Labor Day 2011

Thursday:   It Rained
Friday:       It Rained, the wind blew.
Saturday:   It Rained, the wind blew.
Sunday:     It Rained (Only time it didn't rain was when I decided not to go to church because it was going to rain....), the wind blew
Monday:    It Rained, the wind blew.
Tuesday:  It is a beautiful fall day.  Temps in the high 60's for our drive home..  A beautiful day.

We'll be back next weekend.

The $72,000 dog????

Its our first long weekend in OB since 4th of July and  we are planning a trip with our friends Rick & Annie on Saturday.  We make our way south Thursday night.  It will be our first trip since amberjack season opened August 1st.

Friday we hang around the condo and later take Sadie out for a swim.  As soon as we set the anchor the thunderstorms begin.  We run home from the storm call it a day.

Saturday Karen is suffering from some sort of virus and our fishing trip is put off for another day.  We were both disappointed, we had been looking forward to our trip for several days.  It just was not meant to be.

Sunday is always the best day in OB.  The crowd is gone and it is a relaxed place, this was no exception.  After church and breakfast we set out.  This year the jellyfish are the worst I have ever seen.  They are thick around the Pass & the Island making it impossible to swim there.  We head to the East end of Old River looking for a spot for away from the stingers.

We find a beach after it seems all the Jellies are behind us.  Sadie is enjoying the water when we see the first one.  The water is so infested that the remnants are giving Karen fits.  We pull the hook and head for Pirate's Cove.  That's were the story gets interesting.

At the Cove there is a guy with another Golden.  The dog obviously has only one eye.  Karen quickly strikes up a conversation with him about his dog.  He relates that his dog had gotten oil in his eye and the Vet had to remove it.  His Vet bills total $2,100 which BP pays with no problem.  He then threatens to sue and receives a settlement for $72000!!!!  So many questions...


Who knows if the beer was talking or the guy was truthful.  For the sake of the blog I believe he was, at least for the most part.  For every person saying BP screwed them there are 20 people who are not working this summer because they made so much off the spill.  Many people would like to see another one.  So many questions.

How did the dog get the oil in his eye?  Most of the oil we saw was on the Gulf beach were dogs are not permitted.  Sure, some made it to the bay but in much smaller amounts.  How did the dog manage to jump in the few spots were oil was concentrated?

Did the oil really cause the damage?  Sure he probably got a Vet to say it did but who really knows?  Why don't mechanics lose an eye every time they get oil in their eyes?  What about oilfield workers?  Oil rig workers? You would think these people would experience it every day.  The truth is that oil is not toxic.  It is ugly, slimy, dirty & nasty but not toxic, at least not in small amounts.

Why did BP settle?  If this gets to court can you imagine the negative press this case receives?  The guy probably got screwed, it was worth much more than 72 grand.  Maybe we can get Sadie to jump in some oil, if we could find any...

So many questions, so few answers.  One should remember that the Cove is not the best place to seek the truth.....

Its hotter than the 4th of July...

  
Its the weekend of the 4th and our plans include fishing with Rick & Annie on the Sea Legs.  Last weekend TPOS was reserved by my daughters for a girls only weekend so are anticipating our return.  We grill burgers on the deck and get ready for Saturday.

Rick and Annie have purchased on home on a canal and have moved their boat there.  How convenient it is to walk out the door and hop on the boat.  No crowded parking lot, no long walk down the pier, no searching for a cart, and best of all no slip rental fees!   We are loaded and ready to go by 8am.

Our crew today is Rick, Annie, K, Lauda, your faithful writer and 2 of Rick's friends, Timothy & Big Money.  Rick sets a course for a new spot about 20 miles south. We huddle into the air conditioned helm and off we go.  The seas are flat, the winds are calm and it is HOT.   One of Rick's Charter buddies, Randy Boggs, has given up the #'s for this spot.  It is a good one.  We quickly load 9 of our 14 fish limit.  Seems that one of Randy's other boats is also headed for the same spot.  Rick graciously moves on to another spot to finish our limit.

As a side note, Randy Boggs is thought to be the hottest charter in town right now.  For him to share one of his "money" spots speaks highly of him & Rick.

It was steamy and hot with no breeze at the first stop.  As we head north the sea breeze picks up and makes our next stop bearable.  Big Money landed a cobia.  As usual when you try to put one on the deck it is a cluster #@*! but we got it done.  We had to stretch him but he made 33" with 1/16" to spare.  We had to work hard to get our last 5 snappers but eventually left 1 fish short.  It was hot and we were ready to head in.  Good call by Capt. Rick.


