Thursday, September 30, 2010

Daily Rain and Opinion

Goodness. A couple days of some IN-tense rain, huh? Double digit amounts dumped all over eastern North Carolina this week, likely bringing an end to the drought. Or, maybe not. From what I've seen, a LOT of that rain has run off, and continues to run off, into streams, creeks and rivers.

That's a picnic table in the foreground. It's under about three feet of water.

Tideline Marine, in Jacksonville, is in a protected cove. Even with that, the water put a strain on the lines of a number of boats moored there. Owner Bill Tarplee said it wasn't as deep as it was with Hurricane Fran when the water was at least a foot or two deeper.



Pirate Attack (our boat) is actually moored to a dock that is submerged. The gas tank sets on top of that dock, giving you an idea of how deep the water is. Thank goodness for strong mooring lines and bilge pumps!



If you've been 'round these parts a long time, you'll remember when Elizabeth Ditch was actually a lake. A little political interference made it what it is today, an overgrown eyesore. Well, with the proper damming at Dewitt and Preston, and rains like we're had for a few days, we might even have the lake back. Complete with fish.  Perhaps the Elizabeth Lake Garden Club from yester-year could help with another beautification program.

Their grandparents can remember when this ditch was full of water.

Let the rains fill 'er up.

Drivers, beware. There is a LOT of water on the roads. If you see standing water, you might want to turn around. The road could be washed out, and that standing water may be hiding a ditch!
Sometimes, there may not be a warning sign, and you should resort to common sense. 


A by-product of high water in residential areas is oftentimes snakes. Watch where you walk, as snakes that normally reside in low lying, but relatively dry, areas, seek higher ground.



Hey! Watch it.

Floating dock box...where's that *#^! dock?

Huckelberry Fun, 2010

This umbrella awaits a sunny day!!!! (As do most of us)

                                                                                       (All photos copyright Raeford Brown, 2010)









Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Daily Facts and Opinions

How 'bout that rain? Had enough, yet? Too bad. We're gonna have showers and thundershowers for a day or two more. In Jacksonville (NC), the weather guys reported 7-inches of rain Monday. Let's see...if that was snow, and I can remember the relationship, we'd have more than three FEET of the white stuff on the ground by now. I hope this is NOT a sign of a wet and cold winter. Last season's snow was enough to last me for a long time.
                                             copyright Raeford Brown 2010

Pretty, for a while. But, it certainly creates some traffic problems.  And, this was only a few inches to deal with.

The rain and ponding didn't seem to slow drivers down, not one bit.

Ok, you got me. I did slow the shutter down a little, just to illustrate my point. At a "normal" shuttter speed of, say, 1/250th of a second, I can even stop the blades on those Ospreys flying around. Looks like they're hanging in mid-air.


There...today's photo lesson. If you want to show some "motion", get a tripod and set your camera at a slower shutter speed. For the extreme motion of the car, I was shooting at 1/10th of a second. Next time you're near a brook or a waterfall, you might try shooting at a slower shutter speed. The water appears to be much smoother. 1/8th to 1/15 of a second is a good place to start. The longer shutter speeds will result in a much smaller aperature. This works best under lower light levels, i.e a shaded brook, later afternoon/early evenings. And, you may need to change your ISO sensitivity to the lowest number on your camera.

                 copyright Raeford Brown 2006

                                 copyright Raeford Brown 2006

A tripod will keep the camera steady during the exposure. While you want the moving objects to appear to be moving, you want the stationary rocks, trees...what have you...to be sharp in the image.

On the news front. No doubt, there's a lot to talk about. But, I spent most of Monday painting. I caught some snippets of late news, and a tad of this morning's news, and it's obvious that the big story is the weather. Having spent a long time inside a newsroom, having been party to several focus groups, having analyzed...to death, at times...local and national research on "what people want" from local news, I will tell you that Breaking News and Weather are at the top of that list. "Win the weather", consultants tell news directors, "and you will be more likely to win the ratings". That, folks, is why every "new and improved" tool, aka gimmick, offered by the marketing folks at every weather software company in the country is picked up by station after station after station. Want to invest in something? Pick a top notch company that provides software for local weather platforms and you'll have a winner. Just be sure to check their track records. A lot of companies have one-hit-wonder material. Here today, gone in a year.

