Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Comments Section
Thanks, Mark
The Storm - Tuesday Morning
So, I volunteered to take the wife to work (this time at 0800 instead of 0300) because she still couldn't get her car out. On the way home, I grabbed the camera and did a dash-cam video for you. It's a little long, but only covers about 3 1/2 miles. Oh, did I mention it started to really snow as we were leaving.
Just about Noon time, as I was uploading this to YouTube (Man, this upload took a long time. A little over 3 hours), it started to rain. When that happens, four or five inches of snow turns to slush and the snow blower I use to clear the turn around, becomes usless. So I ran out, fired it up, and cleared most of the turn around. By then the upload was done and here you go.
I hope you enjoy it. Oh Yeh, we're supposed to be done with the storm, that is until Saturday, but just so we don't forget winter (which is not here yet), the temperature is supposed to drop into the teens tonight. Ice skating rink in the front yard.
Mark
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Storm - Monday Morning
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Storm - Sunday Morning
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Storm Begins
7:00 am, 4 1/2 inches.
Stay tuned, tonight is supposed to be worse.
Mark
Friday, November 19, 2010
Take A Friend Fishing
Thursday, November 18, 2010
An Apology And The Golf Ball Update
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soshacat
Since then, Janice has also created her own blog and I'd like to post that link also. I took a look at it yesterday and I think you'll like this one also. Pssst, told her she should join OBN and get more contacts. Here you go. Her blog is "Shoot Me Now While I'm Happy". In case you didn't notice, she's all about birds.
http://shootmenowwhileimhappy.blogspot.com/
On to the golf ball thing. I'll take the comments as they are listed on Yesterdays post.
Clif - Not on the bumper of the truck. All golf balls I come across are thrown into the pond. I hate golf.
Mike - Could have been the bear, but no bear poo attached.
Blake - No kids in the neighborhood, except my cats, and the girls down the street (Llama's).
Casey - I have something in mind right along those lines.
Biggr - No cats loose in the neighborhood.
Lunker - Could be Chupacabra. Who knows.
Ryan - Nobody messes with the Shoreman. Wouldn't be prudent.
Cofisher - Could the fishing gods be playing golf. Ya think?
Mel - OK, you're forgiven.
Callan - Hmmmmm.
Here is what I think. Given the information that the ball probably came from Roy's yard (Bob says while they are up, they hit them with a ball bat), it could have gotten down field aways. I think a crow, and we have a bunch of big ones, picked it up thinking it would be lunch and landed on the driveway. Finding it wasn't edible, just left it for me to find and speculate how it got there.
Might not be prudent for the crow to be in slingshot range.
Ya'll have a good day.
Mark
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Mysterious Golf Ball
Just as I entered the property on the way in, I noticed a golf ball in the middle of the driveway. Remember, the drive way is 900 ft from the house to the property line. The picture below shows where it was sitting. I know for sure it wasn't there when I left a few hours earlier.
Where could it have come from? Below is a shot up the road toward Bob and Roy's house. Can you see them? That's part of the mystery. Their houses are quite a ways from where the ball was. Roy (on the right of the road), I know for a fact, was not up (he lives in San Mateo, over on the coast, most of the time). Bob (on the left of the road), I don't think he golfs.
So the question remains. "Where did the golf ball come from"? Sitting perfectly in the center of the road. Must be one of those Twilight Zone things.
Mark
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pathetic, I Tell Ya
We have a good sized storm coming in on Friday afternoon and I wanted to take one more shot at Red Lake. I suspect there will be Mucho snow up there this weekend. Good for the skiers, bad for fishermen. it is already showing at 5500 ft.
I took a video, but can not get Blogger to upload it. If I can figure it out, I'll post it it another time.
I got there at 0845. Put one rod out with Rainbow PB and started tossing Kastmasters. I threw every color I had in my tackle box. I think there are 8 or 9 colors in there. I also threw gold & silver PM's, black/yellow Mepps, rainbow & brown Rapala's, and I even threw Power Worms under a clear bobber. I was desperate. I got NOTHING. No fish, no bumps, NADA. That went on for 3 hours.
Finally I tossed in the hat and went down to Bear River. Both Caples and Silver Lakes had whitecaps on them, the wind was blowing so hard. Got to Bear (sunshine, blue skies, & warm)and checked with a couple of guys fishing. Couple of small ones, was all they'd caught. I put both rods out with PB and found a comfortable rock to park on. Hour later, I landed one the size of your palm. That was it. I did notice that when the breeze died down, some were breaking the surface.
To the truck and out with the fly rod. Probably could have used floating line, but all I brought was the Intermediate. Put on a Tungsten Beadhead Black Wooly Bugger and put it out there as far as I could. Using a 3" to 5" strip, I got one good bump and that was it. Changed to an Olive BH and continued. Saw a swirl and tossed the Bugger just beyond. Got an immediate bump and then nothing. Shortly there after, a Coot surfaced about 4 feet from where I got the bump. I think I almost caught a Coot.
That was it. One small Rainbow about the length of your hand. Pathetic, I tell ya. I think I know what the problem was, though. Remember back on September 14th, Cook's was out of cream for coffee and I got badly skunked? Well this morning I stopped for a cup and didn't even think about putting cream in the coffee. Must have been the problem.
Till next time.
Mark
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The First Video
Got to the Trout Pond at about 1000 yesterday after a quick visit to my Cardiologist and a couple of other stops in town. Aired up the Float Tube Cumberland and flippered out along the far side of the pond. Started with a black tungsten beadhead Wooly Bugger and the fun began. Not nearly as good as the trip back on November 1st, but fun none the less.
