Cabin Fever

Here it is only Dec 20th, and I have cabin fever already. I did manage a couple of trips out but got skunked. I'm already counting the days until the spring striper run and trout opening day. The only thing I have to look forward to now is I asked Santa for some fly fishing gear as I am getting into fly fishing and fly tying. I just hope I was good enough all year long.....

Tight lines!

Facebook: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Sometimes I think Facebook is the greatest thing on the Internet and other times I think it is the worst thing on the Internet.

First the good; Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family in these times of always being on the go. You can check in and see what's happening or what's going on in other people's lives. You can share and view pictures. You can even meet up with lost friends and/or family members. You can even meet that someone special on there like a couple I know that met on one of my threads.

You can catch up on some days events and news as some people post news feeds or you can 'like' a news source's page and read their posts. I've also read some funny posts and read some funny jokes from time to time.

If you are having a party you can even send out an invitation on Facebook- who doesn't have a Facebook account these days. :)

Now the bad; In addition to some people posting news feeds, they also post that they are having chicken and broccoli for dinner, or just got back from the gym and are sweaty and in need of a shower or just 'checked in' somewhere. Yes, I am guilty of the latter. You also hear about this one said that or did this. All of this can get quite boring or repetitive from time to time.

And now the ugly; While Facebook is a 'public forum' and everyone is entitled to their opinion (and rebuttal to said opinions), some people take it too far. I've seen many cases where people post an opinion and other people use it as an opportunity to bash the poster's opinion and the poster themselves. While I enjoy a good spirited debate or conversation there are times I feel some people only participate to get other people riled up.

There are also times when someone will argue their opinion as if it were fact to the point of telling others they are wrong. There are no 'right or wrong' opinions. There are however, well informed or misinformed opinions but opinions non the less.

There are times I think about deleting my account due to the negativity on Facebook but the good seems to outweigh the bad and the ugly so I'll stick around for a while to see what some are having for dinner everyday. :)

Striper fishing.....NOT!

Yesterday I took my brother in law and 2 nephews striper fishing at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. When I was getting clams at the tackle shop I was told the first parking lot was hot the day before; so that is where we went.

I had 2 poles set up with sand spikes, both baited with clams. I had the bait runners set so I wasn't really watching the lines, just waiting to hear the reels scream as giant stripers hit. I never heard anything but noticed that one rod was bending a bit but not letting off any line. I checked it and felt something so I set the hook and felt it, dead weight. I knew right away what it was. A skate.

I re-baited and cast out and waited. About 3 hours later we had 4 more skates on the same pole. By now it was getting dark and the boys were getting restless so I decide to re-bait the other pole with a fresh clam and start cleaning everything else up.

All of a sudden the reel started screaming. I ran to it, pick it up and set the hook. I knew for sure I had a striper. Skates didn't take out line like that (at least not the ones I caught) and when reeling in I felt a fight. As I was reeling it in closer it felt a little weird. Then all of a sudden it was like an anchor on the end of the line. I knew it! Another skate! But this one was pretty big. It went about 7+ pounds (or at least felt that heavy).

When the day was over, We had 6 skates. 2 were pretty big. But no stripers. In fact, everyone I talked to caught skates, no fish. Oh well, it beats sitting at home.

Tight lines!!!

Best Cheeseburger In Monmouth/Middlesex County, NJ???

I've eaten a lot of cheeseburgers in my days and some were REALLY good. Here are my picks for tops in Monmouth/Middlesex county.

The best is at Barnacle Bill's in Rumson, NJ. Nice big fat juicy burgers cooked to order right behind the bar. I've had a few of these and was never disappointed. Always cooked to perfection and filling. They go good with a side of fries or onion rings. And of course a few beers!

A close second is Huddy's Inn in Colt's Neck, NJ. Also cooked behind the bar and to perfection. Huddy's was my father-in-laws favorite stop after golf. I've had a few with him there.

