This is such an interesting business....you never know who you might meet that in your wildest dreams, you can't imagine that you would share connections. Because of my line of work, I've met countless strangers....or so I thought. One of my recent guests came down to breakfast a little exasperated. She told me that she'd had to help her son who had been in an auto accident the day before. A deer hit his pickup truck, but thankfully, her son was OK. As we talked she said, "You won't believe what my son does for a living."
My curiosity beckoned a response, "What does your son do for a living?"
She said, "He's a professional fisherman."
I don't pretend to know much about fishing, but I was genuinely curious, so I asked the next question. Where does he do this?"
Her reply, "Lake Norman, but he used to have a TV show."
Now I was truly engaged. I said, "What's his name?"
She said, "Ty Mathis."
That name rang a bell. My brother, Andy, loves to fish and has a house on Lake Norman. Several years ago, as we were celebrating his 40th birthday at his lake house, a truck pulled into the driveway - one that Andy recognized. He turned to me and said, "Get your camera and come with me."
I saw my duty and I done it.
I had no idea what I was about to see, but Andy knew more than he was willing to reveal. That's his MO. He loves the element of surprise. As the excitement rose, out hopped this guy who was all excited about what he had in the back of his pickup truck. My brother knew what it was, but I didn't. Andy told me to get ready as he introduced his friend Ty. Not wanting to prolong the suspense, this guy, Ty, walked to the back of the truck and proceeded to pull out two HUGE fish, fish he'd caught in Lake Norman.
What a horrifying thought to know I'd been in the same water with these monsters! These fish were enormous! It wasn't natural.
Well, I got the picture to prove it, and I framed it. It now sits in one of my guest rooms - The Lodge, naturally.
So, I told my guest that she should go into the lodge to see the picture I had on display. Could it possibly be her son?
The answer, "YES!"
He's the one on the right.
