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Walkin' Jack

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  • Interests (Hobbies, favorite activities, etc.):
    Surf fishing. But I enjoy it in a boat, on a pier, wading a flats
  • What I do for a living:
    RETIRED chemical plant operator

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  1. I haven't looked in on y'all for a while now and what do I find when I log on? This sad news. Mike and I had some fun in here and in that other place back in the day. I always enjoyed his posts. He was smart and had a great sense of humor and personality. RIP Mike I hope the fishin' is good where you are....
  2. Y'all that have known me may remember that back in 2000 and again in 2002 myself and assorted brothers in law and nephews etc went on fly-out fishing trips to Canada. Well some of us are starting to have some health problems that could soon make it impossible to do this trip. Soooo we decided to give it one last, do-or-die, go for broke, hang it all out, trip. This time there was myself, 3 BILs, 2 nephews and a family friend. I got back here in Deer Park in the wee hours of Monday June 17th. wore out, burnt down, frozen, cut, stabbed, and.....happier and more satisfied than I've ever been in my entire life. The fishing was killer. I mean it was crazy good. The first two time is was slow to so so. but this time we pounded 'em every day. we were at the Lake Betty Outpost of Kabeelo lodge in North Eastern Ontario. Our first time at this lake. The first two times we went to Lake Kamingiskamo (sp) it's roughly 10 miles across and in the shape of a human hand. Betty is less than 1/3 that size and just an irregular circular shape. Some of these lakes have lake trout and/or Muskies but this one just has northern pike and walleyes. We also caught a few of what THEY call smallmouth bass. but I've always called 'em rock bass. In the previous 2 trips we caught more pike than walleye and they weren't very big but this time we hammered em every day. They have a very narrow "slot" for keepers. 16" to 18". Until this trip I'd never caught one big enough to keep but this time we had trouble catching any that were not too big. The biggest we caught was 26" and I personally had 2 25s, a 23 1/2 and a 21. We all caught many in the 18 to 20 class. On the other hand, although we caught a ;lot of Pike they ran somewhat smaller that what we caught in Kami. My Personal best was 43" back then but the best I had this time was a 33. Still we had many in the 28 to 30 class. We quit keeping the pike about halfway through the first trip. They are hell to clean and don't really taste all that good. The walleye on the other hand are quite delicious. Here's a few pics to help illustrate the trip:
  3. On January 7th we went to the local shelter. We adopted a 3 year old Maincoon mix, a 3 month old silver gray tabby and a 5 week old flame point siamese/hymilayan mix. All males. The Maincoon was already neutered and declawed in the front. The shelter required that we show proof that we had confirmed appointments and paid in full for neutering the two kittens. We went ahead and arranged for declawing the front paws at the same time. Cody, the Silver gray is 3-weeks post op and doing fine. Dink, the siamese/Hymilayan mix is set for May 2th. I have mixed feeling about the declawing of a cat. But our cats are totally indoor cats and with our set up they have no possibility of escaping and getting outside. A cat that has been declawed in the front is a lot more compatible with indoor funiter and human flesh and makes an all-things-considered better pet so we had them done. A couple of weeks of discomfort for them and PITA with all that Yesterdays News litter for mom and dad and then you have a lot of years of relatively safe companionship. If we ever get an out doors cat he will get neutered but he will keep his weapons. 1. Dink - The flame point Siamese/Hymilayan mix 2. Cody - The Silver gray tabby 3. Duke - The maincoon mix
  4. I have been married to two different women. The first one for 6 years and the current one for 41 years, and counting, come August. I had to teach them both how to cook and how to drive a car.....but I didn't have to teach neither one of 'em how to SHOP. A way back in the misty past when guys used to go shoppin' with their wives (I've always wondered how a thing like that ever got started) I was one of those poor shmucks sittin' outside the ladies fitting room holding a purse. I was always humiliated beyond measure but tolerated it as best I could because I was never the only guy there doin' that. Sometimes there would be 3 or more of us and we could not bear to make eye contact. Just stared at the floor and prayed for a quick end to the ordeal. The only reason I can come up with as to just WHY we any of us did this is in the interest of "togetherness" to