Road Trip - Including Maine Fun 2017.02

The second half of August, 2017 was a whirlwind of life on the road. A combination of work, opportunity and family had me in Baltimore, Charlottesville, Boston, Portland and Providence before I could start heading home.  I managed to enjoy each stop; I had a fine couple of weeks.  Here are a few pictures capturing some aspects of the trip.

I stepped off the light rail train at Camden Yards in Baltimore.  Of course, the O's were in Texas, but it was still nice to see this beautiful park in person.  Plus, the official keepers of the National Lampoon "Vacation" series of movies "liked" this pic when I hash-tagged "Clark Griswold", having arrived to a closed attraction.

I expected Eutaw Street, between Camden's right field fence and the Oriole's office, to be bustling on a beautiful weeknight.  But, without the O's in town, it was pretty much deserted.

Each Major League home run that finds Eutaw Street is commemorated with a plaque.  I looked for, and found, Red Sox' Jackie Bradley, Jr.'s marker for a blast he hit (and that I witnessed on MLB.tv) earlier this season; I believe it was No. 49 to reach Eutaw Street in the 25-year history of Camden Yards.  Here's his temporary mark, right where I thought it would be!  Based on a couple of nearby, permanent markers, the ball travelled about 413 feet.

Camden Yards from Eutaw Street; I am about 410 feet from home plate, and I'm elevated at least 25 feet from the playing surface.  There's a smattering of plaques behind me, too, including David Ortiz at 416 and 420 feet; and Ken Griffey, Jr. at over 440 feet and off the wall of the building across the street.  Wow!

Walking around Baltimore felt like swimming through soup for a week, but Virginia's Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park afforded some comfortably fresh air, as well as a good meal, some nice views, deer and fox sightings, and was part of a very agreeable visit with my Mom.

All together in Boston, we walked past Fenway Park.  The Sox were elsewhere, and that was okay, because we had fun, anyway!

This sign looms over the left field wall at Fenway and is unusually mesmerizing at night games.  Its likeness adorns my new hat, a very nice gift from my daughter, K.

Great breakfast, a walk on the beach, and all together in Maine; things are good!

The stripers cooperated nicely during our few days in Maine.  For the most part, they weren't too big, but they did provide a lot of action!

Striper No. 150 for 2017 was my largest of the year at 28.75 inches.

M was happy and excited to move into her new dorm in Providence!

Buffalo, New York is a frequent staging area for us as we travel between New England and Michigan.  Quite often we end up staying at a particular, privately-owned hotel.  It's very nice, in it's own way, but it is filled with the original owner's personality and memorabilia.  Regardless, this is good news from Rocky.

As always and regardless of the fun, it's nice to be home.  Our back yard is our current sanctuary, and what is more peaceful than watching a whitetail fawn suckle?

Of course this doesn't even come close to the important parts of the trip; learning some new skills and meeting new folks for work, cruising with loved ones on a fairly loose schedule, scoring some extra time with the kids, and sharing lots of good food with nary a problem along the way.  It was a good couple of weeks!

On Jupiter!

Did you know that the relative gravity (to Earth's) on Jupiter is about 2.4-times greater?

***

And so I was precisely correct when I proclaimed, "On Jupiter, {em-epher}!" as K continued to proclaim every bluegill, pumpkinseed or hybrid to come over the gunwale to be a Master Angler candidate.  Of course my statement did nothing to curb her irrepressible enthusiasm for fishing this day, or for playfully pushing my buttons on any day.

I was pleased to find out that K and A chose to go fishing with me this day, our last full day together for a while.  It had been a longer while since we'd last enjoyed a day on the water together, and although I had grand visions of big water and giant fish, I've learned that a local lake, some food aboard, a shorter day and some fishing flexibility would more likely produce a pleasant day for all.  I was even smart enough to include some panfish gear in the boat, too, so as to maximize our chances for getting some bites.

We started looking for bass, but quickly switch over to panfish when I saw a colony of nests tucked in along shore.  At first, the residents proved to be runty little pests, but through a progression of spots and tactics, we started to catch some nicer specimens.  A small white glow-worm suspended under a float kept us busy for a couple of hours, and we sorted through a bunch of fish that certainly included a number of very decent 'gills and 'seeds. 

This first fish proved we could catch them after many missed bites.

The next spot started to produce some better fish.

