Day 48. Gone fishing

I think the first people to take me fishing were the Genet's. They were another family that were friends

Gina's parents and ours. I think they may have all met bowling or something. Anyway - they lived a little further away than most of the people I knew in Cudahy. Their land included a bunch of green houses where they would grow flowers, bushes, trees and vegetable plants. It was the largest backyard I ever saw, at least at that point in my life. 

They had four girls, Pam, Beth, Debbie and Cindy. The youngest, Cindy, was very much ahead of her time. She had so many allergies that she had to wear a mask all the time! They drew a dog face on it to make her feel better and would actually call and talk to her like she was a dog. 

Now, don't get too concerned about Cindy, she really did like it since it made her feel better. Pam was my age - or close to it. All the girls had long hair that Mrs. Genet would braid each morning.

I slept over night at their house a number of times. I remember they had a two story home, but the top floor, where the bedrooms were, didn't have any heat and not much insulation. I think they were in the process of fixing it up - which felt like it was taking forever. Their home was as close as I had ever come to a farm house.

Anyway, they invited us to go up north with them to the land that they owned. Karen (who babysat for them all the time), Judy and I went along, I think Ginny and Gary escaped with Mr. C on a bike trip. The property was near a lake and we were going to go fishing and cook it up for supper. I had no idea what 'up north' was but it was exciting to think about sleeping in a tent and cooking over an open fire. That may have been the first time we did that too.

My dad didn't like camping - said he had done enough of that in the war, but was happy to allow us to go along. Now since I had never camped before I had no idea what to expect. I guess it was too much to think that they'd actually have tents. Nope, we were to sleep in the back of the van that we drove up to the lake. There weren't any seats in the back so we just sat on the floor with the blankets, supplies and food in the middle. There was a can that they brought up for a bathroom - it was the first sign we had that this wasn't going to be a normal trip. For the time sitting on the floor in the back of a van wasn't too rare - seatbelts and air bags were many years away - and car seats? Nope, not than anyone, except Cindy would have qualified for one.

We finally got 'up north' which I couldn't tell you were it was - just that it was in the middle of the woods somewhere, I think I remember seeing a scene like this on 'Criminal Minds'. It was indeed near a lake and we spent most of the day fishing. I found out how to put the worm on the hook myself, and set the bobber in the water until it went down. My fish kept eating the hook, but Mr. Genet said it was ok and would yank it out and throw the fish in a bucket. I felt bad for the fish - I mean that had to hurt to have a hook pulled out of your stomach. I was assured that fish didn't feel anything. Now that I'm older I know that isn't true.

We caught so many panfish, sunfish mostly, they were so pretty. I hadn't thought about it before we had them in the bucket, but eating what we caught meant we had to kill the pretty fish.

When we were done fishing we put on our swimming suits and enjoyed the water - it was a hot day and the water was welcoming. Mrs. Genet gave us shampoo and soap and we cleaned up right in the lake. Karen, Judy and I, being strong swimmers made it out to an island in the middle of the lake.

While we swam, Mr. Genet started a fire and Mrs. Genet cooked up the fish we caught by laying them across a rack and they began to cook. After they were charred enough they put the fish on trays and handed the to each of us. It was staring at me. I tried to cut it up to eat it but it smelled like m goldfish tank and every time I put a piece in my mouth I bit into bones. I threw it out hoping they didn't see. I was so hungry, but not enough to eat anymore fish.

We sat around the fire until the mosquito's got too over baring and then headed into the van to sleep. But that wasn't going to be easy. Four people maybe could fit in the back of the van, and we had eight. We were so tired that we fell asleep quickly.

Then it happened

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Came a the blood curtailing scream

GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!

I woke up and realized there was something crawling on me - if felt really light like a spider, but I couldn't see it - it was too dark.

Mr. Genet pumped the fuel and lit the two net like things to start up the lantern. That's when we saw it, to our horror we discovered what the crawly feeling was - tics! 

I did not know what tics were until that moment and we spent most of the night pulling them off of each other. Mr. Genet would use his cigarette to burn and kill them since you couldn't squish them like a regular bug. These things were tough.

Sometimes they would embed, and then Mr. Genet would use his cigarette to burn them off of you. We kept an eye on each other all night long so we could catch them before they dug in.

I remember one crawling right across Karen's face it was right out of a horror movie! Poor Cindy was covered in them! They said it was because of her allergies, that her body temperature was higher than the rest of us so they were attracted to her. I did what I could to cool myself down - I didn't want any more of them on me, if I could help it. 

(note - I am getting itchy remembering this night - it was not a fun time)

The next morning we made another fire and Mrs. Genet cooked - nope not fish - bacon and eggs. If you've never smelled bacon and eggs cooking over an open fire, you have to do it at least once this summer. It is an amazing smell! I couldn't wait - I was so hungry and tired!

Bacon and eggs over an open fire will always be my favorite memory of that trip!

We swam for a while more, then packed up and headed back home. We were all on tic watch all the way home - pulling them off and burning them whenever we discovered one. We are so lucky deer tics weren't a thing then because I am certain one, if not all, of us would have ended up with Lyme's disease.

After they dropped us off, Karen, Judy and I stripped down and did a thorough check, finding a few more and burning them off (we used a match, not a cigarette).

It was many years before we went camping again, I mean, we did still make tents in our backyard, but the thought of going 'up north' again was not an appealing idea. 

At least when you camp in your backyard you know you can go in and use a real bathroom and find something besides fish to eat. And, if you are lucky, you won't have to battle tics!

We remained friends with the Genet's until my dad remarried. I often wonder what happened to the family. I remember going to check out the house a few years back. It no longer stands and the land that had held the greenhouses is now a subdivision.

To this day I do not eat fish - ok I have an allergy - but even if I didn't, I wouldn't eat them. The smell of cooking fish takes me right back to the sunfish looking back at me from my dinner plate and my appetite is immediately gone.