Time Flies

Wow! I hadn't realized it's been so long since I've blogged! Or done much of anything really!

The last few weeks have been uneventful for the most part.

Christmas always makes my anxiety act up and I have a tendency to get a little depressed.

Call it a chemical imbalance or whatever you choose....

So........ We actually got a tree the first weekend that Home Depot got their truck loads in, but we haven't gotten around to dressing the poor little thing until tonight! Hmmm What's that 3 weeks?! Now I'm going to have to pretend we've been decked out for weeks because I'm sure that poor little tree is going to be ready for vacation shortly after Christmas!

We finally got a real rain storm this week and it was pretty cool to actually get to sit and watch it. It was cool yet a little boring because I was trying to run a business and for some reason people don't seem to want to stand in the rain and wait for food! So the rain was good for puddles and my entertainment but not so good for business! The days in between the rain were better for business tho! I really think things are picking up! I get quite a few compliments on my cooking and that always makes me feel good! I have two customers that come and visit, that for some reason have taken a liking to me and they brought me a couple of thoughtful gifts this week! I was surprised at their thoughtfulness! We are strangers yet they feel comfortable enough to bring me a prize! I always feel good after a good positive visit with Frances from the Sierra's and I feel like I still have a brain and I feel refreshed after a philosophical chat with Jim.

Sounds kinda weird coming from me, the 44 year old adolescent who enjoys jumping in puddles, but I do have a smart side too! I have found that jumping in puddles is very juvenile and if you look around at the juveniles.......... you'll find that they don't have the stress of the big people!

I think we should all jump in a puddle and get a little wet sometime! We have learned now that we don't melt and we don't rust and when it's raining, we're gonna get wet! So, take your time, enjoy the weather rain or shine, and jump in a puddle next time you pass one by!

And.............. Have a Merry Blessed Christmas!!

What a beautiful day for fishing!!

It's November and we were all in shorts and catching fish and enjoying the sunny day like it was the end of summer!

The pictures above are Chris with the first fish...... Leslie caught the halibut (the biggest), and I was showing the whole team how to do it by catching the most! The bass I'm holding here was actually Crenda's biggun!! She thought she was logged on something and she handed her pole to me to dislodge her and by golly I pulled in a big fat bass!! I tried to talk her into pulling it in, but she was having pity for me because I hadn't caught anything yet! I stole that thunder for a little bit, but I didn't keep it! It sure was a beauty tho!

We all caught bass and Stacey and Leslie caught a couple of halibut. It was especially nice because we had the whole team there and Leslie was able to get her pride back! She hadn't caught anything with us for awhile and she was pulling in some nice bass this trip and we made it through the whole alphabet! Leslie has never been with us when we've caught that many!!

Awsome day!!

Here is Leslie with one of her bass, Stacey and Crenda with theirs.

Until next time...................

VIVA MEXICO!

Another day off from fishing! What has become of me?!!

This week I went with Leslie and Gabby to Tecate Mexico so Gabby's cousin could do Leslie's hair.

We really had a good time! It's funny how such a simple trip accross the border could be so much fun when you're with the right people!

Gabby drove us down and we started off by stopping at the bakery and getting some bread with cream cheese and jalepino's and some sweet breads. Then we went on to the cousin's house and Gabby and I watched as Leslie got her hair colored and highlighted.

When we left there we went into town and got some tortilla's and some more sweet breads to bring home. But the best part of the day was the lunch we had before leaving!!!

We went to a little brick building and sat in the back and ordered 2 fish taco's each.... They were sooooooo good we had to order 1 more each! That wasn't enough, so Gabby had another fish taco and Leslie and I shared shrimp cervichi..... don't know if I spelled it right but I tasted it right and man oh man have I been missing out on some yummy food!!

I need to go back to Mexico at least once a month so I can enjoy the culture a little more and eventually get a little more fluent in spanish!! I am semi fluent in spanglish and Gabby has been trying to teach me more, but I'm slower that I thought in picking up on the lingo!

Anyway........ the pictures are of Leslie during her transformation and after the finishing touch.

