Hadn't shot a gun in a while.  So to beat (or join) the obama rush I got a glock m22 .40 with the 16 round clip.  Heavy gun, but I'm a big boy. 

First day I didn't have a target so I taped up a cc slip on the bill jackson range and shot at it from 10 yd.  Did pretty good.  Shot about 50 rounds.

Then took nra basic pistol class.  One of the long ones.  Had to prove you could handle gun to get cert.  So, since 1989 I've shot, mmmm, never.  50 rounds feeling out the pistol.  Then finally put up a target and do this.  Especially happy when I looked around me and realized hardly of the any five folks surrounding me in the first range round had even hit the red.  I'd forgotten how I like shooting.  Not very PC I'm afraid.  But my pattern did give me a happy inner glow, more confidence in the weapon, and some 'strange satisfaction'.  19 of 25 in the 10pt red.

from the czech rugby association.  enjoy... http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/czech_rugby_association_footballs_for_girls 

Yet another reason to 'carpe diem' .  JoeP, ex-neighbor of mine, passed away two days ago.  RIP JoeP, and save me a beer.  http://sylvanabbey.createatribute.com/registryMain.php?i_memorialid=1219584518 

Great area restaurant listing from st. pete times foodie blogger :: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1407106841.html?dids=1407106841:1407106841&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+3%2C+2008&author=LAURA+REILEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=20.W&desc=100+THINGS+TO+SAVOR 

Rugby banquet (30th anniversatry) was last saturday.

Saw lots of 'ghosts' there, familiar faces that i sweated and bled with.

A few missing ghosts too, including my old roommate bear who died last year.

His wife was there.

 

I was in a few of the action photos from the past.  Also nice vid of 'puffy' mowing butch's lawn in lingerie.

 

 

philosophy and life and $2 poker, raising with just a pair is often a bad idea.  Try and have two pair before you raise. 

took russ and m castro fishing on friday.

fishfinder wasn't working of course.  gps was. more on that later.

i was going mangrove snapper fishing again, but no depth finder = no bottom finding

so we run to 'palm tree island' by gandy - sharks/jacks/cats - wind started coming up

decided i was going to run due west to gandy rockpiles by gandy causeway

hit 'middle bay' grass flats while on run.

covered with baby trout.  bunch of bonnet heads and sand shark up there eating baby trout too.  some jacks.

this is good.  haven't caught any trout for a while, but that many babys means the fishing should be good in 5-6 months.

crimped down barbs and let m and russ burn through 8 doz shrimp

then ran to rattlefish for cigar and 'rattlejuice'.  mmmm.  sugary rum concoction and tobaccy hit the spot.

ran home, then off to tampa cc.

sunday decided to fix live well.  didn't go well.  now livewell and gps don't work.  when i get back time to call that mechanic again.

 

fishing pics are over in my techpics blog at http://thedevfish.spaces.live.com/?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!75364D9E73295107!109&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=0&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=0&_c=PhotoAlbum 

 

wow, now that's a URL

blizz and tim b.  took off @ 1100a.  three chum, 8 doz shrimp, 1 box sardines.

fuel up ($160, yikes)

front bait well poofed - need to check inline bus fuse - moved shrimp to rear well

ran to bahia beach #13 - current coming in, wind going out - hard to anchor on spot

jewfish ( 20' ) by tim, grunts, no snapper, some 'break offs'

ran to egmont #32 - mangos, lots of breakoffs, tons of bait and mackerel around - couldn't get bait to sabiki - needed live bait - lots of hits the small rods couldn't handle - need to move up to fairly heavy midgrade spinners (20# test) next time for this - small grouper rod might work also

 

very hot - came out french fried - need to post pic of tim's jewfish

did not see any bait east of skyway.  lots of bait west of skyway.  wierd.

 

pics are here - http://thedevfish.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!75364D9E73295107!112&_c=PhotoAlbum 

Went fishing yesterday with Kevin Peanut and Janet BagODonuts.  Janet brough along two actuary friends for their work bonding.  Kevin just got in from seattle (relo to Tampa).

 

Ran to coffeepot flats.  Couple trout, couple mackerel. Wind was up.  Ran to Kabza's Katfish Hole.  One big mackerel.  Dock across was holding jacks.  Boat on them.  Flipper was eating the catch and release victims.  Sigh.

Looks like I was a very bad influence on the blizzard - http://snowstormlife.com/blogs/bliz/PermaLink,guid,b17ae014-e406-49dc-9453-a014f4c188f2.aspx 

sunday after the february cc in lauderdale billR and wesD and were driving back from lauderdale to tampa.

we had an option of two routes to take.  alligator alley (i-75) or hwy41.  alligator alley is the fast shot, direct from lauderdale to naples.  80mph and lots of swamp grass.  so we decided to take the road less travelled, hwy 41.

 

so you head 20m south from the alley on hwy27.  intersect with hwy41 and head through homestead.  two lane road with lots of good scenery.  pass a really cool looking mikousoukee casino in the middle of nowhere on the glades.  along the way are a ton of airboat ride places.  also noted alot of folks fishing for panfish off the banks.

 

we see 'loop road'.  I'd just read Tampa Burning and remembered the road from the book.  we decide to take loop road. 1.5 lane dirt road.  lots of hammocks and open water areas alongside the road.  tons of gators 5yards from road.  saw an ?anehenga? eating a small pleco.  lots of fish.  spectacular scenery.  took about 1 hr to traverse.

 

we emerge and are hungry. talk of hunting for bbq.  we see joanie's blue crab.  bill and wes wimp out on it and we continue our hunt for bbq. we wind up at the waffle house in ft. meyers.  sh&t.  see this article about joanie's ( 

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/12/news_pf/Floridian/A_bite_of_Big_Cypress.shtml).  double sh&t.  live and learn.

 

took about 2.5 hours extra for a 6.5  hour drive back.  soooo totally worth it.

 

bring the girls for an airboat ride

bring a small spinner for some bream fishing

bring 35mm camera for photography

eat at joanie's for lunch

april 1 2007 - outside temp hit 85, inside the house temp at 700p was 80 degrees.  time to turn on the air conditioning.  number times heat was ran this winter = 2.  closed up our nice new windows for the summer, and now its time to start paying the ugly airconditioning bills.  such is the price of living in paradise.

great article - 32 things you can do with beer - http://men.msn.com/articlemh.aspx?cp-documentid=3872767&GT1=9212 - and these are all the non-dirty things!