Back to the weather. Seems that we'll have more rain, off and on, for a couple more days. And, then there's that mess in the Caribbean off Central America. I believe it's the stuff that's forming from former Tropical Storm Michael. Michael, you may recall, moved westward in Central America and Mexico. It looks like the system is reforming, and the National Hurricane Center (the group that doesn't hype the H-word) gives it about an 80% chance of becoming a tropical system. Florida can expect some heavy rain and gusty winds as the system merges with a frontal system by mid-week. It's likely to create some issues for Jamaica and Grand Cayman, as well. Let's face it, folks. Planning vacations this time of year in much of the Caribbean is a crap shoot. Three islands that are, generally, safe bets are the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. They seem to be below the hurricane belt. (Bonaire and Curacao, by the way, are GREAT SCUBA destinations...I've dove both, many times).

                                copyright Raeford Brown 1996

Politics. Oh, yes. It's heating up. Enough said, at least for today.

I'm thinking of taking all the leftover yard sale signs I find on the utility pole on the corner where I live and either 1) dropping them off at the location noted on the signs, or 2) taking a picture of each sign every Sunday and running it on here.
Folks, I love yard sales, flea markets, E-Bay, Craigs List, Lejeune Yard Sales, as much...if not more...than you. My wife and I even have an occasional yard sale. But, please, once your sale has ended, take the same amount of time you took when you erected those signs, and gather them up. By Sunday and Monday, they're in pretty bad shape. If they're still hanging on the utility pole (that's illegal, by the way), they are pretty ugly. In most cases, residents living, as we do, on the "yard sale route" spend some quality time picking up the debris from our yards.
You are forewarned: I'll either deliver them to you, or I'll post pictures of them right here. And, maybe on Facebook, as well.

Enough for today.  Well, enough for right now. I may think of someting else before the day's over (as I take "painting breaks").

Monday, September 27, 2010

Speeding

Monday's Jacksonville (NC) Daily News has a story about speeding. And, who hasn't or doesn't... right ? Even a few miles per hour over the posted limit??? Yeah...you. And, me. And, just about everybody else out there. And, we all have excuses, right?

 “The one that I hear the most with speeding is that they have to use the bathroom. The thing is, when you just followed them past two or three convenience stores, that excuse just doesn’t hold any water.” — 1st Sgt. Kevin Martin, N.C. State Highway Patrol

“The sergeant stopped a guy last year. The guy had just stopped at the gas station, he had two dollars and was able to get a gallon of gas, and he lived about six miles down the road. He stopped him at 85 mph. He was doing 85, he said, because he wanted to get home really fast before he ran out of gas.” — Chief John Maiorano, Holly Ridge Police Department

Jacksonville Police Department spokesman Beth Purcell asked some JPD officers what they hear the most during traffic stops. They are:
I’m late for a funeral.
My wife is having a baby (when the driver was alone in the car).
I’m upset.
I was trying to get to the store before it closed.
I’m late for court.

Just keep in mind that police officers have heard pretty much every excuse you can invent. There was one state trooper, from many decades back. who told offenders: "if you can come up with an excuse I haven't heard, I'll give you a warning". He didn't give many warnngs.

Of course, there's the one about the guy who just bought a new car, and decided to "try it out" after leaving the dealership. He got up to 80, and noticed a blue light in his mirror. Figuring that he had a pretty hot set of wheels, he accelerated, reaching 120 MPH...with the state trooper right on his bumper. He figured he'd better pull over and take his medicine before things got even worse. The trooper, who had heard every excuse,  approached and said, "Ok, sir. Just why were you trying to outrun me"?
The driver replied.
"Officer, just last week, my wife ran off with a state trooper, and I thought you were bringing her back".
The trooper said, "have a good day, and slow down", then walked away.

And, speaking of speeding...
I'm not sure what it's going to take to make drivers understand that JPD officers are DILIGENTLY patrolling Henderson Drive. You would think that after seeing blue lights flashing, and sirens blasting away, EVERY day, that motorists would get the message. So far, it hasn't worked. Regardless of how many citations the officers write, there are more than enough speeders to go around. It's easy pickings, too. It would be interesting to know just how many speeding tickets are given along this stretch of road (which includes a school zone) in any given month. If the driver of every car stopped gets cited, then I would guess at least 8-10 tickets EVERY day are written.
Oh, well...the fines go to the school system, and they can use the money.

