"Home again, I like to be there when I can..."

Moodna Creek

It's not just a line from a Pink Floyd song....it's the title of this post.  I thought it would be appropriate. Last weekend while my wife and Isabella were at a regional baton twirling competition in PA (where Bella took two regional championships....Couldn't help putting that in, Daddy is very proud) Alina and I headed up my parents home for the weekend following work. It was a chance to do some visiting  give my Dad and Mom a hand with a few items around the house and do a little fishing.

Fishing was a little slow.  I worked my way up stream on Moodna Creek to a small tributary called Woodbury Creek. Both streams are essentially put and take streams with browns and rainbows stocked in March and April.  I was hoping that there would be something left hanging around.  I did manage to land a small small mouth bass on a Killer Bug.

This guy put the "small" in small mouth bass

 The only other catch was a very shy brown who didn't care to have his picture taken. Overall it was a pleasant day on the stream(s).  The most notable thing about today's outing was the first emergence of the 17 year cicadas.  The "droning" that thousands to millions of them make is hard to mistake that sound for anything else even after 17 years.  They were everywhere....on every plant, tree, and rock in sight.  It may be a little irritating to have to 2 inch long bugs bouncing into your face every minute or two but from a biological prospective, they make an impressive sight.

Sycamore on Woodbury Creek

 The other notable observation was a something I spotted in the woods about 20 yards from the stream and at least 75 yards from the nearest road.

Yes, that is a dumpster.  It's unfortunate that people will dump garbage in the woods but this is not something  that someone would/could drag to this location....not to mention that they had enough energy to smash the bottom into a tree.  Everybody remembers Sandy but before Sandy there was Irene.  Irene wreaked some serious havoc and there was terrible flooding all through the Hudson Valley up into the Adirondacks and New England.  More than likely that is how this dumpster wound up in that spot.

Alina along the Coxing Kill

One of my highlights from the weekend was having a chance to take my youngest daughter, Alina up to the Shawangunks for a little Daddy-Daughter hike along the Coxing Kill.  It's always been my favorite stream to walk along but it's even better with Daddy's little girl.  I don't think things get much better than being able to spend time with your children sharing the outdoors. There is definitely something to be said for going home.