Making Friends

 Now that's something I've always been good at, maybe it was my military upbringing. But whatever it is when I  combine that with the wonderful welcoming style of the Mexican people I just seem to fit in real good...just kinda normal. Today as we walked old town the blaring sound of the a water salesman rang down the street and I shot this, we just don't advertise in such a personal manner N.O.B.   ( north of the border ) 

As we were at the Plaza Machado a bunch of kids were getting their pics taken for graduation or something I'd guess. It was cool so I asked if I could get a pic along with the professional that was  shooting and I had about 5 kids step forward....and then the rest seeing an opportunity joined in and I ended up with this.  Our son Max was impressed and told me that's powerful...I said  just fun and who doesn't like that .

And who doesn't consider these guys friends. The defined our youth and showed us the way to being ourselves. In my case they inspired me to get that first guitar and now I have several hundred songs and all of the the things I've done in life playing the music stands tall...

When I was young 

so much younger than today.

I never needed anybody's 

help in any way.

Now those days are gone 

and I'm not self assured.

And now I find the time to change

 my mind and open up that door.

Help me if you can I'm feeling down

and I really do appreciate you being around.

Help me get my feet 

back on the ground.

won't you PLeeeeease , please

Help Me.

And of course to be good with new friends ya gotta love on your old friends which since our life change we've been a little short on...But Maxwell Steven our oldest surprised us with a Mazatlan visit. I've always called him " best buddy " but that's not really the deal, every parent knows that...of all that I've learned in life I've learned the most and the most important from him and his brother Sam.

Nice Soldotna Stars shirt eh ?....mmmmm.....now where was I. Oh, you' re wondering about fish by now and I have not to many stories to tell. In one of life's poetic ironies I seem to have come up with a thing called Ciguatera, which is the most common type of fish poisoning. It has been hell. Look it up if you're curious but the short version is this : big predator fish ( that we all want ) in tropic areas eat small reef fish that get the ciguatoxin from eating coral or algae off the inshore rocks. It collects in your system and you get sick when you eat those fish as your system has all it can handle already. Some people are more sensitive and some less. In any case I'm the poster boy fish hound that's eaten and handled so many fish that now it makes me sick...But hey...the joy is in the pursuit so I'll continue to chase and report back. Just been sick a  lot his month...

So right now the best I can do is show every fish bum a beautiful thing... I told my friend Rafa at PescaMaz that I'd never seen a million dollars worth of lures in one place. Everyone knows how I feel about the Mirro Lure....in Alaska if you were to have to fish with only one lure it would be Blue Foxes Pixie, here in Mazatlan Mexico it would be the Mirro lure....Catch five for low and medium tide to dive on 3 to 5 ft. just above the rocks. M77 for high tide to dive to 10 or 15 feet and the new XXL for a medium depth long casting master .....what a lure. Oh, be careful with them , they're expensive.