Me And A Fish Named Blue

I finally caught some fish at place called Indian Mound near where I live. I've been fishing there on and off for the past three seasons and have been unsuccessful at landing anything bigger than a lizard fish. Just by the name alone you know that the Lizard fish is not something a true sportsman like myself would seek. Although there have been times when even a lizard fish would have been welcomed. The Lizard Fish will attempt to eat anything including this hapless Gobi. The Gobi is probably wondering where the relationship went wrong. This is one fish that's so ugly that it will never make the endangered species list.

My big catch happened when I decided to kill some time just before dark. It was to early to go to my favorite watering hole, "The Coconut Grove", and I didn't feel like traveling very far. I went to a place called Indian Mound, so named because it is an old Indian burial ground. It has been turned into a state park and boat launch. If Indian Mound is truly haunted like many of the locals believe, it sure hasn't done anything to scare off all the druggies and homeless people that congregate there every night. Its not a place to visit after dark but I have been there just before sunset and shortly after when the moon is on the rise. Last night was one of those special nights that could have been used as a postcard if someone had been on shore taking pictures of me stalking fish. When the Sun was nearly down the sky was a brilliant reddish-orange on the entire western horizon. Even though my silhouette would have been a little rounder than I would have liked, as evidenced by the picture of me and Mr. Blue, it still would have made a great picture.

I have stalked these flats when the water was dead still except for the shoals of bait fish working the shallows and the game fish working them. It is a very fishy looking spot, that's why I kept going back. I just have had no luck catching a nice fish till last evening. Not only did I catch this great bluefish but I also caught a nice Flounder and hooked but lost a big bull Redfish that I got a chance to see up close before it decided that I was to small to keep.

Got some great pictures of the Red Hat Society and their parade down Dearborn Street, but I'll save those till next time. It might just be to much to handle all in one day.


till next time,
Semper Fi,

Monk

Kelsey Returns From Her Great Caribbean Adventure..

Kelsey had a great time on her first cruise...snorkeling, para-sailing and of course shopping....She said she liked Jamaica the best but didn't give me a reason...I think that it had the most things to choose from and I know the people there are very nice to be around...it seemed when I was there that they always tried to get a laugh or a smile out everyone they met...



She loved the beautiful blue and teal waters of the Caribbean...and all the great sea life she encountered in her snorkeling adventures....





It's hard to believe my little girl is 16 and a beautiful young lady....besides great looks she is an honor student and one "Smart Cookie" as us old codgers say.....she will be a success at anything she decides to do in life...which as far as I know...is still up in the air....








Kelsey's friend Kate (pictured) and Kate's mom are the ones who invited her along I would like to thank them for showing my girl a great time...












Kelsey was telling me about how the crew on the ship were so funny...they even left the towels in the room folded into what she called "Towel Monkeys".......










Well til next time...When I'll have a report on my interview with the local newspaper...Don Moore is the writer who does a tremendous job telling stories about local veterans and what they have done in service to their country....and what some have done with their lives since then....I'm looking forward to speaking with him.....


Semper Fi

Monk

Andys Visit...The Book Signing...The Good-The Bad-The Ugly

At 4 A.M. the other day I was up to take Andy back to Tampa Airport..Just a small note here...If anyone wants to come visit me please fly in and out of Sarasota airport....its only 20 miles from me and so much easier to get in and out of...Tampa is 80 miles north on "Death Alley" (I-75) and is a real pain in the ass to drive...

On Monday of last week the boy's friend,Pete came down for a visit making a total of three boys staying at my friend Lisa's house and adding to the total chaos that only three boys 20 and under can cause...when these guys get together its like mixing volatile chemicals together and hoping nothing bad happens...not to say that they do bad things...they just have a ball joking around and busting each others chops....they truely are good friends and at that age they are full of "piss and vinegar" as my dad used to say....add the fact that with my son Kyle adding a dog to the mix...making a total of four...(Lisa has three)... it literally becomes a zoo...Ike her oldest is pictured here..he's 13 and can't hear or see much but he is lovable and... due to a jaw problem...that tongue stays out 24/7....between episodes of south park playing 24/7 on the big projection TV and massive farting contests.... there's always the wrestling matches for male dominance.... God Bless Lisa...I couldn't do it...

I'm sorry to say there are no fish pictures of Andy with his prize catch...I did take him out and we did have some nice fish on...one nice Bull Redfish and a nice sized Seatrout...I forgot to test the drags on our reels and we each lost our fish as a loud snap of line under to much pressure yielded to the final lunge of big fish...we both got to see our almost trophies...but that's all we got...one last look as they left us behind to make up stories about how big the ones that got away really were....mine was at least four pounds maybe five....yeh....I think it was closer to five....

Well I had my big book signing on Saturday night and it was a huge success...at least as far as I was concerned...I sold 28 books and the store is going to carry and sell my book....I tried not to be some ass that thinks that what he has to say is important for others to hear...I've seen the kind and that's not what I'm all about...I just want people to enjoy the stories and get to know a little about what Vietnam...at least for me....was all about....

Kelsey went on a seven day cruise and promised to send me pictures of her trip...I'm still waiting....and hopefully my next post will be about her trip...and all the places we'd like to be instead of where were at....


Semper Fi...til next time...


Monk

Hot Off The Press...

Time for some of those pictures I promised a few days ago....First...I mentioned that I didn't have any pictures of Mom and baby Dakota so here is a shot of the two newest girls in my life...

Next a couple of shots of Kyle working hard at his new job with Galen...and the Taki Tiki...Don't get me wrong..they do actually do some work..but c'mon this is the kind of job every beach bum at heart has in mind when they think of the perfect job in paradise...."Kayak Guy" or "Cafe Waiter" not to mention that soon he will be a bartender on week-ends and hopefully meet some people his own age....

That's Harry in the background....we thought he was soon to be a goner when he showed up the other day looking for his daily hand-out (baloney or hot dogs) there just is no accounting for some bird's taste....he looked like he had a broken leg and we were all worried that he might die if the baloney ever ran out....but in a few days he was walking normal and our fears were relieved...Doesn't the cafe look very "Key West" its the look Lisa was after and our resident artist Sue has done a great job in presenting the artwork for sale that complements the look....

Speaking of hot off the press....my books arrived this week for the signing in two weeks...I still can't believe I'm going to have a "Meet the Author" signing.....Hell I still can't believe I wrote the book....even though its just a local thing with my friends its still very exciting....and I don't want my friends to think I'm some arrogant ass who thinks he's hot shit....after all its not the great American novel....just a few short war stories.....I'm trying to keep everything in context and just have fun with the whole book writing experience.....

Andy is coming in for ten days and I have to pick him up in Tampa tomorrow...(pictures of many fish caught, next week) I'm not looking forward to the trip...I-75 is a potential death trap at any time but now a lot of the "Snow Birds" are heading back North and that means old people driving 55 in a 75 MPH zone....not to mention that most of them will be in the passing lane with their right turn signal on for miles while everyone else is trying to dodge them and figure out what their next move will be....

Monk