Spending Cuts? Spending Cuts?

Screw all this Rhetoric mr. dumbass president!  Where are the real Spending Cuts we really need for the years ahead?  Are you too cowardly to come forward and list them because you are afraid of offending your biggest donors to your re-election campaign?

You don't have the balls to lead this country and that is no surprise to me or the other 48% of the voters who didn't vote for you.  You are a pathetic leader and I'm sure you won't step forward with anything other than the trivial CPI or CDI plan for reducing Social Security benefits to future recipients. 

Where is all the surplus monies from Social Security that was spent over the past 20 years?  Most likely in the pockets of those campaign contributors or wasted on other pork belly projects

Oop!  That should have been 48.2% instead of 48% -- no exactly a majority from what I have learned.  A majority I thought was 2/3 or 66.67% -- not 51.8%.

Fire in the Sky

This was last night's sunset here in south Texas as the clouds streamed in from the Pacific -- could use a little of that fire here this morning as the temps were just below 40 outside (nearly 60 inside).  Had to put on the smartwool socks with my sandals this morning and will skip the fishing session this morning (since yesterday's fishing produced nothing but trash fish and a couple meals just for the Pelicans).

The "Firey Sky" reminded me of the pictures I saw online yesterday of the CME from this past August 15th -- glad that didn't hit us directly on as it probably would have brought an earlier than predicted end to the Mayan calendar and the Earth. Red Sky Morning here so, this old sailor will take warning and avoid the 20 mph winds (coming out of the north -- Brrr).  Time instead to enjoy the first pot of the tasty coffees sent to me by my daughter -- thank you, Laura.  Mighty Tasty.

Christmas Dinner at Pioneer Beach RV Resort

Yesterday and today were beautiful days here in Port Aransas starting with sunrise on the beach as I started early to suck those shrimp from the sands of the beach -- works best at low tide and it occurred about an hour before I arrived there.  After getting enough bait to last the day (and maybe tomorrow too), I headed to the seawall at Aransas Pass and fished until about 3:00 in the afternoon.

I only caught two Mangrove Snappers and the same guy I had met the other day with the 15 foot pole caught two as well -- no keeper Sheepshead this time (though I caught a couple and one that measured 14 inches -- one inch too small).  I did catch a 12 inch Grunt and released him.  A couple other smaller Spot and Grunts got the attention of the nearby Pelicans and two of them became really interested spectators (looking for a free meal -- which I gave them on a couple occasions).

I cooked those two Snappers and the one 18 inch Sheepshead on the grille last night and the twins and I will be enjoying those for the next couple of evenings too.

Today was Christmas and the dinner at the recreation hall here was quite nice and way better than last years Christmas in St. Augustine (Flagler Beach RV Park).  About 150 people were there and everyone brought a dish to share while the park provided ham, turkey and mashed potatoes -- I took a platter of devilled eggs and another platter of jellied Cranberry sauce.  Peeling those darned hard boiled eggs ate up most of my morning and I tried 3 or 4 different techniques to get those 18 eggs peeled -- the last technique required using the microwave (for 20 seconds) and I reluctantly did 3 that way (it seemed to work the best but, I had serious reservations about the technique).  That's why I tried it last (afraid they might explode and coat the inside of the oven).

They are reconvening at the recreation hall at 6:00 this evening to finish off the leftovers so, guess I will be heading there now.  No deserts though since my brother and sister-in-law sent a box of home made goodies to enjoy -- after the leftovers.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night.

One Week Down -- 14 to go in Texas

Well, no end to the world thank goodness so, now we can go forward with the Holidays and New Years Eve.  Today I headed out to the beach early and got some more practice at sucking those shrimp out of the sand -- way better results this time so, I had plenty of shrimp for use today.

I then headed to the jetty to the south but, found half a dozen other anglers clamoring around on the rocks of the jetty and the water still had the murky look and more seaweed too.  I lasted through one shrimp and decided to save the rest for the seawall in the town with some hope of catching one or more Mangrove Snappers for the twins and me.



Sunday night's Sunset

As a few large ships passed through the channel, I tried casting deep towards the channel and hoped the fresh, live bait would work its wonder but, I only managed to catch one Whiting that I released.  Meanwhile, another elderly angler came along and took up a spot just to my right with his 15 foot pole and he just dropped his offerings straight down just beyond the visible rocks and boulders -- and began to pull one after another of these nice Sheepshead from the murky waters.  After trying a few more casts into the channel and losing my rig, I decided to try this other angler's technique and began to catch a few other types of fish including a couple Grunts (gave a small one to a really charming Pelican that came to beg), a couple small Groupers and a small Sheepshead.



