What Happened to JUNE?

Ok, I know that I am getting OLD, and I have been BUSY, But did they shorten this month and not tell me? Now that I am RETIRED, time is just flying by. I cannot keep tract of what day it is, I know, but somehow it seems that someone has been stealing days off of the calendar.

I know that I have spent a few days butchering chickens and re-designing the interior of the chicken coop. A few more gardening and lumbering. And wasted a few at the Dr.s and shopping.

And then there was Father's Day and my Birthday. And some time helping my son remodel a room, and then Owen's birth. But surely there had to be less than 30 days used up.

And what happened to all of the fishing I had planned???

Yes, there were rainy days and too hot and too HUMID days, and days that you didn't DARE go outside because of mosquitoes and other biting bugs, but somehow it doesn't seem possible that this month is GONE.

My canoe hasn't seen any water but rain and dew, and my fishing poles have been moved from the car to the shed and have cobwebs and dust all over them.

My Grandson Ethan has been having fits because we haven't gone fishing yet! And I PROMISED him we would go!!!

Well that tear's it...Grandpa had better get his sh--stuff together!

The next nice day we get if the conditions are right, I have GOT to get him fishing. Everything else will have to wait.

Grandpa WILL NOT go back on his promise.

Fishing...FINALLY!!!

T'was the day before Memorial Day and around 6pm my son Eric and my ex-son-in-law Tim DEMANDED that I go fishing with them. I told them that I was tired and it was late, they reciprocated with references to my age and fishing abilities!

Well I just couldn't let that go unanswered! Why I'll show them 2 young whipper-snapper's a thing or two about fishing!! Especially after Tim said he would "LET" me catch more fish than him!!! The nerve of some people's kids!

Why if he weren't my ex-SIL I would have taken him over my knee. (in my dreams, but don't tell him that, I think I had him worried there for a minute...okay second...Jeeze...HEY!, it was my dream after all)
Anyway I asked them where we were going fishing......"Ugh....we were hoping you had an idea".

Now don't that just tear it! A couple of days earlier I had told them of a few of my old secret spots when they called because they were striking out at their favorite places. And now I have to take them to another. So I took them to "The Old Pike Hole" on the river. Now Eric had been there as a youngster when he wasn't that into fishing, so I told them where the best places were to find "freshwater barracuda" and I settled down to try to catch some Rock Bass, leisure style on the riverbank. Let the young'uns do all the hard casting work, I'll just sit here swatting mosquitoes while watching my bobber.

Then it happened, my son latched on to a monster! In the photo above you can see him with his 30 inch Northern Pike. OK so it wasn't a monster, but it was a very good sized fish for this little river. I have seen and hooked a lot bigger in the river, but never landed them! It was a good catch.

They tried everything in their tackle boxes, but couldn't catch another fish. Rocks and seaweed yes, and a lot of both. Finally as the sun was setting and I was getting low on blood from all of the mosquitoes I was feeding, we decided to pack it in for the night. I started to reel my line in and low and behold there was a fish on it. A lowly "stone-roller", (a small dark Sucker that inhabits the river to feed the pike) it was about a foot long, which seems to be there adult size. Didn't have a clue that it was even there! And it put up no fight at all, but it was a fish, so I tied with my son at one fish apiece and Tim was true to his word and let me catch more fish than him.

Well the word spread throughout the family, and on Memorial Day I ended up back to the same spot with a bigger crew. Wifey, Eric and his wife Andrea (who is carrying my future grandson Owen), Sarah and her boyfriend Jimmy, and even Angie came along for the ride.

Sarah.

Jimmy.

Wifey, Andrea and Eric.


Well, Wifey was the only one to catch a fish, a small Rock Bass. But we all had a good time drown ding worms and feeding mosquitoes. Oh, by the way, do you know what Michiganders call products like OFF and CUTTER insect repellent..... MOSQUITO LURE ! They come running from miles!