A not too distant third is Buzzy's in Piscataway, NJ. I used to work in Piscataway and only had a couple but they were good. If I'm in the area at lunch time Buzzy's is definitely worth stopping in.

A few other places worth mentioning are 25 burgers, Chili's, Aberdeen diner and Red Oak Diner.

At the other end of the spectrum there is...
5 Guys- over priced 'Wendy's'
Friendly's- burgers made from sick cows
TGIF- too greasy

Skunkville USA, population.....me!!!!

So I had a fishing filled weekend with no fish. It started Saturday night in Red Bank NJ. I fished the Navesink River from the banks from 5:00PM to about 7:40PM in a 'hot spot' I heard about. Not even a hit. But then again, I used frozen clams and fished the outgoing tide. Next time I will try the incoming tide with FRESH clams.

On Sunday it was the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, NJ. Again from the shore. I was hoping for some large and small mouth bass. But once again, nothing. I threw jigs, spinners, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastics....not even a hit! There was a tournament going on and of all the boats I could see not one fish was boated. Never did find out how it turned out.

Well, I capped off a crappy fishing weekend with a few cold ones and watching the Giants beat Brady and the Patriots, so it wasn't a total loss of a weekend. :)

Tight lines!!

Fishing Bucket List

I've caught a lot of fish in my days and a lot of species too. I've caught large and small mouth bass, rock bass, trout (rainbow, brook and brown), pickerel, sunfish, bluegill, crappie, catfish, fluke (summer flounder) and striped bass. I even caught skates and dogfish. But there are a few species that have eluded me over the years for one reason or another. So I've put together a 'fishing bucket list'; a list of fish I want to catch before I 'kick the bucket'. Here they are in no particular order....

1. Northern Pike- I've tried to catch Northern Pike a few times to no avail. I've tried in lakes and rivers. Even some 'hot spots' but nothing. My last attempt was the Pompton River in Lincoln Park, NJ. The latest hot spot I've heard about. I hope to get on soon.

2. Muskellunge- Ahhh, the 'Fish Of 1,000 Casts'. Or as I refer to them, the fish of unlimited casts. I've tried time and time again to catch a musky. There are few places in New Jersey to fish for them and I've only tried a couple. My last attempt was rained out. Me and my buddy were going to try Lake Hopatcong in north Jersey but the weatherman was calling for some bad weather...which never happened!!.

3. Walleye- I've never really tried to fish for walleye although I fish in some waters known for them. One of the places is Monksville Reservoir in Ringwood, NJ. Monksville is also known for muskies. The only time I really concentrated on them was a few weeks ago fishing the Delaware River.

4. Tarpon- If I had to pick a #1 bucket list fish, the tarpon would be at or near the top. Especially with a fly rod. Since I live in New Jersey, I won't get the chance to fish for them any time soon. But I would love to see a giant tarpon jump with my fly in his mouth.

There are some more species I'd like to catch but not as much as these. Some include, halibut, salmon, gar, and sturgeon. Although I have been fishing for over 20 years, I have been taking it very seriously the last year so I hope to be taking some of these off my list.

Till next time, tight lines.

Customer Service Alive And Well At BASS

Back on September 12th I joined BASS ( Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ) for 1 year which includes a subscription to their magazine, BASSMASTERS. I got my BASS packet, which included an ID card, a BASS window decal, BASS patch and a free tackle bag (given away with every new membership). I was looking at my ID card when I noticed it had an expiration date of July 2012. I e-mailed their customer service to let them know about the wrong date and that I didn't want it to affect my year subscription to the magazine. I got a response back stating that they will adjusts their records to reflect the error and send a new member kit out to me.

I get home today and find the member kit in my mailbox. In it I find an updated ID card with the correct expiration date, another BASS window decal, BASS patch and a free sample pack of Berkley PowerBait 7" worm. They could have just sent out the corrected card and nothing else. But they went the extra step to satisfy me and I really appreciated that. I guess good customer services is still alive and well.

Thank you BASS!!!