I also hooked a sea turtle just under one of its front legs and had to scramble down onto the boulders to get it out of the water and then safely removed the hook from it when I got it on the seawall.  A little later, I finally caught a nice 18 inch Sheepshead which I kept for dinner tomorrow night.  Its mouth full of teeth were really tough to get the hook out of and I had to replace the hook after bending it two different ways -- hate to think what it would do if it got its teeth into my fingers.

It took awhile to get the pictures into the blog -- guess everyone here at the RV park were probably logged on (if not watching the Sunday night game between Seattle and San Francisco).  I got too tired to keep watching.

End of the World has passed -- Again

Well, I guess the interpretations were off or the Mayans got tired of chiseling their stones but, no matter -- it eases my mind a bit to know I didn't bring my children into the world to face its catastrophic end (especially at their young ages).  So, I slept all the way through the night without waking once before 6:00 a.m. -- maybe it was due in part to the two bowls of pinto beans with ham and the two fresh baked corn bread muffins I consumed for dinner.

The sunset last night was extraordinarily beautiful with such brilliant cerises and mauve colors and the dayglo orange sun bursting through at days end.  Too bad I had left my camera in the RV while I fished for a short time at the seawall of Aransas Pass.  Only caught a Grunt, a Triggerfish and one small Mangrove Snapper before giving up after about an hour and a half -- my overly weathered corduroy pants felt like summer pajamas in the breeze and the chill from my waist down had me thinking early about getting back to the RV.  At least I have some shrimp leftover for today.

Guess I should tie the camera around my neck somehow so I don't miss capturing more of these sunsets.

Last Sunset from Port Aransas

Too windy and chilly for this old man to fish today so, I stayed in and played with Tiger and Molly when they weren't napping -- or when I wasn't napping or eating or drinking.  Had hoped the wind would die down so I could use the grille and cook that Mangrove Snapper with some turkey dogs on the side.

As the afternoon winds continued, the clouds seemed to hang around in swirling, twisting patterns that I thought should make for another beautiful, colorful sunset -- the last one before the end of the world per the Mayan calendar.  Since the wind had not eased, I decided to drive down the road and onto the beach for a couple pics around the jetty I had fished a couple times.  I thought for sure that I would be the only one there and it looked likely as I drove along the beach and the wind coming off the dunes had blowing sand covering most of the tracks left by trucks and cars but, when I arrived at the jetty, one pick'em up truck was parked there.




Looking west from the jetty'

Two young guys were out on the end of the jetty fishing from the large man-made stones but, the waves weren't crashing and splashing onto the jetty like yesterday since the wind had changed direction and was blowing from the beach or northwest instead of the south, southeast.  One of the young guys said his buddy had caught a Redfish but, he had not caught anything -- except some seaweed (sounded like my outing there yesterday).

Well, if we are all still alive tomorrow then, I guess I will drive to that little convenience store and pick up some more shrimp to fish off that seawall -- maybe catch some more of those Snappers (it was really tasty for dinner tonight -- cooked in the convection oven instead of on the grille).

Two young guys on the jetty.

An Old Friend Returns for Dinner

No!  It's not one of those stray cats we have seen running around some campgrounds we have stayed at (like the one in San Antonio that looked exactly like Tiger -- without the white tip on its tail).  Nor is it an old high school friend or a relative -- it's a Mangrove Snapper and we will have it "for" dinner tomorrow night (spaghetti dinner tonight here at Pioneer Beach Resort).

Not since leaving the Keys in Florida have I caught such a variety of different fish as I did yesterday here in Texas.  The day started early (around 5:45 a.m.) so that I could take advantage of the warmer temps and get to the nearby "Fish Pass" jetty (nine miles down the road and beach).  After getting the twins settled with food and cat snacks, I headed to the jetty with my newly purchased pumping device for collecting Gulf shrimp from the beach -- which failed miserably due to my lack of knowledge to use.  I spent a half hour trying to get it over their holes in the sand and tried pumping the device to get the strange looking little shrimp -- only managed to get one little shrimp and one sand flea so, I released them both and headed out onto the jetty with my two poles, a wiggly minnow lure and some "Fish Bites".