Daily Facts and Opinions

Nice rain we're having on this Monday morning. Looks like it will be with us, along the North Carolina coast, for a few days. And, hopefully, it will add a little moisture to our soil. That's good. With any luck, the winds will remain light, the rain will subside towards mid-week, and the big US Open King Mackerel Tournament will be a "go" for Friday and Saturday.

A letter from a Viet Vet, a 65 year old North Carolinian who has served as a judge and is a partner in a law firm, has been making the rounds on the internet recently. Even the somewhat-liberal "Snopes" site confirms the letter is real, but had nothing else to say ("Snopes" often qualifies their information when "investigating" comments about the current administration or it's supporters, making it hard to tell if the information is true or not). The letter takes a couple good shots at Nancy Pelosi, and, if nothing else, provides a verbal outlet of growing disdain for the lady shared by a lot of Americans.

The letter, dated August 2009:

Dear Ms. Pelosi:

I write to you out of utter disdain! You are as despicable and un-American as the traitor Jane Fonda.

I am a soon to be 65 year-old who has voted in every state and local election since 1966. I have voted for both Republicans and Democrats alike. I have worked on campaigns for both Republicans and Democrats, white and black. I served the country that I love in Vietnam, as my son did in the Middle East. I was awarded two bronze stars. I have been involved in politics since age 6 when my father was campaign manager for a truly great American Congressman, Charles Raper Jonas, who worked for his constituents and his country, and was to be admired, unlike you.

You obviously haven't read the Constitution recently, if ever, the Federalist Papers, or even David McCullough's book on John Adams. You ought to take the time while riding around in your government provided luxury executive jet to do just that. You represent Socialistic and even Marxist principals that our founding fathers tried to avoid when setting out the capitalistic republican form of government represented by our Constitution.

I find it interesting that you and your husband are multi-millionaires with much of your fortune being made as a result of your "public service". You have controlled legislation that has enhanced your husband's investments both on and off shore. At the same time you redistributed the wealth of others. Our system of a free market economy is being destroyed by the likes of you, Harry Reid, and now our President. You ride around in a Gulfstream airplane at the tax payer's expense while criticizing the presidents of companies who produced something for the economy. You add nothing to the economy of the United States; you only subtract therefrom.

I would like to suggest that you return to the city of fruitcakes and nuts and eat your husband's canned tuna and pineapple produced by illegal immigrants and by workers who have been excluded from the protection that 90% of the legal workers in the United States have.

I await your defeat in the next election with glee.

Don't ever use the term "un-American" again for protesters who love this country and are exercising their rights upon which this country was founded. By the way, while I served in the Army, I was spit on by the same type of lunatics who support you and who you probably supported in the 60's and 70's. You are an embarrassment to all of us who served so that you would have the protected right of free speech to call us un-American. But at the same time, I have the right to write you to notify you that I consider you to be un-American, as do the majority of the people of this formerly great country. You are a true disgrace to most of the people who served this country by offering themselves for public service in the United States Congress.

I feel certain your aides will not share this letter with you, but I intend to share it with many.
 


You can read an exact copy of the letter, complete with Mr. Guthrie's signature, on Snopes http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/guthrie.asp
and see the confirmation that the letter was, indeed, written by Mr. Guthrie.

****************************************************************************************

Great weekend, it was. Nice and relaxing.
A couple deer made their almost-daily appearance in the vacant field next to Tideline Marine in Jacksonville. I hope they'll stay away from the roadway. If you see them, don't try to befriend them. They should remain cautious of two-legged animals. Both are young. They still have their spots. If you want to take pictures, use AT LEAST a 300 mm lens. That will keep you at a safe distance (for the deer).


And, Saturday afternoon, Jacksonville attorney Frank Pope took the opportunity to relax a bit. What better way that heading out for an early evening of fishing? Have you heard about the redfish and flounder being caught in New River, even at the Old Bridge?


Speaking of New River. It is certainly a LOT cleaner than it was when I was a kid. I remember, as a teenager, taking on a couple diving assignments at the old K&R Marina at the foot of Kerr Street in Jacksonville. That water, in those days, was awful. No way it could have supported much viable lifeforms.
But today, thanks to clean water efforts, the river is a great recreational area. Boaters, both pwoer and sail, take advantage of the river. Deep enough for tubing, and skiing, and loaded with fish. Some Class A speckled trout and redfish (aka puppy drum, red drum) are the targets of fishermen.

