ThanksGiving...on the Wrong Coast?

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Virginia with "extended family" at their second home on the shores of the Rappahannock river in the "Northern Neck" of Chesapeake Bay. Suffice it to says we ate lots of food, read books & magazines, hiked, watched lots of football, both college and the pros...overwhelmingly, did a lot of nothing......it was a perfect holiday.

Since we were surprise visitors for our friends' children, I did not have an option to check-out fly fishing opportunities available. I wanted to surprise my fly-fishng-fool "adopted" nephew with a guided trip on local waters...hoping we had a chance at in-shore Stripers.For sure, next year I'll bring some gear. This Large Mouth Bass was caught and released by Morgan Wells, a neighbor, it was encountered in a 10-12 acre pond a mile from where we stayed. The next day he got another one a bit smaller.

Here's a view from the back-deck, here we BBQ'd, had cocktails, read, relaxed and witnessed beautiful sunsets. The weather was perfect, in the 70's with mild breezes. We roasted hot-dogs and ate "smores" by the fire-pit in the evenings.

...of course we had to sample the local bounty; fresh oysters purchased from the local "waterman".

The "connection"; Karen and her long-time good buddy, Alston.

Our nephew (Alston's son), Ryan Johnson, Ally and their two children, Sage and Drake. The enclave  is called "Little Florida" because of similarities to the more southerly state.