Well...... Things have been a little more active on the reel end of life, but I haven't got pictures to prove any of it! Lori and I went out 2 weekends ago and Lori out fished me by one or two, but it was on the cool windy side and I don't like cool and I really don't like windy and not to mention I just wasn't having fun cuz the fish weren't biting fast enough for me and I reeled in and towed us home! Lori thought it was odd that I wanted to go home so early, I swore that it was only because I was cold and the wind was making me cranky......... The next weekend we went to a swap meet and she bought me a fishermans excuse shirt! We went fishing this past weekend and she made me wear the shirt! I found an excuse that isn't even on the shirt! The moon isn't right! We didn't do too bad, but it wasn't great as far as numbers go. We each caught 3 and it was a beautiful day! The sun was out the wind was put away and the water was smooth!! The fish must have gone to a pic nic because they sure weren't there for our party! I'm looking forward to going out this weekend.... Halloween is Saturday and I may get lucky enough to get the boat wet before the goblins come out! If we don't make it on Saturday I'm hoping for a make up session on Sunday!! We're experiencing a cold front right now and they're saying that we are having weather that we don't get until January.......... But I'm being optomistic and looking for a sunny and warm weekend!! I'll be sure to take the camera and get plenty of pics! Until then............. keep it REEL!

Wow! It's been quite awhile since I've been able to do a fishing update! Last November Leslie made a comment something like," What a perfect day to end our season on!" We all looked at her in surprise and asked what she meant by that! She commented on the upcoming holidays and activities coming up and how this was probably the end of our season.... We all puffed at the comment and said we'd be out again, there's no such thing as the end of a fishing season!!

Well... The next time any of us went out was MAY! That happened to be just me and Busch! I was the only one to catch anything and it was just a small bass.

The next time I took the boat out was in July when Marshall was in town and I wanted to take him out with some other teenagers and our friend Paula (Keep this name in mind for later!). The boat had Paula and her 2 teenaged sons and a friend and her 13 year old daughter, Marshall and myself. I was the only experienced boater.... Hmmm think about that!

We went to Ski Beach and let the kids ride the tube and play for awhile, then all of a suddon the boat quit working. We were in the middle of the bay where a lot of skiers and jet skiers were zipping by and none of them could tell we were in distress as we were pushed by the waves into the rocks! We all pulled together and were able to keep from actually CRASHING into the rocks, but in the process my boy, Marshall landed in the drink! We pulled him in and managed to maneuver the boat to an old dock where we sat and waited for Sea Tow to come rescue us and tow us back to the launch.

The boat was in repair for a few days for a blown fuse.

The next time we took it out, it was August and it was a big pic nic on the bay! More teenagers and still, I'm the only experienced boater, well.... Busch was there but she was dry docked because she had her baby niece with her.

Once again we took the kids and the tube over to Ski Beach and in almost the exact location as the last time we lost power! We got the boat over to that old dock again and San Diego Life Guard came and pulled us in.... Blown fuse again, but once that happens more than once you tend to look at other issues. This visit to the boat Dr took a couple of weeks to repair an electrical issue.

Next time out.... Remember Paula? She isn't an angler by any meens, but Lori and I put a pole in her hand and taught her how to warm the squid in her cheeks before baiting the hook, and by golly! IT WORKED! We turned her into quite the fisher chic!!

She caught a lizzard fish, a sculpin, and a few bass totaling 7 fish all together! She was quite proud but her breath smelled fishy!!

This brings us to our most recent outing just this weekend...

Lori and I went out and started our day with Lori catching the first fish, a little baby lizzard! Then she pulled in a nice fat sculpin, then I started pulling in sculpin and one little flounder California Halibut. Mary and her friend Delores came out to join us but before either of them could catch anything, Mary got sick and we had to take them in. I went ahead and finished the day by catching a nice bass to make my catch 7 and leave Lori in the dust with 3!