impress the wife. But to be quite honest it has all been so many years ago that I don't remember. But just now it's about the only thing I can think of that makes sense so I'll call it that and say no more on the subject. There is a huge difference in the way men and women shop: . Women go into a store mostly not knowing just what it is they want. Oh they may be thinking, dress, necklace, purse, shoes, etc but they don't have any specific idea of what features they are looking for. They need to handle every piece of jewlry, try on every pair of shoes and dress or slacks in the store. Also women are convinced that they change sizes every time they buy a new garment so they have to try on several different sizes every time. Then after they have done that they have to go back to some of the ones they looked at an hour earlier and refresh their memory, even try on a pair of shoes again that they had ALREADY tried on once. Then a lot of times they want to ague with the store clerk about the price or a size or selection. Sometimes, but not often enough, they will be unable to make a decision and not buy anything. I came to the conclusion at some point that the real "juice" the "rush" didn't come from getting the new item (s). Perversely, it apparently comes from spending the money. I mean the actual process of signing the charge slip or handing over the cash. They get a look in their eye that gives it away. Once I realized this I turned my head at that point in the process....I just couldn't stand to see a look that scary on my wife's face. At one point my current wife and I came to the realization that this was no longer a good deal for either one of us, if it ever had been. It was demeaning and emasculating to me and it was irritating and distracting to her to have to watch me endure it all. She finally suggested that I not go with her any more. I asked why and she asked me if I really enjoyed it. Maybe a little too quickly I said that I most certainly did not. She confessed that I was draggin' her down and we agreed to end the suffering for both of us. I tried to turn my head and leave the room before she could see the wicked grin on my mouth and the tears of joy running down my face. Not sure if I made it but we never spoke of it again. . MEN realize they need a new hammer or pair of work gloves or what ever and go to the store. They know what they want before they leave the house. They go in and look around for the item in question for a minute if the store has what they want they buy it and leave if not then they just leave. I wore the same size clothes from the age of 20 tot the age of 35 and from then to the age of 50 and I'm still there at the age of 68. Men don't change sizes with every new shirt. Either way it's in and out in a matter of a few minutes. And I also believe that unlike women men hate the part where you pay the money. For men the juice is getting the new hammer or pair of work boots. All this is just my opinion based upon 47 years of combined marriage. Some of it may just be my imagination but I just have a feeling that I'm not the only man that has had some of these experiences. Anyway I was just thinkin' about all this because I hit what I'll call a man's shopping "tir-fecta" I've never been much of a shopper, except for grocery shopping. I do most of the cooking so I do a lot of the grocery shopping but I don't really consider grocery shopping part of the shopping aspect of the battle of the sexes. My current wife buys me most of my clothes; socks, underwear, jeans and shirts and does an excellent job of it without any input from me. I buy my own shoes and boots. But I have had 3 things buggin' me lately and I just determined to go out yesterday and not come back until all 3 of them were in the bag. The first thing I've been needing for a while is a new gun belt. I have two others that are just not makin' it any more. They were okay when they were new but the years have taken their toll and a good quality gun belt is essential for the safe and comfortable carrying of a concealed handgun. I went into one of these discount houses that sells seconds and blemished items. Brand name but some how imperfect and not salable in first-line quality stores. Gun belts (quality ones) can be very expensive and my cash flow is a little low these days so I thought I'd take a chance and see what I could find. I went to the men's wear and found the belt display. I saw a sturdy looking one and pulled it out of the rack. My size. Good color. 