What happened to 'Customer Service'

I was going through some bass rods and reels I haven't used in a while and getting them ready to put back in service. I came across a reel I haven't used in about 5 years or so, a Rhino bait cast reel model# RBC20. I don't exactly remember when or where I bought the reel but do remember using it a lot a liking it. It was an easy bait casting reel to cast. If any knows bait casting reels, they are not the easiest reel to cast.

While I was cleaning it and putting new line on I noticed that the spool adjustment cap (which later on I found out is really called a clutch adjustment knob) was missing. I e-mailed Zebco, the parent company of Rhino, the following e-mail:

'I have a Rhino bait cast reel model# RBC200 and I lost the spool adjustment cap. Would it be possible for you to send me a new one? If so, I have included my address. Please let me know either way. Thank you.'

3 days later, I receive this response from Zebco:

'We are sorry but this is a discontinued model and we no longer have the part available.'

I could not believe that was the response I got. The fact that the part is missing (which shouldn't have come off on it's own)makes the reel very difficult, if not impossible, to cast without getting a birds nest. So, I sent the following e-mail back to them:

'So that's it? You don't have one that is compatible? Or make any suggestions? Just sorry we can't help? Well, when it comes time to buy new rods and reels, I will have to look at some other brands.'

A little while later I get:

'We are sorry but we do not have one that is interchangeable for your reel. This reel has been discontinued since 2002. We would be happy to send one to you if we did. The reels made now are completely different. You might try 4R rod and reel at 317-773-7723. he carries some older parts and might have what you need.'

Why did it take threatening to buy another brand of rods and reels to have them tell me about 4R Rod and Reel? Why couldn't Zebco have just told me about them in their first response.

I guess days of Customer Service with a smile are long gone. Hell, I don't even need the smile, just some good old fashioned customer service.

10 years later......

It's hard to believe that the terrorist acts of 9-11-01 were 10 years ago. Just like most (if not all) Americans I still remember where I was when the events took place. I also remember the entire day as if it were only last year. It seemed that everything was put on hold for a day as we as a nation mourned the massive loss of life. Just like many, I was angry, scared, upset and confused by what had happened. To this day the New York skyline looks weird. I don't think I'll ever get used to the way it looks now.

This year, just like the past 9 years, I ask that everyone remember not only those heroes who gave their life that day (and continue to do so years later), but also the people who perished doing what they did everyday; going to work. It seems that they are all too often forgotten or not mentioned.

Also this year, my wife and I were faced with the task of explaining 9-11 to our 6 1/2 year old daughter. As I was explaining what had happened and how our country, as well as other countries, came together to mourn, I started to get teary eyed. I guess I always will. I think for the most part she understands what happened but doesn't fully understand why. It's hard to explain to a child why there are terrorists and why they want to do bad things to our country.

God bless all the firemen, policemen, EMTs and other first responders as well as all the civilians who perished on that day. But most of all, GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

Kevin Boss

Tonight, my wife and I met Kevin Boss of The New York Giants at the Park East in Hazlet, NJ. We got a couple of autographs, including one on a picture of the 3 of us!.

While we were waiting for the picture to be printed we talked with Kevin for a few minutes. About 1 1/2 years ago my father-in-law, Gene, met Kevin. At the time, Gene was battling cancer. When he passed, Kevin tweeted about his passing and refered to him as 'a long time Giants fan'. I asked Kevin if he remembered meeting him and he did!

I haven't met many famous people but I can say for sure that Kevin Boss was the nicest one. Even before I met him, Boss was my favorite Giants player. After meeting him and finding out first hand how nice he is, he is my favorite athlete. There should be more guys like him in sports. He is a class act and a stand up guy!

Also, I can't thank Mike (@8straightsports) enough!! And my wife said thank you too.