Coming home.


Morgan's Bay is big enough, and deep enough, for small sail boats.



Along with the saltwater species, there's great freshwater bass fishing up Southwest Creek. Just make sure you have an "inland fishing license" if you venture very far up the creek. And, always take a paddle. No one wants to be "up a creek without a paddle".
By the way, this was on one of those warm days we had back in February!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Just a few pictures to share










Hey. It's Sunday. Not too many negative things to say today, and no one wants to read much negativity. So, I thought I's pull a Charles Kuralt from his Sunday Morning format and "leave you with..." some pretty pictures.

Daily Facts and Opinions 26 September 2010

Good morning.
Update on the U.S. 17 bridge over New River in Jacksonville.
aka, Buddy Phillips Bridge.
You know, the one the AAA of the Carolinas reported as the Number 4 WORST bridge in North Carolina in 2007.
Crews continue to work diligently to remove the existing structure. And, as of today, about one-half of the southbound lane side of the bridge has been removed.
The two other lanes have been designated as one-lane north, one-lane south to handle the daily traffic. So far, it hasn't had much impact on the flow of traffic through Jacksonville. With the ByPass bridge, it seems that many drivers have elected to take that route.
But. The true impact's gonna hit motorists soon, when the rest of the bridge is closed to continue the total replacement process. No doubt, Old Bridge Street will pick up some of the local traffic. And, the only way to access Old BRidge Street will be through downtown Jacksonville.
That should be fun.

Workers took the weekend off. And, to make sure no one tampered with their Carolina Skiff, they hoisted the craft high in the sky.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Viet Vet bikers unwelcome at Camp Lejeune

Say WHAT?!?!?
From the Jacksonville (NC) Daily News:

Organizers for the annual Vietnam Memorial motorcycle run expect a robust turnout this weekend — though the bike ride will be about 20 miles shorter than usual.
Kenji Horn, organizer of the run, said he was told in August that the run would not be permitted to ride through the Camp Lejeune back gate from N.C. 172, across the base, and through the front gate, as it has for the past three years.
Horn said he had to do some fast recalculation.
The motorcycles will begin their run at New River Harley Davidson and finish at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with a brief ceremony of remembrance.
Since the event can draw up to 800 bikes in good weather, he tries to stay away from secondary roads and keep the route free of U-turns or other complex maneuvers that can tie up traffic or disrupt communities.
“We already had a point A, B and C; and trying to figure out a route that didn’t take us off the main highway was difficult,” he said.
The result: a truncated run of about eight miles, rather than last year’s 25, which will bring riders from New River Harley to the memorial site via U.S. 17 and the N.C. 24 bypass.
1st Lt. Nicole Fiedler, a spokeswoman for Camp Lejeune, said that Base Operations had determined it could no longer support the run.
Fiedler said the base can only accommodate special requests like that for the run if doing so does not affect mission readiness, does not imply endorsement from the base and if all similar requests receive equal support.
“The base can’t offer Vietnam Memorial motorcycle runs to come through and deny all other runs the same thing,” she said.
At the end of last year, Fiedler said, concerns were also raised by the Department of Public Safety about the effects of the run on mission readiness, since military police were posted along the route and the base appointed one of its squad cars as an escort.
Horn said he doesn’t expect the shortened route to detract from the event’s main message.
“It’s not about the ride; it’s about supporting the memorial,” he said. “I think everybody pretty much just enjoys the getting together and supporting it. We always have good food and good prizes; it’s pretty much a good time.”

"One" squad car, and an unknown numbe of MP's along the route. How long is that route? I haven't measured it, but I'd guess about 12, or so, miles.
Wonder what else these MP's will be doing to maintain a "state of readiness" since they won't have to stand a post for that 20 minute ride.
This goes under the "you've gotta be kiddin' me" category.

