Today's Mixed Bag

Yesterday was a great day to fish until the wind came up and made it very difficult to paddle a kayak upwind...and even with small anchors we still had to fight our way back into position when the wind pulled us off our anchorage....I took a new fisherman out on Lemon Bay to teach him the ways of salt water fishing and despite every effort to see that he caught fish...in the end it was Monk with a nice Spanish Mackerel, a lady fish, a four pound sail cat that put up one hell of a battle and a nice sea trout of about 22".....and Wayne one puffer fish....we fished with the same bait the same rigs and within 20 feet of each other...I felt like I should hand him the pole every time I hooked one...it he had been a kid I would have....but I thought that as an adult he might take offense to that....the UV index was a nine but as far as I was concerned the UV index for me was about 109... I burnt my legs so bad (I put lotion on everything but them) that today every time I stand up the blood rushing to them and the tightening of the skin as my muscles tense, hurts so bad that I just want to scream out loud....I don't know if this fishing guide thing is going to work if I'm the only one who is going to catch the fish...I'm certainly to much of a die hard fisherman to just sit by and watch my clients fish...

I got new pictures of Dakota today she looks a lot like her Dad but a lot cuter...I'll just throw one in here...I'll fight my instinct to show you all of them.....

I got nine copies of the book in the mail...what a rush....I was happy and sad at the same time...happy to see my book in print and sad to know that if it weren't for a lot of great brothers in arms I probably would not have been here to write it....God Bless all my brother Marines and all service people who have or are now serving their country with pride and honor.......To my sons Kevin, Travis and Kyle...Thank you for your past and present service to our great country.......

Monk

P.S. Just got a call from my son Ryan...he feels bad that he's only mentioned once in my bio and not in my stories...I just want him to know how proud of him I am....a top U of R about to be graduate and one very smart cookie...he is the rock that his brothers and sisters count on...he wants to be a cop and the lucky town that hires him will thank their lucky stars that they did....he already is a fine human being and will make an excellent protector of the people...love ya Ryan.....

Three Weeks Old And What a Doll....

I know baby pictures of grandkids are only interesting to the parents and the grandparents...but I couldn't resist so here are just a couple of the most beautiful baby in the world....Dakota is three weeks old and Livin LaVita Loca.....Mom and Dad are so proud and happy...hey Mom send a picture of you and baby...grandpa has none to show.....Doesn't aunt Kelsey look cute with the baby?.....Its to bad I'm not going to let her date until I'm fish food......as long as I'm on this side of the grass...no one will be good enough for my baby......

Another hard day of working on book two and fishing in the afternoon...actually a lot more fishing than working on the book...just can't resist 80 and sunny.....caught some lady fish and lost a nice Spanish mackerel....will try and remember to get someone to take my picture with a fish just so you all believe me...

Kyle is doing great at the Taki Tiki...talk about La Vita Loca....this kids got it made....now his best friend Galen has joined the Taki Tiki team as cook and is staying with Lisa and Kyle....God bless Lisa....I've been taking Kyle to my friday nite poker game with the boys...or I should say men...very old men....they are guys that I met down here several years ago when an old fishing buddy...Denver..brought me along to the Friday nite event....I've been going ever since and when I go back up north for a couple of months they have to stop playing...because of their advanced age some of them can't shuffle or deal the cards so every Friday I deal for at least two of the five or six guys that show up...when I'm not around the game has to stop for lack of able bodied players...I think Kyle is going to be my summer replacement...I don't think he knows it yet...it will be a pleasant surprise....so don't tell him yet...

Kyle couldn't resist and has purchased another dog....Molly.....and she is the only dog that has ever been afraid of me in my life....I'm the guy that carries dog treats in his pocket for dogs that I meet on the street....I think Molly hates the Hat and sunglasses....I'm working on making friends but she is one tough nut to crack....Pictures (or notice of Molly's or my demise) will be added in a day or two.....

Enjoy the baby pics....I'll get some shots of Molly and the poker jokers soon...maybe even me and Molly as friends....

