Tackle Box

My love for fishing began when my age was still in single digits. It didn't happen on a whim. It didn't happen by chance. It was sparked when my grandfather on mother's side came to visit us all the way from Wisconsin. He told me he had something for me. It was a small clear tackle box filled with hooks, jigs, and rubber baits. He explained what they were for and told me next time I came to Wisconsin, he'd show me how to use them. Well that time came soon after. 

Like most kids my age who went fishing, I had a closed reel snoopy pole. It was mustard yellow and that was fine with me. One of the days we were visiting, he took me to a lake with the tackle he gave me and some live earthworms we pulled out of the ground. He then showed me how to bait the hook and cast it. It wasn't long before I was pulling in decent size sunfish that my younger self thought were trophy fish. Between me and the fish, I can't tell you who was hooked more that day. 

As the years turned, my fishing days were here and there, but the best ones came in Wisconsin. As I got older, I needed better gear. So I saved allowance money and eventually bought myself a reasonable sized blue tackle box with one fold up tray. I put all my lures, bobbers, hooks, and sinkers in it. But it was still a bit empty for its size. My grandfather on my dad's side, had a bunch of fishing equipment he didn't use anymore and without my asking, gave a lot of it to me one day. I added them to my collection and it wasn't long before I started using them. My favorite was a black and gray minnow swim bait. I'll never forget the moment when a wild young northern pike attacked it. The rush of the swift fight and the thrill that a lure my grandfather had given me bagged a fiery northern was a once in a lifetime moment.

As I aged, my knowledge and passion for fishing grew. I had reached the point where I needed a bigger tackle box. One day while I was doing renovation work on a church property, I was asked if I wanted fishing gear that was left behind and long forgotten years ago. One of the items was a big green tackle box. I didn't need to see it to say yes, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect. As soon as I got it home, I placed all the lures both my grandfathers gave me as well as whatever else I acquired through the years inside. I beamed with pride upon putting the last lure in its place. This is my treasure chest.

Many of these lures have tales to tell. But some also didn't make it as they were lost to fish whose will to live outlasted the strength of the line. While many may look at the above photos and just see a bunch of fancy lures for a hobby that requires patience and time, this box and it's contents mean so much more than that.

Around this time one year ago, I was scrolling through Facebook as I do more than I'd care to admit, and I came across a post from a Luke Bryan page. And in the comments, someone mentioned a song by him that I had heard once before years ago, but didn't really pay attention to the lyrics or even recall it existed. The song is called Tackle Box and it came out in 2007. I gave it a listen. By the time it was over, I must've acquired a rogue allergy because my eyes were no longer dry. Here are the lyrics:

"It was two shades of brown and scratched up plastic

It held extra line, lures, hooks, and matches

And his last name engraved in black

Right there by the handle on the top

I'd slide it out of the back of his station wagon

Lug it down the bank with my arm draggin'

And I could hardly wait for him

To lift the lid on that tackle box

'Cause I'd sail with him across the South Pacific

Stand beside him on the bow of that battle ship

See him kiss the ground and thank the good Lord Jesus

And watch him run to grandma, cryin' on the dock

He opened up, every time he opened up

That old tackle box

He'd bait my hook and keep on tellin' stories

'Bout nickel cokes, girls, and sandlot glories

Pickup trucks and peanut fields

Long before this town knew blacktop

I was almost ridin' with him shotgun down those dirt roads

Takin' turns on a jug of homemade shine

As he raced his buddies down through Mason Holler

Fillin' the sky with dust and kicked up rocks

He opened up, every time he opened up

That old tackle box

He's been gone twenty years tomorrow

And I'm still holdin' on to this one wish

That God above would let me borrow grandpa

For one more afternoon and one more fish

And I'd sail with him across the South Pacific

Stand beside him on the bow of that battle ship

See him kiss the ground and thank the good Lord Jesus

And watch him run to grandma, cryin' on the dock

He opened up, every time he opened up

That old tackle box

Yeah, sure I love

Every time he opened up

That old tackle box"

My grandfather on my dad's side had passed two weeks prior to me hearing this song. And it was all so raw and real. This song not only described him but my grandfather on my mom's side who had passed
14 years prior. As mentioned in a previous post, my dad's dad was in the navy during WWII. My mom's dad drove stock cars way back in the day, right around the time NASCAR was being formed. And both men taught and gave me the love for fishing I possess to this very day. In a way, I'm glad my 16 year old self didn't pay attention to this song because it means so much more to me now than it ever would've at any other time. So whenever I find myself chasing the fish that make for great tales one day, you better believe that tackle box is going to be right beside me. Every time I open it up, the memories of two of the greatest men I've ever known live on.

