Lessons on Science, a real fish story

There is an old joke about those who love to fish stretching the size of their catch. Many a six inch pan fish has turned into the catch of a life time by the time the story of the catch is related. This afternoon, I had a different kind of fish story and there is no need to stretch anything about it.
The story here is the bonding between a nephew and an uncle, separated for most of the prior's life by the continental United States and half the Pacific Ocean.
When my nephew moved to North Carolina from Hawaii a few weeks back one of his first requests was to go fishing with Uncle Tom so "He can put a worm on my hook." His young mind remembers me doing so now nearly a year ago on another return trip.
This afternoon we didn't have worms so a piece of hot dog sufficed. Last year we caught a nice size catfish,  so big I had to spend all afternoon fighting it to get it in the boat. Well,  maybe a little fish story there. Sunday, no fish story was needed, the only thing we caught were warm rays of the North Carolina sun.
It was far from a wasted afternoon. I learned that "Uncle Tom I know more than you do because I am a scientist." That little bit of genius came after I put my hand in my pocket and brought it out with a hook in it. I guess a five year old scientist has enough training not to do such a thing.
The five year old scientist said hot dogs are human food, not fish food and that is why we didn't catch anything. Just as good a reason as any I suppose.
Today marked the third Sunday in a row I have spent making up for lost time with my nephew. I am looking forward to finding some fish food and giving it another shot in the near future. Last weekend, said scientist showed me around the natural history museum. There we had to briefly mourn a black widow spider in an exhibit who had passed, we chased butterflies and got a few lessons about dinosaurs. Prior to that the lesson was the difference between the sea gulls and ducks that now battle for attention at the local recreational park.
 It was another great way to spend Sunday afternoon. I look forward to many more. I have a lot of science to learn.