What...

 

 

Notes from No Cows Camp...

It has been a good week, and it's only Wednesday. Went fish'n with Dad Monday. Tuesday I found the little gun shop I have been looking for.  Such a rush to spend a couple of hours with a lot of guns, and listening to the guys.   

 This morning I had a doctor's appt to go over all the test results from my recent physical. He went thru the results line item by line item with me, and said "it's a good thing none of my other patients are as healthy as you are, or I'd be looking for another livelihood.  Your stats are all great, you don't need any meds, don't have any issues, and that's pretty amazing for someone in your age group. Now, go get your CCW permit and I'll be happy." 

I have been saving up for more than a year to get a new pistol. It seems like I'm always saying, I saved up to get this or do that, but that's the way I roll. If I can't pay cash for it, I simply don't buy it. After having hounded my knowledgeable friends about which gun would work best for my situation, learning, reading, shooting, and feeling like I was never going to find the right one, I found it yesterday. So after my doc appt I hightailed it back to the gun shop and bought it.

 Now I just have to be patient while the background check is done and it's mine. Then on to the CCW class and the CCW permit from the city PD. I best be stopping by Doc's to show him my permit so he can quit worrying about it.

The Wednesday Farmers Market started for the summer this evening. They block off the street in front of the courthouse, a band plays on the courthouse lawn and vendor booths are set up in the street. 

 I listened to the music for a while, a good local band playing classic rock and checked out the vendors. My garden is coming along, as is my SIL's, so I didn't really need anything. 

The band was really pretty darn good, and it was nice to see so many young couples with little kids picnicking on the lawn and enjoying the evening.
 

Hooked...

YeeHaw... the river god smiled on us this morning.

Understand that I have not been on this part of the river in ten years, I have never driven this boat, with this jet before, and the river she changes... often. With that in mind, and the fact that Dad at 90 can't move too well or fast...  

We put in just fine.  Dad put us in the middle of the river and said,  "Here Sis, (he calls me that among other things) take her down to the Buzzard Hole."

I promptly said, "Oh Hell No, we have to go thru China Rapids to get there. You drive down so I can get a bit of a read on the river and the boat. I'll do it after that."

And away we went as he pushed her to full throttle... During the trip down river there really wasn't much time to be gawking at the flora & fauna as what I had told Dad was true. China Rapids is a piece of the river that runs thru a long lava chute, full of rough water, shred you lava rocks, snags, and whirlpools.

We had gone down river to a promising looking riffle when Dad said, "Lets start fishing."

"Dad how about..You fish an I'll handle the boat."

"We can both fish if I throw out the anchor," he said as he started to try to get to the anchor. That was when I had a vision, of him following the anchor into the river, it was not comforting.

"aah you fish, I'll keep the boat in position and just enjoy being on the water." 

Dad proceeded to cast, and cast, and cast, and snag the catch pole darn near every time. OMG, I had to bite my lip, to keep from laughing.  "ah Dad, how about I put that catch pole down so you can have a clear field?"

"Good idea, Sis". 

Dad didn't catch anything, but he was ok with that. He got to use all the poles, a truck load of lures, and even came back and messed with the fish finder. He called it good, so I took us back up river. Just before China Rapids, Dad yells back, "Full throttle thru the rapids, and whirlpools. If you back off its all she wrote!"  Comforting thought Dad.  I put her in full throttle and away we went.  Was doing just fine, til Dad's honking big lure came unhooked from the line guide and flew right in front of my face. As I was brushing it out of the way, my thumb caught the hook. No big deal, but you know how a finger stick bleeds. Now I'm steering with one hand, as I needed to keep pressure and elevation on the damn thumb. Managed to make it thru the chute just fine, stopped the bleed, and away we traveled up river to the dock. Loaded it all up, and we were home before the home help was due to leave.

The river here is amazingly beautiful. It's constantly changing and there is lots to see. I saw critters, birds, rock formations, even a couple of cowboys watering their horses and dogs. 

pic by Eric Leslie

Full moon over Whiskey...

Moonlight Madness kayaking on Whiskeytown

Finally, got on the water again thanks to SIL & BIL's invite to go kayaking with them for their church group Moonlight Madness on the Lake.

The people in the group were all strangers to me, but all were very nice and friendly.  

I need to work on my skillset, and take my fishing rod, but had no problems with my cheapo kayak.  I do need to get another PFD.  In my excitement when getting the kayak, I also got a new $$$ PFD. Thing is, it's a guy's PFD and if I cinch it down enough to keep it from choking me, it is way too tight across the chest. If your look'n for a great PFD for a guy, or a flat chested woman (I won't tell) I can make you a heck of a deal.

I like being prepared, so I had packed all my gear in color keyed dry sacks that fit perfectly in the rear well of my kayak.  My SIL teasingly said, "Geez B, you've got enough stuff in there to stay a week. We are only going to be out on the lake for three or four hours."  

"Yep I do, I learned the hard way long ago." 

Later, as we waited for the moon to come up we stopped on a remote island to put our headlights on. That's when one of the ladies slipped getting out of her kayak and took a dip in the lake.  She is diabetic, and was rapidly getting chilled.  Out comes my dry sack with a full change of dry clothes. She changes and we are on our way again.

I wish I had gotten a pic of the full moon rising over the water, it was spectacular, but alas, I couldn't remember which color the dry sack with my phone in it was in time... sigh 

Go Fish...

Dad and I are gone steelhead fishing...*

I will try to remember to take pics, but when we're fish'n... we fish!

*Well damn, here we are back home at 11AM, and all we did was get the trailer wet. Got to the launch ramp, unhooked the boat from the trailer, backed the trailer down the ramp, got Dad in the boat to drive it off the trailer, backed the trailer into the river... and the jet wouldn't start... dead battery! (Dad kinda forgot to put the battery on the charger last night, and I forgot to ask him if he had.) Hooked the boat back up to the trailer, pulled the whole shoot'n match out of the water, and drove to Dad's cousin's place to put the battery on his charger.  Had coffee with cousin, checked battery only 25% charged,  decided we didn't have enough time left to hit the water before we had to be back home, as the home helper staying with mom would be leaving soon. We will try again next week, and I'm hoping like heck Chipper will be back from the East, so he can go with us.

The good news: the weather is much cooler (90's), the wind is out of the South (not the suck you dry, howling N wind we have had), the river is much higher than it has been, and I found my lucky fish'n shades..

 All good signs for fish on!