Coaching And Softball

This year Baileigh played softball with the HYAL (Hazlet Youth Athletic League). She played in the clinic which is a teaching league. Coach Brian 'Beef', asked at the first practice if any parent wanted to assist him in coaching the team. I was the first parent onto the field. I helped coach her T-ball team last year and had fun as did Baileigh. At this practice, only one other parent helped.

By the first game game, we had two more parents helping, one of the dads on the field and one of the moms in the dugout. While the team is playing the field, the coach and assistants go in the field as well to help the girls know where to throw the ball, when not to throw it etc. When the team is at bat, the coach pitches to the batters. During the last 5 or so games, I was the pitcher and the girls were hitting me left and right. I guess this is the only time a pitcher doesn't mind having a high ERA. LOL

Baileigh's team was supposed to be the Mets but Coach Beef doesn't like the Mets so we became the Orange Crush. Due to the coaches work schedule, we were only able to have 2 practices. By the last few games you would have thought we practiced a few times a week. The girls improved so much. In fact, Baileigh has improved the most (of course I'm going to say that but I really think she did). She was really hitting the ball and made a few awesome plays in the field. On the last day of the season they had the all star game. Baileigh didn't make it this time but with practice who knows, she may make the next one.

For the first time the HYAL is offering a fall ball season and Baileigh wants to play. I am also going to look into coaching one of the teams. If they have enough coaches then I will definitely be an assistant again!

Remembering Gene 'Big Guy' Stroz

I can't believe it has been a year since we said goodbye to my father-in-law. Not a day goes by when I don't think of him in some way or another. Life without him has been and still is strange. There are times I still can't believe he is gone. There were times last summer, and I'm sure there will be some this summer, when I was sitting by the pool and was expecting him to come home from golf and grab a beer and smoke a cigar with me. In the short time I knew him he went from the father of a girl I was dating, to my father-in-law to my friend and in some ways, a second father.

In the last year we shed a lot of tears remembering him as well as a lot of laughs remembering the good times and the things he did and said. He did a lot for us. He was always there when you needed him- unless he was playing golf, then you had to wait until he was done, but he'd be there.

Whenever I start to miss him I would think of something that he did or said that makes me laugh. Like the time we were playing golf and he gave me a tip. He told me to roll my right hand back so I could see my knuckles. I did it and it felt very unnatural. I asked him if he was sure it was my right hand and he said yes. He was absolutely certain. So I swung and hit the ball. It went about 30 yards out then turned and went about 150 yards into the woods. He watched it, then looked at me and said, "Shit! I forgot your left handed. It was your left hand you were supposed to turn."

I miss hanging out with him watching the Yankees, Giants and golf. I even miss him busting my chops about how big a Jeff Gordon fan he was. I knew he did it just to get me riled up and most times it worked. LOL I miss that shit eating grin he'd get when you realized he was joking or trying to get one over on you. I miss playing golf with him.

There are plenty of good times to think about that make me smile and laugh. The trip to Vermont, a couple of Wildwood vacations, Yankee games and just having dinner with him. He is sorely missed.

Not only did I lose my father-in-law, I lost my beer buddy, cigar chum, my friend, as I used to call him, Big Guy. Tonight, in his memory, I am going to smoke a cigar and have a couple of beers.

R.I.P. Gene 'Big Guy' Stroz. Always loved....forever remembered.

Easter Photo Shoot

Today I had an Easter photo shoot with my daughter. I was hoping to get 1 picture but managed to get a few. Here are the best ones.

Shutter Speed: 1/160
Aperture: f 5.6
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 48.omm
White Balance: Auto








Shutter Speed: 1/160
Aperture: f 5.6
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 59.omm
White Balance: Auto







Shutter Speed: 1/160
Aperture: f 6.3
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 67.omm
White Balance: Auto







Shutter Speed: 1/160
Aperture: f 6.3
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 61.omm
White Balance: Auto







Shutter Speed: 1/160
Aperture: f 5.6
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 59.omm
White Balance: Auto

I Tought I Was Trout Fishing

My friend Eddie and I decided last week that we wanted to go trout fishing yesterday. Tired of
pond and lake fishing I suggested stream fishing. We had a few places picked out in order for the day. Not thinking about the amount of rain we got we headed out at 7AM on Sunday morning with the initial plan in mind. We didn't get an 1/8 of a mile from his house in Lodi before encountering our first closed road due to flooding.