A fireman and the fire station there in Tecate, Gabby and Leslie enjoying an ice cream treat during the border wait, and a man at the border crossing with only one leg. I have issues that are a little hard to explain here, but anyway, I had to get a picture of the fireman and the one legged guy! Mexican culture and an immiture 44 year old adult..... Hmmmm!!

We really did have a good time!! I could give up a fishing day here and there for trips like this!

We can still call it a Fish Friday tho! We did have the sea food lunch!!

Until next time............... If ya can't fish, then just order a couple of Taco's de Pescada and look for a one legged Mexican at the border and have a good time!!

Skipping School For Good Cause!

A couple of weeks ago I got a surprise visit from my friends Gabby, Anthony, and Matt.

I introduced Anthony in one of my first blogs. He is 12 years old and started fishing with us last summer and he was immediately Hooked! Gabby is his mother, a former co-worker and one who I consider a good friend. Matt is Anthony's younger brother, he is 8 I believe.

When they came over Anthony started asking when we fish, and saying how much he missed fishing with us this summer.

Well...... I never said I was a good influence when it comes to kids! I in fact warn parents that I am only 12, myself! We were able to talk Gabby into letting the boys skip a day of school and come fishing on the boat! Gabby thought it was a good idea to take the day off herself!

So, October 10 Lori was off work and the 5 of us went fishing!

It started off overcast, and a tad bit chilly and the bite wasn't that great either. But the sun came out in the afternoon and warmed things up and the fish were a little more playful so we ended up having a really good day! Everyone caught fish and Anthony was able to out fish all of us and Gabby was a pro! She is a natural! She caught a few and Matt caught a few and Anthony caught the most and the biggest! Too bad we weren't playing for dollars!! Next time Buddy!!

We helped another stranded sailor! Once again we were over on the Coronado side and we ran accross a guy standing on his Jet Ski waving us down. His ride pooped out on him so we towed him back to the launch. It always feels good to help people out, but why do they have to interupt my fishing time?! Just kidding! It's always a pleasure.

So, enough drabble! Check out the pics!

SHARK!

Well........ It wasn't a very eventful day all together, but once again it's always nice just to be out on the water with friends!

I made my 4 bucks for catching the first fish! Then it was a little while and after moving a time or two before Crenda and Chris each caught one each then Stacey.

Then all of a suddon we realized that Christopher was just cleaning up! He ended up catching the most, 9, and the biggest, a shark! He caught a nice size bass and for the way things were seeming we decided to just measure the fish to determine the biggest. Then Stacey caught a halibut that was about 3 inches longer than his bass.

But right before we left Chris pulled in a nice little shark! He was longer than the halibut, but the weight was probably favored by the halibut. We should have been weighing them instead cause this shark was prize money for Chris!

I hope to catch a few more sharks and bigger would be great! They aren't as slimy as the other fish and I find them very intriguing!

I'm beginning to wonder if my job on the boat is to get everyone to a good fishing hole and then take the fish off their hooks!

I have a gross story for that! Stacey caught a lizzard fish and the little bugger swallowed the lure, they normally get the hook in their eye or their nose but rarely do the lizzards swallow the lure as deep as this guy did. I was trying so hard to retrieve this hook without doing too much damage to the little guy and unfortunately I realized that it may have been too late. But for the fortune of another creature this lizzard lost his head, Stacey got her lure back and Petunia Pelican got lunch!! To be honest, it was harder to watch him suffer as I was tugging on the hook than it was to whack it's head off! And it was nice to be able to feed Petunia fresh meat!!

Next week it will be my little buddy Anthony and his mom, Gabby and I think I was able to talk Lori into spending the day with us. I really hope it's a productive day for Anthony! He hasn't been for quite awhile and he says he has Fishymoto pretty bad, and Dr. Hashiguchi says that he must hit the water and wash away this ailment!

I hope to remember my camera and have a good story lined up for my next entry.

Is anyone even reading this? I feel like I spend a lot of time talking to myself these days and when I get on here I hope that there is someone that is getting a little entertainment out of this crap I conjure up!