Spunky and beautiful

You don't have to go to Harvard to know that this is a Master Angler fish ... On Jupiter!

Grand, it wasn't; Pleasant, it was.  It is always fun just to explore a new lake and catch some fish, and it was especially satisfying to have a quorum of my girls back in the boat, even for just a few hours.  We had simply enjoyed what the day had given us, to the best of our abilities.

This shoreline will bring me back to this lake!

Family Trip

Plans for our 2016 Thanksgiving were hatched over a year ago.  With both girls now in New England, we were hosted by my maternal uncle on Cape Cod.  Some cancelled and some were mildly ill, but our travels from Michigan were without issue, and by 2:30 PM on the day before Thanksgiving, my wife and I were reunited with our studious girls.  By 5 PM, we were on the Cape!

With fewer people in attendance and the hosting house less attractive due to illness, we had more time to be together as a nuclear family and extra time to explore.  It turned out to be a wonderfully relaxing long weekend!  The trip back to Michigan wasn't too painful, and I even scored a bonus day free from work, so I got to try for a muskie one more time.

Thanksgiving Day itself was very pleasant.  During the meal, we discussed (among other things) boat names.  I've collected quite a few possibilities for my future boats, but when pressed for the likely name of my next saltwater boat, I proposed Mooncusser.  This meets all my requirements for a proper boat name; it's unique, thought provoking and simply sounds just a little bit naughty.

A "mooncusser" is a land-based pirate.  You have to admire that!  Their efforts were likely thwarted by moonlight, hence the name.  They depended on luring ships within range by establishing false lighthouses.  I suppose in the deepest gloom, enough captains made enough mistakes to make this a viable method for making a living.

The next day, we were walking the beach at Chatham.  I was pleasantly surprised to note the following:

Municipal Mooncussing; the lighthouse at Chatham, Massachusetts is short and quite a ways inland; a perfect recipe for land-based piracy, especially when combined with shoal water and a shifting inlet.

This shack along the beach caught our attention. It referenced an "Occupation" for some cause, and perhaps has served as a legitimate shelter.

To my delight, I found this inside the shack. 

I can't guarantee she'll be Mooncusser, but the odds certainly have improved!

The trip also included my rediscovery of what was once family property:

This property was once in my grandparents' possession.  I have faint memories of the porch, the hill on the side and the interior lay-out.  I have no recollection of it being so close to the ocean!  But I was only 5 or 6 when the house was sold, and that was before I'd found fishing.

We also poked around the Brewster/Orleans area and found Nickerson State Park.  It was beautifully quiet in the off-season and attractive to the sweet-water fisherman in me.  I am sure we will return again, some day.

Flax Pond in Nickerson State Park, Brewster, Massachusetts.  Some trout were rising; I had no gear.  I met a couple of fishermen on their way out, and it looked like Berkley PowerBait on the bottom was their plan.

Maine Musings

I recently returned from a trip to Maine; all the fishing details are here.  I rushed through capturing those so as not to lose them, but having done so, I can can definitively say that while they might accurately capture the fishing events, they fall short in capturing the true essence of the trip.  And that's what this entire blogging endeavor is all about!

That is perhaps best captured in my youngest daughter's pride and happiness with her new home at the college of her choosing.  That's why we had made the trip.  But the importance of the trip to me was also captured by individual moments that deserve to be noted:

• Completing a couple of hot and dirty tasks for those whom I care about;
• Noticing the distinct phosphorescence of the bay's water as I retrieved my lure on the darkest of the New Moon mornings;
• Catching my first Birthday and September Stripers;
• Exploring some new areas and finding new favorites;
• Being proud to leave my youngest daughter in her new community at 2 PM, but having my oldest daughter fall asleep in my arms by 4 PM as we watched a Red Sox game on TV;
• Sharing simple meals in beautiful settings; 
• Sharing fishing time with friends, old and new; and
• Quietly holding hands with A as we covered a couple of thousand miles in our safe, reliable vehicle.

And of course there was the fishing!  

These travels marked the end of the Raising Kids at Home portion of our lives and the commencement of Our Future.  Getting there will also be a long haul, but the real importance of this new journey will be embodied by the things I notice and appreciate along the way.  Let there be many!

Casco Bay

Captiva 2016

I recently had the pleasure to share a week in Captiva, Florida with my girls and three other families.  It was a planned break from our Michigan Winter in celebration of our pending high school graduates.  The parents had met about a year ago to pick an appropriate location for this trip, and I'd have to say, we decided well.

