“Frosty”: A Commemorative Watercolor

Frosty

“Frosty” is a commemorative watercolor painting – my first watercolor of 2022. It commemorates a common loon that my family and I rescued in December, 2021. The story of the rescue can be read here.

For Life: A Watercolor Painting Portraying Love, Life, and Dancing

For Life

“For Life”, an original watercolor by Erin Burton, depicts two sandhill cranes dancing. The story within is one of love, life, and dancing.

A Season of Commissioned Paintings

The Spirit of Love

After returning from my family’s trip to the Southwest, I began a season of commissioned paintings. From the end of October to the end of December I painted – not for myself, but for others. Families were planning their gift-giving for upcoming birthday and Christmas celebrations, and I was honored to be chosen to paint four commissioned paintings that were to be given as gifts. Commissioned painting is a term that I actually don’t love because it sounds impersonal. In reality, these paintings are some of the most personal paintings I create. They are moments or stories that others feel so strongly about that they want them captured and displayed for others to see. The stories behind these paintings are what inspire me to paint. My season of commissioned paintings began with a subject that I’ve never painted before – an angel. The Guardian The Guardian depicts a male guardian angel standing in a never-ending field of daisies grasping a small bouquet of five fresh daisies. This painting was given to a mother by her three adult children and their families. The children wanted to surprise their mother with this painting of a guardian angel. Guardian angels have been important to their mother since she lost her husband too early in life. The husband had loved gardening, and daisies just happen to be the flowers that adorned the couple’s wedding. The wife also carried a beautiful bouquet of daisies down the aisle. So, I decided that the guardian angel should be carrying a small bouquet of five daisies. Each flower representing one member of the family. I like to think of the field of daisies as all of the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. that will result from this couple’s love. *Note – most of you know that I usually paint animals of some type, so I added in a tiny ladybug on one of the daisies in the foreground for fun. The Spirit of Love The Spirit of Love was the blending of two sweet stories. This is what I remember of the stories I was told: An elderly couple lived for many years in a home where they were often visited by their children, grandchildren, and a furry little chipmunk. This chipmunk came to visit each summer, ate from the hands of the family, and didn’t mind being pet in the least. This chipmunk brought happiness to all. Last spring, the elderly husband passed away. His wife was not able to care for the property on her own, so she moved into a senior living facility. Leaving the chipmunk was difficult on the entire family. After the woman moved to her new home, she enjoyed walking on the nearby nature trails. She noticed that on almost every walk she took a monarch butterfly followed her. The woman was comforted by the thought that the butterfly was her husband’s spirit coming to visit her on her daily walks. In this painting, it’s almost as if the chipmunk recognizes the spirit of the man in the butterfly. I thought the title The Spirit of Love encompassed all aspects of the painting, and the stories that were behind it. Doug Doug is a portrait of a fluffy white and orange cat. This painting was a gift from two parents to their son. Doug just happens to be a therapy cat and is very special to the entire family. I had so much fun painting Doug’s fluffy fur and clear chartreuse eyes. I was told that he often gets hair cuts because his fur can get a little out of control, but I sure thought his fur was beautiful in the photo that I used as a reference. Painting white animals is something that I’ve started to enjoy as there are so many colors in both the shadows and highlights. Chloe Chloe is a portrait of what I believe to be a beautiful Australian shepherd. This portrait was gifted by a mother to her adult daughter after the daughter had lost her dog. I was told by family members that Chloe was like a child to the daughter. Losing a pet is like losing a family member – it’s never easy. I hope this painting of Chloe laying in the green grass in front of some late-summer black-eyed Susan flowers will ease some of the pain of losing her whenever the owner sees it. A little bit about the painting of Chloe: Chloe’s fur was soft and graceful looking and I wanted this to stand out in the painting. So, I tried a new layering technique for the grass and background flowers that I had learned in a recent workshop. This technique involved laying down a light wash of color, using masking fluid over the paint after it dried to keep those areas that color, and then laying down a darker shade of color followed by more masking fluid. I kept repeating this until I achieved the correct colors in the grass and flower area. Once everything was dry, I removed the masking fluid, which revealed all the layers of color. I was very happy with the texture of the grass and flowers, and how it counterbalanced the softness of the fur. After a Season of Commissioned Paintings All of the recipients of the commissioned paintings have been gifted their paintings, so I am free to share the images with you. I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the paintings I have completed as of late, and were able to connect to the stories that accompanied them in some way. Even though we all have our own experiences, stories, and feelings, I think we all find family, love, relationships, and happiness (and all the other feelings) to be important aspects of our life. I also think this is why we can enjoy a piece of art that doesn’t necessarily belong to us. I know that creating paintings for others has brought great joy into my life, and I feel so lucky to

