Boats...

Stuck at working tomorrow so tonight I dream of boats, especially since I won't be involved with any. Here are some I saw on the Evansville visit.

A tug pushes what looks to be coal up the Ohio River a cold brisk day. I figure that the galley on this vessel either has the best coffee you ever drank brewing to help ward off the cold or it's just so cold no one really cares how the coffee tastes. Wait, I forget, it is the 21st century, they all got a grande at Starbucks on the way to work.



Ever been driving down the road and the force just takes you somewhere? What do you mean, "what force?" Ok, just stop reading now and google "Brittney" or something, you will not scratch your head so hard and have more fun.

The force took me to a place, I swore I would not for get the name but I did, something like "Frenchmen's Bay Harbour Yatch Marina Social and Pleasure Club."
The common thread seeming to hold this little community in unison was not a marina that I could see, but a common banding together of 1970s trailer houses elevated like a beach house would be to escape high water that must occur in these parts. Maybe it was just winter, but the whole area, including the club building that did not look to be in use had that faded poop slung out of it look that seems to be globally in vogue after 8 years of Bush in the White House.

Anyway I saw this boat, 3 decks, many propane powered devices from fridges to cookers and completed in all glory by a slide from deck 2. No motor in evidence, I expect in pleasant weather everyone donned cut off britches and skinny little halters and towed this big baby to a quite spot on the river for some serious lounging. Probably leave it anchored all summer.

Another tug with barge on the Ohio at Evansville.

What's this...

One guy looking, one guy on his all fours.

I like that term, all fours. Legend has it that mysterious blues great Robert Johnson spent his last moments on Earth after drinking poison whiskey down on his all fours barking like a dog. A great loss, but I am sure quite comical as they say, especially for the guy who put the poison in the whiskey. Sometimes at work appropriate treatment for the patient is to get them on their all fours. There is a fancy text book term for that, quadraped, but if you tell a patient to get on your all fours, they will know immediately what you mean. Serious business, getting well, but like they say, often quite comical.

Anyway, here is the reason for so much all four time up at the Land last weekend. Juan, or Juanstranamous, as he is know because of certain abilities to foresee the future, brought his metal detector and found, among other things an old axe head.

Here's a closer look. I am no expert, but I will guess pretty old. We will see, Juanstranamous has a way about these things.

Outlaw Fishing...

When you are on your own property, or family property as this happens to be (left to right, Jim, Matt, Katie and John fish the pond at the land last Saturday) you can do what you want. Between these fisher people and me and Pop we landed maybe 20 bass up to 8 inches long (several age classes represented) and maybe as many bream. Nothing to brag about, great fun on light tackle, and if you were hungry enough they would make the skillet stink.

On the other hand some people, especially after fishing public waters won't say how many they caught. I had to work today. Cathy went to the lake. All I saw was this picture of one fish and 7lbs of fillets, a gallon bag totally full sitting in the sink.

Cooney Christmas...

Got together with the Cooneys for a belated Christmas/mid winter gathering at the land this past weekend. It was nice, no presents to buy, just good company.

Margaret and Kevin again stopped at Kingwood Seafood for a sack of oysters in the shell. Her are Pop, Rose, Jeff and Margaret doing the bivalve bop.
Kevin displays grilled on the half shell with his special sauce. That sauce is versatile stuff, on oysters, last year I grilled some fish with it and can even be used as a dipping sauce.

In the background Matt and John come a running!









Professional oyster shucker enjoys fruits of his labor.

Sometimes I Think About My Own Business...

Ever get tired of the daily grind? Think about may be getting your own thing going on? I hang around the Taekwondo school a lot and while some might dream of having their own school, I know that one day I'll be too old for all those kicks and punches or I will jump, bend or squat and rip my trousers and then I will be too embarrassed to keep training up there.


So my idea, and your own business seems to always combine two things, one which you like to do and one thing we usually don't like to do which is work, into one thing. I like to cook, among other hobbies so I think it would be real great to open an Asian Tak-Key-Outee food joint right next to the Taekwondo school.


You used to see a bunch of these things in the French Quarter on Bourbon St. A long narrow room, four tables against one long wall with a counter which you order from and stand there watching a guy (me!) cooking your greasy rat or shrimp on a stick, sticky fried rice and limp over cooked veggies. You know the kind of menu I'm talking about, stuff that tastes real good when you are hungry as heck or real drunk.

Location is everything and I figure with the Asian motif right next to the Taekwondo school coupled with lots of hungry kids finishing a work out business would boom. Of course may be I am a little mean and really want to see the kids in their white karate outfits squeezing sweet and sour sauce out of little plastic packets and getting it all over them.

Other people have had similar ideas and made them work. Here is the Taekwondo school in Evansville, Indiana, I have worked out here before on a previous visit, they are the same association as us. Seems the target market for the business next door is a little different, but you get the drift. You could probably see people getting stuff all over them too.

Scenes From the Road...

Still sorting through pictures from our Evansville visit last week. Here is one made in the Memphis airport, a nice little woodwind quartet. Significant because I don't think I have seen an oboe player with a Mohawk before. That said I will probably see another one somewhere today. Maybe there is a lesson here, "hey kids, everyone has to have a day job," or something like that.

Cathy and Grayson outside the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensbourgh, Ky. Decent exhibits, left with a feeling, been there done that.

Important Day...

My Birthday!

Quack...

Folks feed the ducks and geese on the grounds of the State Hospital in Evansville Indiana. Looks like quite the ministry for these two, the man on the left in the photo walked all around the lake feeding squirrels after finishing with the ducks. After these people left another man arrived, not greeted with too much fanfare, I guess everyone was full and he dumped what looked to be a grain in several piles around the duck area for later consumption.

