So, Mr. Leckie has some cousins who have some land in the country, with a lake, and a barn with a stove and some bunk beds. They have a Labor Day BBQ/hanging out kind of thing. The kids were excited at the prospect of fishing, but when we arrived and Uncle Joe said Paidhi Boy might be allowed to drive the golf cart (the primary transportation between the barn and the lake), Paidhi Boy nearly lost his mind with joy. He spent the rest of the day hitting golf balls into the water, fishing, begging for another chance to drive up the hill (of course Uncle Joe said yes!), and floating in the lake with a lifejacket. Oh, and there was a rowboat, too.

Paidhi Girl spent the entire day, except for lunch, fishing off the dock with a stick and a string. And a package of hotdogs. We did bring worms, and she used them occasionally, but she essentially spent the entire day using hot dogs to pull fish out of the water at an astonishing rate. She does own an actual rod and reel, but has been obsessed with the whole stick and string setup for some time, and had been looking forward to this trip as primarily an opportunity to test its effectiveness. One of the fish she caught was a twelve inch bass. With her stick, string, and a bit of hot dog. Said bass was admired, photographed, and then returned to its home after some effort on my part--I had to lie stomach down on the dock with the fish in the water and gently untangle the freaking net from its jaws, but everyone managed to come out of the experience unhurt.

A few more photos--including the bass Paidhi Girl still hasn't stopped talking about--here.