Storytime

Misadventures in Ice Fishing

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Every Winter I say to myself: “I should share this story on my blog”, but then Winter passes and I forget. Well it just turned Spring and there is still a little bit of snow on the ground in Colorado so I am giving myself permission to go ahead and share it now instead of waiting until next Winter (smile)…

If you are new to this blog let me give you a little bit of background to the story I am about the share. I am a widow and my husband John is a widower. We were each together with our late partners, who both passed in 2018, for over 30 years (I was with my late husband Terry since I was 20 years old). John and I met in 2019 when I left Bend, Oregon and moved to Denver, Colorado to try and start a new life after my devastating loss.

John and I have each lived quite a bit of life before we met each other and one of the fun parts of getting to know each other has been sharing our life stories. In this post I am sharing one of my favorite stories John has shared.

Misadventures in Ice Fishing

Years ago John and his brother-in-law went ice fishing in Deckers, Colorado. (If you’ve never heard of “ice fishing”, I put a hyperlink above for more information).

Photo by Glenna Haug on Unsplash

It was a 10 degree F day (-12 C) and when they were done fishing, they went walking across the frozen river to get back to his brother-in-law’s truck which was a mile away. While traversing the frozen river, the ICE BROKE near the shore, and they fell into the icy river. They pulled themselves out of icy river and shivering they agreed that no matter what they would keep walking and not stop until they got the the truck (if they stopped they could become hypothermic and run into life threatening issues).

Photo by Bryan Rodriguez on Unsplash

They had to walk close to a mile to the truck feeling like they were freezing to death. When they got to the truck they started the truck, stripped down to their underwear to get the freezing cold clothes off their skin, and threw their wet clothes into the back of truck.

Driving back to John’s brother-in-law’s house and running the heat in the truck at full blast, suddenly they saw law enforcement lights behind them, it was a Colorado State Trooper following them and signaling for them to pull over.

Image credit: Colorado State Patrol

So there they were in only their underwear, two middle aged men on 10 degree F day (-12 C) driving around in a pickup truck, and a Colorado State Trooper is pulling them over! There was nothing to do but pull over to the side of the road and face the State Trooper!

When the State Trooper walked up to the passenger side of the truck and saw the two men in just their underwear he did a double take. John and his brother-in-law immediately said to the State Trooper: “This isn’t what it looks like, he is my brother-in-law”. Then they went on to explain what had happened after they went ice fishing, the breaking of the ice and fall into the river, and why they were only in their underwear.

The State Trooper (who was probably trying his best to keep a serious face) said: “The reason why I pulled you over is there were clothes flying out of the back of your pickup truck onto the highway”. The State Trooper didn’t give them a ticket and let them just continue on their way home to get warm (and get some clothes on).

If only they had thought to put the wet clothes in a more secure place they wouldn’t have given the State Trooper a story he probably still tells to this day!

Postscript

To my dog Mike, my late husband Terry was his whole world.

One of the very sad things that happened when my husband Terry died was that he passed suddenly at home while alone with our dog Mike the Miniature Schnauzer. Mike had to be with Terry’s body for a couple hours before I came home to discover him.

I thought Mike would be traumatized for the rest of his brief dog life and I tried to give him all the love I could after Terry died while dealing with my terrible grief and my trauma of finding the love of my life dead on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

I remember taking Mike on walks after Terry died and every time Mike would see a man in the distance walking towards us, he would wag his tail and think it might be Terry joining us. It was unbelievably heart-breaking.

Then I met John after moving to Colorado and Mike (who is a “guy’s dog”) completely fell in love with John and I think John healed Mike’s heart.

Here is a photo that always makes me smile – Mike all snuggled to the new love of his life – John:

Feature photo Photo by Bryan Rodriguez on Unsplash

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Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

38 thoughts on “Misadventures in Ice Fishing”

  1. Okay, now I have the sniffles after reading the PS. : )

    Still, “it’s not what it looks like, he’s my brother-in-law” should win the Funniest Blog Line of the Year Award (if there was one).

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I had to read John’s story to my husband, who laughed out loud (he ice fishes). I’m still smiling as I type this comment. The postscript makes my heart break a little, for both you and Mike, but it sure has a happy ending. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Wow, I didn’t know that first story, but am so glad Mike was able to find another love in his life…just like you! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Omgosh what a great story!! of course the one time you drive around in your underwear you get pulled over LOL 😂😂😂
    That hug/snuggle with Mike & John is just priceless ❤❤❤

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I am glad the two men kept their underwear on! it must of been tempting to take off wet underwear as well! What a funny story! As for the second story, sorry about your loss. I lost my husband one and a half year go and I know how it feels. I wish I could move to a different town to start over, but I have a job here and won’t be getting another one at my age. Cutest dog!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh yes! It would have been a bit more uncomfortable with the State Trooper!!!! Thanks so much and I am so sorry for your loss, I did not realize you were a widow also.
      I was lucky that I could take my job and move it with me as I was a telecommuter, I would have made different decisions if I could not. But it is has been hard changing towns and I have yet to settle into Colorado but it is beautiful! Mike the dog says thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Denver was the last trip I took with my late husband, May 2022. We loved it so much that I looked for entomologists jobs there when we returned to CA. Soon after he got ill and died within four months. It turns out that Denver’s altitude was what set the ball rolling for him. Beautiful state, I would love to photograph in the rockies.

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  11. It’s a tribute to both of them that they survived. It’s unlike to ever happen here (no ice fishing in Australia), but in the unlikely event, they’d have had doggo’s duvet and quilt from the back seat to snuggle in. I’m so glad you both found each other, and that Mike loves his new dad so much. As a late starter myself, it’s a wonder when you find your person, first or last. We celebrate our 11th anniversary today.

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      1. We do actually have quite a few ski resorts in Victoria and New South Wales, but I’m not sure there are any lakes or rivers that freeze hard or long enough to allow ice fishing. There’s quite an extensive Wikipedia page on ‘Skiing in Australia’.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Tierney, thank you for sharing your stories of love, loss, and love again for both of you. I’m sorry you lost Terry when you did and for the shock of finding him with Mike. It’s such a sad story. It’s amazing that you and John have so many things in common, that you found yourself when you did, and that he’s meant so much to Mike. You’re a remarkable woman. I wish I could give you a heartfelt hug.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. One story made me laugh, and the other brought a tear to my eye and a gentle smile. I am sure you can work out which story did what. Thanks for sharing both, Tierney. xx

    Liked by 1 person

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