These guys can come to East Texas, I don't know the last time I saw a mallard around here, mostly wood ducks where I hunt.

A little bit of ice over on the pond, some swim, some just walk on the water.

Evansville Trip...

We have been out of town to Baby sit niece Grayson while parents Kevin and Margaret were on a trip.

Lots of fun.Here we celebrate "Everyone wear a Red Shirt Day" The had never had anything like this in Evansville before.




Still pretty good at babies, but times have changed. Got to put out warning signs when in public, protects the unsuspecting.










Grayson is a good baby!

Remote Posting...

I am in Evansville, Indiana. Me and Cathy have baby sat niece Grayson while Margaret and Kevin were away on a trip. It's been a nice little vacation for us also.

It's cold here in Evansville, 25 degrees, partly cloudy with a few snow flakes drifting down now and then. I have been told that in India when the sun shines and precipitation falls that there is an old folk expression that says the dog is riding the monkey. That maybe a loose paraphrase, but I think you get the idea. In East Texas when it's 25 and snowing we say the dog and monkey are trying to keep warm.

Back home tomorrow.

Snake Farm...

Here's a song that gets a lot of play around here. It's by Ray Wylie Hubbard, a Texas singer songwriter. You can hear this song in the boat catfishing, at a party on the porch, we even jammed on it over Christmas. The last snake picture is an endangered Louisiana Pine Snake from the Lufkin zoo.

Well a woman I love is named Ramona
She kinda looks like Tempest Storm
And she can dance like little Egypt
She works down at the snake farm

Chorus:
Snake Farm – it just sounds nasty
Snake Farm – well it pretty much is
Snake Farm – it's a reptile house
Snake Farm – Uuuggghhhhh......

Well Ramona's got a keen sense of humor
She got a tattoo down her arm
It's of a python eatin' a little mouse
Wearin' a sailor hat that says snake farm

Chorus


She says it's got it's charms
Nothing to do in the winter
Now and then some kid gets bit at the snake farm

Well Ramona likes her malt liquor
And a band from Wales thats called The Alarm
She said she cried when they broke up
She still plays their records at the snake farm

Chorus

SAnd says come on down here, it's getting warmS
he runs everybody off
And we...you know...it's a snake farm

Snake Farm – it just sounds nasty
Snake Farm – well it pretty much is
Snake Farm – it's a reptile house
Snake Farm – Uuuggghhhhh......

No, these snakes are not swimming in my belly.
Will be out of pocket a few days, striding the land like an ancient giant. Back from adventures soon.

Mary's Photos...

Mary took photography this past semester. Here are a few from her portfolio.

This angel is out at the old Glendale Cemetery.













My old Alvarez acoustic.

Another shot, same guitar with a few props from around the house.

She gave this photo, framed, for a Christmas present. My DeArmond hollow body guitar leaning against the old red barn.

Still Christmas...

Really took a bunch of Christmas pictures this year. Here is the traditional group picture, some may have received this by email, if not enjoy.

From your left, back row, Morgan and Ali, Jeff and Katie, Mary and Miguel. Front row from your left, me, Cathy, Rose and Juan.

One person is photo shopped in. Click on comments to post who you think it is. Winner gets a big screen.

Nearly Trampled...

Went in to work at 6:30 this morning, out by 12:30, Cathy working nights, won't let me use her boat so I figured I would head over to Big Slough Wilderness area for probably the last hunting trip of the year.

With temps in the 70s I packed my waders in a backpack and carried a fishing rod and a shotgun, ducks, fish who cares. I had no luck with either, nothing flying in the air, nothing jumped on the slough, but nice and relaxing to toss a spinner bait around the old logs. The water level has dropped from earlier trips, sure is dry in the woods.

Wait a minute, here comes something, hunker down hide, it might be dangerous!
Wait, there's more!
Baby hogs! it's a stampede. Quick we need names, there's Brownie, Whitey, Striper and Old Smoke. Total up that meat, 5, 10, 15, maybe 20 pounds of pork on the hoof there you BBQ fans!
Sitting nice and quiet, Striper and Whitey pass 5 yards from me.

And no, they are not swimming in my belly. I think I forgot to mention that about the gulls and pelicans in yesterday's post.

Lake Scenes...

Big bunch of pelicans and water turkeys rafted up. How many pounds of fish are getting ate up by these guys? The pelicans migrate in from the great lakes area each winter. Found on our lake mostly hanging out over deep or open water areas, probably 20-25 ft deep here they tend to herd up schools of shad. If a bunch of shad are getting cut up I bet there are some cats and stripers hanging out below. We did see one water turkey near our fishing spot trying to swallow a 10 inch bass.

Little closer view of the pelicans. I like them, big old birds with 8 foot wing spans. If I zoom this picture up real close with my photo soft ware it's pretty impressive.



The gulls like to sit on the water down wind of our boat. Creatures of opportunity, Danny King's catfish bait floats to the surface when it's off the hook. I bet he's got a belly full of it.
Some R.E.D. Neck Business here. I thought maybe they were picking up those old mussels exposed by low water for trot line bait, has worked good for me in winter. This was a quick snap, seems that green shirt waded out a little far and sank butt deep in the mud, shouted for help from the others, best I could do was get the camera, but the rescuers were too efficient for me to catch a right comical moment as we say in East Texas. As we left we were nosy and cruised close to the bank, they had two prong scratchers searching the low water edge for arrow heads. I have found an arrow head in this area myself, only one I ever found. The old river makes a big "s" curve, two creeks flow in and the banks were probably steep, I bet it was a scenic place a couple of hundred years ago. People still like it and hang around here. I bet fishing was good then as it still is now.