A sculpture by the lake.

Eventually I go back to my swimming partner and get my camera because after this day I want to build a little sculpture to signify the day properly.

Along the shore

So I swim along the shore for about 100 meters feeding small groups of fish as I go along my way. This is fun because it's like they are expecting me. Eventually I find a group of stickle backed fish and they are only the size of small smelts. Easy pray for any bird or duck. They gather all around my knees but one to my surprise swims up right to my face and is looking at me directly. It was such a breath taking moment. I guess there is always a brave if not fool hearty one among every bunch of creatures. But it stays there longer than I can hold my breath so i must surface. I quickly grab a breath of air and return back under only to see it swimming away further under the water where the other hangout about 10 feet under by the Lakes floor.

Favorite sitting Place

So as I was saying, I went up to Trout Lake and immediately went to my sheltered little spot to take in the view. It's so beautiful here with the tranquility and the view. Plus the water is shallow here and warm. Very small fish play at my feet and I encourage them by not moving. Eventually my swimming partner Byron Ayanoglu will swimm down the way and I will join him. So I joined him and I was thinking I wonder if the fish know that I am here ? I always signal with the rock pounding but I also wonder if any other sign clearly represents me and what I am there for. So I am swimming with Byron and about a minute goes by and I feel something bite my mole on my back. Just like the way the fish always did particularly in this lake. I thought it couldn't be and then a few seconds later another bite and I am truly surprised because I am always looking for another sign of our unique friendship. Another bite from the fish so I tell Byron about this and swimm in the few meters to the shore and sure enough a group of fish are there playfully catching my eye and swimming around me. Do they know if I have the sausage ? Well I whip it out and sure enough about 50 fish are around me of three different varieties. They are all on the small size but big enough to perhaps remember the earlier 3 years I fed them here. I squish up the sausage into small pieces and sweep it around the area. I wait calmly and before long some settles on me and they are then eating it off my body from chest to toe. The sensation is great.

Scenic day at the Lake

Today I was up north visiting Trout Lake: I didn't know what to expect but I bought some frozen sausages from a Breakfast Restaurant. I got three sausages for 2.50.

Last official open day of Casino Beach.

Today is the last day that Casino beach officially is open for the public. I have now spent over 4 years coming to this beach. Now that my first place of fish contact is fenced off and impossible to go there, I have moved my feeding and petting spot to the other side of the pond. I would have to say after spending so much time doing this, that when I just swim in any body of water all fish seem friendlier to me. I really am not sure how much further I should go with this relationship anyway. I do know in late fall they drain part of pond making the entire swimming area unavailable because there is no water in it. The fish leave as well to better winter living grounds. I was down there in mid November but all fish have dissappeared. Even after I have banged rocks together repeatedly. Mind you I only waited 10 minutes. It might take as much as a half hour for them to come back to that spot from where ever they are.

I have been trying to get the fish to show me something or to reveal something to me that only they can do. I take the mysticism of Jesus and the Fish. I take the legends of mermaids and mermen plus other fish/human history and ask the fish to produce something for me that only they can offer and one must be true at heart. I actually have had more luck communicating with Cows having grown up on a farm in Maine.. Plus the eight years I spend documenting Cows in India with many amazing stories to be told.

The other side of the Pond.

Now that my regular place to feed the fish has been fenced off I have had to move to the far side of the pond nearly 500 feet away. I arrived and immediately started banging my rocks together and found all the small ones immediately came over as they remember me and the whole process of feeding them. Then My other larger fish from the my favorite place soon came over. I was allowed to touch them and that pleased me. I see that they get excited when they see the plastic bag because they understand that means more food. Today I let the big brown trout have alot of the Hotdog. he ate nearly two hotdogs himself. At one point I gave him half a hot dog which he swallowed totally. he immediately came back for more too. So I started chewing up the Hotdogs in my mouth into small pieces them throw them over a wide area so everyone gets some. Other wise the trout just chases the smaller fish away and they stay away as well until I do this. The carp and trout do not seem to be competitive towards each other. Instead they just leave each other alone.

The Fish like Chicken Hotdogs

Much to my surprise the fish love the Chicken Hotdog. They also get excited when they see the plastic bag come out that contains other Hotdogs. The gladly nibble from it while in my hand. or rather take a big bite and can eat quite a large amount of Hotdog pieces.