And then there was ice

Stopped out to Lake Washington before work today.

I figured there would be a few good ice-fishing communities scattered across the lake, which there was between first and second point.

The parking lot next to Westwood Marina Bar & Grill wasn't as full as we'll see it in coming weeks, but still, 30 to 40 vehicles were parked at the water's edge.

I estimated probably 90 percent of the houses on the lake were portables, but a few people were gearing up to move their permanent houses onto the lake.

Two guys gearing up for an afternoon of fishing were kind enough to give me a quick ice report.

They fished Friday on the lake and found ice as deep as 12 inches and as thin as 9 inches. One of them caught a five-pound northern and the other was a little more tight-lipped about the fishing.

I saw a few ATVs traveling on the lake, but no trucks or cars.

The two men I was talking with both recalled one person who drove a Ford Explorer out Friday, the ice cracking as he moved to a fishing spot.

I'm not sold on vehicles on the lake yet, especially SUV/truck type vehicles. But 9 to 12 inches of ice on Washington tells me most area lakes, especially the shallower bays, are good to go for fishing.

And if nothing else, you can always follow the Rule of 21. Find 20 houses and make it 21. Good luck.

My love hate with Christmas

I used to love Christmas. And then I hated it.

Now I love Christmas again.

My first love with the holiday, of course, was as a child. My family had enough, but we didn't have a lot. But somehow, on Christmas, my mom made sure we felt like the richest kids in the world.

Her love, of course, was all us children needed. But my mom had a knack for compiling loads of presents for her five children. And somehow, we never really stopped to think where all this once-a-year wealth came from.

In college, I worked at K-Mart. Let me say, if you've never worked in retail but you're an avid shopper, give those workers a break. Sure, every job has its less-than-productive workers, and those workers can be a headache for shoppers, but a lot of good people are just trying to make a wage, or put themselves through college.

Retail is ugly, and dealing with holidays could be painful. At the ol' Mart, we'd start receiving Christmas products as early as August. The shelves would often go up a day or two after Halloween, and then there was the working Black Friday thing.

For a deal, people are crazy. And often the holiday spirit seemed lost on shoppers — it was always about the deal, the deal, the DEAL.

So I hated Christmas for a very long time. Much longer than my time spent in retail. And I started to realize that other than a few items here and there, I don't need a whole lot. Gifts are nice, but only if they are useful.

And my mom, of course, still wants to spoil us within her means, which always makes me feel a bit guilty — I tell her to get me fishing lures, which makes us both feel better.

People, it seems, get greedy when Christmas rolls around. They aren't greedy because they are bad people; I think sometimes the holiday and knowing of potential gifts clouds why we celebrate the season.

My son is getting older now, and he's starting to fall into the Santa/present excitement. His excitement has become my excitement, and now I love Christmas again. Funny how that works.

And since my first outing on the ice usually doesn't come until after Christmas with my brother-in-laws, I'll just enjoy his anxiety as he counts down the days until Christmas.

"Is it Christmas yet, Daddy?"
"No, Ty, 11 more days."

Holding up six fingers, "This many, Daddy?"
"Close, Ty, close."

Merry Christmas!