Monk

I Will Be A Published Author on March 26th...WOW

Just got word from my publisher that the book will be published and available for sale on March 26th...initially from the publisher by snail mail then email on his web site... war-books.com ....by April....no pressure... buy it if you feel inclined....I'll still speak to you if you don't.....Maybe....I'm going to have my first book signing on the 10th of April 6PM at the Gift and Coffee shop here in Englewood on Dearborn Street...come if you can...

I've been working on book two but it's hard to concentrate when the sunny outdoors beckons...the fishing has been good but I haven't had much time to enjoy it because of the two and a half weeks it took to get rid of the flu or whatever it was.....

One Of Heaven's Angels Has Arrived....

Today is the birthday of my newest granddaughter....straight from heaven...Dakota Lynn...a beautiful name for a beautiful girl....my son Travis called at 4:30 AM to tell me the good news...after 30 plus hours of labor my daughter-in-law Shannon and Travis became immortal...now they shall live forever through the lives of their children and their children's children....if you would like their address to send congrats just let me know..

Kyle Joins Dad In Paradise....

My son Kyle has joined the Taki Tiki team as the official Vice- President in charge of all Kayaks ...its a job any 20 year old would kill or die for...look at that smile on his face....it truly brings joy to my heart to see him happy...he moved here from upstate New York last week and left behind 12 degrees and two feet of snow...also pictured the owner and CEO of all operations..Lisa..the Taki Tiki is a small breakfast and lunch cafe, bar, eclectic art and kayak rental shop....she is giving my son the chance to enjoy his youth and perhaps find a direction he would like to take for the rest of his life....she was nice enough to give him the opportunity and provide room and board as well...hopefully he will be going to school to follow his dream of being a paid firefighter... he just left the Air Force and this is the perfect place for him to make some life decisions.....in the meantime he gets to live, work and play in our corner of paradise....boy do I wish I was twenty again....

My friend and neighbor Karen came down for a short visit and while she was here we played a little golf...or I should say they played golf and I played very LITTLE golf.....my game is more like the sport of Flog...that's golf spelled backwards for those of you a little slow on the uptake....while playing we observed this obviously mating pair of birds on the course...we know they were a mating pair because they were constantly fighting and bickering with each other...I don't know what kind of birds they are but they were about four feet tall and very beautiful ....

Ain't Science Grand.....

Some things I am thankful for in this new age of technology are the marvels of ultrasound imaging and cell phone cameras...both of these inventions have allowed me to witness and document the miracles of life....first the about to be birth of my fourth grandchild and first born for my son Travis and my fantastic daughter-in-law Shannon....as seen here in the newest 4-D imaging available....when you look at this face or the face of any small child....you truly are looking at the face of GOD and the miracle that is life......we still don't know if we have a boy or girl...but only because the parents want to be surprised....with pictures like this, it would not be very hard to document the baby's sex....I personally think its a boy....but I will be very happy for a new granddaughter as well....this baby was due several days ago and the computer attached to this device also said the baby is about 8.5 lbs. right now....my sons friend just had a child and the same computer said the baby would be 7.5 lbs.....it arrived at a whopping 10.5 lbs.....my new grandchild could start out life in first grade if this computer is wrong again!!!!.......

I would also like to thank the person who invented the camera for the cell phone...believe it or not these pictures of a manatee mom and her new baby were taken by cell phone in bright sun lite....I wasn't even sure if I even got them in the frame because the person who invented cell phone screens should be taken out back and shot.....does anybody have a cell phone screen that you can actually see during the day?.....

A Cold Day In Paradise...

Burr....It's cold in paradise today...the temp is about 60 and that's cold for southern Florida...its supposed to stay cold til next Wednesday...the only thing I caught this week was a chest cold that moved to my head and now I think it wants to go back to my chest again...No way was I going fishing this week....I could barely move from my bed...everybody is catching whatever this bug is and it really does knock you for a loop....