One of my most embarrassing moments came yesterday.  Lauda  hooked a big Snapper and I was on the gaff.  I got distracted, the fish flopped and gaff went overboard.  According to the AFTCO website they float, this one went straight to the bottom.  I will replace the gaff but my ego took a big blow...

One of the nicer things about having the boat at your home is when you return to dock..  No long trek to the fish cleaning station or lugging gear back to the truck.  Tie her up, clean the fish, clean the boat & head to the air conditioning.

When we got home we got the fryer out breaded some snapper filets and ate like royalty.  Much to Karen's chagrin there is a race on TV and we settle in for the night.


It was a great day fishing with great friends.  We are looking forward to the next one.

Happy 4th of July!!!

A Foggy Day.

This weekend our plans included taking Sadie out on Miss Elisa, head over to Pirate's Cove or a beach and just hang out.  Just the two of us + 1 dog.   We make our way down Friday evening.

Miss Elisa needed a new battery so off to OB Auto & Marine Parts I go.  After the battery is installed I noticed a low tire.  The guys at Big 10 tires were nice enough to fill my tires for free and then back to TPOS.  While getting ready to go we hear a loud pop, the valve stem on the tire has popped out and the tire is going flat fast..  My neighbor Josh quickly replaced the valve stem and I head back over to my friends at Big10.  I need new hubs.

The guys at Big 10 don't ordinarily replace & repack hubs but they did for me.  Back to OB Auto & Marine for replacement hubs.  First time I get the wrong parts but second time is the charm.  Big 10 did a great job and the charges were reasonable.  I would recommend them.

About 1:30pm we are finally underway.  We take Sadie to the Cove where she can play and we can grab lunch.  She loves it there, lots of kids and dogs to play with.  Add a little water & she is in heaven.  The burgers are good but the poor service is legendary.   A lunch order routinely takes an hour & that is only if you go back looking for it.  I once quit going there for years, its starting to get to me again.  Its a dive & I like it but my patience is tested to the limit every time. 

We then head to a beach on the bay with Sadie.  She is a water baby, loves to swim.  Not sure she will ever jump off a dock into the water, it seems to terrify her.  A few months ago I tossed her off the dock at TPOS.  I  scared her, big mistake.

The weather was strange.  The day started with fog and it never really lifted.  Very odd for Mid April.  Glad we were not out in the Gulf.

We had planned to go to a CCA party that night but after settling back at TPOS we decided to stay in.  We cooked on the patio, watched the race and chilled, a perfect evening..

Sunday morning I go to church, Alan was in shorts.  My kind of preacher!  We go over to the Wharf for the boat show & lunch.  Lots of holes in the water to droll over.  There were many high end boats there but also what seemed to be reasonable prices.   Lunch at Ginny Lane then back to the Gump.

A good weekend with just the 2 of us.  Be back in a week or 2

A beautiful winter day on the water...

It's the weekend and we have been invited to go fishing with our friends Rick & Anne on Sea Legs.  Rick's helm is enclosed and has heat and a/c making it comfortable in all sorts of weather.  A beautiful weekend is forecast and we make our way south Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning we awaken to a beautiful day in OB.  The marine forecast is good and we are set to go.  The first order of the day is to find Doggie Day Care for Sadie.  The local vet here provides day care for dogs and I head there shortly after they open, 8am. Sadie rushes off to play with the teenager there, she will be well cared for.  Pickup is between 5-6pm, that will be a factor later.

We leave the Pass with a plan to catch bait and then on to the Tenneco rig looking for amber jack.  As is sometimes the case this time of year, bait was hard to find.  We stopped at several spots to "make bait" but nothing was to be had.  Rick had a proven spot for bait but it was about 10-15 miles out of the way.  Faced with the prospect of catching no bait elsewhere we settled in for the trip to the bait hole.  Sure enough after a few minutes the bait well was full.

When we got to the Tenneco a smaller boat was anchored up, after a few minutes he pulled anchor and headed out.  Our first few drops resulted in large snapper, all over 20lbs.  We vented them and sent them back down.  Still no Jacks.