G-G-GONE F-F-F-F-FISHIN'

My first catch of the year. A lot smaller than I was hoping for, but after waiting over six months, anything is better than nothing. BTW the tiny ones got tossed back (unless they were too badly hooked to survive), some were smaller than the large minnows we were using.

Monday afternoon my son Eric had some business to attend to and asked me to come along. Afterwards we took a drive to Sebewaing to see if the Yellow Lake Perch were running yet.

We found the bridge over the river was packed shoulder to shoulder with fishermen, catching tons of small to medium sized perch. And of course we didn't have our fishing poles with us!!!

So we made plans to come back yesterday after he got out of work.

Yesterday it was about 40 degrees and very windy....COLD!!!!!

Eric and my ex son-in law Tim and I went anyway. When we got there, no one was fishing on the bridge! NOT a good sign. We immediately blamed Tim as being a jinx! Last year when ever we took him perch fishing we never caught anything. (of course even when we didn't take him we didn't catch anything either, but we aren't tellling HIM that!) We decided to try fishing in this tiny park right next to the bridge. I think it was built just for fishermen as it has heated bathrooms. And a handicapped accessible riverside boardwalk. And our backs were to the wind.

I caught the first ones but Eric was close behind.

And soon was outfishing me!!

Poor Tim was still trying to catch one.

The wind was making it very difficult to tell when one was biting.

And Eric just kept getting more and bigger fish than me, DANG IT !!!

Then Tim finally brought these in, and started catching fish.

And Eric kept on outcatching us!!!!!!

Good thing he drove or I would have made him walk home!

I thought I taught him to respect his elders!

And it's bad form to outfish the person who taught you.

The people across the river from us were doing ok for a while and keeping us entertained.

Then they settled down to some serious beer fishing.

Then even Eric started catching fewer fish.

Tim gave up and started playing games on his phone.

So after sitting a while and not catching anything we left for home.

The boys were gracious enough to allow me to keep and clean all of these little guys.

But they were quick to add that they would be here for the fish fry.



So guess what I get to do....YUP....clean fish!!!!

Maybe we will try again tomorrow, since we are going to get SNOW again, and freezing temps, for the next week...... dang it, Dang It, DANG IT!!!!

Almost-Spring Thaw

This is something you DON'T want to see when you are out driving.

In the field on the right hand side of the van, the ice that formed overnight was hanging about 6 inches up in the weeds. (darn camera was shaking so bad the picture turned out too blurry to post, no more medicine for it) The one below is pixilated from too much enlargement, but you can still see the darkened highwater marks on some of the trees.

The River was running over this bridge on the previous evening.

Turning around.

Let's check out the Park.

There were 2 wooden bathrooms at the other end of this pavillion.

There is a submerged road on the other side of the tree in the center of this photo, that runs to the right back along the river to the right of that cedar tree and into the woods.

Water over the road.

In the summer I sometimes fish from the bank about 15 feet behind this tree. Notice the debris on the 3rd rung of the ladder, that shows you how much higher the water was.

And Friday by 1:45pm the water receeded to about a foot under the bridge.

These pictures were taken early Friday afternoon. They closed the bridge Thusday morning after the melting snow from three days of temps over 50 and then rain all Wednesday afternoon and heavy rain during the night caused the river to flood over the road.

Wednesday I worked outside most of the day in the cold 40 degree temps and rain, Thawing out the septic line to the tank and having the tank pumped and then covering it all back up. Wednesday night I suffered from the consequences with terriffic muscle ache and pain. Thursday I continued to "Rock and Roll" with Mr.Pain and sleep with the help of modern medicine. Friday morning wifey wanted to go to the "Amish" store and in my drug induced hangover I agreed to go. Luckily wifey reminded me to take the camera.

On our way home we had to stop in Cass City to drop off some eggs and came upon this roadblock unexpectedly. We knew from TV that the North Branch of the Cass River had flooded over the road (it has a very short bridge) but had no idea that the South Branch had flooded too until we got there.

So we decided to stop by a few more bridges after our detour here.

