Brian and Brandon Fishing at The Cabin

Here is that long lost picture that I have been searching for.  Brandon wanted a copy of it and I couldn't find it, but today I searched with different words and I found it.

I hope that Brandon will find it here on my blog.  It's also one of my favorite pictures.

And guess what?  I just noticed that it is a picture that is also stored on my desktop hidden among the many pictures that I have there.  It was right in front of my face all along.

Good Memories of Brian

 

I've always loved this picture of Brian & Brandon.  Brandon was showing his daddy the fish that he had just caught at their Shady Oaks home.  

Fishing Day Trip

 Going places by myself paid off.  Each day just as soon as Rick would make his way to town, I would get into my car and go exploring, going to places I had never been before.  It first just started out by me riding around aimlessly with no direction in mind, but just to explore new roads, then one day I decided to go find lakes and to look at their boat ramps and get all the information about docking fees that I could find.

Rick reluctantly looked at the pictures that I had taken of the places that I had been, then yesterday he decided that he would go with me, since I already had all my fishing tackle and a fishing pole loaded into the car.  

This time Rick wanted to find an old fishing hole that he had gone to as a kid of about 14 years old.  He had been there several times with his brother Robert and  his cousin Harold, and to hear him tell the stories, it was a place where you could catch all the white bass that you wanted during the white bass run in the Springtime.  The place was on the Dix River between Lancaster and Danville, Ky. off highway 52.  As I remember corrected, Rick & I had gone searching for this place once before, but yesterday we found it and it was on Rankin Rd all the way to the end of the road.

It was like a jungle now, with a rocky path that made it unstable walking for me since I now need a cane to help with my balance and with the pain in my back and left leg.

Rick went in there first and found a cleared spot near the waters edge and to tell me that he thought that I would be able to make it.

We each grabbed what we could and headed for the river.  It was kind of an unsteady walk down to the waters edge for me, but I made it and it was a beautiful spot and really not far at all.

Here we are fishing.  It was very hot and humid out there in the sun, but the view was fantastic and worth the walk, the heat, and most of all just being somewhere with Rick made it all perfect.  That he took the time out of his busy everyday schedule to spend some time with me meant so much to me.  

Rick found a shady spot for me to get me out of the heat.  Picture to the left.

This pretty patio by the river was very unique and we both thought very beautiful.  It was flush with the rocks below so that you can fish straight down from it if you wanted too.

This turtle kept an eye on us as we fished, swimming from here to there.  It would disappear for a while and then reappear from time to time.  This is a popular fishing spot, so perhaps people feed her from time to time.  Or maybe it was a boy turtle.

We  had fun, or at least I had a great time even tho it was hot.  I got a little sun on my legs and my arms turned a little red.  I didn't sunburn and neither did Rick, but in the shade the mosquitos were plentiful.

In one of the pictures above, Rick had cut a branch of a tree and make me some shade, just as a joke of course.  Rick loves to joke around and making me or anyone laugh is what Rick truly enjoys.

Lake Linville in Renfro Valley, Ky.

 Rick and I spent the early afternoon yesterday watching geese on Lake Linville splash around and the young geese trying out their wings by flapping them around in the water.  None of the youngsters are flying yet, but they are growing up and almost as big as their parents.  There were only about 4 little geese that were still quite small.  We only saw one eagle passing over the lake but it didn't stop to fish.

Besides watching geese, we enjoyed watching the boats dock, coming in and going out.  I personally love the big pontoons and I would love to have one, but since I'm too old to invest in one now, one of these days I'm going to rent one for the day.  We watched a very impressive pontoon with a 250 hp motor pulling kids on tubs and moving around like some of the other speed boats.  It moved so effortless for such a large pontoon filled with about 16 adults and many children.  I would just like to fish off one and spend a slow relaxing day under the shade of its canopy and be able to walk around without the boat tipping from side to side.  How wonderful that would be.  I also always wanted to spend a week on a houseboat, but that never happened.  Some things we just never get around to doing in life, but that's just life. 

