​It seems that every time I go on vacation, I experience something out of the ordinary, and this year was no exception.

​My wife, Roxie, and I were in Red Wing, Minnesota, a beautiful, historic town nestled along the Mississippi River. We were enjoying a quiet evening in a city park, simply watching the boats and people go by from a bench along the riverbank. There weren’t many people around, so when a father and son approached, they quickly caught my attention. The son looked to be about 12, but it was the father’s unique activity that really fascinated me.

​He was holding a large net, unlike any I’d ever seen in person. It appeared to have weights on it, and it reminded me of the casting nets you see the disciples use in biblical stories. With practiced movements, he would roll the net up and then, with a powerful toss, cast it into the mighty Mississippi. With his son’s help, he would then pull the net back to shore. To my surprise, he would often catch a few fish, but instead of keeping them, he would throw them back. He repeated this process multiple times as they walked along the riverbank. It was a truly captivating sight, and something I’d never witnessed before.

​When they were directly in front of us, I couldn’t help but ask, “I’m not a fisherman, but is that legal?”

​He smiled and replied, “Yes, as long as you don’t keep the fish.”

​Just like that, I had another “only on vacation” story to add to my collection.

​That said, last year’s vacation provided the weirdest, or perhaps most unsettling, experience yet. We were at Itasca State Park when we saw a couple our age sitting on a park bench with a black Labrador. The woman was eating an ice cream waffle cone, and after a couple of licks, she let the dog have a few. To my shock, she then took another lick herself! She then handed the cone to her husband, who did the same—he licked it and then let the dog have a few licks before repeating the process. That dog was absolutely loving it!

​I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Is that normal? Is it even healthy? It’s definitely something I would never do.

​Now, I’m already anticipating what unusual thing I’ll witness on next year’s vacation!