These photos will give you an idea of how much water we are talking about. Some of them I took last summer to blog about. So here we go: These were taken at the Dodge Road Bridge about 8 miles from the bridge above;

From this

To this

And downriver

A little zoom

The pylons

And now the Cemetery Road Bridge halfway between the two

A close up looking upriver

and from the bridge

Down river

My Dad was transfered from the hospital in Saginaw Friday afternoon, to a Nursing Home in Cass City for physical therapy. Today he looked good and was in fine spirits. Once they get his medications under control and therapy started, I am hoping things will progress well so he can return home.

Brought to you by the letter..."P"

After reading Warren's blog about this game, I decided to join in the fun. He was right....it was harder than it looked. If you want to play along...be my guest!

Here are 10 things I love that start with the letter "P" ( well okay, I cheated a little).


Phition: (for those phonetically challenged, that's fishin') for Perch
& Pike. Two of my favorite catching and eating types of fish.





And speaking of eating I might as well add Prawns, Portabellas ( love that fungus), Pears (very firm ones), Peas and Potatoes (fresh from the garden and in cream sauce), Pickles and Peppers (I love canning these two together for hot pickles), Pork-chops, ribs, steaks, ham, sausage & roast, Porcupines (only from hardwoods), Pickled Beets, Pizza, Pumpernickle Rye Bread, Poached eggs and Pancakes.




Planes: horizontal & vertical (I love architectural drafting) and air (I am an aviation nut), I like to build model airplanes and I would love to learn how to fly a real airplane, and of course own one.



Poultry: like raising and eating all types. I would like to try raising some Pheasants.

After my first year of hunting them, I quit because they were too few and looked better than they tasted. Also they were too easy to hunt, I preferred Partridge or Ruffed Grouse.



Pine Trees & Scouting: I grew up playing in the woods, and evergreen trees became my favorite. The big old white pines were landmarks and shelter from the elements, but the smell was the greatest. I spent many hours in the woods practicing to become a Boy Scout. I had found a Boy Scout Handbook and not only memorized it but tried to do everything in it on my own. I finally joined the Explorer Scouts on my birthday at age 13. I was a finally a Boy Scout ( in the old White Pine District and our local Scout camp was named "Camp Pine Acres". It was in Scouts that I received the name "Lone Wolf" from our District Supervisor Ken Meyers. When my Scout Leader, Chuck Reed, heard that Ken desperately wanted an Explorer Scout in the Eagle Program he took me to see him. Ken was amazed by my knowledge of Scouting and tested me on many subjects. Ken did his best to get me into the Eagles and went all the way to the District Committee to get me through as a "Lone Scout", all was going well and I attended the next Eagle Ceremony. But they never called my name, at the last minute they had turned him down as I hadn't been in Scouts the required amount of time (Which kind of went against the whole concept of the Lone Scout). Ken was so mad he could barely contain himself, he took off his own Eagle Medal and presented it to me. Of course I wouldn't accept it, as it was not earned through proper channels, but I sure appreciated the gesture. After that Ken always went out of his way to show me off as his "Lone Wolf" (Wolf as in smart and cunning) and throw it back in the committees face when I would refuse to try to get the Eagle Badge after that. And when I was turned down for the "Order of the Arrow", Ken threw in the towel and quit Scouting. I was very saddened by his decision, but understood his frustration.




When I joined the Explorer Scouts, we were a "Service Post" that supervised the local Boy Scout activities and were in demand at the District Camp, "Camp Rotory" to run the activities there. I taught Gun Safety and Marksmanship from Cub Scouts on up to visiting parents. I also taught Archery, Knife Care and Sharpening and Traps and Deadfalls as part of the Survival Course. I was an Explorer Scout for 5 years until forced out at age 18.




When my son was in Cub Scouts and they needed a new Den Leader, I volunteered for 3 years and then was the driving force to start a new Boy Scout Troop when it was time for him to join them. As a Scout Leader I took the name of "Grey Wolf", for the obvious reason, and it sounded better than "Bald Wolf" or "Mangy Wolf". Due to my job I could only become the Assistant Scout Leader and served that post for another 3 years before my health deteriorated. During those 6 years I pushed for the rebuilding of the lake at Camp Pine Acres that had been destroyed during a flood in 1986 and a few years after I resigned, my dream was finally fulfilled. Camp Pine Acres was restored to the condition it was in when I was a Scout.