1 1/2 wide and very thick and stiff. Good quality leather made by Levis. The original price tag said $39.95. I paid $9.00 for it. The blemish was an imperfection in the finish on the leather right behind the buckle. Can't even be seen when I put it on because the end of the belt comes out of the buckle and covers it up. My second issue was my watch. A couple of months ago my Timex Expedition ( which I have had and loved for 10 years ) finally died and I bought a new one. The original one was the old fashioned kind that has the second, minute, and hour hands. But I bought this new one that is digital and you need several years of college and an extra pair of hands to figure out how and to manage all the ignorant settings. It drove me crazy and the longer I wore it the more I hated it. I hated to have to do it because there is nothing wrong with the watch but it just don't fit my pistol so to speak. I went back and bought another Expedition like the first one. I should have known better when I bought the digital but I just chalk it up to lesson learned. I bought the new watch and I ain't lookin' back. Now if I ever buy another digital watch then that'll be a problem. The third and final "win" in this little tri-fecta of mine is, in a way, the best. We went on a cruise last year and I discovered Coconut Rum. Whoooo-Eeeeeee. It ain't really safe for me to have stuff I love as much as that layin' around the house. But I finally decided that I'm a grown man. I'm not an alcoholic and don't even keep anything in the house except for when company comes or special occasions. But my last stop on my way home was the neighborhood liquor store and I relieved them of a bottle of Malibu Coconut rum and a couple of cans of Pineapple juice. Had a nice drink before dinner and another nice one after. So, I may have went the long way around the barn but I finally got around to my manly shoppin. I was back home before I'd been gone 45 minutes and only about 15 minutes of that was spent in stores. and about 10 minutes of that was waiting in check out lines. The rest was driving. Ain't life grand.
  5. Thanks fellas! I have missed my Yankee pals. But just for the record I was never "gone" Not ALL the way. I just needed to step back for a while. Once a thing gets to buggin' me I sometimes have to get away from it for a while. Something Tim told me a while ago has helped me to put it in perspective and get over it. The skeeters and no-ee-ums don't get bad until later on in the summer. That would be a show stopper for me. I have heard that when it gets really bad the skeeters drive you crazy and the no-see-ums don't bite or sting but they form up in clouds so thick you can't see breath. That just ain't the way I roll. We have a product called DEET which is the active ingredient in most repellents. We take it with us every time just in case but so far we've never needed it. Don Williams??? Really? I think there is something wrong with my eyes. Miss Pam says it looks like Harrison Ford. I don't see that either. But I gotta admit that ol' Don just might be a little bit better singer than me. I'll see what Mr. Lippin' has to say for himself.......
  6. Been kickin' this around for while. It is now official. I along with Miss Pam's brother and BIL and assorted nephews are going back to Canada. We all went in 2000 as a sort of once-in-a-lifetime thing. We decided later to go back and do it again in 2002 to correct some of the mistakes we made the first time and perfect the experience. This is the deal where we went up to a fishing lodge in North Eastern Ontario and they flew us out to one of their lakes in a float plane about 90 miles from the mail lodge on Confederation Lake (no other way to get in or out.) Very primitive. The name of the lake we were at is Kamengishkamo. about 10 square miles roughly in the shape of a human hand. You are completely on your own and totally at the mercy of mother nature and your own survival skills. You have a cabin but it is just a shell with some bunk beds moved in and a very crude kitchen with no running water. Also a wood burning stove in the middle of the cabin and that is ALL. And there is no one on the lake but you and your party. They all continued to go every other year but by 2004 I was just not able to get all the good out of it because of the arthritis in my hands and shoulders and hips and knees and what all. To be really honest I was convinced that that was a thing I'd never ever get to do again. That is an experience that you need to be in pretty good physical shape to contend with all the things required to just live: haul water, pull rope-start outboard motors, chop firewood...not to mention draggin' those huge northern pike into the boat. LOL! It took me a couple of weeks to recover from the 2002 trip. Now Miss Pam's brother is having some serious health issues of his own. They are all at the beginning stages but he doesn't have long before it will effect his life style. He and I have been talking since my surgery last May has left me in a much improved condition and he is looking at a serious decline in his in the near future. We have been thinking, why not have a kind of "close out" or "finale" trip to wrap it up and give