I had been the first to arrive at the parking area but, as I abandoned my shrimping efforts two younger guys arrived and quickly bolted to the jetty to take the spot(s) I had my eye on so, I decided to take a few pictures and not rush out on the rocks/manmade granite boulders.  Besides, I didn't have the bait of choice which I had seen work the day before when numerous fellow campers from the same RV resort were there.  Some of them had been there the day before, and had stringers full of nice Pompano (some 17 or 18 inches) and caught lots of Sheepshead (in the 16 inch range).  One of the fellow campers left and gave me his leftover Gulf shrimp and I used them to catch a number of small Groupers but, none of the keepers like the others caught.  My finger mullet and "Fish Bites" didn't get me anything that day.

After seeing firsthand the results of using the "free bait", I purchased one of the pumps (for $30) at a nearby bait and tackle shop per the other generous camper's directions and therefore, I felt really optimistic about fishing yesterday (provided I could get some of those shrimp).  As I joined the two younger guys out on the jetty, I could see they each were struggling with lots of seaweed on their lines and rigs as the wind whipped waves crashed onto the jetty -- I had to deal with the same problems and they left before I did (after about an hour).  No fish for any of us.

I stayed for awhile and waded the shallows and probed the beach over some of those holes trying to perfect a technique in an attempt to collect those Gulf shrimp but, again only "sucked" one of those little guys from the sand -- even after tightening the device to get more suction.

On my way back to the campground, I stopped at the nearest gas station and convenience store (Stripes), gassed up and bought some frozen shrimp (just in case I didn't get enough of those "free" ones).  Low tide is supposed to be the best time to collect the Gulf shrimp so, I decided to go back around 1:30 and give it another try on the jetty and hoped the waves would lay-down some -- that didn't happen.  The waves pummelled the end of the jetty and I seemed to be the only one out there (one angler did show up later but, again left before me).  I had to keep my eyes peeled over my right shoulder as I fished the rough waters and the waves splashed some 8 or 10 feet sprays into the air (glad I had my bathing suit on this time instead of the jeans in the morning).  I did manage to catch three catfish and a couple small Whiting.  No Keepers.

Since low tide had come and gone without the wind and waves easing one bit, I decided to get off the jetty again and headed into Port Aransas to the seawall I had fished late Monday afternoon/evening.  My hope was that the wind and waves wouldn't be as threatening at Aransas Pass -- and I still had half the container of purchased shrimp (might as well use them up rather than stinking up the Jeep).  I fished the spot I had been told about by the Navy veteran, I bumped into on Monday.  Quickly, I caught a Sheepshead, a Parrotfish, a couple Grunts, a Lane Snapper and then the Mangrove Snapper (with a few other little Groupers mixed in).

 

As the sun headed for the horizon and got covered in clouds, the temps got cooler and the shrimp had all been used up (including the one little Gulf Shrimp from the jetty).  I missed the pictures of the sunset as a friend called from Navarre -- but, what fun.  One meal for tomorrow night too.

Ominous Date Approaches - 12/21/12

Well, today would have been the last day to tell the world whether a CME had been detected from the Sun's surface in time for it to arrive this Friday -- normally a 3 to 5 day timespan for the effects to reach the Earth so maybe the Mayans were just tired of chipping stones to record their predictions for the solar/lunar movements tied to their planting/growing/harvesting of crops.  Five hundred years into the future is a bit strange to stretch out for any civilization no matter how much time they have spent watching the planets and recording the sun and moon's movements.

Of course, if the observers/monitorers were to have been directed to not report such abhorations to anyone except the leaders of the world (like Obama), we might not hear anything until we go over the fiscal cliff or Inauguration Day -- hopefully, that is not the case and we all can still plan to spend the summer in southwest Colorado fishing and having a good time.

I already bought a new bottle of Sambuca so, I am ready for next summer or I'll drink like there's no tomorrow come Thursday night.

Port Aransas - First Fish

Yesterday, after getting all my Christmas cards addressed, I visited the nearby Post Office and got them in the mail to hopefully arrive before anyone starts travelling for the Holidays -- just hope snail mail delivers them to you this week.  Next, I headed over to the nearest Walmart to restock the pantry and fridge for the next week or week and a half -- my TomTom led me to the shopping center where it thought the Walmart should be but, it turns out that it moved since its last update so, I enjoyed a Whopper with cheese meal while I got redirected to the expanded/new Walmart.  Not the usual couple of miles to the nearest Walmart so, I picked up a few more things than I had on my list.