 

After our afternoon of watching boats and geese we did a little fishing in the evening.  The weather was perfect.  At first we were in the sun, but soon after we set out our seats and tackle boxes in place the shade moved in from the tall trees and the hill that was behind us.

The two pictures below were my spot, where I fished.  I used artificial lures and Rick fished with worms in the picture above.

After it started to get late we packed up our fishing gear. The car was parked right above me, very close because I have such a painful and hard time walking these days.  Even sitting in my fishing chair was uncomfortable for me.  I usually fish standing up and moving around because I fish for bass, but not yesterday.  Yesterday was one of my worse days and the pain was too great for me to walk around any.  I fished for bass anyway and I tried everyone of my fishing lures, but never even got a bite.  It was fun and an enjoyable day anyway.  It's getting so that I just love being out and catching fish or not doesn't matter anymore, I just love trying anyway.

Today is the 4th of July and fireworks have been going off all weekend.  One of my cats is practically deaf, but Squeak, my younger cat, has been hiding all weekend from the explosions in the air.  Thankfully she appears in her little house in the mornings, so we know that she is safe.  She usually sleeps on the right side in her little house next to the doors, but for the last couple of days she has been hidden behind Jybow in the back corner of her house because the noise and explosions scare her.  I'll be glad when everyone runs out of fireworks.

This morning our town looks dead, as it did last night when we drove home.  I think almost everyone in Berea has gone on vacation.  My road is usually booming with speeding cars going by, but they are non existent this morning.  Rick is out riding on his scooter and he just called me to tell me that the roads are practically empty and that the town looks dead, and it's noon already.  I haven't seen a car go by my house in the last hour.

I'm enjoying my quiet time listening to my own Radio Station by Pandora, where you choose what you hear.  It's nice.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the 4th of July just as much as I am.  I had very sweet dreams last night and woke up in a great mood just as Rick did this morning.  All is going well and it looks like it's going to be another beautiful day.      

My Son

 My son is no longer with us.  My son is no longer with his family where he is supposed to be.  My son is gone.  He was taken from this life much too soon.  We were not ready.  We didn't have time to prepare.  We didn't have time to say, "Goodbye."  Did he know how much we all loved him?  Did he know how much I would miss him, how much his family would miss him, how much his sisters would miss him?  Did he know how much this little boy, in the picture, needed him in his life?  How much we all needed him in our lives?

Thinking back.......

Brian still had many plans & dreams for his future.  The last day that I got to spend with him, I took him to a regularly scheduled doctor's appointment, then we went shopping.  Brian needed a new warm hat and gloves.  He was planning to do some riding on his scooter and it was still cold outside.  He wanted us to take some short slow rides to break-in his brand new re-built scooter, so that he could eventually take a long ride to visit Reva, Brandon & Doug in Somerset, Ky. when he felt better.  He wasn't feeling very well that day.  

Brian had bought a brand new 2020 150cc Tao Tao that ran perfectly with his first stimulus check.  He tore it down and completely disassembled it and re-built a 170cc scooter with flashing lights, Blue Tooth cell phone and music system, all kinds of gauges & gadgets, longer kickstand, bigger more powerful battery, lots of bells n whistles and two anti-theft alarm systems.  I can't possibly name all the extras that he put on that scooter.  He also had plans to fix my scooter for me.  He was talented that way and very skilled at what he did.  

Brian was naturally smart and could do anything he set his mind to do, and if he was unsure about something, he would do extensive research and make notes and learn all he could about whatever he was researching.  He had a journal of notes that none of us could understand.  

He had an IQ of 165 and got a Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.  He had a 4.0 GPA and was in the Who's Who of Kentucky Graduates.  His engineering degree  was only one of his many accomplishments, but one he was very proud of.  During his education he helped design a mechanical hand prosthesis that operated using your own body's impulses from the brain to operate it.  There was no end to his abilities, and if he would have been given the chance to leave Cynthiana, him and Reva could have had anything they both desired.  He had many lucrative & exciting job offers, but was forced to remain in Cynthiana making any commute to a good job almost impossible.  Things changed throughout the years, and they finally moved away from Cynthiana and ended up back here in Berea for a while.  