Until next time................... Keep it Reel!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

Even the worst day fishin'.....

It has come to my attention more than once since getting the boat that I really don't even care if I don't catch any fish. I just truly enjoy being outside on the water with my friends! That's what I'd like to do at least twice a week for the rest of my life! And I hope my life isn't that much longer, just that much more relaxed!

This past fishing trip wasn't packed with fish stories, but it was a nice day out and we enjoyed ourselves and had a good time as always.

Here are a couple of pics I took as we were docking and getting ready to pull the boat back on the trailer. This was in the launching area. I named these photo's "Find Waldo"!

You can see Ol Salty right in the middle of the pelicans!

Not sure if we'll be going out this Friday. But if we do..... I'll see about getting you all some good fish stories! If we can't make them happen we'll make them up!!

Keep it REEL!

Taking a day off from fishing against my better fishing judgement! The moon will be full Monday or Tuesday and it's currently sharing our daytime sky and I can't help but think the tide just may be right for some good fishing! Sometimes we have to put our toys away and do grown up stuff. So, I don't know what I'm gonna do while my friends are doing grown up stuff!! I'll be back next week I'm sure!

Friday September 5

What a beautiful day to go fishing! But I haven't really seen many days that weren't good enough for fishing!

Today it was just Christopher Leslie and myself on board. Leslie hasn't been able to go with us for awhile because her kids have been out of school for the summer, so her last time was when we went tubing!

So.......... We started out going deep! We went past the kelp beds off the point and drifted through there for a little while. Chris caught the first fish there, it was a calico bass or a kelp bass, most fish have many different names. There is even a Yellow Tail and a Yellow Fin, both different but both are tuna! Unfortunately we probably won't see either of these tuna on our boat because they don't hang out where our boat can go safely! Whenever we "go deep" I always think, "This is it! I'm going out and I'm not stopping till we get to the islands!" Then I get just a little further than the last time and I turn around and find a spot to stop! Today was no different! I would like to go up off the La Jolla coast where some of the fishing boats go, but I don't know the area well enough to know of a launching area. Oh well! I guess we'll just stick to what we know untill Nemo gets up the nerve to go just a little further!!

On with today's catch! Among Chris's tags he pulled in a Mantra Shrimp! They are also called boxing shrimp and have been known to punch out the glass in an aquarium!

I don't know if I talked about the first one I ever saw. Earlier this year we were out in the bay and I started reeling in and realized there was something dragging my line. When I pulled it in it was the most interesting colorful thing I've ever seen! We were all mesmerized by the color and the oddity! That day there was Leslie, Chris, our friend Kevin and myself.

Kevin took this thing and pulled the hook out and held it for pictures and even licked it's under side where it was blue and yellow and pink and very vibrant and mesmerizing! Then when we were all done looking at it and laughing at Kevin's silliness he threw it back and we moved to another spot asking a nearby fisherman what it was. These are his words....

"Don't mess with that! They're poisonous!" I still laugh when I think of Kevin licking his belly! We all looked at Kevin and Chris took his vitals just to make sure! Kevin started spitting over the side then he said.... "That's a shrimp?! I'm allergic to shrimp!" Still laughing! Now you know he had to turn out ok if I'm still laughing at it! It was just one of those funny things!

So, anyway Chris caught one today and his was bigger than mine as was the one Vicky caught Monday. But we actually got Chris's in the boat and got plenty of pictures!! He also caught a nice size Halibut and a couple of bass. His total for today was four.

Leslie was the first one to catch something once we moved back into the bay. She caught a small halibut and a few bass and one cute little sculpin!

Do you remember me saying anything about the sculpin are poisonous? They have venum glands on the tips of their fins. They are ugly fish, but when they are so little you can't help but think how cute they are! He was released without harm! She caught a total of five.

As for me.... I was skunked for the first half of the day and then as soon as I changed my lure to one of my favorites I was able to get the F, G, H, and I fish right close together! I ended up with seven total, (the most!)

I got a nice halibut and a couple of bass and a little baby halibut that was as cut if not cuter than Leslie's sculpin!