DAY 30: Into the Sunset

When I started this series, I intended to do it 30 straight days in a row. But I knew myself and I knew I wasn't going to be able to go thirty days in a row. The last thing I wanted was to promise 30 days and not finish. And believe it or not, this is a problem with me. I have a folder on my laptop dedicated to writings I started but never finished. This blog has a ton of drafts that I never published because as I wrote them, I hit a block in my thoughts and never finished them. Now they just sit in blog jailed pretty outdated and not really relevant anymore. Even this crazy vlog I decided to create. I have footage I took that I intended to use but never did. To the rest of the world, that's not an issue as they didn't know those things existed...until now. And they are constant reminders of how many things I start but never complete.

With this post, I put the first nail in that coffin. I pondered what photo to place here. The very last one. Day 30. I had some ideas, but to me, they just didn't quite fit the mold I was shaping. Then I remembered that in my vastly large folder of sunset photos (I'm darn proud of every single one too), this photo existed. It was taken at that same cabin on the lake in Vermilion that I loved and miss so much. And during this time, a nasty storm rolled through. If you've never lived by an ocean or an incredibly large body of water, you won't quite understand the rogue storms that brew off them. It was depressing because bad weather at the cabin usually ruined the experience...

...but here in this brief moment, something miraculous happened. The storm broke for a few minutes. The sky opened slightly to reveal that every welcoming sun. And so I captured this moment forever. Every time I look at this photo, it reminds me that no matter what storm rages, no matter what darkness conceals my joy, that the sun is still there, shining behind it all. There have been a lot of storms this year and there still may be more to come. But they too shall pass and the sun will keep on shining. 

I hope y'all had as much fun reading these as I did creating them. Pictures say a lot and keep many amazing memories alive. And being able to allow people into that piece of my world is truly an honor. Stay strong. Stay well. Laugh. Live. And most importantly...Love.

Day 29: The Three Amigos

Yes this is the same Vermilion beach that I portrayed in the fire/sunset picture early on in this series. And yes these are the same dudes who dressed up in viking outfits for a viking-style game at a summer youth conference, which was also portrayed in another picture post way back in 2017. And this picture completes the trifecta of pictures of the three of us in ridiculous poses throughout the years. The reason this one makes the list is because it portrays us so well. And it's hard to imagine what my life in Ohio would be like without them in it.

The guy on the far right with his arm raised in the air is Jeremiah Johnson. He was among the first people I met of my age when I moved to Ohio. We became incredibly fast friends. A little less than a year later, Mark, the one in the middle, moved back to Ohio. He became another close friend and pretty soon we were a trio. 

I could spend days telling you stories of what I've been through with these guys, the crazy, insane, slightly foolish, and fun things we've done. That may only scratch the tip of the iceberg. Just looking at this photos sends those memories flooding back. I mean heck, we practically lived at each other's houses for a few summers. 

Life and adulting have caused us to see less of each other these days and Jer is married and has a munchkin of his own, but that doesn't separate what we are and we still find ways to do things together. 

This photo in a way encapsulates this friendship. Just three dudes on a beach, at sunset, hands full of miniature explosives, carefree and loving life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Day 28: Friends Make the Memories

PC: Sarah Mann

This picture I had printed out and framed. I don't have a wife, kids, or dog, so it's been the one that sits on my desk at work. Before quarantine, I saw it every day. And it put a smile on my face every time.

Most of us in this photo didn't live in the same city and some not even the same country. We all came together for our annual church conference over the Labor Day weekend. One of my favorite things about those conferences were moments like this. Where after a long day, we all wanted to do something together. In this case we went to get ice cream. And it's truly something wonderful that being able to see and be with all these lovely people that makes my heart melt. 

Have you ever tried to take a large group photo? If so, you know how painful it can be. We took multiple for this one, but this was my favorite. Simply because someone said that we should be funny. Not everyone got the memo which makes it funny in itself. It also cracks me up how Tim, Zane, and Peter decided to do a pointing motion and they all managed to point in different directions. And here's another fun fact. Three different sets of people in this photo were not even engaged to each other when this photo was taken, but now are all happily married.

It's still images like this that remind me why friends, and friends a plenty, can make my world be that much better.

I Made a Mistake

Mistakes. They're unavoidable. I say this in the terms that you can't go through life without making them. Sure individually many can be avoided. You probably don't even realize how many things you do each day that causes you to miss making mistakes. For the ones you can't avoid, you have two options. Option 1: Learn from them. By learning how and why they happened and actually accepting fault, you will grow wiser and greatly lessen the chance of it happening again.

So what did I do? I made it look like a small meteor hit the front of my car. I rear-ended someone. It was at a stop-light and I did it from a stopped position so no one was hurt and the car I hit had barely any visible damage. It was strange how it all happened. My mind was wandering with many thoughts. Mostly about safe driving a near misses I had. I kid you not. That's what I was thinking about before my error. Here's how it went.