We had to leave for home by 3:30 in order to pick up Sadie.  Time was closing in on us.  We thought our drops we may be little deep so we scaled back to 60-70'.  Bingo!  Big AJ on the electric.  We fought the fish for 10-15 minutes before we had it on the gaff, fish, 40lb class.  The next couple of drops result in big hits and lost fish but we were running out of time.  We decided to make one last drop.  It was immediately hit and the fight was on.  Unfortunately the line parted and we lost another.  Now we have head back.  Rick turned the boat NW and we begin our 33 mile run in.

Rick had done a great job to put us on the fish and putting bait in the live well.  Bait was hard to find, as hard as I have seen but we got it done.  As the sun went down the heat is on in the helm, the stereo is on, Karen & Anne are enjoying a cocktail, as we head for the hill.

The sunset was beautiful on the ride in.  We dropped Karen at the fuel dock to fetch Sadie.  I cleaned the fish and Rick and Anne tended Sea Legs.

Rick and Anne are such gracious hosts & "fishing buddies".  Rick handles the boat like a pro and we always have fun and catch fish.  We are already planning a return visit next weekend.   Super Bowl & Owners meeting be damned, we are going fishing!!!  A great day with great friends!

The New Year; Plumbers, & Painters.

The holiday weekend began for us on Wednesday 12/29.  I met Sarah & company in Troy to move her out of her apartment.  She is doing an internship at Ole Miss then will graduate in May.  Its a cliche' but it seems she has grown up in a big hurry.  Derrick met us in Troy with the trailer, after loading it he headed to Camden.  I was back to MGM to get Karen & Sadie the Wonder Dog then head south to OB.  It has been several weeks since our last visit and we are anxious to return.

One of the things we wanted to accomplish this visit was to paint the master bedroom.  It was a dark blue, painted during my "Blue Period".  Too dark and confining, we wanted a lighter color.  I figured it would be an easy job, one I could handle, big mistake.  The first coat, a primer, went on without incident.  We then went to Home Depot to pick out a color.  Everything seemed to take forever, leaving TPOS, traffic on 59, picking out a color, my patience was tested to the limit.  Finally back at  the condo I began to apply the final coat.  As  I struggled to maintain my composure I spilled a can of paint onto the carpet, and then spilled another.  Finally the last wall is done.   This is when my Coors Light is missed the most.  We will take on the trim Friday.  At this rate even Sadie the Wonder Dog  won't be speaking to me by New Year.

Oops...

Friday morning I made the decision which should have made much earlier, hire a Painter.  After asking several of my buds at TPOS  got the name of a local guy.  He gave what I thought was a very fair price to finish the bedroom & the living area.  He will start in a week or so, stay tuned.. I'm out a few bucks but we are all happier, much happier.

Friday we noticed a leak behind the 2nd toilet. We think it has been going on quite some time, there is a discolored area below it in the parking area.  A slow leak.  I made my way to GNG Plumbing.  They recognized me immediately as "The Pecan Man" and from my prior escapades at TPOS.  They sent a guy right over and Had it repaired right away.  I am glad I didn't try and fix this problem, it would still be leaking...  Great guys, I would recommend them anytime.

Friday night we have dinner plans with our friends Tommy & Lisa.  Tommy is friends with the owner of the Steamer at San Roc Cay, Jeff.  We had a great meal & an even better time.  Back to the condo for Karen, Lisa & Tommy to enjoy some champagne, iced  tea for me.  We didn't make it to midnight and the Wharf for fireworks, something that seems to happen more & more as the years go by.

Another word about the Steamer.  We had been there several weeks ago during the Oil Spill.  The place was dead and the meal was uninspiring.  Friday nite they had a guy on guitar and the place was packed.  The food was great and the atmosphere was very enjoyable.  Its a great place for casual dining, we will be back.

New Years day we awoke to rain and balmy temperatures.  We both wanted to go to the Polar Bear Dip as observers but the rain kept us away.  Maybe next year.  The day continued with nonstop football which bored Karen & Sadie the Wonder Dog to no end.  The Lifetime channel was a constant on the second TV.  Dinner of Black-eyed peas, hog jowl, turnips and cornbread.  Good luck will surely follow us in 2011!

Sunday morning we awoke to wind and cold temperatures.  Off to church, my friend Alan was not there but it was great to see my friends at OBUMC after several weeks away due to Pecan Season.  I will be back in a couple of weeks.  We left TPOS mid afternoon and headed back top MGM.

It was a great weekend away.  Karen was a jewel working with my lack of patience and my many goofs over the weekend.   2 spilled buckets of paint and not a cross word spoken.  Her love for me knows no bounds....