New Year’s Eve Skating: A Little Magic on the Lake

New Year’s Eve, 2018 The kids and I went out early today to get chores done around the homestead because brutal winds were due to arrive this afternoon bringing in light snow and frigid temps. When we walked out of the house the wind was light, and the temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit – nice winter weather. We cleaned the chicken coop, filled up food feeders, checked the water bucket, collected eggs, and cleaned up dog (well, you know). As we completed our chores in record time, the dogs roughhoused around the yard – running, jumping, tackling each other, and doing it all over again. I looked at the kids and said, “We should probably bring the dogs on a walk, because once the cold air moves in, we won’t be able to bring them out.” Our indoor dogs’ feet can’t handle sub-zero temperatures, and tomorrow night our temperature will dip to -10 degrees. After minutes of walking, they would start picking up one foot, and then the other – trying to lick away the sting of the cold on their foot pads. “Mom, can we go ice skating on the lake while the dogs run?” my daughter pleaded. “Can we?” my son added. “You two can go skating, and Dad and I will walk with the dogs by the cattails and look for lures and bobbers.” So, that settled it. The whole family (dogs included) piled into the car and drove down the street to the lake. Just as we stepped onto the lake, the wind picked up. The boys headed off on their walk with the dogs, and my daughter and I slipped into our hockey skates and began skating down the lake. The first thing that we noticed was that the ice was no longer black. Forty eight hours of snow and rain had made the ice opaque, so we could no longer see into the inky depths of the lake. The next thing we noticed was how strong the wind had become. Light snow started streaming across the glossy ice, and the wind started to push us across the lake. “Mom, the wind wants us to go somewhere, and we need to listen to it!” my daughter yelled in front of me. I saw her gliding down the ice, arms spread wide, not having to exert any effort to move. “Come on, Mom, skate faster, we need to follow the wind.” she continued. We both took off skating as fast as we could. With the wind pushing angrily at our back, we skated across the lake at what I’m sure was our record speed. My daughter and I started laughing with the thrill of it all. “It’s magical – it’s all magical” she yelled amidst our laughter. It felt that way. What a way to usher out the old year and bring in the new year. For those of you that are wondering about our return skate back up the lake, yes, it was brutal. But, my daughter gave me an imaginary magic disc that gave us the power to withstand the worst winter weather – polar bear power. So, our skate against the wind wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I love the magic that children bring to our lives. I hope that 2019 brings you peace, love, joy, and happiness, I hope that you get a chance to slow down and enjoy the simple things, I hope that you get outside and get into nature every chance you get, and I hope that you get to experience a little bit of your own magic here and there. Happy New Year to you, and thank YOU so very much for taking the time to sit and read this little story! I hope it brought a smile to your face. Warmly, Erin

Greeting Card Giveaway

Yes, you read it correctly! I’m hosting a greeting card giveaway right here on Unbound Roots. Last winter, my friend Angela, from You Are Awesome, suggested that I give away a pack of watercolor greeting cards. Angela has many great ideas (you need to check them out on her blog link above), so I thought I better follow her suggestion. Aside from Angela’s awesome suggestion, the timing is right. Let me explain: Unbound Roots is getting a make-over in the next month. I am still going to be writing stories about topics that inspire me – hiking, animals, thoughts that grab my attention, gardening, the family farm, and painting (to name a few) – but my blog will be just one portion of the website. I will also be adding a gallery to showcase my watercolor paintings, and an online shop where people can purchase watercolor originals, limited prints of paintings, and packs of greeting cards. Shoppers will also have the option to request original paintings – personal paintings that can be treasured for centuries. As many of you know, I have been doing a lot of painting throughout the past month. My kids and I came up with a list of animals that are common here in the Upper Midwest, and then I painted them into snow scenes. Five paintings have been completed, and will now be printed onto greeting cards. Silent Night Winter Treasure First Snow Christmas Spirit Late for my Winter Slumber I had so much fun painting these wild cuties! Okay, okay, I’m sure you’re waiting for the details, so… Here are the greeting card giveaway details: On Friday, December 21st, I will be randomly drawing the names of two recipients. Each recipient will receive one pack of five greeting cards – one card of each of the paintings above. How Do I Enter the Free Giveaway? It’s simple! All you have to do is enter a comment below. Any winter-related comment will do. You can tell me about your favorite winter activity, favorite tradition, favorite winter recipes, or you can suggest a painting you’d like to see me complete – it’s up to you! I will write down the names of all the people who comment, and randomly draw the names on December 21st. The winners will be announced right here on Unbound Roots, so be sure to check back! If a recipient fails to respond within 48 hours, a new recipient will be chosen. I am excited to send off my very first greeting cards! Good luck to everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! Warmly, Erin

