outdoor shower for the first time in my life and I have completely decided I will have one of these wherever I settle down! Diana and I got to enjoy a little company together before I headed for Maryland at 10am. Although my GPS said 6.5 hours the New England traffic slowed me down 3 HOURS! Every three or four miles of solid speed would be met with 5 miles of going 3mph. Do the math. Obviously that is a slight exagerration but I must say I hardly noticed the time it took to get through Rhode Island because I was so happy I could finally go fast. Needless to say, I made it to Maryland at 7pm and was welcomed by my Uncle Gerry, friend Jill, and freshly delivered chinese food. I am exhausted and so ready for bed. Tomorrow is Washington D.C and we'll see how I feel about it in the morning! :)

Songs of the day:
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
Forgiven - Sanctus Real
Cowboys and Angels - Dustin Lynch
Easy Like Sunday Morning - Lionel Richie
Don't Miss Your Life - Phil Vassar
Only The Good Die Young - Billy Joel

:) Long day means a lot of songs haha!

Day 12: Church, Beach, Ice cream

Yesterday I went to "church" with Doug’s mom, Flo. She belongs to the Unitarian Society which is considered a fellowship rather than a church. Since my grandfather belongs to a Unitarian Society I thought it would be fun to give this a try. Upon walking in I noticed that everyone has a nametag on - which is nice because you can really get to know people and their names - I learned this is one of the main points of being a Unitarian.
Unitarians value community, humanity, and morality. During the sermon the pastor gave us sort of a history lesson and tied it into religion and we sang hymns that came from across the globe. They weren't necessarily hymns but had more to do with the three things I mentioned before. Each song gave a lesson and it's subject was focused on one thing, such as love or religion. I really enjoyed singing from a hymn book since Nondenominational churches don't really do that anymore. I wasn't personally a big fan of the pastor but he was funny.
During our "community moment of silence" where you reflect together silently [uhhhh] I prayed haha. Not that praying isn't allowed there, in fact many people say they believe in God but that the Unitarian society really respects all beliefs and keeps people in their community while teaching them how to be more active in society. I really respected their message and it was a fun little change. After "church" we had a fish fry back at D&D's - soooo delicious! I must say, Doug and I caught some great fish. That and Doug is an awesome cook. We decided to head out on the beach after lunch so Doug, Diana, Megan, and I all loaded up and went out on the boat. The beaches they go to are surrounding this huge island and you just pull your boat up and hop off. Doug and I decided to go quahogging [catching clams] while the girls sat on the beach.
 Doug, once again, wanted me to drive the boat, which was a blast :) I have decided I like fishing much more than quahogging because when I fish I do not have to wade in freezing cold water or pick through mud and weeds of which I know nothing about. However, I did get a lot of clams and once I got used to the water it wasn't so bad. We returned to the beach with a good fifty clams and enjoyed the warm weather for another hour or so. Sitting in my beach chair I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Diana and Megan's stories while watching the sun set and waiting for the tide to come in. We got back to the cottage sat around for a while and decided to go out to dinner.I can't remember the name of the place but it was delicious! When Doug was a kid it was just a little fish market and now it's a full blown fish market, restaurant, and bar with a huge dining room overlooking the water. On our way home we stopped for ice cream at a little place called the Whistler.
Megan and I had waaay too much fun laughing about Doug and Diana, the taco ice cream cones, and pretty much everything else - pretty sure the Ice cream girls thought we were nuts! We got back to the cottage and after Doug went back to Boston and Megan back home Diana and I curled up to watch The Borgias. I seriously could get addicted to that show - and probably a zillion other shows sooo it's a good that I don't have a television! I have really loved Boston as well as Cape Cod with Doug, Diana, Patty, and Megan - I truly appreciate all they have done for me and how welcoming everyone was and the time they took to show me a good time. Thank you to all of you for your good hearts and open arms I will definitely cherish my first trip to Massachusetts!! Next stop, Maryland!

Day 11: This girl loves to FISH!

My first fish!!

Doug and I headed out on the boat yesterday at 8am - and besides the 45 minute fish gutting/pee break - we did not get back to the house until 4 in the afternoon. That is a good 7 hours of solid fishing out on the ocean. Not only was it beautiful and totally exhilerating but, using chunks of squid, I caught over 20 huge fish all by myself - and after letting more than half the fish we caught go, Doug and I brought a total of 12 skups and 6 black sea bass back. Once we got back to the cottage apparently everyone was surprised when I also wanted to help clean the fish! To my dismay several of the skup were female filled with eggs, but we couldn't tell when we took them in. We figured out that I am not the best fish cleaner and sadly I only got one filet out of one of my fish hahaha practice is much needed!
However, I was given the job of scaling the black sea bass and that was interesting. Scales stick to everything and trying to grip a fish with one hand and scale it with the other is just ridiculous. I think had their heads still been attached I could have used their mouths for leverage. Anyway, it was totally worth it because I got to be a part of the whole process and I learned a lot. I can't wait to have my computer up and running so I can put pictures up! I thought I loved fishing in Minnesota, but I have just confirmed I love it way more when every fish you catch is bigger than your head and could totally feed two or more people! Doug was happy about my love for fishing as well and we have already decided I am his favorite haha!
 12 hours after the start of our day we sat down to a delicious dinner with grilled sea bass and skup accompanied by homemade graten potatoes and grilled zucchini.
I have decided that I will be a more neighborly person and get to know my neighbors - because not only did our fish feed us but D&D brought cooked fish and potatoes over to the neighbors and later on we went over there for some delicious chocolate cake and lots of laughs. Loving Cape Cod!!