The event starts off with either a late evening or early morning phone call from my dad. He calls to say it looks like it could be a fiddleheadin' day and I should meet him at the boat landing.
This year, we took Searle along (Searle and daddy do a lot together) and I was glad for that because I can never get the boat to do what my father thinks I should be able to make it do. This year, daddy yelled at Searle instead of me! It's fun to go with Searle, he tells the best stories. I marvel at all he has experienced and his vivid memory of each event. I'm always telling my students to take the time to listen to their elders as they are the best storytellers and they will never experience the life their elders had.
We were all bundled up in our winter coats and I even wore my mittens on the boat ride to our secret spot. As soon as we got there, we each grabbed our buckets and the "plunks" were soon replaced with a soft fiddle head bed for the rest to land on.
It didn't take long to fill our buckets and just as we were about finished, we realized our secret spot wasn't so secret after all. A wet dog, that looked just like Izzi, came running over at me and then I saw the dog's owner paddling in a canoe right to our spot. Soon after that, another man and his daughter walked over towards us with garbage bags picking fiddle heads.
With full buckets, we headed back to the boat and began our ride back to the truck. Searle kept me entertained with a few more stories, one being about the time Paul Lovett flew his airplane right under the bridge and another about the time he had a confrontation with the Indians. Yes, we called them Indians in the boat.
These are the days I love. A boat ride, good company and good stories, no bugs, fiddle heads for supper, and the time spent with daddy. I already can't wait for next year.
Daddy and Searle tying up the boat.
How many you got?
Beautiful!
Another one of daddy's finds (paddle). Every time he goes fiddleheadin' he finds something!
Yep, this is the part where Searle didn't get it just perfect and Daddy let him know! I'm quite sure Searle wouldn't call it being yelled at.
