Salty feet - Pata Salada

Guess I fit that , old salt. so where should I start ? The parade or the snook harvest ? I know....how's about MP's finger....Yikes, it was ugly Howard.

It was frightening and this pic taken the next day doesn't really tell the story of how dramatic the situation was. She snagged it on rivet or something coming down the stairs of the bus. It's a hard jerk and the finger begins to swell immediately. But we're 5 minutes from home so we hustle to get soapy water or oil on it and it won't come off. She hustles to Adrieanna's house and luckily the retired nurse is home.  I go looking for good cutters and return to find the string trick being done which is essentially a tourniquet that compresses the swelling to try and get the ring off....the finger by now is the size of two and looks like a sausage, entirely dark purple. Adrianna and I decide  almost at the same time it's gotta go and it's gotta go NOW. It was so swelled that without the string compression I couldn't have gotten the side cutters safely on it.... It's hard and I can't cut it...MP is tough and Adrianna says hurry. My adrenalin kicks in and snap, it's cut but I have to find another pair of pliers to open it up which we finally do and instantly the finger changes color and MP says she has feeling on the tip. Onto the ice and then it's gone from purple to white. The circulation was cut off for about 15 minutes I'd guess. I think the trip to a hospital would have been to slow and who knows....So then it was ice on 15 minutes , ice off for 15 minutes for 7 hours and magnum doses of Arnica. We could tell it was going to be alright but she still has a little tingling. Mucho Gracias Adrianna, you're an angel. One thing I know about life is this....you can't worry about what didn't happen. Jeff was relieved, very happy.

For surf fisherman here in Mazatlan besides catching the Guyo the Robalo is about as good as it gets. I've had a remarkable run of luck with those guys, this week I caught one every morning for three mornings in a row. Wow....hitting the trifecta.  Tom Welle and his crew arrived so we have at least 8 people on the beach with me and Ern, nadda no pescado. I have people to the left and right of me when just as I finish my retrieve I actually see the Snook take my Mirro Lure. Then the very next wave pushed it past me and leaves it high and dry up the beach with the hook having fallen out. It was so quick the first thing I heard is " where'd that come from"...Mucho suerte.

The very next morning Ern gives me the ole ' get here fast ' signal. I hustle down the beach and stab my rod into the sand and get ready with my gaff hook. Luckily Ern has this fish on his bigger set up and although it took 10 minutes we finally get a look at him....it's not the 20 pound Robalo we were hoping for but what a dandy Toro....And Ernie, congratulations, you've finally passed the fish pose portion of the guide exam. Perfect form, proper display, include the gear, smile...and yes, as you can tell from the background Team X is ALWAYS the first on the beach every morning.

This Toro I caught yesterday was kind of fun. I was all alone and wanted a picture. I kept him on the line until a gal walking up the beach got close so then I grabbed him and asked her to take a picture. She was talking on the cell phone and she just smiled grabbed the camera and snapped the pic continuing to walk and talk... I hope she heard the thank you. MP calls that my ' Oh' face.

I love this pic, a close up of old slimey.  He's got a green bucktail in his mouth and is seconds from getting on with his life. I was so inspired by the creativity of this shot that I posed a sun up shot with my favorite lure... I think I'm kinda into the flow of this beach deal.

Fat Tuesday found us where we've been every Fat Tuesday for the last 10 years. This year with the theme and the new widening of the Malecon it was the best and most comfortable parade of all. Today my internet is cooperating so I'm going to cut the chatter and just show you the scene. I hope you pick up on the vibe. And of course there's a lot of fish and  Pacifico always leads the parade. What's better than a Pacifico fish eh ?

 These gals were pretty far up in the air, no worries.

 This guy found the saltiest feet he could.

And of course the Pacifico girls were smiling.

My favorite floats. They had the illuminated versions at the end of the parade and they were spectacular. Some of them had huge generators in tow. I have a pic of the street scene on this 4-pack to give you a feel for the crowd and all. And I have to say....there was not one single bit of politics or political statements here at all, none....just fun.

I've got 1976 Gibson Paul in my collection. It's one of my favorites because it has this ' honest wear ' that is unbelievable. I bought it from a working musician in the Valley named Wes Hamrick and he being a friend of Hobo Jim's like I am he wanted me to have it. When I play this guitar it's like magic, I wonder about where it's been, who's it sung with and who's it been sung with too. Wes had it for 10 years so a large portion of it's life is a mystery that seems to open up when I play it. this Gibson has been refretted , has new a bridge and tuners as well as pots and well it's just got personality.

So that's what I was thinking as I shared the parade route with this musician and his stand up bass. The instrument was personalized with Mexican colors and his name. He carried the bass just like it was part of his body and I bet he plays it the same. I got to wondering just how many weddings and who they might have been and...well, it's just part of the magic of music. Music that's thriving in Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico.