Something good usually happens

If you read my last post, you see that I had a miserable day fishing for trout but later that evening had a great experience catching my first ever goldfish.  Obviously, for me, that was something I will always remember and will most likely be one of the things I am grateful for on my annual Thanksgiving Day post. That said, I'll let you in on a secret of mine. I fully believe that I will have something memorable happen more than fifty percent of the time when I'm outside. I'm not going to tell you every fishing trip is great or every hike is world class. What I can say without hesitation,  something good usually happens.

Usually when I go out after work or on a day off whether it be fishing, birding, or hiking there will be something that will make that trip worthwhile. Rarely (but it does happen) will I drive home totally frustrated thinking I completely wasted my time. On the other hand more often than not I drive home thinking "wow, that was awesome" about something.

Obviously, when we have great days fishing, we all remember that. I'm not going to tell you more than half of my fishing trips are spectacular because that would be a bold face lie. What I mean is, while I'm fishing something memorable will happen. Sometimes of course, that "something" will be a huge fish,or a blitz will happen right in front of you.  You might even miss the fish, but you will never forget the splash.Other times fishing might not be very good but an eagle will fly by. I might be fishing in Charlestown and see half a dozen shooting stars. On the drive home from a spot I might see a coyote. One time I was striper fishing with eels and caught a four foot shark!

When you do a big trip, you are bound to have some memorable experiences. I could probably name five awesome things about each of my camping trips to New Hampshire last year. And of course one of the highlights of 2016 was looking for a rare loon and watching whales feed just offshore at Race Point.

Still, even when doing everyday outdoor activities good stuff usually happens. How many times have you walked in the woods and spooked a deer? To me, that makes the walk totally worth it. I don't know how many times I've had days where the fish weren't biting, but I'd see a wild animal or cool bird. Sometimes you can be at the right place at the right time. One day last June I tried bait fishing for tautog but all I could catch were bait stealing choggies. Finally in the late afternoon I tried for stripers hoping to get one or two. It so happened that the National Guard Airshow was going to be the next day. While I was fishing, I watched a plane drop out parachuters. They practiced their jump. I also watched one of those small engine trick planes practice over the Atlantic Ocean. I did end up catching two schoolies to salvage the fishing for that day, but honestly, watching those planes was way more exciting.

Today was no different. I got a call to see if I wanted to go fishing. I had woken up expecting snow on the ground but it was barely sprinkling out. This screwed up my day, since I was expecting to be house ridden all day, I didn't plan on doing anything. When I got the phone call, I jumped right on the idea of going fishing. The conditions were terrible. It rained and sleeted for most of the trip. The air temp was about 35 degrees and the wind was in our face. But you know what? The fish were biting. We each caught two carp and a sucker.

Suckers- either you think they are kind of cute or homely

You might ask what is so memorable about that? Well, for starters we caught fish when we both didn't expect anything. No one expects to catch open water fish when ice is falling from the sky. Secondly, I caught my first sucker of the year. Third, we watched a muskrat swim by us multiple times To top it off I caught a carp just under 20 pounds. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.If you add all of those things together, even watching a muskrat swim around  made for a day I won't soon forget.  Of course, I'd have been warmer indoors, but I had the rest of the day to warm up.

So today was a day I will always remember. Truth is most days will have something worth remembering. I could go on and on with a hundred cool memories from the last year, and thousands over the last few years.
The point I'm trying to make here is if you go outside good things are going to happen. You will never know what surprise awaits you at the next fishing hole or around the next bend if you sit at home watching tv. Good things are waiting, get outside.

A golden reward after a long day

I had today off from work. I planned on trout fishing all day. The weather was going to be sunny in the low 50's. Friday's forecast is for 2-6 inches of snow/rain mix, So I figured I'd better get out and enjoy today. When I go on trout adventures I either make a day of it down the Cape or Plymouth. Today I chose Plymouth simply because it was closer.

The lakes kicked my ass today. I tried four different ponds and fished about 4.5 hours. The only fish I caught was an 8 inch largemouth on a spinner. I tried all types of lures including spoons, spinners, casting bubble/fly. I even stooped so low as to use Powerbait. Nothing. I probably saw fifteen other guys fishing today and never saw another fish caught. My theory is I never found schools of fish. I can't believe that fish in four ponds casting everything I had at them were just "fussy". Whether my theory is right or not, the only thing I came home with was a big goose egg.