Easy Shrimp and Salad

We have a variation of this about once a week. Usually depends on our work schedules.
Prepare whatever salad you like. Last night, I used red lettuce, with some fresh plum tomatoes...pretty much the last from our plants this year...and sliced cucumber. I like thousand island, and I make my own...it's disgustingly simple, and easy to control the taste. More on that in a minute.
Use deveined shrimp. If they're frozen, thaw them thoroughly. Mix up olive oil with lots of garlic. I added some chopped onions ths time, and I kinda like it. In a HOT cast iron frying pan...one that I like for this has those ridges at the bottom...add the shrimp. After about a minute on one side, flip them over. Do the same for the second side. The actual cooking time will vary according to the size of the shrimp, or "scrimps" as they say in Charleston, and how hot your pan is.
Last night, I added the onions and garlic to the top of the shrimp after I flipped them.
Add whatever dressing you like to your salad, place the shrimp around (cover with dressing, if you're inclined), and you have an easy meal. And, one that's pretty healthy.
Ok, for the thousand island dressing. I start with salad cubs...those chopped up sweet pickles that a lot of folks put in their tuna salad. Add mayo (Miracle Whip salad dressing is a tad sweeter than mayo) and ketchup. The amount depends on how you like it and how much you want to make at one time. I usually start with the white stuff, mix it up with the salad cubes, then stir in ketchup until it "looks right". You can add more mayo if you added too much ketchup. Makes for a pretty good salad dressing, much akin to what I remember I got at the old New River Steak House in Jacksonville in the 1960's. A great place, it was, for a great ribeye.

Daily Facts and Opinions 24 September 2010

Good Morning.

A terrific Friday, for sure. Weather guys say the weekend's gonna be hot along the Carolina coast. A lot of sunshine, at least for Friday and Saturday, with above normal temps. Then, that little mess that's been a problem over the midwest will show up and drop some rain. Some say a "lot" of rain. Temps will be cooler, and the cool front will likely suck up some of the moisture leftover from that Caribbean system (what's this one's name? Starts with an M) and add it to our mix the first half, or more, of next week. Hope it comes in, gives us the moisture we need, then leaves before next weekend's King Mackerel Tournament out of the Southport area. I am scheduled to be shooting with Southern Sportfishing's Captain Andy Everhart. And, I'd like it to be dry inside the boat, with relatively calm seas. When it's too pretty, it seems the fish don't cooperate.

Ok, what's in the news? Apparently, it's all politics. With six weeks to go, the dems are grasping at straws. It seems many running for office are distancng themselves from Obama as the president's popularity wanes. A new wave of republicans, meanwhile, is speaking up and speaking out. The former republican VP nominee, Ms Palin, is the loudest voice out there. There's a lot of speculation that she will seek the presidential nod. But, as one TV reporter chirped this morning, she would be giving up a lot of her power even if she's elected. As an outspoken critic, much akin to Rush, the reporter noted, her words are more powerful in her current role than they would be as the Big Cheese.
Whatever.
The November election, though, will either be the beginning of a republican takeover, and a sign of what's going to happen in 2012, or it will cause republicans to regroup and find out what's wrong with their philosophies. Democrats, meanwhile, are on the defensive. A strong win in November will allow the party to breathe a sigh of relief, and give them a chance to convince voters that they are doing the right thing as Obama's re-election plans unfold.
Again, whatever.
By the way, I am a registered Independent. I do my own thinking. Just in case you wanted to know.

I got another of those solicitation calls at 8:00 last night. Yep..."Hi, Mr.___ (they had my name wrong). I'm calling on behalf of the (firefighters, state troopers, police officers, tree huggers...you get the picture). We would appreciate your support" (in the form of money).
This is the point where I, without fail, ask my first...and usually last...question: "Are you a paid professional solicitor". North Carolina law (and, likely other state laws, as well) REQUIRE them to reveal this. "Require" means that if they do not, truthfully, give it up, then they have violated a law.
Last night, the caller said..."what?", to which I repeated my question. He said, "just a minute", covered his mic, and came back on the line in about 15 seconds, and fessed up. "Yes, I am a paid solicitor".
My response is always the same: thank you, I am not interested, and add this number on your "do not call list". In most cases, they comply without comment. Last night's caller wanted to argue. I asked if he understood me. He said he did, then I chose the ultimate solution to that problem. I simply hung up.
See ya.
Ok, so you ask: what's the problem with donating to these organizations? Absolutely nothing. But,  give whatever you're comfortable with DIRECTLY to the organization. As a television reporter, and later as a news manager, I was involved in investigating and reporting on "paid professional solicitors". Several times, over several years. Turns out, according to the North Carolina Department of State, that the organizations net between seven and ten percent of the total amount collected by the "paid professional solicitors". 90-plus percent of the money you give goes to the solicitors for "expenses". I mean, someone's gotta pay their salaries, their printing costs, their phone bills...get the picture. There is ovehead. A lot of overhead. Think about it next time you get a call like this. If you contribute 100 of your hard earned dollars, the "paid professional solicitors" get between $90 and $93.
Our reports found out that most of the groups using "paid professional solicitors" had no clue as to how much money was actually collected. They only knew that they got X-number of dollars, and they had to do nothing to get it. That is, other than lend their name to the  "cause".
What a racket!
Again, these are good organizations, and they count on donations. But, if you're inclined to give, then stop by your local volunteer fire department and write them a check. That way, you're assured that every dime you give will go to the right place.