Aransas Pass

I even picked up a few more Christmas cards during my visit to the Flour Bluff Walmart so, one more session of addressing occurred before I headed out to explore nearby Port Aransas to the north of our location here at Pioneer Beach Resort.  After first stopping again at the Post Office, I headed directly into the town looking for the first liquor store to get some Sambuca and Whipped Cream Vodka (for French Martinis).  Then, I continued toward the waterfront looking for "Woody's Sports Center" where I hoped to learn about the best spots to fish and "catch" but, I went to the right where I should have gone to the left and ended up near the water by Aransas Pass where I saw lots of people on the seawall fishing.

 

I talked to a guy sitting in his car next to me and he seemed to know a lot about the fishing in the area and in particular where the place with the fewest snags and best fishing would be so, I drove farther to the left and backed my Jeep toward the seawall near where I thought he had indicated (just past a green marker buoy for the shipping channel).  Of course, I had brought along my one pack of thawed finger mullet -- just in case I might want to try my luck this day (rather than waiting).

Well, I did manage to catch one fish -- a bullhead catfish -- but, I also lost three rigs of sinkers and hooks on the numerous submerged rocks lining the channel.  Finally, I backed away with all my equipment to the Jeep and decided to use only the small rig -- if I could find a float to keep my offerings off the rocky bottom.  The guy who directed me to this spot showed up while I regrouped at my Jeep and he pointed me just a bit farther to the left in line with the two vehicles occupying the next parking spaces.  He also told me of a shorter jetty on the beach near my RV resort and that is on my list for today -- maybe fewer snags, at least (need more tackle and perhaps some shrimp).





Shrimp boat catch me some bait.

The time at the seawall of the shipping channel provided a few opportunities for pictures as the huge tankers came churning through after the Pilot boat zipped past to greet them and lead them through the pass -- like a little dog, the Pilot boat(s) raced toward the tankers and turned around them like a dog runs around its master's legs -- throwing its wake and waves towards the seawall and all us anglers lining its edge.

Other tankers lined up outside the jetty/seawall on the other side of the channel and moved slowly toward the opening from the Gulf -- their lights beginning to show as the sunset behind me.

Port Aransas - Wintering Grounds

Ahhh!  The warmth!  Such a relief to arrive down here near Corpus Christi and to be greeted by temps in the mid 80s -- even worked up a bit of a sweat getting the RV hooked up and its "wings" spread (so to speak).  Had to get out of my jeans and get shorts on and go barefoot -- until I hit that first sticker in the grasss.

Those first couple beers were tasty and went down quickly as I settled in and the twins emerged to see where we now were.  Windows open and a slight breeze greeted us with Tiger as usual begging/crying to get out to check things out.  I delayed his first outing as I wanted to see what the walk to the beach was like -- with the boardwalk over the dunes.  It was too overcast and grey for the first beach pictures and will take those first beach pics sometime today when I drive the Jeep onto the beach and head for a jetty to fish from -- the walk to the beach seemed too long for hauling all my fishing gear.

Later, after I pulled most things out of the Jeep and out from under the RV, I got Tiger out to get his first look around before I fired up the grille and cooked some of the last few Blues from Amelia Island.  Tiger wanted to stay out with me but, I decided to get him inside and discovered he also had picked up some of those nasty stickers while lying in the grass -- good thing I got them out using my fingers, otherwise he might have gotten one of those things in his mouth (not something he would have liked at all -- as he did once while we were in Navarre).

Tiger got his share of the fish and we all settled in for the first night without having to turn on any heat of any sort (with the windows closed, of course).  Awoke the next morning with the temps still in the mid 70s inside the RV -- very nice.

Talladega Love - St Rosa's Knight

Well, after finally getting myself out of a foggy sleep from overconsuming beer, wine and scotch (while enjoying the company of Leigh Love) I discovered the camp surrounded in a pretty thick, bright white fog -- no sunshine had penetrated the fog at that time and only the large RVs were visible.  Now, the sun has penetrated some spots and the pilings of the destroyed piers out in the nearby sound have come more into view but, still no sign of the bridge or the buildings on the other side of the sound.

The one really fun and enjoyable person I've met here at the campground is Leigh and I think she will be the only hope to brighten things during the holidays here and the coming winter months -- hopefully, for her sake, the winter will be as moderate here as it was last year.  I only regret not getting to know her sooner and sharing more time with her -- instead of looking for that great fishing spot somewhere around here (I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't exist at this time of the year).

