Thursday, April 26, 2012

This isn't a recent picture. In fact, that's me on the right and my brother, Tad, in front. I'm guessing that this is 1975 or 1976. The reason I'm posting this is for the man in the middle, my grandfather, Merle Lawson. Merle taught me my love of fishing even though I got seasick on his boat, the Tracer. I got seasick a lot. He must have been an excellent teacher. He and his brother Mike started Lawson's Landing in 1956. For the record, the camping was almost an afterthought, as the Landing is named so as a fishing port. Mike was killed in a tractor accident in 1986. Mike's wife, Dolores, died last month. Merle passed away on Monday night. Merle loved to show new people how to fish and how to love fishing. He also loved to tell people where the fish were. He would call the other boats in on his bite, even though too many boats would make the fish quit biting. (I won't do that. Ever. I'll tell you later.) That spirit is what this report is about. When I look at this picture, I'm still that kid in the photo. Thanks, grandpa.

1 comment:

Nancy Vogler said...

Thank you, Willy, that's a wonderful tribute to your grandpa and he'd be pleased. He knew you and Tad were some of the best fishermen he produced. It sure hadn't ever worked with your mother and aunt! HA! Love you. Mom