Believe it or not, when I was about ready to come home I texted my friend Dave to see if he was going carp fishing in the evening. Maybe I'm a sucker for punishment. He called me up a few minutes later and told me he was skiing but planned on fishing on his way home. This was a good idea for him. The pond was only a few minutes off of the highway. Yesterday he caught over 20 fish at this spot!!!

For me, if I wanted to fish with him it meant driving another hour in the direction opposite of Plymouth. He called me back when I was in a mile long traffic jam at the rotary in Middleboro. I told him, at beast the chances of me going were 50/50.

I  got home about 4 pm. I sat in the house wondering what I'd do if I didn't go out again. The thought that Dave caught twenty fish and a goldfish kept running through my mind. So I was off again at 4:45.

Man am I glad I went. When I got there Dave had already landed 8 fish. He ended up getting about five more while I was there. I did not catch a carp. However, I caught my first two goldfish ever. I have wanted to catch these guys for years. I was fishing with Dave one night a few years ago and he caught a few of them. He knew how bad I wanted to catch one so he had me cast right in his spot. He continued catching them while I couldn't buy a hit. That was probably four years ago, and I have wanted to catch one ever since.

The goldfish was decent size, maybe just over a pound. They are short but full of eggs so tough to accurately guess the weight. It is irrelevant anyway. What matters was catching a really cool new species. Glad I took the ride down.

The red that you see is not blood.
these fish have little tiny specks of red in
some of there scales. Some scales have more red than
others, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason

First carp

I went fishing with my friend Dave tonight. It was raw, but sitting on a lawn chair in the rain seemed a lot more fun than sitting in the house. I'm happy to have broken the ice for 2017 and got a carp. The fish was about eight pounds. It was caught on a white piece of artificial corn and a couple pieces of sweet corn fished behind a method ball. Hey, one eight pound carp and hanging out with a friend sure beat being in my living room all night. I'll take it

Finally did some fishing

This must be the latest in the year I have ever gone until I went fishing. Today I got out and did some trout fishing. I can't say the weather was springlike since I spent most of the time fishing in a hail squall (not sure if that is a real thing, but that was the weather).

Surprisingly, the fishing was pretty good. I assumed the trout would hit Powerbait, but didn't have any confidence they would hit lures. I fished one rod with Powerbait, while I casted a Yellow Coachdog Roostertail with the other. Usually, when the water is really cold I have absolutely no luck at all with lures.

So I was mildly surprised when on my second cast I felt a solid bump on the spinner. On the next cast I landed my first fish of the year, a foot long rainbow. Not only did I hook it on the lure but it even jumped once.

To make a boring story short, I ended up with six trout today, all about a foot long. Four on the spinner and two on the Powerbait. Both fish caught on Powerbait were hooked in the lip, henceforth they were released. I only fished for a little more than an hour. Considering the sky was dropping ice pellets on me and into the water, I was thrilled with the production. I was even happier the fish were willing to chase lures

The King at the Canal

It's funny how some things that you are looking forward to can end up being average while unexpected things can become highlights of your whole week. As I said yesterday, I went the Dropkick Murphys and it can best be described as "okay".

After work today on a whim Laurie and I went to the Cape Cod Canal. There has been a King Eider there for a few days. A King Eider is a big ocean going duck. This species breeds up in the tundra and winters along the coast of Alaska and Newfoundland.  They do not live around here. Usually one will show up somewhere on the North Shore of Massachusetts every year. Going to Rockport and Gloucester to see a possible duck really isn't a good gamble. Also, they usually seem to be way out and only a speck in a spotting scope.

This duck that has been at the Cape Cod Canal has been hanging out with Common Eiders right in the Herring Run. I've seen some great pictures of the duck all week and I was envious. I obviously

couldn't look for it the last couple of days with my concert plans. Today, Sunday, we were supposed to get between 2-4 inches of snow. So I really didn't have any plans to go see it after work. At the last minute, the forecast changed. Although we might get a flurry the actual storm was going out to sea. Nantucket took the brunt of it.

