Lightning and thunder and hail, oh my!!  Well, I get to mark a couple other "firsts" off my list with yesterdays adventures.  Weather likes to fool ya up here.  Chris marked our map, we left the dock, beautiful bluebird skies with fluffy white clouds.  We motored about 10 minutes, found a bay that was supposed to be good for small mouth and pike.  Heard a rumble.  Turned around and there were some darker clouds a good piece away.  Kept on fishing.  Rumbled again but this time it sounded closer.  Yeppers, the darker clouds were now getting closer and getting darker.  On with my rain pants.  Kept on fishing.  Started sprinkling, then got harder.  Since it was close to lunch time we headed in.  Ate, rain passed and off we go again with beautiful bluebird skies and fluffy white clouds.  We were out for about 30 minutes - what was that, rumbling again?!?!  Turned around - oh wow - purple-black-gray clouds that stretched almost across the entire horizon.  On with the entire rain suit - Jer said it was going to pass.  I disagreed with him but he said - "look, there is no rain in the part that is going to pass over us.  We will be in the middle of those two big storms." 10 minutes later, I looked around and I could see the rain coming across the lake.  "Naw, it will be just a sprinkle he said."  Ok, I had my rain suit on so I was ready.   Here it came - started out as a sprinkle, then got harder and harder to the point he put his rain suit on.  I've seen enough of those colored skies to know it could get ugly and it could get ugly real quick.  So I asked him - "what are we going to do if it starts hailing".  He told me to put the floatation cushion over my head.  About 5 minutes passed and CRRRAACCKK - big bolt of lightning.  I looked up at him and said  -  "Jerry, don't you ever do this to me again."   The words had no more left my mouth and it started hailing - pea size but none the less, it was hailing.  That lasted about 5 minutes, light rain and then it was over.  The air was so fresh smelling - pine and fir scent. (Lynn and mom, reminded me of our trip to Muir Woods).  Bluebird skies and fluffy white clouds again.  I caught a pike on a small mouth lure and a small mouth on a pike spoon!  Jerry - nothing, hehehe.  Then the wind started picking up.  Still, bluebird sky with fluffy white clouds.  We moved around a bit - nothing was biting what we were throwing.  Little bit more wind.  Then a little bit more.  The boat was really rocking.  It was hurricane force winds and swells of 10 to 15 feet.  Okay, okay - it was 17mph with gust up to 29 and the swells were about 2 feet but in that boat!!!  We had had enough so we headed in.  What a joy ride - it was like being at the amusement park.  Docked the boat at the cabin, got everything in and Jerry took it over to main dock to charge.  He had no more returned and it started raining again.  Gheez, did I come all this way to enjoy the rain we weren't getting in AR?  Anyway, I had thawed out some ground beef just in case - you always have to have a backup plan, right?  So, I got to mark off my list -  catching a pike and being in a boat in a hailstorm.  Oh, and I have decided that I will wear my rain suit the remainder of the trip - I'll be prepared if it rains and if it doesn't, maybe I'll sweat off some weight!

This morning we checked the score from the Hogs/Gamecocks game last night - WOOOOOPIG.  It was 2 to 1 but we had more runs than they did at the end of the game.  We play again on Thursday at 8.  We were up a little early since Jerry went on guided fish trip this morn.  He was about to leave when a seaplane arrived.  There is a group here that flew to a remote lake for 3 days.  I'm sorry but this is remote enough for me.  We do have running water - can't drink it unless you boil for one minute or have a pump filter like we do.  So, while he is fishing, I'm going to "pump" some water.  And the facilities.  They are inside but they are composting toilets - no flushing.  Lots better than a porta-potty.  We add a cup of peat moss each evening as we are going to bed.  I can't wait to hear about his fish stories and hopefully cook some fish for lunch.  More to come later.