All in all it was beautiful weather, beautiful people, cute fish and a fun day!

Let's all try to have a REEL good Fall!!

It was a spinnin' good summer!!

Until next week...... Fish On!

Labor Day Special!!

I couldn't ask for a better day fishing!! This was one of my favorite days this summer!

Lori, Vicky and I went out on the bay and caught 33 fish in all! Among those 33 fish we had Vicky catching a big blue shrimp like the one I caught a few months ago but hers was bigger! She pulled it up not realizing she had something on her line and when it came out of the water she paused and asked what it was! I got all excited because when I caught mine I didn't have my camera and was unable to get a good picture of it! So the first thing I did was grab my camera to take a picture and the darn thing wriggled his way off the hook and got away! But also among today's 33 Lori caught the biggest sand bass I've seen so far!! He was a biggie!!

I didn't get any pics of my fish today except for this sculpin. He wasn't all that excited to be on the boat with us. They usually don't share our entusiasm!! But this is a pretty good picture of a sculpin, his dorsal fins are sharp and ready to attack and his face is all puffed up and ready to spit! They're entriguing fish, but ugly at the same time! Some of them really put up a good fight!

So, it was a great day on the bay, this was Vicky's second time going with Lori and me and this time she out did us on the fish! She didn't catch anything her first time out so this time we were all rooting for her and she came from behind and passed me up for the most! I got the first and Lori got the biggest so we all broke even.

I had the most for awhile then Vicky caught up with me then in the end she just passed me up!! We all had a great time!

Until next time............... Keep on reelin'!!

Kerry Burgers!

I must say that I have been blessed with a culinary talent! My mother and father were great cooks, and I learned from watching and working with them! The Food Cart, Rocky Dogs, should be a great success but time is our only problem. I want success now! I really believe that if we could get a corner drive thru or even a small restaraunt, we'd do great! I have had Kerry Burger specials twice this summer, and they are such a big hit that the guys at Home Depot ask me when I'm going to do it again! Today was the day! We had a good day and of the 22 burgers I grilled for the weekend, we have 6 left! I really wish I could get a good deal on a more permanent place! This trailer is great for what it is intended for, but let me just toot my own horn and say that I've out grown this kitchen and I'm ready to move up to something better!! It was so exciting the first weekend that my Kerry Burgers made their debut!! I also make some killer bbq ribs, and for some reason everyone who has had my chicken salad says it's the best and it doesn't stop there! I have never been one to take compliments very well, not that I am complimented very often, but since running this business, I have had more compliments on my cooking and it really makes me feel good!! I'm crossing my fingers and praying that one day my ship will come in and I won't be at the air port! Look at me! I'm tooting my own horn! Let's BBQ!

Friday August 22

Well, I'm a little late in posting last weeks fishing trip. But I guess it's better late than never! We went out a little deeper Friday. The kelp beds are about as far as I've taken the little boat so far and this time we went just a little past the kelp or at least further into it than we have before. I love this picture! I had to zoom in to get this and it looks like we were closer to the point than we really were! This is the edge of the earth.... Point Loma. I asked Buddy before we left if he wanted to go, and he's an adult so I respected his decision to jump in the truck and ride along! Well, here's the little adult changing his mind once we hit the water! Crenda did her best to console him and keep him on board and make him feel better! I don't think I should ask him next time. It may be a small language barrier! He hears, "Blah blah blah go for a ride blah blah blah..." He did finally settle down and enjoy the day as much as possible given that he couldn't really do anything about it without getting wet!! Here is the first fish of the day! Yup that's me! I got my three bucks too! This was a brown rockfish. Right after I pulled this one in, Crenda pulled one in and as she was pulling hers in Chris had to grab one as well. But I couldn't be out done so I went ahead and found another one just a few minutes later! It started out fun and productive. But.... Let's just say that we lost our spot and the fish didn't come after us! So, we left the big water and went back into the bay where we found another couple of good spots! We caught a pretty good variety all together. We got up to W and if you count that down it makes 23 fish in all! There were just four of us that day. Chris and I caught 7 each, Crenda caught 5 and Stacey was a late bloomer but she pulled in 4 within the last 1/2 hour!