After work today, I checked and the bird had been spotted in the morning. Then I got a note from someone as I was just about to leave the house that read "just so you know, the bird has been leaving the area around 2:30". By the time I got there, it was going to be 3:30. I decided to go anyway.

When we got there, the snow was coming in sideways. The wind was howling, although the temperature was around 38 degrees and the snow was melting on contact. We dressed for it, so the weather was of no concern. The issue would be if the bird was still there. The nice thing about ducks is they are easy to spot. They don't hide in bushes or in tall grass. They are big, so they are eider there or not (pun intended). Also, it doesn't get much easier than the Herring Run. The walk from the car to the outflow is a couple of minutes.

I am thrilled to say I say the King Eider. It was a lifebird for me. More important to me than just checking it off of a list, it is a bird I have wanted to see since I started birding years ago. Even with the wind and snow I stayed and watched it for 45 minutes. The King Eider was an adult male. It was beautiful.  Laurie was happy to see it for fifteen minutes and went back to the car. I found it difficult to pull myself away from it. So if you're asking yourself if I enjoyed watching a duck during a snowstorm more than going to a concert in Boston, the answer is yes. It was a terrific forty five minutes.

Dropkick Murphys- not really my style

I got Laurie tickets for her birthday to see the Dropkick Murphys at the Agannis Arena in Boston. The Dropkick Murphys are a Boston band that made it big. They mix Irish music and punk rock. Their biggest hit by far is Shipping up to Boston. No matter where they go on tour, they always schedule the week of St. Patrick's Day to come home and do a show or two. This year, they did a couple shows at the House of Blues and last night's show at Agannis. Tickets weren't bad. I think our seats were $35.

The time on the ticket said the show started at 4:30 pm. I knew from what I read that after the concert the band would be at the House of Blues later where there would be boxing. This lead me to believe the Murphy's would start at 4:30 and be over around 6:30-7 pm. Although this is a weird time for a Saturday concert I liked the idea of being back at my house at 8 pm. Because we drove to the red line subway station then took the subway to the arena, we had to leave my house at 2:15 pm. This worked perfectly since we walked into the arena at 4:10.

So I was a bit disappointed as we were walking around we overheard people say there were two opening bands and the Murphy's would not be going on until 6:30. I had no desire to see the opening acts and it just added two hours to our two hours to get there. None the less we were stuck. We watched the first band. During the second band Laurie and I walked through the arena. We bought a bucket of popcorn and found an open spot to eat it. The Boston University hockey team plays at Agannis Arena. Along the walls are murals of past players that played in the Olympics, NHL and the BU Hall of Fame. I got some pictures including the two most famous guys on the 1980 team, goalie Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione. The stadium is only twelve years old, but it is beautiful, it looks twelve days old.
Finally 6:30 came around. I knew going in I wouldn't know a lot of songs. I figured the energy of the Boston crowd along with their prodigal sons would just be fun. The punk rock band has a huge following and I understand why. They are very talented and mix in a lot of instruments including bagpipes and accordion. For me personally, they play too fast and the vocals are a lot of screaming. Also the instruments are so loud, it was tough to follow the lyrics unless I knew the song anyway.

My favorite songs during their set were covers of Taking Care of Business and a Just What I needed. After 90 minutes they went off stage. When they came back I knew what was coming and was the sole purpose of me being there. They played Shipping Up to Boston and two other songs during the encore. This was by far my favorite part of my night. After the encore we took the crowded Green line back to Park Street and took it back to our car. We ended up getting home about 10:15, which wasn't real late anyway.

Usually when I go to a concert, when I leave I feel it is the best one ever. That didn't happen tonight but I knew what I was getting myself into. The Dropkick Murphy's just aren't my kind of music. They are a great band for their style, just not mine. That said, I did get to cross them off my bucket list. Seeing the Irish rockers play Boston during St. Patrick's week is something I always wanted to do.
Mission accomplished

Cool pics from Agannis Arena below

Violin Femmes

I haven't wrote anything lately because quite frankly, I haven't done anything worth writing about. With my "retirement" from skiing, this snow pack and skim ice has left me with little to do. Throw in the fact that I had been without hot water for two weeks and had to buy a hot water heater, well, you can see, it has been a rough March. When your biggest plans are to find a place to take a shower, things aren't going good.

