Today started EARLY… like 5:30 am early for fishing on Lake Guntersville. Lake Guntersville is beautiful lake – it’s a manmade lake created when the Tennessee Valley Authority damned up part of the Tennessee River.

We were trying to beat the rain, which we almost did… we cut our 4 hour fishing trip to 3 hours and 15 minutes… Captain John would have continued but we were wet and cold, and ready to head home.

It was a great day of fishing in spite of the rain!Capt John was great, especially with boys. They learned to use bait casters or spinners instead of the normal fishing poles that they were used to using.

Leo hooked a fish within about 10 minutes of us being on the water!And about 3 minutes later…Thank you God that they both caught at least 1 🙌 but Michael was on fire today – He caught 5 bass! (and he kissed every one 🤢)Leo had a bit of a dry spell after his first fish (see grumpy face below), but then he was catching them left and right too!We tried 4 different spots but nothing could help Mike and I catch even one fish 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️ oh well, as long as the boys did!

Michael and Leo loved zipping along on the boat in between the fishing spots, and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle my hair made as we went (you’ll see the final version later) 🥴

And then we watched as the rain rolled in… and it came in fast! We tried to outrun it but we just got soaked! We stayed under a bridge for about 15 minutes (learning some interesting things about Brian Canterbury 🤪🤦🏻‍♀️)

At this point, we only had about 45 left with Capt John, but honestly, we were done. So we headed back to the dock… in the rain… flying across the water. And as you can guess, Michael and Leo laughed their heads off 🤣😂🤣Capt John was a really great sport and was very patient with the boys. The boys said this was their favorite part of the trip (and they’ve said that about each day so far 🥰)We were soaked through by grinning from ear to earWe got back to the cabin, took very hot showers and ate lunch, and then headed into Guntersville to explore a bit. Guntersville is a really lovely town, and we got a great recommendation for dinner… at a gas station. No, seriously 😳🤨

Meanwhile, we got a text from Craig, the owner of the cabin we are renting, inviting boys to stop by the campground office if they want to see him throwing clay (putting clay on potters wheel) and maybe make something of their own. We did, and he showed them how to use a Potter’s wheel and gave us some clay to make their own ornaments at the cabin tonight. He also offered to take us to see a waterfall and salamanders near the cabin. We ran by his studio to see his pottery and get some tools for us to use when making our ornaments.

Now, his “studio” oh my! It is his in-laws old home and is FULL of stuff! Full to the point that the folks from American Pickers called him and asked him to send pictures so they can decide whether to come. (He’s still waiting to hear but I bet they come)

Keep in mind, there are at least 5 other barns that he owns in the property as well 😳. It was overwhelming but he was just so thoughtful and had some of the best stories! He was the federal attorney regarding land development in this area, taught land development at Auburn, audited a class on pottery, drafted land use blueprints for the government… he was just a really interesting person.

Anyway, after the studio tour, he took us to a natural waterfall on the property by the cabin. It runs all year long, never dries up and never changes temperatures. It was gorgeous! Craig even climbed down into the waterfall to catch salamanders for the boys! So yea, they think he’s awesome!!!He really was such a great host!

Side note: Seriously! Enough with the rain!!! Ugh! I feel like we have been on a cycle of dry to cold, to wet and cold, to warm and dry, to wet and cold to dry and warm all day long.

Anyway, we got dry (again), taking a little rest before dinner at the gas station. Mike and I decided to go ahead and make our ornaments. And Boys made theirs when we got home. It was so much fun designing these. We are leaving these here, and Craig is going to put them in kiln, paint and glaze, and then ship to us. I can’t wait to see the finished products! in meantime, Craig gave us an ornament to remember our trip ♥️

Now it’s time for the gas station dinner… this afternoon the guy at Guntersville Outfitters just swore that food was great, and worth the trip. And gave us the backstory: Guntersville girl whose parents own/operate the South Sauty Creek Gas Station, leaves Guntersville to attend Culinary school and work “up north” for a while. She doesn’t like the big city and decides to come home, but she still wants to be a chef. What do you do… open a fantastic restaurant inside the gas station, of course,and Homecoming Cafe and Country Store was born!I’ve eaten at the counter in drug stores and ice cream parlors but I’ve never been served a ribeye with béarnaise and hand cut fries, or a burger with homemade chili, or the best chicken tenders I’ve ever had with homemade mac & cheese! Seriously, have you ever eaten at a gas station where it looked like this? The food was delicious, and the boys loved getting to drink from mason jars! If you are ever near Guntersville, Alabama, it is so worth the trip!

We have absolutely loved these organic side trips that have developed on this trip. It’s been fun to not plan every detail and meal. We are headed home tomorrow with a vague idea of which roads we are taking, so who knows which roads… but I know I am ready to be at home with my “stuff” soon 🥰