During Brian's last year of life, he moved back here to Berea by himself to live out the last year of his life.  I enjoyed having him near, but he missed his family and hoped that they would join him here, and he almost got his wish before he died, almost.

I miss my son very much.  I think of him daily and he is always in my thoughts and in my prayers, day and night.  I pray that he didn't suffer, and that he just fell asleep and never woke up.  I pray that he wasn't upset or depressed, and that he just fell asleep while watching TV.  There was no autopsy, so the manner of his death will never be known for sure.  The coroner just called it a heart attack on site and that was that.

I LOVE YOU BRIAN!!!

REST IN PEACE

Remembering Brian

 Today I'm thinking about my son Brian again.  He's been on my mind, day and night, since the day he died and especially now.  I guess it is because it's Spring, and we had planned on riding our scooters together and going fishing.  He had given me a small telescopic fishing pole, like his, so that we could carry them in our scooters.

Here is a picture of Brandon showing his dad the fish that he caught in the pond at Shady Oaks.  I think it was a small bluegill.  Brian and his family moved in there after the death of Brian's dad, James E. Hatcher around 2001.  It was nice having them live there so close, where I could stop and visit them anytime I wanted to.  Sharon also lived right next door too, so I could visit two of my children at the same time, as they both lived on the property named Shady Oaks in Rockcastle County.  Shady Oaks was heavily forested in oak trees but also had lots of Dogwood trees and in the Springtime it was beautiful there with all the Dogwoods in bloom.  It now has one Redbud tree too.

Here is another picture of Brian in the Spring/Summer of 2020 when he and I stopped in there to check on the place (Shady Oaks).  He lived in town now in an apartment by himself.  Brian took his fishing pole with him and on his very first cast, with an artificial bait, he caught this large mouth bass.  We planned on returning but unfortunately we put it off for too long and never got to go fishing together again.  Brian went fishing by himself in other places, but this was the last time he fished in the pond at the cabin.  

In the old garden area of the cabin the neighbors had planted flowers, and Brian was never one who could resist picking flowers.  The whole garden area was filled with all colors of beautiful flowers, but Brian just picked one.  If Reva would have been there he surely would have given it to her.  This reminds me of one of the times that I drove him to one of his doctor's appointments.  It was during the Covid-19 pandemic so he had to wait in the car until he was called in for his appointment.  But while we were sitting in the car, Brian noticed that right in front of the large office windows were beautiful rose bushes in full bloom, and he couldn't resist.  He got out of the car, headed straight to those rose bushes and began picking the flowers.  I know that the employees could clearly see him, but nobody came out and told him to stop.  He didn't pick many, and then he came back into the car and we cut the top out of a plastic throwaway water bottle and stuck the roses in water.  Of course they were for Reva.  He always had Reva on his mind, and she was waiting for him at his apartment.  He loved giving her flowers.  He was such a romantic and she was the love of his life.     

 It's that time of year again.....the mowing season, and the grass is growing like wildfire.

Rick has also lost 4-5 trees in his yard to the Ash Bore Beetles and he is in the process of cutting down the dead trees.  I have one Ash tree in my yard that is slowly dying too from the beetles, but most of the tree is still alive at the moment, so it will remain standing for at least now.

We also took some time out to go to the lake and look around.  We have our fishing licenses, but the day we tried to go fishing we found that the Kentucky River & the mouth of the creek that we fish at was  still flooded over its banks.

Below is a picture of Lake Linville, in Renfro Valley, Kentucky.  It's a smaller lake but it's pretty and we like to watch the Bald Eagles swoop down into the water and catch fish.  This picture was taken from one of its coves.  That day there were many boats and also fishermen fishing from the banks.

