Maiden voyage of the SS Garfish

The boys really help out around the farm.  They have regular chores that they do everyday and everyone pitches in to take care of the animals and garden.  We couldn't do it without them.  Russ is in charge of the chickens and gathering the eggs and readying them for sale. He's also a backup milkman and can handle those duties in my or Tricia's absence.  Benjamin is in charge of watering the cows - an important and never ending job as lactating cows drink an astounding 25 - 50 gallons of water per day!

Speaking of water, this past week we purchased a canoe.  The boys have been interested in going fishing and spending lazy afternoons on the water.  We did a little research and shopping around and finally bought a 15.5 foot canoe that seats 3.  Let me tell you it fills up the back of Russ' pickup!

We were anxious to try it out so this morning we got up and worked hard to get the chores done in Olympic world record breaking time.  About four miles from our home is Bayou Nezpique (pronounced neh-Pee-kay) and is named for an Attakapas indian village that existed nearby back in 1791.  The word nezpique means "tatooed nose."  Thankfully, one must not tattoo your nose in order to canoe on this waterway.

In the photo above you can see the Captain and first mate, with no tattoos on their noses, preparing to christen the vessel we've named the SS Garfish.  Bayou Nezpique is a very slow moving body of water, bordered by bald cypress trees and tupelo gum trees draped with Spanish moss.  It's really scenic.  Below you can see an area we paddled into that had numerous cypress knees.  There was a breeze blowing and it was comfortable in the shade.

We saw all sorts of wildlife on the maiden voyage of the Garfish.  A mama raccoon had her young near the bank as we passed by.  We saw numerous Great Blue Heron and turtles and fish jumping.  Tricia was thankful that we didn't see alligators.  One thing we heard before we saw it is pictured below - a red-headed woodpecker was busy looking for insects in a tree.  You can see the red headed woodpecker on the tree that slants diagonally and all the pieces of wood that litter the water below it as it works away looking for lunch.

We weren't sure how we were going to do fishing today.  The store we went to was out of worms, so we bought a pack of 98 cent weiners to use as bait instead.  After reading the ingredient list, I think that bait is the only thing that these weiners can be used for anyway.  Another reason to grow your own food!  Below Benjamin puts on his game face as the intent angler anticipates his catch.

Just like the "River Monsters" TV show, Benjamin hoists up the first catch of the day - a blue cat!



Benjamin kept us in place by hanging onto a cypress trunk since we didn't have an anchor.  We all noted next time to bring a rope, an anchor, better bait, and some boat snacks.

In the photo below is a shot of Spanish Moss hanging from the canopy of a cypress tree.  It's actually not a moss but is in the bromeliad family.  Historically, the cajuns used it for insulation in their homes or to stuff mattresses.

A few other photos with captions:



Bayou Nezpique



An interesting watercraft sharing the bayou.



Nice shot with interesting trunk formations



The skipper and his first mate paddle us to the dock while I lounge in the bow of the boat.

 We deemed the SS Garfish a seaworthy vessel and although we only caught two catfish that were too small to eat, the scenery was nice and relaxing and we enjoyed our 3 hour tour.