Can Contrails Predict Fishing Success?

My family likes walks. We walk almost every day – sometimes multiple times per day. The fresh air, exercise, time we get to spend chatting with each other, and the exciting things we see make every walk enjoyable and interesting. It’s our go-to way to get outside and get into nature. Two days ago, I wanted to walk in a nearby prairie at sunset because the light across the fall landscape is especially beautiful this time of year. Dried flowers dot the fields, dainty grass plumes sparkle in front of the lowering rays, and the family seems to feel the magic just as I do. But, this is not what this post is about. This post is about contrails and fishing. At the very western edge of the prairie one can find a clear lake with a sandy bottom. The kids love to explore the shores of the lake when we visit the prairie and we did just that two days ago. While the kids ran up and down the shore, made clouds out of cattail fluff, and searched for lures that others had unfortunately lost while fishing, my husband offered an interesting bit of information: “Too bad we are not fishing right now.” he said (this after he and my son had been shut out three days in a row – well, except for a few mudpuppies). “Why is that?” I questioned (thinking there may be more to this statement than the obvious fact that he’d like to fish all day – every day if he could). “You see those vapor trails [contrails] that the airplanes are leaving in the sky, and how they are slowly spreading out?” he asked. “Yes?” I questioned. “They indicate good fishing.” “How is that?” I asked, “And, where did you learn that?” “I must have read about in one of my fishing books, but I don’t remember where or which one.” he replied. To be fair, my husband has read a plethora of fishing books – books about fishing technique, fishing memoirs, fiction books about fishing, and he even studies lake and river maps. He continued: “It has something to do with pressure changes.” Today I explored this theory further using my favorite learning tool – the World Wide Web. This is what I found: A contrail is: a condensation trail left behind jet aircrafts where hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The result is a cloud similar to those that you see when you exhale and see your breath outside. Okay, so how does this affect fishing? I found a simple explanation in a bass fishing forum on BassResource.com. BassChaser57, a self-proclaimed “airline pilot by profession, BassChaser by passion,” stated: There are lots of variables i[n] bass fishing such as temperature, cloud cover, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, moon phase, fishing pressure, rising/falling water, muddy water, etc. There is one variable that I have used over the years… it is simple and it works. Few of us can spend as much time on the water as we would like so I try to maximize my quality fishing possibilities. I do this by watching jet contrails (the white trails left in the sky by jets.) When I see the sky crisscrossed by contrails I go fishing and expect to find active bass. The explanation is simply that there is high level moisture meaning there is an approaching weather system. Many of us realize bass get active with an approaching storm or lowering barometric pressure, the contrails will tell us the same thing without having to be able to see the weather channel. The next time you see the contrails in the sky, try to go fishing and expect the Bass to be active and prove to yourself that contrails=active bass. Dan Johnson from In-Fisherman magazine defines barometric pressure more thoroughly… In a nutshell, barometric pressure—also called atmospheric or air pressure—is the weight of the air pressing down upon everything on the planet, including fish and anglers. Lest you think such a load is light as a feather, consider that a square-inch column of air rising from sea level to the top of our atmosphere weighs about 14.7 pounds. Even slight changes in barometric pressure can cause big changes in fish behavior. According to Spud Woodward, Assistant Director for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division, fish sense pressure changes through their air bladder. He goes on to explain: Fish that have small air bladders, such as kings, Spanish mackerel, wahoo and dolphin, aren’t as affected by barometric changes as those with large bladders, such as trout, redfish, tarpon, grouper and snapper… That’s because fish with small bladders have a body density that’s closer to that of the surrounding water. They don’t sense the pressure changes as dramatically, so their comfort levels aren’t drastically altered. However, many things they eat have air bladders, and that alone could have a big impact on where you might find them and how they’ll behave. For example, zooplankton and phytoplankton have air bladders and can be caught off-guard by pressure changes causing a feeding frenzy among minnows and other small fish, which in turn brings out larger fish to eat. Woodward continues: Fish with large bladders quickly sense when the air pressure is dropping, because there’s less pressure on their bladder. And when there’s less pressure squeezing their bladders, the bladders expand a bit. When their bladders expand, fish become uncomfortable. They relieve their discomfort by moving lower in the water column or by absorbing extra gas in their bladders. These stresses cause fish to forget about eating, and instead focus on finding a depth where they can find comfort. Finally, Woodward explains the pressure changes where contrails are most evident – the period just before a low-pressure system sets in. Just what I was looking for. Let’s say we’re experiencing a prolonged period of high pressure and the fishing has been good.