Planning on another trip this weekend with Paula and her husband, Steve and we'll see who the fish like best! Of course I will nominate Paula as the official squid warmer!!

Well hello there! Unfortunately we still haven't gone fishing in awhile! We had to deal with MAY GRAY now we have this JUNE GLOOM crap to contend with!!

So just to catch up on a few things..... We had to pull the wagon out of Home Depot last month because business just wasn't going where we needed it to go to pay the bills. The business was good for people who knew we were there, but because of our location it wasn't easy to pick up new customers. Well..... we learned a little about biz! Now Lori wants to sell the trailer and I want to find a better location because I had a great time running it!! So..... If anyone knows anyone interested in buying the cart let us know and if you have an unbeatable location let me know!!

Other news...... Lori and I have been exercising and eating better and trying to get in shape since January and we have been VERY successful!!

We have both lost about 45 lbs each! I am trying to find a job and I'm realizing it's time to buy new clothes! It's just strange for me to put on my jeans or even my nice slacks and have them literally fall off!! Feels good to know that I'm gaining health benefits by losing my fat friend! My back has had minimal issues since losing and Lori..... Well..... Lori has issues that I don't think we can solve with weight loss!! But she is doing quite well with her work outs and activity level!

Here are a couple of pics of us from last weekend. We went to a paint ball / bbq party up in Jamul.

I'll try to post some fishing news soon!! I'm really needing a day on the water out in the sun!!

Until next time............. Keep your weights in the water and your head in the clouds!!

Wow! Long time no Fish!! The last time we were out on the boat was November, when I posted the blog about all of us having a gorgeous fishing day on the bay! Last weekend Leslie and I did a little boat maintenance so we could take our friends, Cheryl and Kevin out for a day. We charged up the battery and checked to make sure everything was looking good and we hooked up to the truck and looked forward to Monday!! Monday morning came along and Leslie got here and told me that Cheryl and Kevin had to back out for other reasons so it was just Leslie and me out for the day! We got to the bay and unleashed the beast from the trailer hitch and Leslie backed us into the water. I was so anxious to get out and get some long over due fishing done that I just unhooked the boat from the winch and started to float before starting the engine. Did I say START the engine?! I turned the key and got a click click click, no VARRRROOOM!! I tend to be optimistic at times!! I actually prefer optomism, but then sometimes we have to look at REALITY!! That little boat didn't want to start! So Leslie asked what we should do..... Now, I could have told her what we SHOULD do but I chose to tell her what we were going to do! "I'm going to throw you a line, you walk it over to the dock, and we'll pull up to the dock and wait for Sea Tow to come give us a jump!" We really needed this day out on the water! We really needed to hear the VARRRROOOOM of the boat!! We REALLY should have hooked up and gone home and taken Rocky to the boat dr, but we went for our own desire and ignored the rest! So, I'm thinking of multi tasking and getting a jump start on getting our jump start, so I pulled out my phone and called Sea Tow, as Leslie is walking the line over to the dock and I am holding the dock stick in my right hand..... where my right shoulder is attatched at the upper end of that hand...... where I was also holding my phone to my ear with that shoulder...... Push off with the stick, down goes my shoulder just as the phone rang to Sea Tow, and down to the ramp three feet under water goes my phone with Sea Tow at the other end! "Can You Hear Me NOW?" All my contacts are in that phone! Including Sea Tow! Fortunately being a member I do have their number on the boat and in my wallet, so Leslie put her phone on a short leash and allowed me to use it to make the call! We were finally rescued and repremanded by the captain, and we took off to the waters we love so much!! I caught 1 little bass and we had some nice relaxing time floating down the channel and we ended the day with a nice bath at the drive thru for Rocky and headed home! So, with great expectations for our first trip out this year we came home with a story and no fish to show, but it's all good! We will do this again and again and again! Old fishermen NEVER DIE! they just smell that way! Hope to see you all soon!! Until then..... keep your chin up your battery charged and your hook baited!

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'!