I was at a stop light in a right turn only lane. Only one car in front of me. The car in front of me had the clear and began to accelerate and make the right turn on red. The speed and the distance they drove convinced my mind that they were going to clear the intersection. I checked my left to make sure no cars were coming. None were. I turned my head to the middle to make sure no cars were turning left from the other direction and the moment I saw none were, I tapped the gas...and heard a thunk. My heart sank. How in the world did that happen? Two reasons. The first is that the driver in front of me second-guessed themselves and stopped beyond the white line and slightly in my blind spot from the right from where I was looking. The second is that I didn't fully check to make sure they were gone. And that second reason alone makes it totally my fault. 

My mind was going nuts. Are the other people okay? How much damage did I do? How much is this going to cost? What's the emotional status going to be of the people in the other car? Why did a day that was finally going well for me turn bad so fast? 

I stepped out of my car and looked at the damage. It was more than I expected, but thankfully, my headlights went unscathed and I could still open my hood. The other driver got out and didn't say anything. I asked if they were okay. They looked at the damage on their car and then on mine. The driver then made a phone call. After the call, the driver looked at their car again and told me it's okay. I couldn't believe what I just heard so I asked them if they were sure. The driver inspected the damage again which was simply a small dent with a mark. They told me it was fine again and I asked if they wanted my information or anything. They didn't feel like it was worth the trouble and that I had made an honest mistake. The driver said "God Bless", got back in their car and drove off.

While it was still a bitter pill to swallow, it was also a small blessing. The people in the car I hit could've torn my head off. They could've contacted the insurance company and make it sound worse than it was. There were so many things that could've gone wrong. But in the end, I end up not getting hurt and hurting no one, I was left with a bruised car and a bruised ego. And mercy was shown to me. 

I debated writing this post because when I look back through these, I didn't want to remember this incident. But part of learning from one's mistakes is knowing why they happened so one doesn't repeat that process. From now on, you better believe that no matter how far or fast a car in front of me moves, I'm going to take more time to check and make sure they are completely gone. It also shows that no matter how much experience I have at something, I'm still human, which means I am flawed and prone to making mistakes. More will come, but I can better myself now, learn from past errors, and be better prepared to face what's next, or maybe, just maybe, avoid a catastrophic one.

Day 27: Summer Camp Squad

Every summer since 2004, I have been involved with a Christian summer youth event we call Mountain Top. It's 3-4 packed days of activities, music, doing things as a group, and intense meetings called power sessions. This photo was taken from 2018. Ever since I've been old enough to lead a group, I usually get a wild bunch of high school boys. Most of the ones you see in this photo have been in my group the past few years and have just graduated high school. 

This photo makes me smile for many reasons. We are all trying to be serious in ridiculous shirts. Shirts that I didn't even want to get. I don't wear purple well. And that shirt is a size small which is way too small for me. Oh and it cost $17 dollars. So why go through all the trouble?

You see, the conference was held at a college in Ohio called Kenyon College. We've been here before many times in the past. So the boys knew the souvenir shop well. It all began when Jake (middle of couch) wanted to get a shirt that said "Kenyon Dad" just for the fun of it. The store did not have any of those. However, they did have the shirts we were wearing. Kenyon sounds awful close to the African country of Kenya. And I can bet that Kenyon college students get annoyed explaining all the time that they go to school in Ohio and not Africa. Anyways, some of the boys thought it would be funny to get this shirt. I told them I don't care, but I'm not spending that much on a shirt I'm probably never gonna wear again. Then they said "What if we all do it?" I still wasn't keen on the idea, but the thought of it being a good bonding experience and how hilarious it would be was something I couldn't say no to only if everyone in the group did it. So we did. 

For that entire day, people from the conference kept seeing us and wondered why there were this many of us wearing these goofy shirts. We stood out, got complimented, and really looked like a squad. This photo is a reminder of that event in 2018 and all the good times we had. It will also never let me forget that gave in to spending $17 on a shirt too small, representing a college I never went to, and probably won't ever wear again. 

Day 26: All in One Shot

PC: Tim Watkins

When I'm reminiscing on our Wisconsin vacations, this photo sometimes pops into my head. It may not look like much from first glance, but it really tells a lot. 

First, it portrays a typical day on the lake. It's mid afternoon, calm, and hot. I'm dock fishing and Nathaniel is coming back from kayak fishing. But there's more going on here. You see Nathaniel is in long sleeves and has a big goofy sunhat on. Normally he fishes shirtless, but the sun did him in pretty well so he's covered up in the heavy heat. That kayak he's sitting in, it was hauled out here on the roof of his 2012 Ford Focus...stick shift. Google a the car and picture how obnoxious that looks. Him and I are just shootin' the breeze. Literally.

But the real reason I'm including this photo is for something in it that may not easily be noticed. If you take a careful look at the tree to the left of me, you'll see a wild Stephen poking at something in it. You see not long before we left for Wisconsin, Stephen decided to buy himself a new toy. A drone. This day was the first time he flew it all week. And the one tree he really could've crashed it into...he did. And this photo catches him reaching up and trying to poke it free with a stick. Just the thought of this photo cracks me up. That's why it makes this list.