Watercolor Wednesday: A Pair of Indigo Buntings

The past month has been a whirlwind of crazy! My family has been out-of-town twice, my mom and dad hosted a huge family reunion of over 150 people that we had been preparing for for over a year, the kids and I attended the last of my husband’s amateur soccer games for the 2018 season (his team has been promoted to division one for the 2019 season – woohoo!), and I’ve been working with a great group of soccer parents to organize a recreational soccer league for kids in our community (you can read about the problems we’ve been facing here, here, and here). This Watercolor Wednesday post is not being posted on the first Wednesday of the month, nor is it being posted on a Wednesday at all due to all that has been happening, but  I wanted to get caught up. So, without further ado, I present to you: A Pair of Indigo Buntings. My family and I spent a week up at the family cabin last month, and on one particularly rainy day, the kids and I decided to get out our paints. As I sat gazing out of the large lakeside windows, I remembered seeing an indigo bunting fly into the very windows I was peering out of just a few years ago. At the time, I ran out onto the deck and looked over the railing to see an immature male indigo bunting sitting stunned in the shrubs. His bright blue feathers were just beginning to show through. He sat in the shrub for about 10 minutes before flying into the woods, allowing me to take a few photos of him. What a treat it was to sit and observe this skittish species from just a few feet away. Remembering this event led to the painting of A Pair of Indigo Buntings – a bright blue male with a soft brown female on a birch tree. Do you have any memorable bird experiences? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below. Thanks so much for stopping by to read today!

Watercolor Wednesday: Quick and Easy Greeting Cards

I’m posting my Watercolor Wednesday article a day early due to a busy week filled with Independence Day activities. I hope you enjoy! My grandfather’s cousin (I’ll call M) has always been an important part of our family. She has hosted family Christmas’, she attends all family birthday parties, and joins our family for many other gatherings. M is like another grandmother to me – how lucky I am. For years, M has hand-painted watercolor cards for me, my children, and many others – all have been saved and treasured. In fact, my son’s most recent card from M sits proudly on his dresser as I write this post- he loves the owls. Knowing how much my family appreciates M’s hand-painted cards, I thought I would try a few watercolor greeting cards of my own. Plus, what a great way to try new painting techniques. I referenced the good ol’ internet for quick and easy watercolor tutorials, and was drawn to a fun and sweet chickadee video demonstration by Wplus9 Design. Here is the finished product – a Father’s Day card for my dad: The video tutorial is a speed painting, but the steps are not hard to follow – especially when the user can pause the video to catch up when needed. If you’ve ever wanted to try watercolor painting, this video is perfect for beginners. You can check it out below: I have completed two more cards since I painted the chickadee for my dad. The first was a painting of a mallard Imy grandfather – an avid hunter and fisherman. The second is of a comical cardinal I painted today. This male cardinal will be sent as a thank-you card to my friend up in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. She is a lover of wildlife and animals, so I thought this bright cardinal may bring some joy to her day. These greeting cards take, on average, 30-60 minutes, so they can be done in very short order. Even though they are quick paintings, I find them fun and lively – perfect for greeting cards. My greatest joy in my painting journey has been sharing my work with others. The cards I have received from M have made me smile for years. I hope I can continue this tradition, and spread the same joy to others. Do you create handmade items for others, or have others done this for you? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day! ~Erin