I can't wait to go fishing.  It's so relaxing cruising around in the boat loaded with all of our stuff.  I like it much better than walking the banks anymore.  It's just so much easier having everything you need, like food, bing cherries, drinks, fishing tackle, and music right in that boat with you anywhere you go.  

Hillbilly fishing pole holder

Of course, it would take none other than a hillbilly like Rick to think of this.........

Here are 3 more pictures that I took yesterday while fishing.  It was a very peaceful and quiet lake yesterday with all the water skiers and speedboat enthusiasts at work.  Only the serious fishermen were out on the lake fishing.  I didn't even get a bite yesterday, but I didn't care.  It was just so enjoyable being out and trying out all of my artificial lures.

We found a cabin under construction and I thought to myself that I would love living there on a full-time basis.  It looked like the cabin was only accessible by boat, but I could be wrong.

These pictures were all taken at Lake Linville at Renfro Valley, Ky.

Saturday, August 25 2019 : A very eventful day

Last week Rick & I decided to take our aluminum boat out fishing this weekend, so Friday Rick got the boat all ready for our big fishing trip.  Saturday was a beautiful day, so we set out to go fishing at Lake Linville in Renfro Valley, Ky.

Right after docking our boat and after Rick had parked the boat trailer, we heard a large, middle aged man yelling for help.  The man had tried to take a shortcut to his boat and walked into a very boggy, muddy area and his legs had sunk to his thighs in mud, and he was stuck.  We got a rope out of his pontoon and threw it to him and wrapped the other end to a metal support post.  The man slowly flopped around after he had gotten his legs loose, and he finally made it over to the dock.  It took several people by that time to help lift him out onto the dock, and he went merrily on his way on his nice pontoon.  All ended up well for him.  He wasn't hurt, only got covered in mud and physically worn out from his ordeal.

I had secured our boat to the dock in order to help the man in distress, not knowing that Rick had forgotten to put the plug into our boat and you can guess what happened next.  Just as soon as we climbed into our boat we stepped into a foot or more of water  throughout the entire boat.  As Rick rushed to the back of the boat to put in the plug, he dropped his cell phone and I found it under water.  Luckily we had a 5 gallon bucket from FireHouse Subs that Rick used to bail out the water, which was no easy task.  It took about an hour of constant bailing to finally get most of the water out.  

Story not over yet......

Since all the commotion of helping the man in the mud and then having to bail out some of the water in our boat, the line of boats wanting to dock got long and we were asked to move into a slip to get the rest of the water bailed out.  We used the trolling motor to get into the slip and once securely tied in the slip, the bailing of water continued.  Now we are ready to head out and do some serious fishing.......or so we thought.

Now the outboard motor won't start and Rick is getting hotter and hotter pulling that cord to no avail.  Luckily he brought tools and a a small air compressor to blow out the gas line or carbureator of this old 1985 25hp Mercury Mariner.  After some work and priming the motor started and we were off.  The rest of the fishing trip was good.

We found a nice shady spot to anchor the boat and I almost caught a good sized fish, but it got away.  We did see 3 bald eagles flying over-head.  The eagles would swoop down to the water and catch fish.  That was so awesome to see in real life.  The eagles fished for a couple of hours and then left.  They were so beautiful and came pretty close to us as we fished.  I also saw some scary looking great big head and neck of some creature in the water.  It was watching me, but when I made eye contact with it, it disappeared back into the water so fast that I couldn't even tell Rick what it was.  It was only about 6-8 feet away from me.  That's when I decided that I didn't want to get into this water for a nice swim, anytime.  If it was a snake, it was way too big, and if it was a turtle it was also way to big.

We left the lake as it was getting dark, and then we went to Derby City for a bowl of good ole soup beans.  That was our day yesterday, and one we won't forget.

Gone Fishing......

Rick and I have been doing a lot of fishing lately, but this little guy has us beat by a mile.  I think I posted Rick's fish in an earlier post and my fish was just a tad larger than Rick's, but here is Carson's fish.  He has us both whooped by a mile.