"When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, 'Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?' He answered, 'If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.'" -- Jerry Lewis

"I want to know, have you ever seen the rain 

I want to know, have you ever seen the rain 

Comin down on a sunny day "

-CCR

Two canoeing expeditions for the big guy on Fathers Day.  One at our usual hole in the pouring rain.  Handy umbrella kept me dry during the paddle.  Second paddle in Deep Pond at sunset.  That was my first paddle on Deep Pond.  A few other canoes out there but plenty of room for all!

Awesome clouds but no fish.  Lots of minnows swimming around.

Lots of beautiful scenery.  Lily pads all over.  Mendon Ponds is quite a place.

A bit of Mendon Ponds history :

On June 1st 1928 the Monroe County Parks Commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors take options on 1400 acres of land surrounding the three ponds with a purchase price of $185,000. Following the approval by the Supervisors, work was started several months later with the widening and improvement of the three dirt roads that gave access to the one mile wide, two mile long tract. The Park Commissioners stated that the cleared farm land would be reforested, the ponds stocked with game fish, trails laid out through the hills for the benefit of hikers and horseback riders and that shelters and fireplaces would be built for picnickers and campers.

Monroe County Park Commissioners viewing 100 Acre Pond at the time of the initial
purchase of land for Mendon Ponds Park. (Photo June 1, 1928, Rochester Times Union.)

(taken from the "Crooked Lake Review", Fall 2007  by John Sheret)

And this wasn't any itsy bitsy spider...

Sunday night.  Quick drive to our local hole before nightfall.  Time is not on our side.  Big guy trying to get in his only chance for a weekend fish.  I'm there to catch some sunset photos.  Bring the water shoes,  the water is still low enough for an interesting walk on the rocks.  Put them on,,, searing pain,,,monster spider comes out of the shoe. Fang marks on my foot!   Benedryl.  Went back to the hole, hubby gave up the fishing pole and I caught 9 fish with a Royal Wulff.  (Blue Gills).

Son# 2 was worried about that big, black spider (thinking as always about his Mom).. googled the black creature on line and determined that I would still be able to make him dinner that night..  His trivia of the day: the only state in the country without poisonous spiders is Maine.  (We don't live in Maine)   Moral:  Always check your shoes for spiders if you leave them in the garage.