Lake Superior: The World’s Best Playground

The birth of Minnesota’s North Shore was a dramatic fire and ice event – the end resulted in the world’s best playground. Stephanie Pearson, from Outside Online, discusses the Lake Superior area and writes: “All ­together it’s a giant, world-class playground for hiking, trail running, mountain biking, kayak­ing, sailing, backcountry camping, and open-water swimming (for anyone crazy enough to try).” I would like to add agate-hunting, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, bird-watching, nature-photography, mountain climbing, canoeing, berry picking, and fly-fishing to the list. Eight state parks line the North Shore of Lake Superior in MN, ready for explorers. Each park has unique and magnificent natural wonders that really need to be experienced in order to fully appreciate them. Because of the dramatic geological history of the Lake Superior area, much of the North Shore is wild, rugged, and left untouched. Cascading waterfalls awash viewers in a light mist, deep gorges give the faint of heart butterflies in the stomach as I cling to a tree while others go to peer over the edge (wait, did I write “I”?), layers of pine needles on the trails feel soft underfoot and give off a sweet strawberry aroma, wild blueberries, raspberries, and thimble berries await the hungry hiker in late summer, and bright colors of lichen adorn the ancient basalt bedrock that lines the lake. You may even catch a moose swimming in a backcountry wetland, bald eagles soaring over the cliffs, deer nibbling on spring growth, and trout darting under the overhangs in the many creeks and rivers that bubble and tumble into Lake Superior. If you are one of those people who is crazy enough to slip into the icy waters of Lake Superior, you are in for an adventure. Taking The Plunge When you step into the frigid waters of Lake Superior, it takes mere seconds before your feet start to ache from the arctic water, and only a minute or so before your skin goes numb, thank goodness. Although, at the numbing point you have to exercise caution, as the feet tend to stumble around as they try to navigate the slippery rocks underfoot. My family has had a yearly tradition of submersing ourselves in the icy waters. I swear, we are not crazy (okay, at least not all of us). This tradition is more of an “Okay, Lake. Give us all you’ve got. We can handle it!” kind of thing. We often have one or two people that slip due to numb feet – sending them splashing, ill-prepared into Lake Superior’s ice-bath. For some reason, those who are standing can’t help but laugh, but at the same time are thanking the Lord above that it wasn’t them – this time. We usually have curious on-lookers, who are most certainly happy they are still dry and warm where they watch, but can’t wait to see the reactions of the swimmers as they dive it. What does it feel like to dive in? Walking out to the point where we submerge ourselves usually takes us at least five minutes. I don’t know why we take so long. It’s not like we ever really get used to the water. Our minds are probably stopping us. We don’t swim on days when the waves are large. No thank you! Here in MN, most of us don’t know how to handle those ocean-size waves – especially those that are near freezing temperature. The guys usually take a little longer to get used to the water (ahem), but usually stay out longer than the women. There is usually a 10-second count down to submersion. On zero, we dunk under. Our breath gets caught as the cold envelopes the our entire body. In seconds we explode out of the cold water. A few of the crazy ones stay to swim (I told you not all of us were crazy) for a few minutes – relishing in the cold, weightless, free-feeling of swimming. Everyone who emerges from the lake (we haven’t lost anyone yet) steps out with a smile on their face. If for only a minute or two, we bested the giant, frigid, vast lake. After stepping back onto the shore, we like to warm ourselves on the rocks. This always (yes, always) leads to agate hunting as we relish in the warmth of the rock. Hunting The Not-So-Elusive Lake Superior Agate Agates can be found in almost every country around the world, but the regions around Lake Superior are the only areas in the world containing the Lake Superior agate. According the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR): The Lake Superior agate differs from other agates found around the world in its rich red, orange, and yellow coloring. This color scheme is caused by the oxidation of iron. Iron leached from rocks provided the pigment that gives the gemstone its beautiful array of color. The concentration of iron and the amount of oxidation determine the color within or between an agate’s bands. These agates can be found in much of Minnesota and into Northwest Wisconsin, as glacial movement spread agates with constant friction and movement throughout the ice age. What I believe is so special is that anyone can find agates in Minnesota. Agates are everywhere. Every time we go to the North Shore, my family brings home dozens of Lake Superior agates. Most of them are the size of dimes or quarters, and if we’re lucky, we may go home with silver-dollar sized rocks, but these are much more rare. All you need is to know what to look for when searching for the not-so-elusive agate. The DNR goes on to provide a list of what to look for when searching for one of Minnesota’s state gemstones: Iron-oxide staining in shades of rust-red and yellow is found on most Lake Superior agates. Translucence allows light to penetrate the stone. Sunny days, especially early morning and late evening, are best for observing translucence as the sun rays shine through the stone. A glossy or waxy

