That's not a fish!

Dave and Nedra bought Hat Creek some time in the distant past and did their best to make it a haven for their kids, a fount of inspiration for projects, a place to fish for amazing trout, and a legacy to pass on to future generations.

One of the best features of this property is that it is also a place for kids to learn skills, build character, and show their true colors.

With this thought in mind I want to also mention that the creek running through the property is fairly deep, filled with snow melt, and fast running. All of these factors lead to constant cautions to the kids to not fall into the creek, and, because kids will be kids, nearly every one has fallen into the creek at some point in time. One of my early experiences there was during a summer several years ago when multiple sisters, and their kids were up for a long weekend. While we visited, worked on tasks and enjoyed the weather, the kids had good clean fun by playing with rusty objects, looking for things to shoot, fishing, and for a very young Jacob, falling into the creek. He was of course supervised by his cousins Zach and Justin, but it only takes a moment for a small person to trip down the bank which Jacob did causing a panicked call for help by Justin and a lightning quick dive into the creek to fish Jacob out by Zach. What floored me though was how the Dawson sisters perked at the first sound out of Justin's mouth and the ability of Trish (Who stands at a towering 5' 1 and half) to cover the 80 yards or so to the creek in roughly four seconds, in sandals. (Easily outdistancing me by several yards even though I have well over a foot on her). Zach was able to fish Jacob out quickly and we got him warmed up with a good scare, but it was one of the first times I saw the solidarity that the entire family had for each other. Good job Trish for breaking the laws of physics, good job Justin for knowing when to call for help, and good job Zach for showing no fear as he plunged in after his young cousin.