it a good last chapter. The more we talked about it the better of an idea it seemed to be. We finally brought in the nephews and all and got a tentative plan set. Skip is an excellent planner of this kind of thing. His organizational skills are the best. He is the one who got us doing all this and setting it all up in the first place. He has contacted Harold Lohn at Kabeelo Lodge and we are all set. They operate from the first week in June through the end of September. They have to shut down during the winter months because the lakes are all frozen over and there is no way to get in and the float planes can't land on ice. We always liked the first week because the fish haven't seen humans in months and they will bite literally ANYTHING you can get on a hook. We weren't able to get in until the 2nd week (June 8th - 15th) this time but it will be good. We were always able to buy our Canadian fishing license at the lodge before we flew out to our lake but that is all changed now. You have to do all that .......yep.....ON LINE. Sigh.................. You also need more that just a license. They now require an "outdoors card" as well. You still need the license to fish or hunt or combination but now you also need the outdoors card. Near as I can figure it it is just a card giving you permission to be outdoors??? Anyway it's only 10 bux and only for a week. Still, seems kinda cheesy to me. I logged onto the website and as I expected was totally unable to follow the vague and ambiguous instructions. So I called a number I found on the website. The person on the phone must have had a sore throat, and he for darn sure had a killer of an accent. When we got to the part where I found I out I needed a printer and mine wasn't working I decided to give it up. I hate having to talk to some whispering foreigner while trying to figure out some obscure website instructions.....I REALLY hate it! I spent a little time the next day getting my mind right and doing a few breathing execises and tried it again. Much better this time. I had my printer up and running and I was very lucky when sweet Judy answered the phone. A bright strong voice with a delightful English accent. She was great. I explained that I was deaf, computer illiterate and an old grump but she assured me that we'd be fine. She had the patience of a saint and a very pleasant sense of humor. I think I actually enjoyed the process. I (we) completed a the form for the license and I printed out 2 copies and saved it to a pdf file just in case. Then we completed the application for the ever-lovin' outdoors card. She took my credit card number and bid me a good day. Very smooth and even pleasant. I was told that the outdoors card would arrive within 20 business days. The printed fishing license form is the actual license itself. The card arrived in only 9 calendar days. So I have all my documents; passport, outdoors card, and fishing license in hand and I'm all set. I'll drive up to Skips in North Central Texas a couple of days early and we will drive up there in 2 Suburbans. The trip take about 26 tot 28 hour driving up I-35 crossing the border at International Falls and on up into northern Ontario. we only stop for changing drivers, eating/buying junk food, and gassing up. We should arrive back in Gainesville on the 18th and I'll be back home pro'lly on the 20th or maybe the 21st, Depending upon what condition I'm in. Now that I have all my ducks lined up it seems very close and I'm having trouble trying not to get too excited just yet. Still have nearly 3 months to wait. A good thing is that I have a huge new Academy store to haunt while I'm markin' time. It is high adventure. That time of year it never gets really dark. About 11:30 PM it will be about like what we call twilight. You can't see 'em but you can hear the mornful cry of the loons on the other side of the lake. You can still see fairly well. By about 3:30 or 4:00 AM the sun is up. They say you can some times see the aroura borialis (SP) but we never have. It's like another planet. There is no grass only ground cover is a thin layer of a reddish colored fungus lookin' stuff right on top of the rocks. Trees grow from waters edge to waters edge all on top of these rocks. There's no soil. BIIIIG rocks, more like boulders. The water is a very dark but clear color because of the vegitation on the bottom. It has an unusual taste that took me a couple of days to get used to. The game warden is supposed to fly over every lake every day but we've been there twice and haven't seen that happen yet. We have a full sheet of plywood cut into a giant E and painted red and if someone is hurt or sick and needs to evac then we are supposed to put that big red E on the boat dock in front of the cabin. But that don't offer a lot of hope when no one ever flies over. There is NO form of communication on any of the