On one fish, I got out my camera and put the dial on Movie (which I didn't even know it had until about two weeks ago). I've had this camera for about 3 years. Pretty observant don't you think. I did practice RTDM (Read the damn manual) when I got it and again a month ago, but there is nothing in the manual about movie spot on the dial.
So here goes video number 1. Remember, no helmet cam, no ball cap cam, just me holding the rod in one hand and the camera in the other. No booing, hissing, or throwing things at the screen.
Ended up catching and releasing 7 and missing 5 or 6 bump and runs. One was pretty close to 2 pounds. I did catch one and a second one got off on a Wooly Bugger I put together on a whim. It was black Marabou tail, pink Chenille body and black palmered hackle. No copper wire. All the fish caught today were on flies I tied. Must be getting better at it.
Hope this works. I had to load QuickTime 6.1 to get it to work. FYI.
Till next time.
Mark
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday
http://californiadreaming-shoreman.blogspot.com/ I know you'll like them.
Item 2 - The kid is again a contributor to the local newspaper. This article is not related to any post I've done, so worth the reading.
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/sports/sportsview.asp?c=275492
Item 3 - Went to a follow-up Cardiologist appointment this morning. For the past week or so, I've been going through a bunch of tests just to establish a baseline with him. The report is all good. He sent me on to Item 4 with an "I'll see you in 6 months".
Item 4 - The Trout Pond at Camanche Lake. I'm going to save this for the next post because I did a short video, but I don't know how the hell to get it to play, let alone get it on Blogger. So you're just going to have to wait. Hopefully tomorrow when the wife can help. She's the IT Babe, remember.
That's it. Short & Sweet. Till next time.
Mark
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Inner Ear Infection
Last year just about this time, I came down with an inner ear infection. If you’ve had one, you know what I’m talking about. It’s kind of like a party without the alcohol. Your head swims when you stand up and your body doesn’t.
It arrived again on Monday afternoon right about 2:00pm. A little after the Fed-Ex guy would have been here, but before the UPS guy gets here. I’m not sure who brought it, but when I do find out, he’s toast.
I think it’s a conspiracy to keep me from the Trout Pond just when they are stocking the hell out of it. In fact, I already had the truck loaded with the Float Tube Cumberland and all my gear for a Tuesday launch at the pond.
This is where the problem comes in. You see, with an inner ear infection, you have to be really careful how you move. Quick turns of the head put you flat on the floor. Your mind is goes left and your body goes right. Most times you have to have a three point stance. That being, both feet on the floor and one hand holding something solid. Most things work. A table, kitchen counter, dresser if you’re in the bedroom, or a cane. Last night, in the dark, I found out that the VCR on top of the TV, downstairs, was not one of the things that works well. Scratch one VCR. About all you can do is hang out at the house and hope that one of the things you use for the third point isn’t the wood stove.
These things last about a week. There is nothing you can do except let it pass. While it’s passing, you are OK sitting in the truck and probably driving (you notice I said probably), but as soon as you have to get out, the wobble returns. Weebles wobble, so do you. If you've had kids, you know about Weebles. If you would manage to get past the police driving somewhere, once you get out of the truck, everyone is looking at you, as you wobble into where ever you are, and thinking “poor guy must have had a stroke” and they get all sympathetic and want to hold the door for you, stop cars and trains so you can pass, and stuff like that. So it’s best just to stay home.
Which brings me back to fishing. I think I could have gotten to the Trout Pond, launched the float tube, but probably would have flippered around in circles. Wouldn’t have been a good showing for the Shoreman. Had I fished from the shore, it would have been a little hard to reel in a fish with one hand on the cane and the other on the rod. I sure as hell wouldn’t give the rod to someone else to reel in a two pound Rainbow. I know there are probably alternatives like sitting in a chair, leaning against the rock wall, or getting one of those things the people on the Rose Bowl Floats use to stand up, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
So I guess I’ll stay home for a few more days and read your blogs, drooling at the trout you guys are catching and the fun you all are having.
I will be back shortly. My friend Rich and his son Mark were at the pond yesterday. Rich caught one 2 ½ pounds. Mark, on the other hand, caught one 5.2 pounds. Rich on the shore, Mark in a float tube. Here I sit missing all the fun.
Till next time.
Mark
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Ghost Of Carbon Canyon Part 2
The parking spot was set in an area where car lights coming over a distant hill made the light appear at the top of the hill in front of the car. Half way down, the car would dip and the light would disappear. As the car came back over the next rise, the light would reappear and disappear just as it hit the fence at the bottom.
OK, you ask, what about the apparition? Seems we had a fourth roommate. He drove out there before us and walked to the top of the hill dressed in white tee-shirt, white Levi's, and white sneakers.
When he knew we were parked and the light shone on the hill, he started running down the hill. Half way down, when the light went out, he tripped on a stick and according to legend, disappeared. He jumped up just as the light came back and ran the rest of the way down the hill to the fence.
When he tripped on the stick, he picked it up and carried it with him to the bottom and as soon as he hit the fence, swung it at a big metal pipe (part of the gate), thus the gong sound. Then he started to climb over the gate. You know our part of it.
His part in it was not without problems. He was chased by a bunch of dogs, stopped by the Police wanting to know what he was doing out there, and ended up with some very dirty clothes.
The girls after they found out? We paid big time. I personally had a sauce pan rearranged by my head. I'm not sure what happened to the other guys, but I'm sure they paid in some painful way.
And as Paul Harvey would have said, "And that is the rest of the story. Good day".
Mark
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Trout Pond
A little pond shot before I got serious about fishing.