LAST NIGHT WAS A NIGHT THAT NO ONE WILL FORGET! JOLINE, BUCKY AND SUSIE HONORED JAKE'S GRADUATION ACCOMPLISHMENT WITH AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENING AT THE WAGGONER RANCH!
A WEEK OR SO AGO, JOLINE CALLED ME TO SEE WHAT DAY WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE US COME OUT FOR A GRADUATION PARTY FOR JAKE. SHE SAID THAT HE COULD INVITE 3 FRIENDS FOR AN EVENING OF FISHING ON SANTA ROSA LAKE, A COOKOUT AND THEN A DIP IN THEIR POOL AT THE ZACAWEISTA HEADQUARTERS. WE DECIDED ON THE DATE AND THAT'S WHEN THEIR EXCITEMENT STARTED TO BUILD!
AT POCO BUENO'S GRAVE (FAMOUS WAGGONER STUD) BEFORE WE HEADED TO BUCKY AND JOLINE'S
WE ARRIVED OUT THERE AROUND 6:30 TO FIND THE HUMMER/HUNTING-RIG DELUXE READY TO LOAD ITS PASSENGERS AND HEAD OUT TO THE LAKE. 
EVERYONE GOT BRIEFED ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT RULES AND BOUNDARIES - PRIZES WOULD BE AWARDED FOR THE FIRST FISH CAUGHT, THE BIGGEST FISH AND THE BIGGEST STRINGER OF FISH! EVERYONE GRABBED A COLD DRINK, AND A CHAIR, BAITED THEIR HOOKS AND THEY WERE OFF!
LANCE, THE COWBOY!
JARROD, BEGINNER'S LUCK FISHERMAN!
FIRST FISH CAUGHT!
JAKE - CATCHIN' BABIES!
HAVING A GAME WARDEN THERE WAS HELPFUL AND KEPT EVERYONE LEGAL WITH THE TOURNAMENT LAWS...
DANG....ANOTHER BABY!
CUTE CORY!!!
ZACK - OUT ON THE POINT TRYIN' TO HOOK THE ILLUSIVE 10 POUNDER!
SERIOUS SUSIE!
LOOK MOM...I CAUGHT ONE!
OK, GUYS - I THINK I'M IN THE LEAD NOW!
A black water snake came from no where and swam right smack in front of where everyone was fishing - headed straight for Jarrod and Lance! That's when the high pitched screaming and pole-droppin' began! Jake ran over, grabbed it by the tail and slung it right into one of the chairs, letting go as it turned and tried to bite him on the hand ...the guys went scattering and screaming like girls! It was total hysteria and mass confusion! The snake "slithered for its life" off into the swampy brushy area. Blood pressures dropped, pulses resumed normal and the fishing challenge was back underway. Lance had an uncanny way of bank-floppin' every fish he hooked...(His strong arms and determination with "rope" has certainly paid off, as he is a buckle and saddle winnin', rough and tough, High School Rodeo Cowboy Champ!)The problem was, he would jerk so hard on the pole and line, that the fish would go airborne and sail through the atmosphere until it hit the end of the line and then it would drop, SMACK to the ground. On this particular occasion,Lance, clad in his camo swimsuit, and flipflops, walked back behind him where the fish lay at the edge of the swampy grass. It only took a split moment of time before we heard these blood curdling screams and saw flipflops flying through the air as he tried to "git the heck outta Dodge"...his fish had landed right next to that watersnake that was nicely coiled up under a clump of swamp grass. It was the funniest sight I have ever seen! Big ol' tough cowboy screaming like a banchee over a non-venomous water snake that was trying to mind his own business! Zack, of course, took off after it - knee-deep in the swamp, grabbed it several times and tried to sling it back into the grassy area. As he slung it for the last time, he got bit and the blood ran fast! Lance, by this time, while witnessing this "Steve Irwin" Snake Extravaganza/Wild Kingdom Live, was clear across the picnic area...still screaming, "What's wrong with that kid? Tell him to stop!" We were laughing so hard we could hardly stand up! Everyone was doubled over with tears in their eyes! Zack finally caught it by the head, ran over to Lance and tried to convince him to hold it...through many minutes of life threatening commands, Lance finally calmed himself down to at least get a photo of himself "near" the snake...don't let Lance's cute smile fool you...His eyes were nearly rolled back in his head from fear!
AS THE SUN WENT DOWN, THE TOURNAMENT ENDED...CHECK OUT THE STRINGERS! WHAT A MOTLEY CREW!!!! (I am somewhat concerned about Lance....he may need some kind of therapy after all of this!)
JOLINE AND SUSIE PREPARED A FEAST ON A BEAUTIFUL BANQUET TABLE! GRILLED SAUSAGES, BEANS, CHILI, CORN CASSEROLE AND A DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE SHEET- CAKE! IT WAS MAGNIFICENT! CAMO PLATES AND NAPKINS, DEER ANTLERS, VOTIVE CANDLES AND GREENERY MADE FOR A PICTURE PERFECT SPREAD!
THE AWARDS CEREMONY BEGAN AFTER A SCRUMPTIOUS SUPPER. BUCKY WAS THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES AND JOLINE WAS HIS BEAUTIFUL ASSISTANT. "FIRST FISH CAUGHT" AWARD WENT TO JARROD. "BIGGEST FISH" AWARD WENT TO CORY AND FOR "THE BIGGEST STRINGER CAUGHT" AWARD, A SERIOUS ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS GAME WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR. JARROD CAME OUT ON TOP AND WON THE BIGGEST STRINGER AWARD.
TERRIFIC GIFTS WERE GIVEN FOR THE 3 CATEGORIES OF AWARDS!
ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS!
EACH PARTICIPANT WAS GIVEN THE FISHING POLE THAT THEY USED AS A FINAL PRIZE. JAKE WAS HONORED WITH A GIFT OF A BIG, STRONG LOCK-BOX TO STORE HIS BELONGINGS IN AT COLLEGE! IT WILL COME IN VERY HANDY...PERFECT IDEA!!!
JARROD'S GOT THE CHIPPENDALE LOOK...CORY IS TRYING TO STAND WITH SEXY CLASS AND LANCE IS WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER HE LOOKS FAT! THEY ARE HYSTERICAL!
AFTER THE AWARDS CEREMONY, THEY RELEASED THEIR FISH BACK INTO THE LAKE AND LOADED UP INTO THE HUMMER TO JOURNEY BACK TO THE HEADQUARTERS TO TAKE A DIP IN BUCKY AND JOLINE'S GORGEOUS POOL!
IT WAS AN AMAZING, PRICELESS MEMORY THAT WILL NEVER EVER BE FORGOTTEN!
THANK YOU BUCKY, JOLINE AND SUSIE!
IT WAS SPECTACULAR!
Well, it was time for a change and since it was a beautiful Sunday and we had 3 young fella's baptized in the horse trough baptismal this morning, it called for a "newness" to my profile pic. Again, Zack was hired as the photographer for the photo shoot, and again, he produced some good ones...
