Back to Lulawissie

Back to Lulawissie

It has been a pretty harsh winter this go-around down here in Lulawissie County. The Lake nearly froze completely over this time, except for the area on the upper end where the river comes in. We thought for a while that the Lulawissie Missy was going to have to tie up at the marina for the duration because of the heavy ice, but her daily crossings and travels up river kept the main channel open, much to the delight of the people up river at O’Brien’s Ferry.

The current week has been a bit of a God send to us. The weather has been getting steadily warmer and there have been several sightings of Ivory Bills moving around out on the islands. The forecast is calling for a few more days of warmer weather with a little rain mixed in.

Samantha and I took a walk today. I was off work from the Gas and Grocery and we decided not to let this beautiful day go to waste. I had pondered doing some work around the place. My boathouse was in bad need of a thorough spring cleaning, and the dock was covered with loon droppings and scraps left behind by raccoons. But I figured that I had all spring and summer to worry about these things, I needed to enjoy this time with my lovely wife.

We walked along the rocky shore up to the South End Marina where we ran in to Karl Schnitzel. Karl was cleaning out his boat rental shack and taking inventory for the spring rush that was due within the next month. Karl urged us to come inside where he had some fresh coffee going, so we gratefully grabbed a couple of styro cups and headed on with our walk.

It is always nice to take these late winter/early spring walks. It is wonderful to see the earth waking up again. The daffodils and the dandelions are usually the first flowers that we see. The water is clear and cold and the slow moving fish are coming up out of the mud to sun themselves in the clear shallows. This is the quiet before the storm.

By the first weekend of April, the marina will be filled with boats and fishermen. They will all be gearing up for the first Crappie Tournament of the year on Palm Sunday weekend. There will be a cash prize of $1000 for the biggest crappie and $500 for the fastest limit (25). There is a $10 entry fee per fisherman plus $10 to launch your boat, of which half of the proceeds go toward Ivory Bill Preservation Society. You can bet that Father Mike and Sister Veronica will be on hand to kick off the festivities. For those that remember previous years, Father Mike always leads the benediction before every event, and Sister Veronica tends bar in the beer tent while wearing her tight “Fahy’s Bar” T-shirt.

But as for now, Sammy and I will enjoy this beautiful early spring solitude. Like many of our best friends, it is something that we tend to take for granted and never spend quite enough time appreciating.

I bid you a good evening.

_{Copyright 2011 by Del Banks}