Getting There.

 Some progress is being made in DBQ but we won't be in by Sept 1

 We're fired up about the progress in the kitchen.  With beautiful hickory cabinets in and counter tops in their proper place we are one step closer

 

 I mounted the spare on the nose of the bus which gets it out of the back to open up more storage.

 So, it's getting there

 Joan and Mart are back home.  We headed across the river to Savanah IL to ride bikes and catch up on what's been going on.

 We biked S. on a nice paved trail that runs all the way to the 

Quad Cities.  Through river bottom forests, sand prairies with cactus growing and Mississippi back water marshes full of migratory birds.

At the Depot Susie found a brochure for the chocolate trail.  Who knows how long it will be before we get there.

It Still Beats Going To Work,

Downed trees and rain might detour some guys from getting out on a Monday morning but when you know your heading back to school this week, you get on the water and go.

 We fished some new water that both of us had heard stories of smallies.  With Jace in the stern and me in the bow of his 17' alumacraft.  We were on the water by 7:30 am.

 I'm happy to say, I was the first to hook into a fish, a walleye.  But when I went for my net to land it.  I was hooked on Jace's hook and with all the fumbling the fish got off.  As you can tell by the look on my face, I wasn't all that fired up about Jace catching "MY" walleye  just moments later.

 I did catch several smallies and later landed a nice walleye but it went back in the creek as I tried to put it in the cooler.  Somethings just aren't meant to be.

 Later that morning the sun came out,  we dried out and had a great adventure on some new water.

My Days Are Numbered

 School starts back up next week so I've been trying to get a little stream time in each day.

 Fish on

And this time I actually landed one.

 Thursday evening I took this lovely lady out to the mill for a nigh on the town.

 To see this guy again... Dylan Doyal

 But look who else we saw.  Ronbo was in the house from across the big river.  Bonus 

 Friday I biked out to the tube with Brother Steve and Loren.

 The ride out is always an adventure with a few more trees down from the last time Mart and I biked out.

 Life lessons out on the river.  Pelicans in the back ground.

 Lesson one one.  Presentation.

Whopper!

Last night we hit the VOICES block party to celebrate the new murals in down town DBQ.

MIDNIGHT RAMBLE.

 We made camp at the end of the gravel bed that was deposited after last weeks flooding

 Not too close and not to far from the stream.

 First cast an eight inch smalli

 heck, the creek chub was even larger.

 Jace didn't bring a pole but the itch got the best of him and he rigged this up

 Veggies and venison.  Add a shot of Willard's for a little heat.

 Jace made a new drummer friend

 It really wasn't much of a show.

 But the "midnight ramble" made it all worth wile 

Jamie took the stage at the end of the night.

South Fork

Jace and I kayaked the South fork from the Sullivan access down to Canton 

 Jace gave  me a lesson on walleye fishing...  I didn't learn much,

No fish for this guy but it was nice being the only folks out on the river on a Wednesday

Take a Peak.

I stopped by the log yard to see some of the slabs that Ryan has been harvesting.

 then a run by Jim's to grab some seed tators

 The modified Blitgen hive has a viewing window to peak into,

 Jace and I took a peak in to the beer cavern

 Look at those cave crickets, 

 Beer Niche. 

Watch your step.

BEE Branch

 Our friend Cindy had the lead in the production of Gypsy up in DBQ

 Then we hooked up with Greg and Val to tour the BEE branch project

 Greg and I at the catch basin

Look at that!