It has been a delight to be home for two straight weeks. Absolutely fabulous. Granny and I got some rest. We got out on the ice to chase a few fish around. And we were home for the famous Birkebeiner Cross-country ski races. A four day event where some of the best cross-country skiers in the world compete in various different races including the long one of 53K.
During the Birkie, our tiny town of Hayward with its less than 3,000 population jumps to approximately 30,000. Some years up to 50 countries send competitors. This year was closer to 30 because it overlapped with the Olympics. What’s best for Granny and me, is that the finish line for all races is less than a mile from home. We walked to town and took in the racing thrills and all the fun of beer and brats to go with.
Monday we tackled the ice one more time. It was one of the cooler days of late and we ran into some snow. But fishing was excellent. We landed seven largemouth bass, two pike and one sizeable yellow perch. The largemouth in the photo choked down the hook so he made for excellent fish tacos last night. The rest of the fish we released so we can stick them with flies come summer!
That’s all for now. Today we head for Cedar Rapids, Iowa where I’ll be speaking and doing live artwork tomorrow through Sunday at the Hawkeye Fly Fishers annual get together. I did this show years back and it’s an absolute blast. That’s all I got!