The Lure of Fishing

“Mom, will you write a story about fishing this week?” asked my son as we were sitting at the dinner table earlier in the week. “What made you ask that? I asked him. “Well, you like to write about nature, and fishing is a ‘naturey’ thing.” he replied. I smiled and said “You’ve got that right. I really like your idea! Fishing it is.” After all, we were planning on heading to the cabin in a few days – the place where I learned to fish when I was a little girl. The perfect spot to get me in the fishing frame-of-mind. Cabin As soon as we arrived at the cabin this evening, my family piled onto the old pontoon. My husband pushed the pontoon away from the dock, my daughter scooted onto my lap, settling in to drive the pontoon to our favorite fishing spot, and my son was busy setting up his line already. While my daughter steered the boat out of Cabin Bay (an endearing name given by my children), she commented on the shoreline just four doors down from our cabin “Look at their perfect shoreline! They have a tree hanging over the water which is perfect for bass.” That’s my little fishergirl. Tonight I’ve decided that I’m not going to fish. Instead, I’m going to start this fishing story that my son has requested – a story that I’m excited to write as fishing has been an important part of my family for many generations. In fact, my great-great-grandparents depended on fish to help sustain them, as they were farmers that were the second generation removed from Sweden, and had very little money. In the words of my great-grandfather: In the early spring before the ice was off the lake, we put our long gill nets in. We had two, I think. They were 30 feet long which gave us 60 feet of gill nets. My father and I would walk down to the lake about four in the afternoon, row out to the edge of the ice, and row slowly along the edge as the net was laid out. Sometimes we had fish to bring home with us at once. The next morning we picked off all the fish in the nets, sometimes as much as half a gunnysack full. It was always a cold job, but rewarding. These fish, mostly northern and sunfish, were all delicious coming from the ice cold water. I loved to walk along the shore wearing knee boots and shoot fish. If I shot above the water the concussion would stun the fish and they would turn up and be picked up. We shot two one day, one weighed 19 ½ pounds – another 14 pounds. This was illegal, but the game warden never bothered anyone till after World War I, when they tightened up on us. After that, we never put out the nets, but I continued to shoot fish. This was only possible when the fish were spawning and swimming in the meadows at high water. They would lay their eggs in the low meadows then go back to the deep lake, but I shot lots of big fish in season. Fishing wasn’t isolated to early spring. My great-grandfather continued: Victor Erickson and I would also spear fish in the night late in the fall. Using a gasoline torch, we could see the bottom of the lake and easily spear any fish that showed; one man rowing the boat backwards, the other standing at the stern where the light was with the spear ready to stab. Back In The Day Gone are the days of using nets and spears for fishing in my family. Our typical outing requires a rod with hook and bobber, and a tin of wax worms, a container of leeches, or a bucket of night crawlers that the kids collect after the sun goes down. Growing up, my parents or grandparents would take the children out in the old Lund or Alumacraft boats, and we would drop a line somewhere along the shore of the cabin lake. Sunfish, crappies, perch, northern, walleye, and largemouth bass were the typical species that were pulled out of the water, but dogfish, sheephead, bullhead, and carp would surprise us on occasion. I remember the excitement of seeing the bobber go down, the competitions my family used to have to see who could get the biggest or most fish, and watching wildlife as the sun went down in the evening (although, back then I didn’t realize the importance of this). As we sit on the pontoon, I ask the kids what makes fishing fun for them. My daughter simply says “I like to catch the fish.” My son replies “I like to watch the bobber start to go under, and I love not knowing if the fish is big or small, or what type of fish it is.” Neither of them commented on the wildlife around them, but my daughter admired the beautiful sunset, and my son was watching birds fly about. Immersed in their surroundings. The Fishing Experience As I look around me I see the sugar maples starting to turn hues of yellow, orange, and red on this late-September day. Majestic white pines are sparse among the maple trees, but they tower over all others – dark green with soft, long needles. Wild rice along the shoreline has started to turn autumn brown, but the arrowhead plants are still a bright green. The day has been unusually warm, gracing us with temperatures in the mid-80’s. A light breeze blows from the south – warm for the most part, but cool when the gusts lift off the cold water.  The dog is lying in her favorite spot on the front deck of the pontoon. My husband and children are quiet – entranced by casting, waiting, reeling, and casting again. Wood ducks startle and fly out of nearby cattails, a sharp-shinned hawk flies overhead, and the rough squawking