The kids were safe, the pace was relaxed, and the accommodations were a known commodity.  Of course, I wanted to fish, and fish I did!  The fishing details are available here, but in this post, I just want to acknowledge some of the better developments of the week.  These include:

***We picked a perfect week to be gone.  The weather in Michigan was miserable during our stay in the sunshine state.

This April Fool's snow storm in Michigan was no joke.  That's my buddy's Dog Day in the background.  He launched her for the season into the teeth of this storm.

***We enjoyed easy access to a beautiful beach and a fish-filled bay.  The days were sunny and the water was warm.  Regardless of weather (by which I mean wind intensity and direction), I could productively fish.  Meanwhile, the girls were happy with the condo's pool and beach, and we could all walk to wherever our interests were at the moment.  Captiva is pretty much the end of the road, so while it was busy and crowded, it wasn't overly so.

***I just love being outside, and there was always something to watch!  As a bonus, this was usually in comfort!  I experienced a full week of sunrises and sunsets.  On the water, I was always watching bait, rays, birds, dolphins, manatees, sharks or sea turtles.  The ocean's constant motion and the bay's diurnal replenishment provided unique tides, waves, currents and color lines.  On the beach, every low tide featured a deep trough right along shore, with currents passing by like a river.  Occasionally I could identify a rip or cut in there sandbar, and all of these features let me think about fish and fishing (almost) to my contentment.  

***I am often tempted to conclude that saltwater fishing is just plain superior to freshwater fishing.  After all, It's not too much to ask The Salt for 40 fish a day, or for a few drag- screaming runs.  The fish just pull harder in saltwater!  They don't even have to be that big to do so!  Plus, you never know what might swim by and take your bait or what you might witness while out there.

***I had the opportunity to fish hard with some fine new equipment.  I was especially impressed by the new Stradic FK 4000 reel and by various Gulp! baits.  Both Momoi Blue Diamond braid (30-pound) and Spiderwire Stealth braid (10-pound) handled conditions well, and the Tsunami Gotcha plugs became my new, go-to presentation.

***I had travelled to a new area in search of new species, and I executed well!   While I didn't catch anything monstrous, necessarily worth bragging about, or life-changing,  I did catch a couple of new, targeted game fish species (snook and sea trout), and my rod was bent and my drags were slipping all week!  

My first snook

Here's a nice keeper sea trout.  Most were 14 inches or so, this 19-incher got harvested for a group dinner.

***Moreover, I had prepared well.  I used just about everything I had brought, and I had to purchase very little on-site. Each trip prepares me for the next!  

***As a rare bonus, I did not have a knot fail all week.  I did experience one Spanish cutoff, and a surf snook (of course, the fish of the trip!) sliced an undersized leader with its operculum, but otherwise I made the most of my opportunities and suffered no lost gear or fish.


***I may have revised my ultimate plans for a saltwater boat.  I'd love to have a sea-worthy 23-foot center console, but after a couple of days of fishing from a comfy but cumbersome, gas-sucking pontoon, the simplicity and economy of the 18-foot skiff shined through.  There wasn't much to fail; and there wasn't much to pay for at the end of the day, either.

***I made some new friends, or at least positively reinforced my relationship with existing acquaintances.  I really like all the folks we went with, and I'm proud that my daughter has chosen to associate with such a nice group of kids.

***Physically, I felt better than I have in about 8 years.  I partially recognized this at the time, but it has been more obvious as familiar aches, pains and stiffness have crept back upon me since our return.  Warm, salt water might just be my fountain of youth.

***I am proud to be able to do this with and for my family, and I recognize that I am fortunate to have a job from which I can truly take time off.  I hadn't a single professional care while I was gone; I was able to be present and focus on the matters at hand, without distraction or guilt.

***I spent a fine day with A.  

***I am filled with love for my girls.  I am pleased to contribute to, and share their happiness.

***I really am better at dealing with things.  I've been practicing what I've been preaching, and I know that negative emotions and reactions, and not necessarily unexpected developments, are my bane.  I have harnessed much of their former power, and I can occasionally direct that energy towards a productive end.  It's made a difference for me.  I think this has made a difference for those around me, too.

Surf fishing for snook; a fine way to spend your time!

