Jo Ann Brannock reminisces on several fond family memories spent at Fullerton’s Laguna Lake over the years. Take a read:

“As I walked around Laguna Lake the other day, I thought of all the fond memories of the past 59 years of coming here. My family came here for the walks around the lake and the peacefulness of nature. It is quiet watching the variety of ducks swimming in the lake and people fishing, picnicking or just sitting and looking at the water.

My daughter, at a young age, was a carpenter and inventor in her own right. Forget the baby dolls for Christmas; all she wanted was a toolbox with a hammer, saw nails, and a bucket of paint. She had already created a golf course in the backyard, a movie theater with popcorn in the garage, a four-wheel racing cart and a tree house on top of a tree in the backyard.

So, around the age of nine, she decided to build a boat made from plywood scraps.  It was approximately four-foot square. She painted it blue with the old can of paint left behind by the previous owners of our home. What can parents do to reward such outstanding behavior?

Her dad secured the boat to the top of our Volkswagen Bug and went to Laguna Lake for its casting. As soon as the boat floated just a few feet away, it sank. She was disappointed but applied this knowledge that there was more to building a boat, like making sure it would float. I wondered years later, when the city drained the lake for repair if that blue boat had been found.

Years later, as the family grew, we took our two grandsons to Laguna Lake with a bucket. We saw a young man fishing with his girlfriend’s father as we walked around the lake. He asked if he could teach them how to fish.

He was so generous and kindhearted, and we said yes! The oldest grandson went first and immediately caught a fish, which we put in the bucket with lake water. The youngest grandson went second, and he promptly caught a fish with the help of this young man. However, while getting the fish off the hook, it jumped back into the lake. Being just three years old, he immediately ran to jump into the lake to retrieve it. Luckily, we stopped him and told him that the fish wanted to stay there.

The next step in taking the fish home from the lake requires knowing how to care for it.  Where else but Fullerton Public Library to find that information? I designated the six-year-old grandson with the fish to research this. He was encouraged to ask the librarian in the children’s section to find information on this. Building independence and confidence in children that they can accomplish things grows from assertion.

Together, they retrieved two books from the library on how to feed fish caught from a lake. We found that a certain type of common cereal could be used as fish food.

The next morning, we all talked about the fish, who had gotten a name by then, Fred. Fred needed to go back to his home, the lake, just like his brother’s fish did. So off we went to Laguna Lake with well-fed fish. The oldest grandson independently wanted to let Fred back in the water himself. He did this with care and confidence.

Laguna Lake has fond memories for my family.”

Check out Laguna Lake’s Fish Plating Schedule and amenities.