So, as I begin to repack things here and get the RV ready for the road on Tuesday, I will stay close to the campground, get Tiger out occasionally and hope to enjoy more time with Leigh and share some more stories and a few beers or glasses of wine (scotch is nearly gone and the Jose Cuervo is getting drawn down too -- may need a trip to the licquor store somewhere along the road to Texas).  The last of the Sambuca went the night before.

By the way, Leigh comes from a family of lawyers (The Love's) in Talladega -- thus the Talladega Love.  She probably wouldn't want me to identify her as a lawyer because she doesn't practice law anymore since her father passed away -- she keeps her license just in case she changes her mind (don't sue me please).

3 A.M. - Where are your kitties?



3:00 A.M. bed-check.

Well, I don't worry about those things anymore since my kids are grown and since moving into this RV (and all around the country) but, just have to keep them kitties on a leash, if I can.  Though sometimes that Tiger gets a wild hair and jumps ship and tries to run away -- like a couple days ago.  I had Tiger out earlier (a couple times) and brought him in to try and get Molly harnessed and maybe get her outside with Tiger.  I had just finished grilling three nice Red Drum steaks (wrapped in bacon) on the grille and decided, Why Not?

After getting the harness on Molly while she was relaxed in the driver's seat, I had picked up another harness to put on Tiger but, had to open the screen door to get another leash in hand -- Tiger saw his opportunity and bounded down the steps and quickly scampered away to the middle of the campground before I could catch up with him.  In the meantime, Molly just hopped from the driver's seat and froze in place on the carpet with the harness in place.  I think she is playing me for a sucker and expects me to let her out without the harness and leash.

Tiger spoiled this opportunity and he didn't even look both ways when he bounded across the paved street in front of RV.  Maybe another day in Texas perhaps.

Fishing the Sunrise and Sunset - Navarre, FL

I awoke early enough (o'dark thirty something) to get out to the causeway on the other side of the nearby bridge before the sun made its appearance in the slightly cloudy horizon.  I had nuked the last full cup of coffee from the previous morning (or the morning before that) and consumed it on my way over to the northeast corner of the causeway where the breeze from the east/northeast had the wave action nearly to the top of the seawall.  Thankfully, the waves didn't make it over the top of the seawall to wet my more than slightly unoptimistic self.  I fished until about 8:00 and didn't have a single bite on my "Fishbites" so, I headed back to the RV for some breakfast.

Glad I had decided to wear two shirts and a jacket for the early outing and since the forecast called for temps in the mid 60s for the afternoon and until 9:00 p.m., I figured I could go back to fish through the sunset -- after a mid afternoon burger and fries leftovers from an early evening of cooking in the convection oven.  First, I worked on a troublesome accordion blind on the window next to my dining table -- had a broken string because some dumb ass nstaller ran a screw right through the area where the string ran causing it to shred and break.  Special clips were meant to be used to mount the upper channel to the valance above but, only one clip was installed and never used so, I had to steal another unused clip from an adjacent smaller window.

Well, after finally getting the accordion blind installed correctly on the clips with some "jury-rigged" strings to operate the lower section of the blind and after consuming that burger and fries, I headed out again in the middle of the afternoon to a nearby fishing pier at a little park on the nearside of the bridge.  I had scouted this little park before and the somewhat short fishing pier but, decided to fish there because a large barge with a crane and tugboat had taken up a location on the east side of the bridge in the direction of the spot I fished in the morning -- figured that probably messed up the already bad fishing there (or killed any realistic chance of catching a fish).

I fished the southwest corner of the pier and threw my deepest line with the surf-casting rod toward an area I had seen on satellite imagery which looked deeper and might have some sea grass.  I threw my smaller rig with only one piece of "Fishbites" into the waters at either side of the other line and waited and waited for something to come along.  Eventually, a couple other younger guys came to fish off the end of the pier (at separate times) and they both left before sunset without getting any bites either.  It started out to seemingly be a good place to fish as I had discovered some scales of a good size fish on the deck of the pier -- maybe scales from a smaller Red Drum that someone had caught and cleaned before leaving the pier.

Only thing I caught was the sunset with my camera -- no Green Flash.  Not a single bite and I only saw one fish swimming around the pilings of the pier (maybe a small catfish) and a few small bait fish breaking the water's surface occasionally.