Pine is also my favorite choice for woodworking projects. I just love it's smell and softness.

I even planted many pine trees on our little 5 acre farm on the east and west ends.



Projectiles: bullets from guns, arrows from bows, stones and marbles from slingshots, pellets and BB's from air rifles, knife and tomahawk throwing. I love hunting, competion shooting and target practice.


Parks & Public Access: I love nature and getting to it.

Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Park: We discovered this little known park and campground and immediately discovered a love for lighthouses. We camped there for many years in comfort unknown in any of the other lake shore campgrounds either public or private. The rustic or tent camping grounds were hardly used while just a few miles away they were packed like sardines. The lighthouse was turned into a maritime museum which we visited frequently. Since then we have visited all of the accessible lighthouses on Michigan's shores (Michigan has over 110 lighthouses many on Islands or built up on shoals). And I have climbed all of the ones open to the public.








Praise: Of course I love it, who doesn't?


People: I am a people person. Some of the best jobs I have had have been the ones where I had to deal with customers.


Plymouth's & Dodge's: My first vehicle was a 1963 Plymouth Valiant that I bought from a guy that was going to race it at the local Dirt Track. It had a 195c.i. slant 6 motor and 4 on the floor. He had put a racing cam in it and high performance pistons. He made a few other engine modifications, cut the wires to the running lights and installed a roll bar, jacked up the rear end by installing 6 inch shackles on the springs and put in a heavy duty suspension. I blew all of my available funds $100, on it. Before I could put it on the road I would have to splice all the wires back together and put in new floorboards as they had rusted out. About halfway through making it roadworthy my dad talked me into buying my grandmother's 1965 Dodge Dart. It had a 225 slant Super 6 engine with a Rochester single barrel carb and an automatic trany. I din't want to do it, but I had to. Grandma needed the money since Grandpa died and I needed a car to get me back and forth to my first job (making$1.65 an hour). I soon fell in LOVE with that car and treated like a rental. I had a racing engine that I could drop in it anytime. I raced my brother in his new 1972 Chevy Nova with a 350 c.i. engine 15 miles from Caro to Cass City. At work that night he got to talking big and since it was a Sunday morning at 7a.m. I agreed to race him ( I had beat a new Ford Mustang the week before in a 5 mile race and was feeling cocky myself). That Nova passed me like I was standing still, and disappeared fast. But it had a top end of only 104 mph. I kept my old Dart floored and got sight of him again about half way. One mile out of Cass City I finally passed him. Yes, that little 6 cylinder beat his BIG BAD 350. We repeated the event a couple of more times and the results were always the same.

I made that trip once without coolant when a radiator hose burst and another trip out of oil when I was at the drive-in movies and the seal on my brand "NEW" STP Dual Action oil filter failed and all of the fresh Quaker State 10W30 oil I had put into it a few hours before ran out on the ground. Back then nothing was open at night. Both times the high speed 15 mile trip had no ill effects on that motor. I just let her cool down overnight and made the repairs and filler her back up and off we went like nothing ever happened. I finally gave up on using the motor out of the Valiant and sold it for a $25 loss.

And that was the start of my love affair with the slant 6 engine and the Chrysler Corporation. Oh, I've owened Fords and Chevy's, but given the choice it's MOPAR baby.

Me and my '65 Dodge Dart Wifey and her '66 Ford Galaxy 500



my first new car '79 Chevy Monza Coupe - Last new car '82 Buick Skylark - first truck

My favorite mini-van -The CRIP-MOBILE -My Dodge Ram

These a just few of the vehicles I have owned.

I even owned one of them P.O.S. Nova's. Here's my 1973 hatchback.

I still have the canoe, but that Nova left me stranded and I was forced to scrap it!