The Pickup Family: August 2008

Cat Abuse!

Poor Jack...Being compliant doesn't pay off :) He got shaved down today. Normally you have to sedate cats to shave them, but he is so sweet, he kindly let us butcher his hair cut for the sake of less shedding and hairballs.

Matt showing off the fruits of his labor.

And the remnants of Jack on the ground.

Our relaxing trip to the ocean!

This past weekend, Matt and I were really needing a vacation and time for relaxation amidst all that was going on with us in North Carolina. So we traveled to Fernandina Beach, Florida and stayed with some friends. We spent the time at the beach and deep sea fishing.

On Saturday we went deep sea fishing. Matt planned this for me since I had been wanting to do this for quite some time. The water temperature of the ocean was 10 degrees below normal which didn't make fishing overly successful...and that is not just an excuse :)

You first start out fishing for the bait to be used to reel in the big fish! That was probably the most fun for us girls. You caught up to 5 fish at a time on one cast and they were all manageable. Once we hooked the bait fish, they were tossed in a basin of water to keep alive for bait. In the pictures you'll see a squid. We hooked about 5 of those. Quite impressive.

The trip was organized by Jared, a good friend of ours. We enjoyed the adventure with him and his wife, Carolina. Carolina caught a nice large snapper and reeled it in on her own.

Jared, below, with a nice grouper that after hours of fishing we were really glad to obtain.

Matt and I, on the other hand, didn't seem to reel in much of the big stuff. We specialized in sea bass. They actually became quite annoying by taking our fish and leaving no room for the snapper and grouper we were hoping for.

Matt did find his niche reeling in a barracuda. The teeth were quite daunting which is why the big hook had to be used to bring it into the boat.

The sunrise was utterly amazing. It really set the stage for a wonderful trip.

We had an outstanding trip that really helped us relax. We are so thankful for all those that helped make it possible.

The Wright Boat

The boys' favorite activity with their Cleveland cousins was boating. Because of the Reynolds' siblings fond memories of boating during their youth, Sue and family recently purchased a boat. This was their third outing with it, and we had SO MUCH FUN. We doubled up on the two-person tubes and even went water skiing (Mark still can slalom!)

At The Dude's House

Dude's front-yard hammock was a lot of fun for the cousins.

Jack and Jacky

Here is Nana's new cat Jacky, taken (or "adopted") from the city park. Jack enjoyed having a playmate for the week that Adam was at Turkey Hill camp. Jacky made himself at home very quickly, trying to win over the recalcitrant Stripes.