ch,ch,changes

It's that time of year. Pretty soon we transition from fishing and not doing much in Alaska to fishing and not doing much in Mexico. I've been feeling good. I just had my yearly check up and my blood work was fantastic and the new Statin drug I'm on has brought down my cholesterol by a whooping 100 points. As my dad had an aortic aneurysm repaired I had that screening done and that test was normal but with a bit of swelling called ' mild ectasia ' so all in all I'm about as healthy a 66 year old guy as there is. 😎  But ya still ache a bit here and there, the price of a life well lived I'd say.

Every work season for as long as I can remember I would make a list of goals and post them in my fishing gear shed to help me keep focused and remember what I'm about. So this year with no guiding I figured I'd better keep up the tradition but maybe focus my energy on things that really need it other than just out working people and catching tons of fish...so here it is. I got a check on the ones that I have done and am happy about my progress. A few are yet to come and there's room for it to still happen, in any case I so far have 7 of 14 checked... you see I've been a  lifetime C student.

1. Well, that one is not only top priority but about as easy a goal as I have. I do have to say that helping MP rehab from knee replacement this spring was kind of a ' load test ' as Geno used to say....we passed just fine. I'm crazy about that woman.

2. Once again we decided that Mexico is just to far away to drive to and to much lettuce to get there, we're jumping the jet.

3. La Paz...  I've promised myself that as soon as we hit Maz next month I'm going to research the ferry and book a 5 day or so stay at the Blu Hotel in La Paz Baja Ca... almost straight across the Sea of Cortez from us.

4. I have an outline done and I've worked on pictures. I've spent some time mulling over what the book will look like and what the message will be. What I've learned from thousands of fisherman through a life time of fish pursuit.....stand by.

5. mmmm.... for years my goal was 185 pounds, what the hell made me add 5 more difficult pounds that I'm most likely never going to make anyway ? Right now I'm at a pretty lean 192 so I oughta make it into the 80's before Mexico, then it's forget about it. NO WAY can you lose weight surrounded by the coldest and crispest beer, menudo, 3 cheese tamales, papa loco's.....forget about it.

6.  I think I went through the summer waaaay less stressed than when I was guiding. In fact with all the salmon shortages and emergency orders being declared by ADF+G it was a serious relief to not being explaining it all to customers...it's always hard to explain things that on a certain level you really don't understand yourself.

7. I HAD gorgeous Icicle Radishes, next year I need more space MPeasy...

8. When we flew home from Maz last year a lady we know who owns a gringo type restaurant was on the plane . So some night I'm gonna drag that Crafter guitar over and sing her Mama hated Diesels and maybe she'll just put me on the schedule, we'll see.

9. I caught a couple pretty darn nice ones last year  but I need that 25 pounder, caught from the surf of course.

10. Dodged it again....but it's in our future.

11. I did this well...I finally started to manage that Irish temper of mine.  Normally when people are thoughtless, mean, selfish, whatever I would lash out...guess I realized I can't change the world. I'm doing better ....Just breath through your nose is my new mantra.

12. I actually did this with the young guys at the launch this year and I think I helped. It's a hard job and it takes years to see what is really worth max effort and what isn't. I try to show the young guys that the trip is about the entire experience as well as comfort and safety...It's my fondest hope that the guys who come behind me have the same chance to do what I have.  In a soft and somewhat fatherly way I guess, I 've encouraged the guys to stand up, be proud of guiding, let the community know it's importance and most of all...let em know, we're here to stay.

13. Last time I did that I had two flat tires and almost didn't make it home for cocktail hour. But I'm going to try it again, leave in the dark with my fishing gear and then pedal the 10 miles home with that 25 pound Pargo in the basket.

14.  Years ago I broke with a group of friends that I came to know just really weren't my friends to begin with. They were jealous of a business opportunity I had and did everything they could to sabotage it for me. Well, it was hard to do but I quit them.. A couple of them I've never spoken to and one of them I routinely make fun of.....gotta stop that and I'm trying, I really am. Now I know, the best revenge is to just live better than they do....and I'm doing that.  I guess the reason it effected me so was that I embarrassed myself by not knowing what they were all about, I should've known, I was putting fun in front of right and wrong...but I ain't no more.

And yup, those are salmon and I caught them on Monday. A friend of mine who I think would like his privacy is going through a terribly difficult time and needed a distraction so we went fishing on the world famous. What's more distracting than me ?...mmmm.....maybe a circus, I don't know. I gotta quit typing and start cleaning house, MPeasy is coming home tomorrow !