<<>

Buddy wasn't really that impressed either!

Along the mix, Crenda caught a Halibut, I believe it was the only one caught that day. >> So, she got the 3 bucks for the biggest! We did see a guy pull in a huge Sand Shark! I really wish I had my camera handy as we pulled up along side him to watch him pull it in! He was BIG!! He threw it back before I could grab the camera. <<> As they get bigger the belly is whiter and the blotches seem to be on more on the upper part. We'll be taking tomorrow off from fishing but I may get a bonus day next week! Lori and the neighbors, Vicky and Pam, are possibly going to go out with me. That will be fun! Our neighbors are the best! We really have a good time with them, and so far Vicky is the only one who has gone on the boat. Pam says she'll go, so we'll see if she changes her mind by then. I am also hoping my friend Mark will be able to join us. He needs some time out on the water. He likes it almost as much as me!! Untill next time............ keep on reelin'!

time out

Sometimes I wish I had a bigger boat and an easier routine in getting it up and running and then cleaning up at the end of the day. Then I just get over it when it comes to my next trip out! I don't remember the last time I logged in but I'm sure it's been a couple of weeks. Last week I took the day off from fishing and just had some Kerry n Buddy time. The week before we were about to lose a day fishing due to appointments and child time. But Leslie had an idea that we decided would be fun. We went on a twilight fishing trip on a big boat that we didn't have to load or clean! It was just about 3 or 4 hours up to La Jolla. It wasn't as much fun as we had hoped, but it was on the water and we got our lines wet and had some fun anyway. I am charging my camera so I can get some pictures of some big game tomorrow! Lori, Crenda, Stacey, and I went to Catalina this past weekend for a day and had a really good time. I never realized that they had Marlin up there! I'm thinking that maybe I can float my little boat over there and do some fishing!! Wouldn't that make a good story?! "Lost girl from San Diego catches 200 pound Marlin on 17 foot boat using 10 pound test and a medium action rod!! " Ok, I'll be back with some good pictures and a good story tomorrow I hope. Good night for now.

Two Days Off!!

Day one of my two day vacation was fun! I took Christopher, Leslie and her two boys, Matt and Luke, to Mission Bay and we inflated the "Trilogy Tube". This is a three seater innertube that we towed behind the boat. Matt and Luke are 11 and 9 or there abouts and I promised them when I got the boat that I would take them tubing this summer. So, sticking with my promise, I told Leslie to pack 'em up and let's go! They had fun! The best part was when one of the boys actually said, "I thought we came out to fish, not tube." That's when I whipped that boat around and took it out to the Ocean! It was a beautiful day out there, but the fish didn't want anything to do with our sunshine! Christopher is the only one that caught on this day, it was a nice sand bass.

The first picture is of Leslie and the boys enjoying the fast ride on the tube. The second picture is of Leslie and Matt at the end of the day just enjoying the float as they try to land a fish.

On Day Two of my little retreat I was able to take Crenda, Stacey and an old family friend, Debbie Grant (Now Stevens) out to our regular spot at Shelter Island.

Debbie has known me longer than my own cousins have! That's kinda weird when you think of it! She was a girlfriend of my oldest brother, Jeff. She had a horse named Pepper and when I told her that I still remembered Pepper she was quite surprised!

So, this trip was special! Kinda like having a family member on board! She talked about how she and Jeff used to go snorkel down at Mission Bay and they would find starfish that were bigger than you could imagine! She said that one time she was sitting up on the shoreline and Jeff and another friend were snorkeling when Jeff came up with his eyes as big as saucers and said that they had come across the biggest starfish they had ever seen! He said it was so big that they had to swim back to see what it was! Then she said that they were able to pry it from it's spot and they took it to our house and put it on our roof to dry!

