The year was 2001, when a member fishing expedition on Club Lake was sadly cut short after said member hung their lure and line in the telephone wire above the lake, just off the Hummingbird Ln. bridge. For the last 19 years, that lure and fishing line saw it all, dangling in the air for all to see. It withstood hurricane force winds in storms like Ivan, in 2004, and it didn't even flinch at the blizzard like conditions it experienced a few times over the last 2 decades of winters. The fishing lure was making a statement to me; one, that it was comprised of 100 lb test and second, it wasn't going anywhere...it was here for the long haul. I could see the smirk on the face of the artificial minnow as it watched me drive by each time. Also for the last nineteen years, I've traversed that road many times a day. I figure I cross that bridge 3 times a day. In 19 years, less holiday and vacation time, I crossed that bridge 20,805 times. Each time I passed it, I couldn't ignore that mess hanging from the lone telephone line, above the water. It literally drove me nuts for 19 years because it was such an eyesore. I couldn't stand the look of it. It was as if there was no effort to take care of the finer details on the campus. However, I had no means to get to it and remove it. My telephone calls and emails to Northland Cable, Verizon/Frontier and others, turned up empty. Those companies struggle with trying to keep customers happy as is; let alone my fishing lure removal on their wire, which fell directly on deaf ears. Fast forward to today! The year is 2020 and people drive spaceships like the Jetson's.... OK, so that never came to fruition but it certainly was a new day- sunny for a change and some beneficial tree work going on, around campus. Without boring you with a play by play of all the fascinating details, My trusty assistant, Chad and I, borrowed a bucket truck from the Arborist.... Greenkeepers 1, Lures 0.
Our Arborist used a bucket truck with a 60' boom to reach the telephone line. The bottom 2 wires are cable and phone while the electric lines are 12'-15' above those. There was no danger in them getting to the lures.
Here it all is. It wasn't just one, but a total of 4!
This is the little guy I had eyes on! Look at the smirk on its face.
The lures make a great conversation piece, hanging on my bookshelf in the office.