Still intending to stream fish, we headed to our first destination; my old spot when I lived in Pequannock, NJ. My spot was under the RT. 23 bridge in Pequannock, at the end of Pequannonck Ave. We couldn't get to it as the whole street was under water. At that point we decided to abandon the idea of stream fishing all together. Every stream and river we went to had 1 of 2 problems, flooded or moving way too fast.

We decided to headed to Shepherd Lake in Ringwood, NJ. We fished there for a while but the wind was relentless. Not to mention no fish. Not even a hit. We left there and headed to Monksville reservoir, also in Ringwood. We had the same problem there, very strong wind. Needless to say, we left there after 10 minutes of trying to fish.

Almost to the point of quitting for the day, Eddie suggested we try the lake at Saddle River County Park in Ridgewood, NJ. I know the 'Duck Pond' from when I was a kid. My dad used to take me and my siblings there to feed the ducks. The park was very crowded and I had my doubts. There is also the Saddle River flowing along the edge of the park. We tried to fish it but again, it was too fast and high.

We wound up fishing the Duck Pond. I asked Eddie if he was sure there were fish in it. We were both using our trout lures, small spinners. After about 10 minutes I caught a small largemouth bass, and I mean small, under a pound. At least I caught a fish. About 10 minutes later, I caught another one. A few minutes later, Eddie caught one.

Eddie caught a really nice bass, went at least a couple of pounds. We were both surprised that a bass that big was pulled from the pond. Not waning to be out done, I landed a huge bass. A female full of eggs (spawning season just around the corner) and ready to pop! It put up an awesome fight. In fact, seeing as how I was set up for trout and not bass, for a few seconds I thought I was going to lose it. Eddie asked if I wanted him to use the net and I said yes. The problem, it wouldn't fit in the net!! So he guided it onto shore using the net.

We estimated it to weigh between 4 and 5 lbs. The second biggest bass I ever caught!! And from the Duck Pond!!

When the day ended, Eddie had 3 bass and I had 4. Plus we each had a trophy fish. Not too bad for a day of 'trout' fishing. I can't help but wonder if we go largemouth bass fishing how many trout we'll catch.

Below; Me and my 'hog'









As always, until next time ~ Tight Lines

Photoshop

From time to time I go through my pictures and pick one at random and play with it in Photoshop. I try different things and like to explore with settings I never did before.

Here is the before picture. Very dark and you can't see any detail.
Here is the after. It is a lot brighter and the colors 'pop' more. There is also a nice border around it which I think makes the pictures stand out more.

April 10th, 2011

A few of the pictures I took around Hazlet and HOlmdel on April 10th, 2011.

Trout Fishing

After the cormorants ate all the trout in Holmdel Park Pond, I had given up on it. I still had a real hankering for fresh caught trout cooked on the grill so figured I'd head out after work today. I checked the New Jersey Fish And Game web site and saw that Holmdel Park Pond was stocked on Wednesday with 160 trout. I was going to fish Spring Lake since I work right down the road in West Belmar but I had to go home to walk and feed my puppy, so I figured I'd give Holmdel Pond another try. I mean, cormorants eating 160 trout in a day seems unlikely.

I brought two poles and set one up with power bait and a small split shot and the other I threw spinners. Within 10 minutes the power bait rod was hit. An 11'' rainbow trout. Nice!! Baited up again and had a hit within 10 minutes again. I was casting the other rod and was late on setting the hook and lost it. Oh well.

I moved about 40 yards down and set up with just power bait this time. Again, within 10 minutes another rainbow trout about 11''. Now I am getting really pumped. I fished about another 20 minutes and lost 3 more fish. At least I know there in there now.