This is of course ironic since two posts ago I wrote about how fun March was going to be. Okay, enough complaining, because tonight I had fun!

I went to one of those things I wrote about in the March blog post. I went to the Violin Femmes concert at the Stadium
Theater in Woonsocket. I tried to take a lot of pictures but they jumped around so much on stage only a few came out clear.

This is a group of women violin players that rock out to classic rock and metal. If it sounds like nothing you have ever heard of, I agree. That is why we bought tickets to it.The show started at 8 pm and with intermission lasted until 10 pm. It was extremely entertaining. They only played for one night but if they come back again or you get to Vegas where they seem to have a residency, you should check them out. As for tonight, my ticket was well worth the $26 I spent on it.

The women played songs from AC/DC, Zepplin, Eagles, Billy Joel, and many many more. The lead
violinist is married to the (male) drummer. He was awesome also. She did all
 of the talking. She explained the origins of the band along with how they came about a couple of the songs. All in all, one could tell she lives and breathes music. She seems like the type that has notes and arrangements are always running through her head all the time(like I suspect Clapton and Prince do/did)

I am not sure if I can say any moment was a highlight although they did get a standing ovation when they sat down and played to the sheet music of Queen's Bohemian Rapsady.

On a completely different note, I have come to realize that a small percentage of my species (men) are absolute pigs. Yes these musicians were absolutely beautiful. Dana Carvey refereed to them as hot when they opened for him. A couple of them were gorgeous. However, why would any guy think it is okay to whistle at them? This happened multiple times throught the night. Probably the same guy. I heard one guy yell" you look great" from the back section. Guess what dumbass? She's not going to sleep with you, so stop being a douche bag!!! Have your dirty thoughts, I don't care, but have enough respect for these musicians to not be a pig!

Below is a 53 second video I took of them playing Bohemian Rhapsody. I only video taped them this once since I wanted to enjoy the show. I can play it on my computer, so I am hoping whoever clicks on it will be able to see it on your device. It is well worth the 53 seconds of your life. It will give you a quick idea of how talented they are. You might have to click it twice

Why I would hate to take a Guided Vacation

Nobody on a paid tour gets to see this.
The backside of the Grand Tetons

Today I went to the AAA Travel Show. If you have never been, the show has many vendors from cruise lines, all inclusive resorts, and travel agencies. All of these people are happy to book you to a vacation. AAA also books vacations. There were at least 150 AAA travel agents there with computers that will set you up on a vacation. I can only imagine the amount of money that changes hands.

There are also seminars. These seminars are done by the companies that want you to use them. For example the Alaska Cruise seminar was done by Holland America Cruise Line. Many of the tours were done by (not surprisingly) tour companies. I went to multiple seminars today. I started my day going to one on national parks. From there I went to a seminar on Scotland/Ireland. I also went to one about Eastern Europe and Alaskan Cruises. Since I found out today that I need a new hot water heater, none of these things are in my budget. However, since I had the shitty news that I needed a new hot water tank, I figured I'd go to the show and dream.

Here is what I realized. I would hate these trips. Most of these tour companies will tell you the reason you should book with them is "piece of mind". You don't have to plan anything because they take care of it for you. You don't have to carry your luggage. The accommodations are included in your itinerary. Most of the trips include many but not all of your meals. Of course, other than getting to the meeting point (usually an airport) you do not have to worry about transportation.

These trips would be positively actual torture for me. Let me give you an example. The first seminar I

If you choose to do your ow driving, stop at
Cedar Breaks National Monument. You will only need a
few hours there, but it is gorgeous!!

went to was western national parks. It was put on by CIE Tours. These people (and many other touring companies) pick you up at an airport such as Scottsdale, Vegas, or Salt Lake. For the next 7-14 days they will bring you to national parks. One of their tours was called the "Canyons Tour". It starts in Scottsdale, goes to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce. Each day is planned out on where to go, where to eat, and where to sleep. Usually the hotels are very nice three to five star places. Other tours include Yellowstone, Badlands, and Mt. Rushmore.

