November ?

While the 48 is being hammered by the cold weather that everybody correctly predicted us guys here in Alaska are basking in 40 degrees. It's crazy, I guess there's just not enough cold air in the world to go around. And not only has it been warm but it's been so clear that the alpenglow off the mountains and the sunrises and sunsets have been absolutely spectacular to a sunrise / sunset expert like me. The other morning I snapped these pics at sun up....how's about the way it reflects off the river ??

But there's no getting around the fact that it's getting pretty darn dark around here. Today we lose 4:34 in minutes of light. I had MP take this pic of me to give you an idea, we were starting onto the boardwalk at Soldotna Creek for our Sunday morning walk and it was 9:20 . Yikes.

Well it's been two weeks now without the Jet in our lives and I guess we're both feeling better. I do notice that we don't go to the river as often and I miss that. Sometimes walking her down there seemed like duty to me and now I see it this way...she was helping me along on this quest I'm on. But I have the feeling besides the memorial I plan to build at the boat launch for her we'll have plenty of reminders of her as we move forward. As she got older she would pace instead of go to the river or into the woods like she did her entire life...so this too will take a while to heal.

For all you Team X'ers out there I want you to know ....' I go the stuff '. As always I'm kind of the mule but this year my load is over the top. The rubber swim fish that we use...and lose...I have about 20 pounds of. One year I took 1000 fish hooks for the swimfish plastic Jigs, this year I have well over 1000 of the lures themselves. Tell me we ain't serious about tis surf fishing deal. So  Sunday morning the 30th of November all you Team X'ers can find me....you know where....heaving a 2 1/2 ounce you know what hoping to catch the guyo on my first day. Wouldn't that be something.

Now I told King Louie that if I hit my goal of 185 pounds I'd publish another picture of Guide # 003 with a Speedo on. Well....watch out because I'm headed that way. My success has been stunning and I can't believe how good I feel. I'm finally smart with the weight lifting, my feet and joints are tolerating all the cardio exercise and my diet has been actually pretty easy on me AND I haven't had to give up my ace in the hole to lose weight...I'm still having a cocktail or two and a glass of wine. This morning I hit the scale at 188 pounds. So, I have lost 15 pounds in the last 8 weeks.

Right now I weigh the least I have in 25 years. I don't have the definition that I had when I was lifting , and hurting myself with heavy weights. I feel absolutely great both physically and mentally. I guess that's what comes from setting difficult goals and then finally achieving them. For me it's all part of the quest, I want to be a good guy and fish and love and play music with passion....and I think I'm getting there.

I hope you all keep coming back to Mile 14 and I thank you for that as we close in on 80,000 reads....it's fixing to get chuckly as we migrate to Maz real soon.