Here are my two 11'' rainbow trout. Each caught on Florescent green Power bait.








Here is how I prepared them;
Clean each fish and cut off the head. On a sheet of aluminum foil (1 sheet per trout) put a couple pats of butter. Season trout with lemon pepper on both sides and lay trout on foil. Put a few more pats of butter on trout. Close up foil loosely around the trout. When on the grill the trout grills and steams at the same time.

Grill on medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Check to see if it is done.

When done the skin comes right off the meat. Be careful of bones as they are very small and thin. If you carefully scrape the meat off with a fork you can grab the back bone and pull all the bones off of the meat on the bottom. Enjoy!!

Until next time, Tight Lines!!

Too much going on

I was thinking today about everything I have going on and decided I have too many irons in the fire, so I decided to scale back a bit. As of now I have my personal Facebook page, a Facebook page and a website for my business, Celtic Photography. I also have this blog, a photography blog, a Twitter account, a Flickr account and a You Tube account. Whew, I think that's it.

Anyway, I have decided to shut down the photography blog and post all my photography stuff here. At least it's one less thing to keep up with. Now hoprfully I will have more time to post here more often. :)

Opening Day of Trout Fishing

Saturday April, 10th was the opening of the trout fishing season. My friend Eddie and I went to Holmdel Park in Holmdel, NJ like we have for the past few years. Historically, opening day tends to get very crowded, so in order to secure a good spot, you have to gt there early. In our case, 6 AM. The park doesn't usually open until 7 AM. This year, however, They opened the gates at 6:40 AM. Every year it has been a mad rush of vehicles heading to the parking lot and fishermen grabbing their gear and getting to 'their spots', this angler included.

As I am heading to the lake I notice there are not nearly as many people as previous years. I simply figured it had to do with the economy and all. Well, 8 AM (the official start fishing time) came and went and not one fish was caught. It wasn't until well after 9:30 when we saw the first trout caught. I don't know if it was a rainbow, brook or brown but it was small. It turned out to be the only fish caught, out of 210 stocked, in the 3+ hours we were there.

On the way out we were talking with a few people and they mentioned about the birds eating all the trout. The bird they were referring to is the cormorant. The cormorant is a diving bird that gorges itself on fish that it can fit in it's mouth and swallow whole. I must admit that I only half believed this to be true.

We headed home and Eddie had to go to work, so I took a quick nap and in the afternoon headed to Hooks Creek Lake, in Cheesequake State Park in Matawan, NJ. I fished there for about another 2 hours or so. Again I heard about the cormorants eating all the trout. One guy I talked to there said he was at the lake as the trout were stocked and a couple of hours later the cormorants flew in and spent a few hours diving in the lake eating all the trout.

At 8 AM the shore line of Hooks Creek Lake was crowded with anglers shoulder to shoulder fishing. About 20 trout out of over 400 stocked were caught. Any trout fishermen will tell you that with that many trout stocked, the ratio of fish stocked to fish caught is way off. So now I am more inclined to believe the cormorants did indeed eat all the trout.

Although opening day 2012 is a year away, we are already making plans to fish a different lake.

I just can't help but wonder if the cormorants used butter and lemon pepper with a few lemon slices like we planned.

~Tight lines~

Striper Fishing II

Went out on the beach in Cliffwood Beach again on Monday. Fished from 5:30 until 7:45 and didn't get anything...again. I was fishing with my friend Brian and his friend John. We were using clams with a fisher finder rig and 4 oz sinkers.

While I didn't get any giant hits I did notice some movement of the rod tip that didn't seem to be from the tide. It may have been flounder and or crabs. After about 45 minutes of no action, Brian caught a striper about 22". Not a keeper but a fish none the less.

That was the only action the whole night and there were about 25 to 30 people fishing. Well, it's still early in the striper season and Saturday at 8AM the 2011 trout season opens. I hoping to better with the trout than I am doing with stripers.