The tour spends the better part of a day in a national park or a cool town like Jackson Hole. I'm sure they cover the highlights from the seat of their very luxurious coach buses. At every seminar I went to, they all spoke of "free time" where you can go off for a few hours some days and do your own thing.

 I have tried to make a case why someone would book this trip. Now let me tell you all of the reasons I would absolutely hate doing this. First off, I enjoy planning my own trip. I will go to seminars, and I will gladly take advice from anyone that wants to tell me about a hidden waterfall or cool art museum. However, I want to work it into my itinerary. Following someone else's plan would not only make me feel like I cheated, but I'm sure I'd be annoyed when I had to move on to the next thing before I was ready.

Secondly, When I plan a trip, I like to have a plan. I do not need to know where I'm going to be every second of every day. I do want to at least have a sort of "outline" and prioritize what I want to do. I like doing this research. There are people that just wing it, and there are those that need to leave a museum at exactly 3 pm so they can eat lunch for precisely 14 minutes. I fall in between those two extremes.

 Also, on a trip, nothing ever goes perfectly as planned. It is those improvisations that are memorable. Can you imagine having your one day in Yellowstone getting rained out? Imagine not seeing Artists Point because it is so fogged in. Unfortunately, you can't stay an extra day to see it because you have to be in Jackson Hole tomorrow! Holy shit, that would kill me! Imagine driving past a huge bull elk and not stopping to get any pictures because Old Faithful went off twenty minutes later than expected and you have to be at the motel for dinner by 6 pm. I'd choke on my own puke!!! Now, if I was on my own vacation we could improvise. If that day got rained out, we could stay an extra day. Maybe we would have to cut a day short at Grand Teton. Maybe we would only go to Little Bighorn for a few hours instead of a day to make up that time. It's these give and takes that make your vacation your own.

Lower Falls from Artist Point

My next complaint is really just because of my personality. These tours only take you to the highlights. I suspect a day in Yellowstone will take you to Artists Point, Old Faithful, Lake Village and Lamar Valley. These are all amazing places. There are probably a few stops at other scenic overlooks. However, I am not a highlights guy. I want to see EVERYTHING. Of course in a park the size of Connecticut that isn't going to happen. Still, I gave it my best shot. We stayed six days in Yellowstone. The day we went to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we did not just go to Artists Point. We did all the trails in the area including Uncle Tom's Trail which included 600 steps. As I've said before I'd rather see everything in one park instead of the highlights in five. Also the more you get to know a park, the intimate it becomes and the more you appreciate it, then fall in love with it.

Lastly, and again this is just because of my personality, these trips are a little too luxurious for my taste. Do not get me wrong, the buses are very comfortable. I also assume the food is delicious. However, I don't want anyone carrying my bag. I can do that myself, thank you. I also would prefer to camp outside than be in a five star motel every night. If I am at a campground I live for the campfire programs. I would rather go to one than watch Jeopardy (no offense Alex T). Also since I have to stay with the tour and we have to be at certain places at specific times, there is no chance to get a backcounty pass and sleep in the wilderness.

I knew all of this before I even went to the show. You might ask why I even bothered? Truth is, I just wanted ideas of new places to go someday and do a little dreaming. I have always wanted to go to the Scottish Highlands. So when I went to the Scotland/Ireland seminar I took notes. As they were explaining their itinerary, I took I wrote down important details. When they showed a picture of an interesting castle  I jotted down the name. If they said food was delicious at a certain pub, I wrote that down too. Of course, if a tour company takes you from place to place over a week, they do not explain the transportation system in that country. They do not tell (because they don't know) of the best hiking trails in the Scottish Highlands or if camping or backpacking is allowed.

I have questioned myself and looked inward and wondered: if I only feel this way because these trips are out of my price range anyway? Would I secretly want to go on one of these trips if money was no object? I can assure you, and myself the answer is no. If I won Powerball, I'd travel, and I'd travel a lot. Yet, I would still plan my own vacations. As I said, I enjoy that.I have over fifty guide and hiking books to prove it.  I'd probably eat more steak and less mac and cheese for supper, but truthfully, I love the way I vacation. I love eating supper on top of a mountain or stopping for lunch by a mountain lake.

