In my last entry, I asked people to consider various scenarios wherein a guy like me could end up with a black eye while spending 18 days in the peace and serenity of Raystown Lake in central PA. Thanks to all who took the time to comment and offer feedback – you added a great deal of levity and joy to our conversations in recent days.
Congratulations to Gramps McCoy, Gabe Kish, Carol Giffi, Dan Durkin, Dani Anderson, and Marge Freeman who all selected the correct answer…#6, the tale of woe involving my stumbling through the cabin of the Blue Gill in a desperate effort to get the big fish that I know is waiting for me here at Raystown. Here’s the story…
The Blue Gill is 44 feet long. You can see a floor plan by clicking here. My faithful and loving wife had arrived with a couple of beautiful steaks to put on the grill. We had a nice little spot picked out in a cove near James Creek. For a map of the lake, click here. The water at the stern of the boat was about 18 feet deep, with a sandy bottom. I put a few chicken livers on the rods and set them at the stern. The grill and table are at the bow, where the water was only six inches deep. No problem – I could see the rods perfectly when I sat at the table – a scant 38 feet away with a straight shot down the cabin of the Blue Gill. No sooner had I sat down to this delicious, rare, piece of beef than the rod started to dance – I mean to tell you, I thought it was going over the side. Something BIG had a hold of the chicken liver.

My nephew Ryan, a world-class skier and the author of the story involving my Brad Pitt-like alter ego
Without a thought to the dinner before me, I leapt to my feet and scrambled to save my catch. Unfortunately, the welcome mat just inside the cabin slid on the floor. To steady myself, I reached to grab the dining room chair…only to discover that the chair had casters. Who puts wheels on a chair on a boat??? The chair gave way, and my face crashed into the metal armrest. Meanwhile, my foot scraped across the threshold, my knee caught the table leg, and I went down, cursing myself and the rod that kept leaping as if to taunt me. As my glasses went flying and the blood started to flow, I crawled to the back door, only to discover…that a snapping turtle had taken the chicken liver, the hook, the sinker…and my pride.

Among the things that my niece, Amy, is learning from her Uncle Dave are 1) the importance of knowing how to bait your own hook and 2) that there's a reason we call it "fishing" and not "catching". Ah, the disappointment....
Most of the staff at the marina know me and my story. Do you know how embarrassing it is to walk into the bait shop every day and have a bunch of people asking you, “Hey, Dave, how’d you get that shiner?” and have to tell them that I slipped on the carpet chasing a turtle? How glad I am that my family gave me some other stories to spice things up. It would have been so much more interesting to have been in a fight or developed an alter ego. But I am who I am…an incurable fisherman who just keeps hoping and dreaming.
That reminded me of some conversations I had a with a very wise man once. My friend Art Parris – by that time, well into his 80’s – greeted me after church. When I asked him how he was doing, he said, “Dave, I think I’m in a real groove. Of course, at this point, it’s hard to tell whether I’m in a groove or in a rut. I mean, I might think I’m just cruising along, while you might think I’m hopelessly stuck…”
One of the gifts of Sabbatical is the ability to spend time in new ways. I may always be in the “rut” of needing to fish whenever I can, but I hope that I am able to invest these days in getting a new perspective of what it means to be a faithful friend, partner, pastor, and person.
This morning I got up at dawn and spent some time on the back deck of the Blue Gill (yes, there were chicken livers involved) reading Eugene Peterson’s Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ. In the chapters I read this morning, he was talking about the fact that so often we fail to notice the reality that surrounds us because we are simply too close to it. He quotes a poem by Robert Siegel called “Looking for Mt. Monadnock” (The Waters Under the Earth, Moscow, ID: Canon Press 2003). Listen:
We see the sign “Monadnock State Park”
As it flashes by, after a mile or two
decide to go back. “We can’t pass by Monadnock
without seeing it,” I say, turning around.
We head down the side road – “Monadnock Reality,”
“Monadnock Pottery,” “Monadnock Designs,”
but no Monadnock. Then the signs fall away –
nothing but trees and the darkening afternoon.
We don’t speak, pass a clearing, and you say,
“I think I saw it, or part of it – a bald rock?”
Miles and miles more. Finally I pull over
and we consult a map. “Monadnock’s right there.”
“Or just back a bit there.” But we should see it –
we’re practically on top of it.” And driving back
we look – trees, a flash of clearing, purple rock –
but we are, it seems, too close to see it:
It is here. We are on it. It is under us.
I hope that I never lose the ability or desire to drop a line in. And, frankly, I hope I never lose the intensity that makes me want to chase a jumping pole halfway across a houseboat. But I also hope that I never forget that God has placed me where I am, and that it is a good, good place. I hope that as I drive through the trees, I remember the forest.
So thanks for giving me a laugh with your stories about the black eye. And thanks for helping me to remember what is really important as we share the gifts of God.
I too chose # 6… Just did not get in time. I thought # 7 was a strong possibility too! It is good to learn that your passion has not dwindled. Hope that shiner doesn’t shine too “brightly”…
Dave
Dan returned from vacation yesterday and was refreshed by time away that was made rich in part by time spent with friends on a houseboat. I am so glad that this time away is providing you with adventure opportunity for reflection. Thanks for the bird pictures they are magnificent. Saw that you read the omnivores dilema. For me one of the most important books I’ve read in the last 5 years. Food, faith, and spirituality are so closely woven together. Let me recommend a quirky book for your consideration. 52 Loaves: One Mans Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and the Perfect Crust by William Alexander.
While your timer away has allowed occasion for broad smiles and black eyes, I trust that the broad smiles will be remembered longer.
Deep peace,
Ken White
Thanks, Ken, for the suggestion. I really, really enjoyed “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, and also “In Defense of Food”, the follow-up. My daughter has really gotten interested in the impact of diet on one’s self and the world; I have long enjoyed the idea of making a meal from scratch (like the final meal in “Dilemma” – fish that I caught, a salad that I grew, and a pie that I baked – that’s the perfect meal, so far as I’m concerned. Thanks for your insight and encouragement.
Blessings,
Dave
Dave
What a great way to spent time looking at the Sunrise at Raystown Lake. Thanks for sharing the picture. I will use it as a screen saver.
Stay safe
Joann
Thanks, Joann. I am glad that you like the picture. I am having a good time – hard to believe I have only one night left here! I miss you all.
See you soon,
Dave