Children, Fishing and Art

To me, there's nothing more delicious than the sight of a little one outside, soaking up the sun and soaking up life.  I get major heart eyes for a good shot of my little guy fishing.

When I had the opportunity to have a painting created from one of these images by an artist I adore, I jumped.  Kendall is so very talented and I have to resist the urge to buy pretty much every single happy floral painting she creates.  When she mentioned that she wanted to work on a series of paintings of children earlier this year, I got in touch with her immediately.

I couldn't be any happier with how the piece turned out.

You can check out Kendall's work here.

I had a custom floating frame made through one of my favorite Etsy shops*.

*affiliate link

Stuck up a Creek

We intended to spend a couple hours on the water and to catch a fish or two, if we were lucky.

This guy had been waiting eagerly for the day he could could give his new cast net a try, so the cruise started with a little instruction.  He loved every second and, one way or another, we managed to collect a little bait.

We headed up the river to a familiar creek.  We fished for a bit, but when the fish weren't biting, we decided to move further into the creek.  We got to having fun.  The little one talked non-stop about this and that.  A friendly creek resident rode in on his kayak and we chatted with him for a while.  We talked about staying just a few more minutes and then heading out before the tide got too low.

Whelp... we waited just a few minutes too many.

The good news - we had everything we could possibly need.  Snacks, water, extra clothes, sunscreen and music.  The better news - the three of us were there together, and even though I had a list of chores planned for the afternoon, there was nothing that could be done.  So, we decided to enjoy it.

It was perfect, not being able to get anywhere even if we'd had somewhere we needed to be.  Fishing unsuccessfully, catching a random crab, thinking, looking, talking and just breathing.  We had all the luck.

Before we knew it, the tide rolled back in and we rolled back out of the creek.


Sources
Kid-sized cast net - Hadrell's Point
Kid's trucker hat - oldie but goodie from Field and Stream
Head buff - this one was a freebie from this year's i5k bag, but we have a few of these too
Hatley trunks and rashguard - Amazon
Kid's fishing net - Sewee Outpost

affiliate links

SEWE 2017

Some say that a "day date" isn't as significant or special as a traditional evening-time date.  I say, the day date is absolutely underrated, especially if you're a parent.  Take the day off of work, drop the little one off at school, and set off on a several hour adventure!

The annual Southeastern Wildlife Expo (SEWE) kicked off today and the weather in Charleston is unseasonably warm.  Perfect day date scenario.

Many artists and craftspeople bring their work to SEWE to show and sell.  So many interesting and beautiful things to look at and appreciate.  Here were a few of my favorite -

These handsome belt buckles are by Red Fish Brand and were part of a display by Grady Ervin & Co.  Also, how cool is the old tackle box they are displayed in?

I've been following Chic Verte on the social medias since SEWE last year.  The oyster shell necklaces are so pretty up close.  I may just have to go back and buy one tomorrow.  The are so very lowcountry, especially in the winter months.

Landrum Tables has been a favorite of mine for a while, but this Fly Rod table is such a unique piece.  My husband would love to have a setup like this one.

Aside from the art, jewelry and whatnot, SEWE also includes lectures, demos & shows.  Today, we caught a fly fishing demo with John Irwin from Charleston Angler.  Stay tuned for an upcoming posts with some of the tips that John shared.

Sunday update -

It just wouldn't be SEWE without catching a bit of the dock dogs competition.  The summer-like day in February made it fun to get right up close.

Periwinkle Snails and Secret Spots

We went for a leisurely jaunt on the water last Sunday afternoon.  Tried to catch fish, but didn't.  Tried to clear our heads, and did.  After not catching any fish, we piddled back to the ramp.  Piddling along on the water is the best.  For a little while, we feel like we don't have anywhere we need to be or anything we need to get done.  Like we live the simple life.

We collected a few periwinkle snails.  I read an article a while back about how these snails are killing the marsh grass.  I'm not sure about that.  Anyway, I am amused by watching them crawl along the side of the boat, trying to find their way back to the water.  My little one is amused by plucking them from the boat and tossing them back in the brackish water.

He asks me if we eat snails.  No.  Some people do, but not us.  Do fish eat snails?  I don't think so.  Who eats snails?  Birds eat snails.

He tosses the rest in, watching each one splash. 

We also stumbled on a fun little spot that we hadn't seen before.  Kind of a mystery why these bridges are here.

A complete mystery, until we found this abandoned structure.  I wanted to hop out and explore but after being reminded that there could be snakes, staying on the boat sounded like much better option.

This could have been someone's simple life.

No Wake Zone Sign on Reclaimed Wood

I knew I wanted to find a wide sign to hang in my sons bathroom, but couldn't find anything quite right so decided to make one.  We spend a lot of time on the water and the bathroom has a bit of a coastal, watery theme.  One of the signs we often see on the water is the 'No Wake Zone' sign and I thought that was perfect.

We ordered a piece of reclaimed wood from our reclaimed wood guy.

It's white washed, but has some good character.  It actually came from a barn, but looks the markings make it look like it could have been exposed to wind and salt water.

I used a projector and traced letters onto the wood.  You could also use stencils or even free hand it if you're super talented or going for a very casual look.

I painted the letters with acrylic paint in midnight blue.  I love midnight because it has just a hint of green and grey.

It think it works perfectly in the bathroom.

Some of the character of the board, close up.

By the way, you can take a look at the entire bathroom before & after here.

Flats Fishing for Redfish

There is something about the heat of the summer in the lowcountry.  Something that forces you to slow down.  To relax.  To unwind.

There is something about being on the water in the heat of the summer in the lowcountry that takes the relaxing and unwinding to another level.  Worries wash away and what really matters becomes so clear.

We went out on the water to do a little fishing last week.  Flats fishing for redfish.

The fish swim up through the marsh grass in the brackish water at high tide in search of Fiddler crabs to eat.  The thing that makes this kind of fishing so fun is spotting the tailing redfish (when they swim so close to the surface of the water you can see their spotted tails).

Spotting Fiddler crabs like this one is a sign that reds are in the area.

You can fish from the boat or you can wade through the water which sometimes helps because you can avoid spooking the fish out with the motor or the boat.

Like with any fishing, you may have to move from spot to spot if you aren't having any luck.  Check out different hard bottom grassy spots, even look near an oyster bar.

And, while spotting and catching something may be fun, the time spent together on the water beats almost anything else.