If I were to go on an international vacation, I can't argue that the planning is so much  easier when you pay someone five thousand dollars to drive you around. Then again, if you told me I only had four hours to go to the Louvre in Paris, I just couldn't do it. If I went alone, I'd park my ass on a bench in front of the Da vinci's for hours because I'd be in such awe. I would need at least two days in that museum and a solid week in Paris. If not, I'd be sick missing out.

March is Going to be a Hell of a Month

Took this picture in March two years ago. Spring is
finally here

I was hoping to go to Plum Island birding today. I haven't had a full two days off in a few weeks. However, the wind is howling, so there won't be many birds to see. Because of this sad fact, I put off getting my car inspection until today. So that is what I did this morning.

Despite this setback, March is going to be an awesome month for me. I already have so many things planned, that I have a waiting list of things to do as back up plans. I haven't wrote any posts about what I have done lately, because nothing was that special. I'm going to write about my plans, just for the hope of giving readers ideas. Maybe you may want to see a concert that I'm going to of a band you like.

March 3   AAA Travel Show

AAA is doing there annual travel show at Gillette Stadium this weekend. If the weather would have been nice I would have done something outside. Since the temp around here is dropping forty degrees in the next 18 hours I'll be there.

March 3 night  The Man Who Saw Snoopy

This is a one night only play at the Arctic Theater in Warwick. All proceeds go towards a family that lost everything in a fire. The play is about Charles Schultz the creator of Peauntus


March 10   RISAA Show

The large saltwater fishing show goes on next weekend. If I go, it will be Friday late afternoon after hopefully a fun outdoor daytrip fishing or birding

March  11  Aquideneck Island Duck Tour/ Seal Cruise Cuttyhunk Island

I have to make a choice. I could go on a waterfowl tour of my bird chub in the Newport area.There will be experts and I will see birds I would normally miss The other option is something I've wanted to do for a while, go on a seal cruise to Cuttyhunk Island. The cruise circles seals around a small island, then docks at Cuttyhunk for a little while. I've never been there.  The cruises only go twice a winter March 11 and March 25.

March 17    Violin Femmes

I was scrolling through the Stadium Theater events and I came across the Violin Femmes (not to be confused with the Violent Femmes). They are hot women that play hard rock and metal on Violins. It seems like nothing else in entertainment. I am really looking forward to this show. I know it sounds weird, feel free to click on the link and watch the three minute promo.
http://www.stadiumtheatre.com/events/violin-femmes-starring-the-bella-electric-strings/224

March 18    Dropkick Murphys

Literally the next day we are Shipping Up To Boston to see the Dropkick Murphys at the Agganis Arena. This concert is my birthday present to my best friend Laurie. I only know a few songs but I think the place will be rocking for the show. The Dropkicks are playing a few nights at the House of Blues also. They always come home to Boston for St. Patrick's Day. So for a night, we will all be Irish, even this Pacelli

March 24    The Nether

This is a play my brother got me tickets for. It is at the Gamm Theater, a place I have never been. It is a little futuristic and science fiction. It should be a fun night.

March 25    Another Decision-  Connecticut Surfcasters Striper Event or the Seal Cruise

If I don't go on the seal cruise on March 11, this will be my other chance. On the other hand, there is a free Surfcasting event. There will be good deals on gear, free food, and seminars by some big name fishermen including Toby Lapinski, Steve McKenna, and Dave Pickering

March 31  Midsummer's Night Dream

Another play at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket. I am not the Shakespeare type, but I am going to this and looking forward to it.

Besides all these ticketed events, I have a few daytrips I want to do. I plan on going to Race Point again to see the whales offshore. I will combine that trip with some trout fishing down the Cape (maybe an overnight trip). I also want to get to Plum Island once during the month. It would have been today if not so windy.

Although not a daytrip, I have a few other things I want to do during March. I am going to spend a lot more time carp fishing this March than I did last year. I boiled up some corn, checked my alarm batteries andI am ready to go. At least one evening during the month I will have to step away from fishing and see the woodcock dance.

Lastly, I enjoy going to vernal pools and watching wood frogs. This is the time of year they are breeding. The frogs are very curious and if you are still, will come right up to you. However any movement within fifteen feet and they will bolt.