Sabbatical -- Day 45: Noah's Arc

August 9

I went back to the Kentucky Horse Park to fish today. I started at the pond in front of Alltech Arena and though it was full of water and a large audience of Canadian Geese, I wasn't able to manage hardly a bite over 45 minutes. I packed up and went back to the Rolex pond.

Upon arrival at the area I fished the day before I was greeted by a young man about 9 or 10 years old. He asked me if I had any luck. I told him I was just getting underway. He threw his line out and let it find the bottom and then he ambled over to me and began to talk. We talked about what we were fishing for, what bait we were using and so on.

He went back to his spot, reeled in his line and I realized he was using a very large spincasting reel. The kind you use when you expect to cast a long way and catch a large fish. He checked his bait. It was gone. He was using chicken liver and trying to catch a catfish. All his bait was gone. I offered him some night crawlers. He expertly put the worm on the hook, swung the large reel and pole behind him and let the bait and sinkers arc high and long out into the middle of the pond. A very good cast.

Shortly, his mother, Angelique, came by in a golf cart. She asked Noah if he was doing ok, and he said yes, but he was out of chicken liver. I told Angelique he was welcome to share my bait. They were from New Orleans and Noah's sister was competing at the Horse Park in Show Jumping.

Noah and I fished the whole afternoon together. I caught a couple of really nice catfish. He caught a nice one too. He had an ice bucket and the three catfish filled the bucket and looked enough to make a good snack for the family at their RV that night.

People. People you meet on sabbatical. Pay attention. Listen to their stories. Noah told me about fishing in the swamp. How he had seen a gator eat a fish being reeled in. He had good stories. Fish stories.

It was good to meet him. It was good to fish with him. I hope his sister did well. He said she'd scored a 45 or something. I have no clue what that means. Angelique was comfortable with her young son fishing alone, and then with a stranger he met on the shore. She popped in every once in a while to check on him. It was a really good afternoon with Noah.

People. Pay attention. Listen to their stories.

Peace and Love,
Jerry