I was informed that my ex-wife husband's children would be coming to Alaska for five weeks to visit. He will interact with not only his children, but with me and mine while his are here as well. I discussed this with my ex, and told her that what is past is past, but now we all need to focus on the children and make sure that everyone has a great time. 

His children live in Alabama and this is all so very new to them. They are with their dad for the first time in 18 months, and will be able to re-visit my children as well. I would like this to be a great experience for them and my children as well. They are now stepsisters, so a good bonding would help.

My ex-wife, her husband, and myself had decided and made plans for a day of fishing together with all these little girls. My girls are educated on how things work up here in Alaska. His are not, which shouldn't be expected., but they are getting the hang of things.

I had the opportunity to meet them but they were shy, as one would expect. We met again down on the river to get ready for a day of fishing together. Their father needed some help in the process of learning to fish in Alaska and his wife had asked me to help in that area.  I did because it would show the children that we could get along even though we were no longer married, but also show that we simply wanted them to have a great time!

We met at the river and had an amazingly fantastic day! He caught on to how to read what was happening around him and figured out how to see the fish move in the water! I had the first hook up, but my fly hit the dorsal fin, which told me I was too high. He proceeded after a tangle in his line to start hooking into fish. 

What I really wanted to do for him was to help him show his girls how good he was and what a great dad he was. It has been a long time since they have been with him. I felt it was my job to teach him something new that would make them think he was just amazing. I think we all accomplished that.  I had the opportunity to watch his children jump up and down when their daddy caught a fish! At one time, I heard all the girls yelling, "Daddy has a fish" and realized that we both had a fish on and I knew that everyone was cheering for both of us!

We lost fish and caught fish and lost some more, but it was great. I even went to my ex and told her to go out and fish and I would sit with the four girls and their baby sister. She wasn't sure at first, but I said go and she did. I knew she wanted to have some fun too! She knows how to fish! She has out-fished many of my friends before! She has gone down on the river while I watched the girls and come back with her limit and the others only have 1 or 2.

She is a flyfisher woman and she can prove it. I know because I have stood right next to her and have seen it. And she can fillet like no other. In fact, she is willing to show how good she can do it! She, on this day, hooked into some but they got off the hook, yet we all had a great time.

I took time to show my oldest how to fly fish and was told a group was coming through, so I went out, hook on one and had my oldest reel it in with her mother helping her while I was working the line to get it in.

We ended the day with all of us eating PB&Js (thanks Matt, but you left the crust on!) at 6pm..ish and calling it lunch!

I called my ex after the day was done and we all were finally home. I told her that I thought that everything was really great and how well it all really worked out, and she agreed!

She told me that the day was great and we both felt that this never would have been able to happen had we not had three adults with five children to make this come true. I told her that this never would have been able to happen if the three adults couldn't have worked together!

This day was for the children and for two children that have never been to Alaska and for all these children that got to spend spend time with each other! A different and new time together. And all of them being with all of us!

Pretty cool actually!

I forgot that another bonus was that all the parents got to fish!

Doug