Hazel and Leah were friends, neighbors, fisherwomen and my grandmothers.
My mother's parents, Omer and Hazel, bought a small resort in Michigan on Little Platt Lake in January 1948 and named it Buckeye Resort. There were 9 cabins and a small store. My granddad worked on the boats and would take people out fishing while my grandmother and mother would mind the store and cabins. My father's parents, Casey and Leah, lived next door.
On a chilly May morning during trout season, Hazel shouted across to Leah to see if she wanted to go out fishing. Leah, always eager for any reason not to be in the house, agreed. They gathered their gear and met at the resort’s boathouse. Hazel pulled the cord on the Johnson motor and the flat-bottomed rowboat puttered away from the dock. They were headed across the lake behind the point. My mother watched them go and then started her day’s work.
She happened to be standing on the dock several hours later when they pulled back in. She reached down for the anchor rope and hauled the boat up on the ground. Both women were excited, talking over each other; they had had a good day of fishing. In addition to the mess of perch and sunnies, Hazel had caught an enormous brown trout. They were giggling like schoolgirls. On the way back across the lake, they had made plans for a big fish fry for both families and they would invite the Lillys from across the road. Leah offered to have it at her house. While making their plans, they decided to take the fish over to the Benzie County Record to see if it was record-breaking. Both Hazel and Leah had their pictures taken with the trout. But the paper got mixed up and only printed Leah’s picture with the trout and she got the public credit for catching it. That is the picture you see. I, would have been hopping mad.
In the end, 3 families had a wonderful fish fry with fried potatoes, baked beans and salad and no doubt there was dessert of some kind, knowing my grandmothers.
Odd, how things work out. What are the interesting stories in your family?
3 comments:
I love that she is wearing earrings. Do you look like her?
Joann
LOL. I hadn't noticed the earrings--but if you are going to possibly be in the paper, you gotta dress up, right? I do take after that side of the family. I look more like my Aunt Betty.
Wow! That's quite a trout. I think it would have been difficult for me to handle catching credit given to someone else too.
Marvin @ Nature in the Ozarks
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