Even though I feel like crap...I did manage to make it to my favorite spot for coffee today...a little gift shop on Dearborn Street appropriately named Village Gifts and Coffee....I wrote most of my book there last season....a friend of mine took my picture while I was working last year...see picture on left...they have Wi-Fi so I can link to the Internet, check my email and see if anyone has even read my blog....so far my kids and a few friends are the only ones that know this exists....that's OK...like I said in my first post...I'm not expecting to change world opinion with the words I write here...

As I write this my son Kyle is on his way to paradise...he just got out of the Air Force a few months ago and decided that life back in New York was not for him...a friend of mine has offered to put him up rent free and give him a job...boy do I wish I was 20 again and had the same opportunity....I hope he finds himself soon..like most young people today...finding a direction in life is hard when there are so many choices...good and bad....I've been very lucky.. my children seen to have a good grasp on reality and whats right and wrong...they are and were all honor students and stayed out of trouble...I'm proud of every one of them...Kyle is going to love it down here simply because its new and exciting...when that wears off and he realizes that he is surrounded (for the most part) by a lot of old farts and that summer here is like the fourth level of hell....he may not like it so much...only time will tell....In any case it will be a life experience and if hes anything like his father, its just one more adventure in the book of life....the true test for him will be when I go back north for the summer and he stays here....

My one and only daughter..Kelsey...sent me a valentine that I haven't received yet...she called last night to see if I had gotten it yet...she is my pride and joy...a high honor role student and a cheerleader...isn't that an oxymoron?.... in any case she is my favorite girl and I couldn't be more proud of her...she makes me smile every time I think about her....

No news on the new grandson or granddaughter from Travis and his wife Shannon...hes the one still in the Air Force....her due date is today....his friend's wife was due later and she had her baby two days ago...10 and half pounds... that's one big kid....It would have been nice to have the baby born on Valentines Day....but now as long as its healthy that's all that matters...hey the baby could have been born on Ground Hog Day...so I'm thankful for small favors...Travis was born on the first of February and we really pushed to make sure he wasn't a Ground Hog Baby....or I should say my wife really "pushed".....

Well that's all from paradise for now...Kyle will be arriving and my life in paradise will be forever changed...I hope for the better....only time will tell...

Monk

My Book's Final Cover and other thoughts from Paradise

Got the final cover design a few days ago and after some minor fixes like putting my name on it and getting the word Marine more readable, I think it will suffice. My publisher says that the book is designed for a young audience and that he made it a little "Rambo" looking and somewhat cartoonish to appeal to the under 25 market. I agree with the market and I hope whoever reads it takes away a little more understanding of what it really was like to be a Marine in Vietnam in the sixty's. What most readers won't know and only the privileged few who read this blog will, is that the picture on the cover was taken from a photo that I sent my publisher, it was a picture of me at age 18, in full combat gear in our squad bay just before we shipped out to Vietnam. It doesn't show that the only clothes I had on was a pair of white boxers and black socks. So much for Rambo and Gung-Ho. Now you know the truth. Don't tell anyone.

Went fishing on the bay yesterday and experienced a new kayak design that is a great way to fish. Its a pontoon kayak and its stable as a rock and comfortable to fish from. I'll scan a picture in to the blog soon and let you take a peek at a super way to catch fish.

Lemon Bay has lots of great fishing opportunities and most times its easy to catch something, But not yesterday. I threw jigs and plugs into a strong north wind at high tide and got three lizard fish and one puffer for my trouble. Still it was the first day in over a week that I even had a chance to get out. Its been cold in Florida and that means anything under 70 degrees for anybody that lives here. Even some snow birds were wearing jackets. Your blood thins out when your down here for a while. I know that someone who was suffering in below zero temps this last week up north will probably being saying, "Oh stop, Your breaking my Heart", but it was cold by our standards down here. Its going up to 80 today, boy do I love Florida!!!

If anybody wants any tips on saltwater fishing, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to help you catch the fish of your dreams.

Till next time......Its another day in Paradise.....I wish you Tight Lines and warm days....

Monk