Not quite the babe

As a follow-up to the zoo, my second day off of work really featured just one plan for the day: fishing with Su. With another great day of weather on the horizon, it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to take Su out for some fishing at nearby Blackwell Forest Preserve. Su had been pressing me to go fishing for many months now. I realized that this was something that she really wanted to try -- and not just a one-time declaration. So it was with a bit of confidence that I purchased Su her very own Princess fishing pole for her past birthday. I really wasn't sure what she'd think when opening up the gift, but was delighted that she was actually quite excited about the whole idea! In the last days of our Geneva house (pre-move), Su spent many days actually practicing her "casting" down the hallway or tossing accurate attempts from the family room into the kitchen.

So there really was only one thing left to do: get my fishing license. A few weeks ago, I picked up my license and the nearest Wal-Mart and then crossed my fingers for some good weather. As luck would have it, that day would come on Friday, my second day off. So after my morning run, I returned home, cleaned up, and announced to Su that we'd be going fishing. She was just thrilled! We gathered up our poles, gear, and mosquito repellent and made our way to the lake -- first stopping off for some bait (WORMS!? They're SQUISHY!) and some beverages.

While not exactly conjuring up any comparisons to legendary fisherman Babe Winkelman, we still managed to get a few "hits" now and then while soaking up the morning sunshine. And, as luck would have it, about 1 hour into the day, Su latched onto the big one! After watching that bobber go under the water and stay under, it was time to walk it in. After spending the first hour of the day stressing the importance of "patience," she now was seeing the fruits of her labor.

It was quite a battle. Her little Princess pole bending under the strain of the classic tug-of-war, Su managed to lure the giant shark -- err, fish -- up to the shore and, using all the might she could muster up, hauled the giant sea creature up for all to see! A triumphant moment and a testimony to the sheer will of the little 6-year old girl from Winfield.

OK. Maybe a bit over the top. But you can see for yourself what counted most: Su was just thrilled and was beaming from ear to ear.

We didn't catch a thing the last hour. We mostly just lost a lot of worms. But the experience left a great impression on Su -- and I suspect we'll be doing this again very soon.

And, yes, we threw the little guy (or gal?) back into the water.

The Babe would be proud.