14 Sep - Fishing at Post Lake, Lunch at Greg & Diane's

 

Diane, Doreen and Greg

It was a great day here at Antigo WI.  The morning started out with Greg, his buddy Bob and me heading north of Antigo to Post Lake.  There is a dam and a spillway where we have fished in previous years.

This is a beautiful area, especially this time of the year.  Across the way was a Blue Heron checking us out.  

Bob split off and fished the boat ramp while Greg and I headed to the spillway.  There was another person fishing there but there is plenty of room for the three of us.  Greg tried crappie minnows and I tried crawlers.  The fish were biting quickly and on nearly every cast, but they were all small ones.  I hauled in a dozen bluegills and a bass, and Greg caught some crappies.  

We did not keep any of them due to their size.  Bob was using leeches and was catching smallmouth bass but, again, no keepers.  So we headed back to Greg's house for Bloody Mary's before lunch.  Diane had driven to the campground and picked up Doreen so they were waiting for us when we returned.  Doreen brought our Horseradish-infused Vodka we bought north of Traverse City and Bloody Mary's were served, garnished with Vodka-infused olives, homemade dill pickles, dilled green beans and dilled green cherry tomatoes!  

Diane made some delicious lasagna along with salad and garlic bread.  Dessert was cherry cake with whipped cream topping.  We also had a shot of Mackinac fudge liqueur to top it off!  After dinner our Maine stories continued and we laughed and laughed.  We were so young back then with a newborn (Michelle) and our sheepdog (Fonzi). 

Greg in about 1975 with a little Fonzi.  Our antenna field can be seen in the distance and Greg's garden right behind him!

So, backing up just a bit.  I mentioned we met in northern Maine, I mean to tell you we were way the heck up there, in what they call "the County" - Aroostook County Maine. 

We were assigned to Loring Air Force Base but we worked at a high frequency radio transmitter site off-base between Loring and Caribou Maine.  The single guys lived in the barracks on base.  Doreen and I had what we remember as about a 200 sq ft apartment in Caribou.  It was likely bigger than that but each time we tell the story it gets smaller!!  We were all in the same boat there.  With a few exceptions, most were single except Doreen and I who were newly-wed's at 18 years old!  We were all very young. We were all living paycheck to paycheck.  So needless to say we made the most of our time there, and we had some really GREAT times, snow and all!  

The entrance to our transmitter site building,  Typical snow for up there!

The friends we made there are friends for life.  We saw one of them on this trip in Georgia - Brad Herren.  We saw another one in Ohio - Ernie Reid.  And of course here we are seeing Greg and Diane.  We have stayed in touch with many of our friends there and quite a few attended Michelle's wedding in 2000.  

Hammy, Ed Doreen and Greg at pregnant Doreen's 20th birthday party!

So when we get together now it is like we never were apart.  We get caught up on the events of our families, and the "war stories" start!  There are usually a few beers involved and the laughing starts and never ends.  Oh, what a blast.  We so look forward to seeing our great friends from Maine as often as we can.  Fishing with Greg here is not about the fish!  It is about getting together again, enjoying something we love to do and having a great time together!

Tomorrow we are going to load up Greg's boat and head to Moose Lake to give it a go there.