(Hmmm...sounds like the "paid professional solicitors" took a lesson from Washington: give us your money, i.e. taxes, and we'll use up a lot of it for overhead, then we'll give you a little bit back. Think about that every time you see your congressman in a grip-and-grin photograph in the local paper or on television news giving a check to a fire department or rescue squad or some other truly deserving organization. If we had kept the money in the first place, without Washington taking the "dealers' cut, those groups would get even more money)

Raeford Brown
Daily Facts and Opinions

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Daily Facts and Opinions

Let's start this off with one of my favorite things to do: fish. As all too many of us do, I talk about it more than I actually do it. Things like work and wind tend to get in the way.
I've loved fishing since I was a kid. In fact I pretty much enjoy all facets of being on the water.
I don't necessarily ahve to actually bring fish home to have had a great day. What I don't bring home to clean, I usually bring home to load into my computer. That would be "images". We called them "photographs" at one time, but it seems that not many folks have prints made from the "images" they capture, anymore. It is, I'll admit, an easy way to share those special moments with friends and relatives, and just anout anyone else who wants to look at them, all over the world. But, until you've had a nice, LARGE print made from a special image, framed it, and displayed it, you're not going to get the full impact of photography.
Whoa, boy! What about that fishing?
Ok, I'll fess up. I ramble from time to time. I get enthusiastic about what I do, and I do and enjoy a lot of things.
So, the king macks are running along the eastern NC coast. I saw a pic of a 40-pounder caught on a pier at Topsail the other day. Nice fish (that's one of the things that just about every fisherman I know says when he sees some else catch a fish).
We've had a pretty good year. My wife, Robie, our brother-in-law, Thurman, and I ahve spent some pretty good days on the high seas. Unfortunately, the wind this year has caused some rather higher-than-normal seas on the days we've had together. Guess that's why Robie wanted us to get another boat. Well, there was that "facilities" thing, too.
Currently, we have three. Yep. Three. A 17-foot Jones Brothers Bateau...great for ICW and river fishing, clamming and oystering. Great shallow water boat. We also have a man's boat, the 25 foot HydraSport center console. A "man's boat" because we don't need as many "facilities" as some. This boat is a tough critter. Two roarin' 175 HP Johnsons will get you to the ocean at 45-plus MPH, carry you safely through those nasty inlets, and put you on fish all the way to the Gulf Stream if you wish. Great hull design! And, finally, we have a Grady White, Marlin 300 (that's a code for 30-footer). Cuddy cabin that can sleep two comfortably. An aft berth will handle two more should I relent and take out all of the essential "spare" fishing gear. Complete with radar, radios, and a 12 inch GPS/fishfinder screen, she's ready for fishing. And, she has "facilities".
Robie and I had to go through an un-naming then re-naming process. If you don't appease the "wind gods", you will never catch fish, and you'll constantly have problems...there is a special ceremony that one must follow. There is absolutely no reason to tempt fate, and we all know that fishermen are a superstitious bunch. And, they're all liars. If you don't believe either, then ask a good fisherman what he carries or wears for good luck in a fishing tournament. And, then ask him where he caught his last big fish (likely, that reponse, if he's the least bit truthful, will only be "in the ocean").
So, there are not too many "facts" to discuss today. At least, not right now. Gotta get back to working on a couple projects I have underway. I just wanted to get this "blog" thing up and running. Stay tuned for more news and opinions, as well as some recipes for cooking (my way), fishing reports, photography discussions...who knows, it's a wide open world out there and a lot of things to talk about.