She said that it was about 4 or 5 feet in diameter. She said that the bay was a lot cleaner then and that it was a lot more exciting! More fish and sealife than there is now! I guess with all the people who go diving and don't really respect what they see and they just tear it up..... ah hemm! Debbie and Jeff!! I'm sure there would be a lot more starfish if it wasn't for them!!

So...... The fishing wasn't Great on Friday, but we did ok. Nobody got skunked and Debbie was able to see her first Lizard fish. As a matter of fact, it was the last fish caught and it was a biggie! She caught a 23 inch halibut earlier, so she got the big fish prize this time.

Stacey got the most and Crenda caught the first. I got gas money, so I did ok!

The Lizard fish we have seen out there have been anywhere from a couple of inches to maybe a foot or so in length. They are usually fairly skinny and they literally look like a lizard in the head area and even their skin has a scaly look to it, but it's actually smooth. They have sharp little teeth and white bellies and they can get FAT! The one Debbie pulled up was the fattest I've seen so far. It was about two to three inches in diameter and at least twelve inches long. We asked Debbie when we first went out if she had ever heard of a lizard fish and she said no, so I wondered if maybe it was something that she knew by a different name. But when she pulled it up she was quite surprised and said that she had never seen anything like it.

We caught up to L that day so the L fish happened to be a lizard and you don't have to think very hard to figure out what she named it! Lee Zard!

We'll have to do that again. She was a wealth of information! She has been out on many boats and has a ton of stories to tell and it's fun to reminisce with someone who remembers my family.

So.......... Until next time...... Happy Blogging

Looking forward to feeling better!

I mentioned in my last post that I have been feeling a little Blah lately, but I am now looking forward to a better blog this week! I have one friend who has actually known me longer than my own cousins have! My oldest brother, Jeff, had a girlfriend named Debbie Grant way back before my cousins moved here and she was a part of our family back then and I've never forgotten her. When I started working at Viejas I actually ran into her one night as I was clocking in and she was clocking out. We would see each other occasionally and chat and catch up a little and now she is one of my happy customers at the wagon! Over the years she has been through a lot and has learned a lot and she is looking forward to teaching me what she knows about fishing and boats! I'm quite excited to have a day on the water with her this week! So, I will hopefully have some exciting photo's and a good fish story to tell by the end of the week! On top of being able to spend a day with her I get a bonus day off this week!! That is probably equally as exciting at this point!! So...... Keep a lookout for the fish story of the week! I think I'll make both days off fishing days, just to be sure and get a good story!! Still a little in blahzville, but looking forward to the train ride out!!

Friday July 25

This is my other boat! Can you see the helicopter on the back?!

Ok...... The truth is that this is my dream boat! We had a couple of theories why this big beauty was just hanging out in the bay, and the one we decided to agree on was that it probably belonged to a celebrity that was in town for the Comicon weekend here in San Diego. Word was that Paris Hilton was in town and she even made her way to El Cajon to eat at Applebee's right down the street. And I missed it! Oh Well!! Anyway. We really liked this boat and I actually forgot to take pictures of the fish we had caught up until this point and when I took this picture my battery died on the camera! So this next picture was taken from my cell phone.

This is Christopher's baby sculpin. They are some pretty ugly fish and can sting you with their prickly backs but from what I understand they make good fish taco's! This little guy was just about 8 inches tho, I think a taco could eat him!!

So, in our alphabet game, we name our fish alphabetically and this helps us keep track of how many we catch and we come up with some pretty cleaver names!! Makes fishing fun! Well, fishing already is fun, but this is just another added bonus.

We caught up to Y, so that is 25 fish and 22 of them were bass. Pretty good day. We had a couple of 2 pounders and I got the big fish prize because mine was 2 1/2 lb. Chris got 9, so he got the most and that earned him 3 bucks from the crew. Stacey caught the first so she got 3 bucks from the crew and I got the biggest, so really Crenda's the only one that had to pay all three of us and not get any in return!

I've been in a funk all week and haven't really been feeling very social, so it was really because Crenda and Stacey forced me into fishing that I even went. I'm still not feeling very social so today's blog is pretty blahggy. Maybe next week will be better.

Until then............. Happy Blogging