This afternoon, my younger son and I fished Burnett's Pond in Savoy State Forest
Although Burnett's has been the site of many of my fondest ice fishing adventures, it is tough to fish from shore and has been relatively disappointing the few times I have fished it during open water season. But it's a quiet, scenic spot, and my son was interested in catching "anything but trout" so what the heck.
Sunny. blue skies, 80 degrees with a light breeze.
The fishing was not terribly productive - - we each caught a half dozen dink perch (biggest about 8") - - but I did have the pleasure of doing my first open water cookout.
I brought my fire bowl (which I usually bring ice fishing) and cooked lunch over a wood fire.
On the menu: diced turkey and vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery, green chilis, olives and tomatoes) sauteed in olive oil and homemade wine (a dandelion, peach, pear and sumac blend) with a salad on the side, the rest of the wine for a beverage for me (my son had to content himself with a thermos of milk) and an apple for dessert.
While we were fishing, I discovered some bushes with ripe service berries (a/k/a june berries or shad berries) and picked about 5 pounds worth. There are the first ones I have come across in about 15 years, and I'm excited because they make pretty good wine (sort of blue berry flavored with a slightly nutty undertone).
The culinary experience continued this evening. Yesterday, while I was down in the Springfield area, I picked up some camel patties at Arnold's Meats in Chicopee, and tonight my wife was kind enough to cook up some camel burgers (only the second time we've tried it), along with corn on the cob and a tomato and bread crumb casserole.