Bennett Spring Trout stream

The only Brown Trout I caught

Stu with a fish on

Very beautiful here at Bennett Spring!

Nice Trout

Bernie having fun

Stream at Bennett Spring

Grandma Tippy playing with Florence

Alex watching everyone

Florence walking Alex

Florence enjoying a cheese cracker

Ticklish?

John & Florence enjoying first carbonated drink

Where's Waldo?

Well if you looked at a map of the US you would find us in the center east part of Oklahoma in a small town called Checotah. We spent four days at the Bennett Spring State Park outside of Lebanon, MO where we met my friend Bernie Egan from Illinois. Bernie and I met on the Internet while I was trying to find fishing information for Thunder Bay, Ontario. We fished together last summer while we were in Thunder Bay and had a great time. We had another great time at Bennett Spring fishing for trout in the stream that emanates from the spring in the park. They stock the stream every day based on the number of fishing tags issued for that day, 2.5 fish for every tag purchased. We learned a lot about this fishery and I learned a couple of new techniques as well.

Bernie brought some rib-eye steaks which we grilled one night, we had walleye which I caught in North Dakota the second evening, and Bernie made a delicious chicken breast dish for our last night, mmmm good! Bernie is going to try to make a visit to Texas next spring and I really look forward to that. He will bring some wood for me to make bowls and other stuff - he brought some wonderful Red Oak to me at Bennett Spring.

We did a quick overnight in Joplin, MO on Friday, August 29Th, and we will spend three days here in Checotah before heading for Tyler, TX on Tuesday, September 2ND. We were without Internet in Bennett Spring so we have been out of touch for a while. We are now looking forward to getting home, at least for a while. We will stock up on food while in Tyler and get home early on Thursday, September 4Th. We have some appointments - dentist & doctor - and then we will head for Fredricksburg and Kerrville for about three weeks for an Alfa Rally, a visit to Kerrville, and then back to Fredricksburg for Oktoberfest the first weekend of October.

I will try to get some pictures posted of Florence and our fishing trip alter today. Be safe.