Summer Fun

Sara, RJ, and Julia escaped the July of 90 degree days and high humidity by going to Whitetail. There is plenty to do - fishing, mini-golf, farms, swimming pools, and the freedom to wander.
  
Julia spent a lot of time in the pool ...

Peach Picking

Peach Picking

Today we decided it was time to pick the peaches. Some were ripe, some were still a bit hard. Sara decided that it was best to pick them all and end the squirrel war.

  

Doug versus the Squirrels

It was a war of attrition. After the squirrels picked the apple trees clean, I was determined to save some peaches.

• Phase I involved blocking the leap from the neighbor's fence by hanging netting between two huge swimming pool poles that were left by the previous owners. Why do we still have those poles from 10 years ago? Good question.
• Phase II involved installing bird netting along the ground. After we watched the squirrels chew through the netting we entered phase III. During phase II the good guys scored a major victory. After watching a squirrel get around the various obstacles, I ran out the garage armed with a baseball glove, a tennis ball, and an rotting peach. After circling the house, I sneaked up on the squirrel, who elected to reach safety by climbing to the top of the peach tree. Little did the squirrel know he was facing a 4-time retired rec-league baseball pitcher. Grabbing the tennis ball, I reached back like Scott McGregor and hurled a fast ball ... thud ... right in the gut. The squirrel quickly leaped out of the tree, scampered up the adjacent Maple Tree and licked his wounds.
• Phase III required installing chicken wire around the base of the tree and installing bird netting to block upward jumps. Simultaneously I started putting out a live trap baited with peaches and peanut butter. From our observation post from the upper bedroom, we noticed that one squirrel was not able to find his way into the trap. Learning quickly, I turned the trap so the open end faced the maple tree and put a piece of bait closer to the entrance of the trap. This method made catching squirrels relatively easy, but getting rid of them was a pain. I had to put the cage it the back of the pickup truck, drive to some woods, and release the squirrel without getting bit (x2) or get rid of the body (x2).
• Phase IV involved putting up a second layer of chicken wire. However, the best plan was to be very diligent between 6:30am and 8:30am - then run outside like a madman when a squirrel was spotted trying to get up the tree.

For those of you who like to keep score, the final tally ...

2020 Peach Bowl Doug       275 Final Squirrels   50

2020 Apple Bowl Doug         1 Final Squirrels  150

One day prior to official pick day, the gang picked some of the nice looking peaches!

Sara complained that she was not in any of the pictures ... so here you go ...

 

RJ's First Communion

First Communion was first scheduled for April ... but Covid-19 postponed it. So a few months later RJ and several classmates completed the sacrament.

 

Sara made the day special with gifts and a card.

Chesapeake Bay Fishing

Fishing on Chesapeake Bay

What better to do on a 100 degree day than sit in the heat and catch fish. Granddad joined us on his boat for a morning of entertainment.

  

Even Sara got in on the action.

We caught a good variety of fish that we had to throw back: rockfish (striped bass), spot, croaker, and perch.

Big Pond, Same Fishing Rod

Sara (we think) had the biggest fish of the day. Unfortunately the fish was hooked on RJ's pond fishing pole with the fishing line rated for something like 5 pounds. After a 2 minute battle, the line broke and all we can do is guess at how big it was.

RJ's Fishing Pole - Part II

In Fishing Pole Part I we easily justified a $20 fishing pole. By now I figured that the fishing pole excitement would be gone. Boy was I wrong.

Seven Lakes at Whitetail

Turns out that fishing with actual bait greatly improves your chances of success. Boy was I right about that. We can catch about a fish a minute with worms.

In the morning RJ found a place on the Whitetail access road where worms crawl out onto the road. So each morning around 7:30am RJ goes out with a cup full of dirt and picks up 10-15 fresh worms.

With fresh worms and a bunch of lakes stocked full of bluegills, the fishing has become much more exciting that in blog post one.

  

After some success, it was time to invite other kids along to participate. Carter and Spencer also had success. With the rule in place that you cannot go fishing alone ... it's a good thing RJ met these folks!

  

Doug and the Oriole

Hot, hot, and hot are 3 words Doug uses to describe fishing. Luckily there is a sycamore tree that shades one of the fishing places. The main issue with this spot is the Oriole that must have a nearby nest. For about an hour the bird chirped and heckled me while I was baiting hooks and throwing fish back into the lake.