'Til next, tight lines.....

Striper fishing

Well, here we go again. Heard stripers were hitting clams at Cliffwood Beach so yesterday I packed all my gear in the truck and got ready to go. It was 12:45 PM when I was ready to leave and remembered I didn't check the tides chart. Low tide was at 2:09 PM. I really didn't want to go at low tide but I have so little free time I figured I'd give it a try anyway. I got there and first cast was about 1:10 or so. I didn't have my waders so I wasn't able to get out as far as I would have liked but managed a few decent casts into a wind blowing about 20 to 25 knots. 4 oz sinkers were about the lightest that would hold.

There were a few guys already fishing when I got there. One kid, Adam, was there since 11 AM and he had no hits and didn't see a fish beached all morning. Although the wind was blowing rather hard it was coming in off the water which should have pushed the bait fish in but we saw nothing. There were a few birds in the area but none were working, just hanging out.

I fished until 4:30. By this time, the wind picked up and must have been blowing at 30 knots with some gusts that seemed to top 35 knots! The whole time I was there not one fish was caught. In fact, no one had a bite.

Well, fish 1 me 0. I will be going back to Cliffwood Beach tomorrow night at 6 PM and try again. This time high tide is at 10:07 PM so hopefully I will miss the slack tide and fish the incoming tide. I am going to try and get out on Thursday as well. If I don't get anything at least I have opening day of trout season on Saturday at 8AM. A lunch of striper and trout with a few beers on Saturday would be nice. Well, fish or no fish there will be a few beers.

Tight lines!!!

Meet Sugar!

All my life I have never been a dog person. I never wanted to deal with the hassle of training a puppy or cleaning up the mess. People in my family and friends dog's were as close as I ever wanted to get to a dog. I must admit that I always liked puppies. I mean who doesn't? But I always knew that the cute little puppies grew up to be big dogs that needed to be taken care of. But, I always said that IF I was to ever get a dog, it would be a black lab.

Well, I was watching Baileigh play one day and it occurred to me that, being an only child, she needed a playmate. After thinking about it on and off for a year or so, I asked about Beth about 2 months ago if she would ever consider getting a dog. She said yes but wasn't fully committed to the idea. So I started looking at Labrador breeders for a black Lab puppy. I must admit that I had no idea how much puppies cost from a breeder. The average pup was $1,000. I saw a few go for $2,500! We also heard some breeders have inbred puppies which we didn't want.

After talking to some dog owners we decided to look into adopt a puppy. We found a few places but they didn't have any black labs available. Well, one place did but they said we lived too far away for a house visit so they were not going to go through with the adoption. Oh, they were 1 1/2 hours away.

We managed to find a female black lab/golden retriever mix. she was 8 weeks old and in North Carolina. We filled out the adoption application and told them where we live and what the other agency said. The girl, Brit, who is with Fuzzy Love ResQ, told us it doesn't matter where we live as they would find someone to do the house visit. She also told us she would be bringing the dogs up for adoption to New Jersey the following weekend. So we made arrangements to meet her and get the puppy, who's name was Miya (we already knew we would change it as my brother-in-law's dog is named Miya).

We never told Baileigh we were getting a puppy and she had a sleepover at Grandmas the night before we went to get the puppy. We got up Saturday morning and at 8:00 drove about 1 1/2 hours (the same drive that was too far for the other adoption agency to drive) to Sussex NJ to meet Brit. There were 20 dogs (dogs and puppies) who made the trip. 2 sisters and 1 brother of our puppy made the tip as well and were also adopted. All 20 dogs that day went to their new homes. :)

When we got home my mother-in-law brought Baileigh home and she walked into the kitchen and saw the puppy and fell in love right away. After a few minutes I told her it was hers and she was so EXCITED!!! Then she stopped, looked at Beth and said, "You told me I could never have a dog or cat". She was confused for a minute. Then Beth said, "We changed our mind".

