Here's a couple more pictures from the stream. Joe's 14" brookie cooperated when we didn't bring our camera, of course. We at least took these photos with Joe's cell phone. Dead fish pictures just don't do it justice.
Last week I used a fraction of our rhubarb plants to make pies. The unique tang of rhubarb is a taste of summer... for me at least.
And on Sunday we each caught a nice brook trout. Joe got a trophy brookie, 14" and 2 lb! Mine looks small in comparison. But after missing a couple of nice fish, I was determined to hook this respectable 10" brookie. Guess what? My small fish tasted better! 
Thinking of all our father figures on this Father's Day, we went fishing on Apple Creek this morning. It was too breezy, changing weathers, for fish to be cooperative. After one major snag (where I almost lost a brand-new lure), I caught a nice brookie, my first keeper of the season. Appropriately enough, out of the hole where Joe's dad used to hook quite a few big trout.
Pink lady's slippers were blooming here and there along our walk. We also managed to bring home a couple of ticks as well. 'T is the season.
We spent a busy but wonderful weekend in Chicago/Milwaukee for Joe's youngest sister Catherine's graduation. She is now a Doctor! It was also quite an adventure: Surviving the Big City with Joe's mom and family!
Just imagine all six of us going places in the Big City, driving and parking a huge Chevy Avalanche. Joe was so glad that he didn't have to be the driver in the city. None of us would have survived.
Next day before heading for Milwaukee, we got to enjoy the Botanical Garden, through English garden to Japanese garden, desert plants to tropical. 
Every place we visited, we couldn't possibly have enough time. Still, we wouldn't have traded this very adventure for anything else. It was priceless to be there for Catherine's graduation, knowing that she will make a wonderful doctor.
Finally! We got to go out fishing Apple Creek this Sunday. The water has started to warm up, as the air temps climbed up. In fact, it reached almost 90 this weekend. A mosquito weather! The trout stream was even more lovelier than I remembered... after the long cold winter. 
And Joe caught a very nice 21" steelhead, weighed 3 lb. That was exciting! 
Of course, it was super fresh and tasty. A perfect way to start our "real" trout season (5 weeks after the season actually opened). Cheers to fishing!
Yes, you are looking at the pictures of our back hill, currently covered with some fresh wet snow. Our weather guys were predicting snow this week, specifically for Friday. It started snowing this afternoon... and kept on coming. Trees and grounds turned white. I was glad that I still had my snow brush in my car. I had to use it when I was leaving work. Only yesterday I enjoyed hanging bed sheets outside in the sun.
So far we had picked ONE morel mushroom this season. It was last Saturday when we were out and about, we checked Joe's usual spots. Now it's even more doubtful that mushrooms are up this weekend. 
Finally yesterday I got my ramen noodle bowls that I had ordered from Japan. I'm excited to have other noodle dishes in these perfect bowls.
Also yesterday Joe came home with some freshly caught smelts. He cleaned them and fried up for our (mostly for me) after-dinner snack.
They were nice and crispy, good to the tails. A taste of spring! 
