Reeling and Healing Midwest Blog

THIRTY-EIGHT FISH AND COUNTING

Well, I believe if we had taken an exit poll, everyone would have voted to fish more in the spring time with the beautiful weather we enjoyed, to fish on the North Branch of the Au Sable (easy wading and little traffic) and to visit Arnie & Aggie again and again. Was that a wonderful weekend or what? I’m still feeling blessed.
Where do you begin when you think back to that May weekend? The beautiful, historical stretch of river, the wildlife that surrounded us, the four-wheeler tours through the woods, the camaraderie, the terrific fishing, the meals & snacks galore, the calm comfort and giving nature of our hosts Aggie and Arnie or the power struggle for a fishing vest or blue shirt or a fishing shirt (Carrie may have worn that vest to bed along with a smile on her face)?

Was it the quiet time you had in the river - sunshine on your face, gentle breeze and good casts? Or was it the potential wading snafu, remembering how to make a clinch knot, deciding which fly to use, seeing old faces and friends, or getting in touch with your creative side by whipping a bird’s nest into your leader? Did you take time out to laugh, “get out of your box” and meet someone new? Did you tell a story, reach out and listen to others, or take a quiet moment to be grateful? I think we did all that and then some.

A big THANK YOU to Aggie & Arnie for opening up their hearts and river home to us - especially knowing that Aggie was recovering from shoulder surgery. I can’t wait to see her this summer and give her a huge hug of thanks that doesn’t cause her any pain. The two of them, along with the “boys” were wonderful.

A special note of thanks to Ruthanne. Her assistance with organizing the retreat certainly ensured that the retreat ran smoothly. I’d like to reach out and thank other volunteers who traveled to Lovells to help us out - Bob & Kathy Carey, Amy Adams, and Sue & John Walters.

I’m still having flashbacks of all the food that made it’s way into the river house.
Thanks to everyone who stopped and picked up portions of our grocery list and to everyone else that brought along goodies, baked cookies, and special indulgements. Abiding by Arnie’s rule that everything we brought must make it’s way home, I did my best to leave a few “surprise” in your coolers or cars or coat pockets (yes, I’m the one that did it).

Oh, we can’t forget the potato flinging slingshot. I don’t know if you took a step back and observe how everyone became a wee bit competitive with those distance shots. But, there was some major determination occurring. The photos tell stories for sure. And what did work better? One potato or two? Can you believe we were able to shoot potatoes past that little island upstream?

Having mentioned photos, I received some from Aggie, Carole, Mary and Lori. Thank you ladies! A few are in this email note, some have been placed on the Gallery page of the website and I’ve uploaded a portion of them to a Flickr account so you can log-in and download your favorite or order prints. The link to the Flickr account is located at the end of this email.

Thank you for your participation, enthusiasm and courage to go somewhere new and learn more about fly fishing. Thank you all for your loving, giving spirits. You continue to inspire me to provide more retreat opportunities and enjoy all that life has to offer. It was an honor to share the river with you once more. I look forward to doing it again and again.

Here���s to renewed spirit and renewed hope.

FISH ON!

Cathy Sero

Special Notes: Check out photos on our website’s Gallery Page. Photos on Flickr for the May 2007 Retreat can be viewed here.