Now came the naming part. We decided to let Baileigh name her, as long as we all agreed on the name. We coached her a little by suggesting names from TV shows she watches, like Carly (iCarly) or Zoey (Zoey 101). She thought them cute but she liked Sugar. So her new name is Sugar! She loves the dog so much and just seeing how happy she is with Sugar makes us very happy. They are going to be best friends!!

Baileigh and Sugar.

Ready for spring

It has been one long, cold, gray winter. I had enough of it right after the first snow storm on Dec 26th. I used my snow thrower more this winter than I did the past 3. If I never use it again it will be too soon. I have a serious case of cabin fever.

While the snow thrower still sits in my garage I am getting all my fishing gear ready...both salt and fresh water. I am also ready to get out with the camera again. I can only take so many pictures indoors.

Opening day for trout fishing is April 9th at 8AM and I am ready to go now. Well, I am but my
gear isn't...yet.

Every year I say the same thing; I don't want to make multiple trips from the truck to the fishing spot with everything I need for the day. Every year the same thing happens; I make multiple trips. Well, this year I am determined to make one. The biggest problem is carrying my fishing poles (I bring 4) and tackle box and my thermos of coffee. Yes, I need my coffee. Instead of the traditional tackle 'box', I converted an old back back I don't use anymore into my tackle 'bag'. Now I can carry it on my shoulder along with my chair as it has a carry strap.

Next are the fishing poles. I tried to carry them all but it was always difficult as they get tangled and the lure unhooks from the guides and hook on me or something along the way. I have modified a 5 gallon bucket into a pole carrier.


Now I can carry all 4 pole without them getting all tangled and the lures unhooking. And I can carry my thermos of coffee in it as well as my fishing vest, net, stringer and anything else I need for the day. One trip may actually be a reality this year. Now I just have to catch some fish......

Corned beef dinner

Every year for about the past 7 years my wife and I have a corned beef dinner around St. Patrick's day for friends and family. Every year the guest list seems to grow. The first year we had it I made 1 corned beef and 2 loaves of soda bread along with various deserts people bring. However, this year I made 3 corned beefs and 4 loaves of soda bread and had enough desert for an army of people (at times throughout the day it seemed like we had a army over...and some people couldn't make it!)

I make the corned beef in a crock pot and we only have one so we needed to borrow 2. I used to get up at 5 AM and prepare the fixings and rub ( I make my own along with the packet that comes with the corned beef). This year I prepared everything the night night before so all I had to do was put it all in the crock pot and go back to bed......but I didn't. Even though I wound up not going back to sleep it was still a lot easier than doing everything in the morning.

The dinner went great and everyone had a good time. There was plenty of food, drinks and music, Irish and 'normal' music has someone put it. Every year when that alarm goes off at 5 AM I say to myself 'this is the last year I am going to do this', but come 6 PM when everyone is eating, drinking and having a great time I think 'I can't wait until we do this next year!'

Saying goodbye...yet again!

Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since my last post, November 9th! A lot has happened since then but I have been so busy I never had the time to blog. Well, I plan on changing that and blog more often.

My first blog of 2011 is not a good one...

I said goodbye to 3 people in 2010 and was hoping 2011 to be a better year. We made it to the end of February but then had to say goodbye to someone. My mother-in-law's cousin, Eugene McGovern, passed away after a brief battle with cancer. I never really knew him too well until the last 2 years or so. We started to see him more and more and he was an all around nice guy. My daughter has experienced death more in the last year than any other 6 year old I know. It's hard not to tell her what's going on when it's so close to home. I must say, she has handled it all very well.

My daughter knew him pretty well. My wife's aunt watches my daughter once in a while and Eugene was married to her best friend so they used to go and see him. At first my daughter wanted nothing to do with him and cried at the mere site of him. After a while she got used to him then liked to go visit him. Last summer they came down a few times to my mother-in-laws to hang out for the day at the pool. He was a fun guy to hang out with and have a few beers. He will be missed.

R.I.P. Eugene McGovern