outlying lakes. If you get bit by the bear then you are just bit by the bear. It's raw I te'ya! It ain't no boy scout camp that's for sure. We are in and outta there before the skeeters and no-see-ums get going. I wouldn't be able to take it when they are around. Bears are definitely there and dangerous. We take great care to never leave any food or food wrapping or packaging out side to attract them. There is a small island about a half a mile away from the cabin out in the middle of the lake where we clean our fish. We've been lucky so far.Here is a pic of our cabin. Notice the BEAR CLAW MARKS just under the windows. My bunk is the bottom bunk on that wall. The year after that they had to rebuild one corner of the cabin from damage to bears getting in over the winter. I'm going to try real hard to not get bit by the bear. But if it should happen be comforted by the certain knowledge that the first couple of bite he takes of me are going to taste Really, really bad. Well lets just say it won't be like apple pie. You can eat the Northern Pike but I don't think they are all that good. And they are a pain in the neck to clean because of their bone configuration. They have what is called a Y bone done their back. Their dorsal fin is way back toward the back end. You have to cut out "back strap" down to that and then fillet from the dorsal fin to the tail as you would any fish. The meat is a little on the funky side and we stopped eating it about halfway through the first trip. Pickerel (Wall eye pike) are similar to crappie and very good and plentiful. Also if you can catch a lake trout that's good too. No need to fool with them nasty northerns. Pics: 1. The remains of an old trappers shack from the '30s or '40s on the far end of the lake. 2. Northern Pike. 3. The inlet to the lake. 4. The outlet of the lake 5. This is about as dark as it gets that time of year. (1st week of June.) 6. This is what the back of our cabin looked like the last time I saw it. Note the bear claw marks under the window. 7. This is our out house. Pretty nice huh? 8.The last day or our week in the wilds. It was sad. I wear the shades so the tears don't show....
  7. WOW! That is beautiful!! From the description I didn't think I'd like it. But I DO like it...a LOT! I can't help but wonder what my SP101 would look like that way.
  8. Well, it sure don't seem like it's been 8 years since I had the pleasure of bein' at a Food Fling. But you know, every year about this time I go dig out the pics and relive the memories of our time there with y'all. I will note that y'all don't seem to take as many pics as we had back then and there are some new names in the thread and some glaring absences. Evolution....whaddaya gonna do? I know things are somewhat different but as long as y'all are still friends and still hangin' out then it's all still good. Here's a couple of pics from the '05 Fling. Y'all do me a favor....keep on keepin' on!
  9. Well, I'm happy to see this'n still goin'. I haven't been doin' that much fishin' lately but I have been shooting and adding to my collection. Actully, I had a little dip in my health picture and it led to the rediscovery of an old love...revlovers. I started out with revolvers and eventually moved to the semi autos. As some of you may remember I've kind of gotten to be a Glock-a-holic. I have 4 or them and I love them. 20K through them and no problems as all. Here a while back I began having a lot of problems with my hands (arthritis). It was getting to the point where I was afraid I was not going to be able to operate the controls on my semi autos any longer. I decided to get back to revolvers just in case. I wanted to get something in .357mag or .44spl and reacquaint myself, It had been a long time since I had anything in a revolver more than a little.38 snubbie. I ran across a really nice Ruger SP101. I wound up changing the grips to Hogues to smooth out those magnum loads and then it was a really nice shooter. Great trigger, weight and balance. As it happened just a few days after that I found this Smith & Wesson .44spl. It is a special gun. Back in '82 or '83 a guy named Lew Horton commissioned S&W to make 5,000 of these .44spls, N-frame, SS, 3", red ramp front sight, combat wood grips, Dang near got me divorced but I couldn't let it go. So now I have to excellent wheel guns. And then I had a surgery on my thyroid and parathyroid. Turns out my arthritis problems were largely caused by a calcium imbalance. The surgery took care of that and now I feel as good as I did 7 or 8 years ago. So I'm back in bidness with the Glocks. I now have 6 different guns that I carry depending upon weather, activity and social circumstance, etc. I tell ya That Lew Horton S&W .44 is the purdiest gun I've ever seen. It is a dream to shoot. I just wish Ammo was cheaper.
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