Thanksgiving and Fishing

I don't know how you're Thanksgiving weekend went, but mine was the best I have had in my first 30 years of life. We spent Thanksgiving Day at Grandma Judy's house and had a wonderful dinner. Turkey, Honey Baked ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Grandma Alta's gravy, homemade rolls, yummy jello salad, homemade pie, egg nog and Dad's root beer. My favorites were the ham and Grandma Alta's chess pie (walnut and raisins with meringue on top). We had people from both sides of the family there: Grandma Judy, Grandma Alta, Aunt Leslie, Grandpa Dan, Tina, and Aunt Jennifer. After dinner we played games. Me and Kristy won at Pictionary, Grandma Judy won at Scattergories, I won 2 games of Mexican Train, and then me and Kristy won 2 games of Cribbage against Grandma Judy and Aunt Leslie. The next day we headed out to the Oregon Coast with Grandpa Dan, Tina, and Aunt Jennifer. We had planned a weekend long fishing trip at Siltcoos Lake, just south of Florence on the Oregon Coast. When we got there, the weather was perfect and it stayed that way all weekend long. About 50-55 degrees and sunny with little to no wind. We stayed at the Fishmill Lodges, right next to the lake with a nice view and a handily accessible dock for the boat. We fished, played video games, watched movies and TV, and ate lots of yummy food. The fishing was pretty successful too. On Friday, Jennifer caught a small trout, which she ate and shared for dinner that night. On Saturday morning, Tina caught a jack. That evening, we went to the Casino for the dinner buffet. Shortly after that, we found out the Ducks had won the Civil War. On Sunday, I hooked into a pretty good fish, but my line got wrapped around the end of my pole and the fish broke my line. He jumped up out of the water while I was fighting him and we could tell that it was a pretty good sized fish. A little while later, Jennifer caught a 14 lb. salmon. A little while after that, I hooked into a 12 lb. salmon and landed it! This is the biggest fish I have ever caught, so I was pretty excited. After that, I caught a nice sized jack to end our fishing for the day. We then went to the Family Fun Center and raced go-carts. Taylor thought this was a lot of fun. After go-carts we went to see if we could catch a ride on some sand rails because I thought Taylor would really enjoy it, not to mention me too! I remember riding them when I was a little kid and it seemed like the thrill of a lifetime. The guide did not disappoint, as me, Aunt Jen, and Taylor went for the ride of a lifetime on the Oregon Dunes. Other than sand getting in every part of our bodies, and the occasional scream of terror, we all had an amazing time on the ride. Taylor said it was his favorite part of the trip, which I don't doubt due to the hysterical laughter and screaming that came from him as we zipped up and down the dunes. After that, we walked around Old Town Florence before having a nice dinner at Mo's and ice cream at BJ's. That evening, I drove Kristy and the kids home so that she could go to work on Monday and I could write a short paper that was due at noon on Monday. I wrote it Sunday night after getting home and on Monday morning I headed back to the coast to fish for one more day with Grandpa Dan, Tina, and Jennifer. On Monday, I caught an 8 lb. salmon, hooked into another good sized salmon and lost it, and Jennifer ended our haul of fish by catching a nice small jack. The weather was not as cooperative on Monday, as the wind pushed and spun us all over the place. Finally it began to pour down rain and we had to call it a day. So all in all, I fought and caught the 2 biggest fish of my life, rode in the boat all over the lake, spent time in the beautiful wilderness, ate lots of delicious food, spent time with wonderful family, rode the sand rails on the dunes, and raced some go-carts. It was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to doing it again next year! I will post some pictures when I get a chance.