Fishing with Kate

With Kate in town for only a couple of more days, I recently took the day off work; we planned to go bass fishing.  We knew the afternoon might be more productive if it got warm and sunny, but once the decision was made and we were ready to go, we hit the water.  It was still pretty chilly, but at least the day's snow was done, and there sure wasn't much pressure out there!

The bass fishing success was nonexistent, but we did catch a couple of pike.  At this time of year, any fish is a bonus!  With no real boat problems, nobody getting hurt, the proper clothing and each other's company, it was a super nice day together!  It always seems to be so!

Let the 2016 Bass Season begin!

This bait was intended for bass, but only pike played this day.

A mouthful of Shadow Rap!

Beautifully colored and stout; but short.

Pike No. 2 was long and lean.

Make that "very lean."

Warm Holidays and Happy New Year

A year ago at Christmas, as we celebrated a quiet day with my mother and kids, we decided to Go Big in 2015 and celebrate the holidays (as well as my mother's 80th birthday) with extended family and in a big way.  Those initial thoughts and conversations transformed themselves into a week in Florida with the kids, immediately followed by a 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise with my kids, mother, brother and his wife.  This accommodated everybody's needs, abilities and schedules, and represented a Grand Celebration of the Holidays and for my mother.  This also represented a Grand Departure from how we usually do things, but in the end it turned out to be a Grand Idea.  Simply put, I'm glad we made this happen for all involved.

This is "Why!" this all happened.

There's too much that I could say; and so I think I'll just make this a picture essay for the most part.

Cocoa Beach; we enjoyed a simple stay in a condo right on the beach, just north of the municipal pier.  I could stumble out of bed to go surf fishing and the weather and water were unseasonably warm.  Perhaps this wasn't the best for the fishing, but it sure was comfortable!  I also took a couple of fishing excursions to Jetty Park at the mouth of Port Canaveral, and I even walked through a Feral Cat Colony; although I do have to ask, are they feral cats if they are being tended to?  I swung and missed on my only strike on Christmas morning, but my catch of a Spanish Mackerel on the afternoon of Christmas Eve made me Canaveral's Hot Stick that day.  Yes, the fishing was that slow!

This Blue Crab was super aggressive!  I let him go; he just didn't want to leave!

Christmas Morning at Port Canaveral's Jetty Park.

Shore-Based Spanish Mackerel

Cozumel and Playa Del Carma, Mexico; after two Fun Days at Sea we arrived in Cozumel a bit late, but rushed through a fun day that included snorkeling with sea turtles (I'd seen a bunch in Port Canaveral) and snorkeling in the sacred Mayan waters of a cenote.

Close encounter with a sea turtle

Super-clear waters of Cenote Dos Ojos

Belize; after the development in Mexico, I was surprised at how poor Belize seemed to be.  But the land was beautiful, our guides were wonderfully friendly, and the day offered some culture and learning as well as an excellent local rice and beans dish.  In retrospect, I might have gotten more out of our visit to the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins site than from our eco-dash down the Wallace River to the sea.

Altun Ha Mayan Ruins

Separate plazas at Altun Ha

Selfie Opp!

Jungle Cruise, powered by 400 horses!

Big French Key, Roatan, Honduras; conditions were perfect for a quiet day on a secluded beach for all, but also with some barrier reef snorkeling for Kate and me.  While the predator fishes were apparently depleted by local fishing and poaching activities, the reef fish and reef itself appeared to be in good shape; there was a ton of variety in the hard and soft corals that I observed from 5 feet of water to the reef's edge into the blue abyss.  Meanwhile, A and M couldn't have been happier with their time on the beach.

Warm, bright skies and clear, blue waters of Mahogany Bay, Honduras

Blue Doctors around a coral head

Kate provided a colorful target to photograph.

The barrier reef was just offshore.

New Year's Eve; The New Year's Eve Party on board might have been the highlight for many on the ship.  It was a nice opportunity to see my entire family dressed up nicely, but the party didn't really get going until after 11:15 PM.  As we passed the western tip of Cuba, everybody on board collected in The One Spot for The Countdown.  My daughters had fun dancing in this safe environment, and the rest of us variously enjoyed People Watching as things got looser.  By this point of the trip, I might have preferred to be asleep, but how often does one get a chance to share something like this?  

I wish all who might see this a Happy New Year!