The last week and a half has been a blast! As I mentioned, my trip home to WI was the first time I'd been home in the summer since before I moved away 8 years ago, and it was a LONG overdue trip. I'd forgotten how nice the summers are up there, especially compared to NM and SW ID. Its tough to complain about high temps in the low 80's after spending almost 6 years in the desert. The timing also worked out very well to visit with the majority of my family without any scheduling conflicts, which is always the most difficult part of going back home. I haven't posted anything too in depth because I've really been thinking over how I want to say it. Yes catching fish and killing animals is exciting and fun, but I'm a more of a why type person. I want to convey
why things were important enough for me and Dan to have this thread going. It's a lot more than us just posting pics of things we do.
I don't think my daughter realized the magnitude of this event for me. In that moment, as I watched her bring her first fish up out of the water, I couldn't help but think of how my father felt when he helped me catch my first fish, and how my grandfather felt helping my father. I've since reflected on my mental picture of this moment quite a lot, and I can't help but think of all of our ancestors who needed to pass on their hunting and fishing knowledge and skills to each generation in order to ensure the survival of our species. I wonder what our ancestors thoughts were when their children successfully harvested their first meal? Did they jump up and down, high five, and count the points? Did they sit in a somber silence and give thanks to the animal? I'm sure they felt the same or similar emotions that we feel today.
Today we hunt and fish for many reasons; the thrill, excitement, and challenge to name a few. But hunting isn't necessarily a requirement to survive anymore. Thanks to modern ag and farming practices, the majority of people in this country are so far removed from where their food comes from they couldn't even tell you where a loin is on a pig. Heck, 7% of people actually think chocolate milk comes from brown cows... It's bad out there folks.
After thinking on it, I've concluded that if nothing else, I want to teach my children where stuff comes from. They don't have to hunt and fish (once they move out of my house of course.
) I can't force them to have the same passions as me, and that's fine.
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"What are you doing?" "Stopping to take roses to smell the time." It's crazy to think how much these two little people have helped me gain a better understanding on life. They are not concerned about the stock market, the political situation, or whether or not the bills are paid. They notice things that I'm often too busy or preoccupied to recognize. And they learn a lot faster than I do.
My son is very different from my daughter, he's more patient, quiet, and is very observant... He gets all of those traits from his mother. One trait he gets from me though, is knowing how things work. It didn't take him long to figure out when the bobber bounced or went down there was a fish on it. There were a few times where I was distracted by something else, and he made sure to let me know a fish was biting. We sat like this and fished for around an hour, and any time I'd get a fish on the hook he'd giggle, laugh, oooh and aaaah. Though I got eaten alive by mosquitos, I wouldn't trade this moment for anything.
Just before we called it quits fishing, a flock of turkeys roosted not far from us. When I was young there weren't any turkeys in this part of the state, but now they're very common, almost nuisances in some places.
We picked a lot of berries, and they were all delicious. I made the mistake of letting my daughter carry the container back... She claimed she left plenty for everyone else.
I'm slowly beginning to understand the joys of parenting. Its something that cannot be adequately described, it must be experienced to be understood; much like hunting...
Oh well. I'll have at least 12 by the time I retire... So it'll only be another 10yrs before I get one of those Mt. Emily or Wenaha tags 
