Fishing for the past.

Not really sure where this one is coming from, for it has nothing to do with vacation, but asking a simple question. The question is simple, why would a group of people who grew up going on fishing trips, never go fishing?

 

Since it is Friday, let’s roll back time to the 1960’s when life was simple, where Peace, love and the occasional demonstrations where taking place. It is kind of interesting how things really never change, other than the methods. It Friday afternoon and 0 just came home from work, one could feel the excitement in the air, just waiting for a new adventure! 0A would be packing the food, 0 would be getting the sleeping bags, tent, camping stove, lanterns, fishing tackle, and the old outboard engine that 1 purchased from Mr. Fodie. Thinking back 6 is really not sure how 0 packed all of that gear in the car, but magic does happen. Before one realized it was time to pack ourselves in the car and head to someplace to camp and fish! 6 is going to use some logic at this time. Let’s figure we left the old homestead at 6:00, and every time we went on a fishing trip, we arrived after dark, that means that is a solid 3 hours of driving, where did we go? In any case, we finally got to our spot, unpacked the car, in the dark, put up the tent, searched the woods for fire wood, started a fire, and low and behold we had the first sighting of a wild turkey! As the wild turkey made it’s impacts, the conversations just became more and more interesting, but soon just like clock works the rains came, the water infiltrated everything in the camp site, and it was now time to call it a night. Not really sure how much sleep 6 actually got, between the roots, in his back and the water from the rain dripping in his face, but before you knew it, one could smell the coffee, and the bacon, meaning it was time to get up, eat some bacon and eggs, and have some of those powdered sugar donuts! What a way to start the day! It was about this time when 0 and either 1 or 2 would get in the car, and go someplace to find a nice boat so we could head out on the river or lake and do some serious fishing! Soon enough we could see them either rowing down the river, or cursing along in that mighty outboard engine! We would all pile into the boat or boats and head out for the big catch! Since we only had one motor and most of the time two row boats, one of the boats would be towed by the other making the journey to the perfect fishing spot even longer. Soon enough it was time to drop the old coffee can filled with concrete in to the river so that we would not let the current drag us away from the perfect spot. The real question was how in the world did 0 know where the perfect spot was? As 6 remembers that was the talk over the camp fire the night before. Very soon the boat was full of fish, the sun was roasting us, and we were ready to call it a day of fishing. Boats taken back to the place where 0 got them, the old cast iron, placed on the Colman gas stove, fish cleaned, and being fried in the bacon grease for the morning breakfast! What a sight! You all probably wonder why fish in not 6’s favorite food! After lunch, time to clean the utensils in the river, pack them up in the car, and head back home. The funny thing was on the trip up to camp, the talking never stopped, but the trip home, not a word was spoken, for everyone was sound asleep, before we left the camp site. Great memories!

6 often wonders what ever happened to all of that camping grear, for example that out board motor, it was 20 years old in the 60’s, 6 bets if 8 could find that he would be sitting on a gold mine!

 

Words of Wisdom: Remember the past, for it is why you are what you are today. Learn from mistakes, turn that into growth, and wisdom.

 

Common Sense

What an appropriate time hear 6’s intellectual views on common sense! 

6 thinks that we can all agree on the definition of vacation.” An extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling” in other words, leave the trappings of your life for a period of time, to enter into leisure. Or “cutting the cord” leaving the routines of day to day and trading them for peace, quiet, relaxation and time to re-charge your batteries.  Really what does that mean, common sense would infer that one would stop on the day to day activities that tie all of us to email, social media, and all other items other that the important activities, giving full attention to the people you are with. For an example, just think of cousin Eddie, 6 bets that he did not have a bag phone, nor would he know how to use it, for if he did, he would have not just showed up at Clarks home, he would have called first!

As all of 6’s dedicated readers, have noticed on of 6’s top ten “beefs” about vacation, is people on the beach with cell phones! So many references over the years, ranging from someone posting a video of themselves skate boarding down the main road, to a real-estate agent closing a deal while their 4-year-old son, gets lost on the beach. Believe it or not PVV demonstrated that the cell phone “beef” is only getting worse!  From several couples walking on the beach holding hands with each of them having their cell phones in the other hand! Or people riding their bikes on a very crowed beach, holing their cell phones making movies to post on their social media site! And what is up with selfies? Is that all people do anymore? Can anyone answer this question, why would anyone take so many pictures of themselves? Have we become a society of narcissists?  What is the big attraction of having your picture taken while you are jumping? 6 bets not one afternoon, no less than 10 people were doing that! 6 missed this one, but 4-7 and 8 told me about the cell phone photo session that a guy who look to me as a ringer for Napoleon Dynamite, had! This was really a good one but if you would like to know more about it better ask 7 or 8.

  There is only one conclusion that 6 can determine given all of this imperial data. Common sense, left us the day that the smartphone was invented. Currently we establish our identity   by the smartphone, that is housed either, in one’s hand or between a person’s bathing suits and their butts, the third place is in their back pocket once again on their butts: the smartphone!  The person who years ago coined the phrase “They pulled that one out of their butt”, did not realize how profound they actually were.  As 6 applies the superior intelligence, common sense is derived by finding others with the same opinions you have, being reinforced by a device one carries on their butt! 

Since this is Independence Day, BTW it really should be July 2^nd not July 4^th, could one imagine how different our country would be if Thomas Paine had one of those smartphones, between his drawers and his butt? In reality he witnessed it all, not reading people’s opinions on a tweet based on a picture or short movie of an event. He based his book Common Sense on one basic ideal. “The Almighty hath implanted in us these unestinguishable feelings for good and wise purpose, they are the guardians of his image in our hearts.” Today our ‘Common Sense, is literally pulled out of our butts, have we gone to the point where what the Almighty has implanted, comes from the almighty internet, and not the basic beliefs that we have been endowed by our creator life liberty and the purist of happiness. Since our values over the many years have gone from one nation to a self-serving nation (what’s in it for me), we all need to stop selfies, and opinions from our butts, and hold others hands empty of cell phones.

The only reason that anyone would need a phone on the beach is to figure out the time of day, after all when 4:00 comes, the most important thing starts to get underway, and for those who don’t know, that is the time it is to go back to the villa to get the Rex, cheese, crackers and anything else we can attract the ocean pigeons! 6 will not allow the phone to tell the time, 6 will bring the beach watch, it might be off by an hour or so, but we are all intelligent people and we can do some simple math to get the exact time. If all else fails we can pull the 8 trick, find the north, draw a circle in the sand, put a stick in the center of the sand, and determine the time, like they have been doing for thousands of years!

 

Words of Wisdom: Knowledge is critical, but knowledge without wisdom, leaves you with nothing but a smartphone.