December 27th:
Well we had another excellent Christmas again this year. Thanks to everyone who called, sent presents, cards, emails, and/or prayers our way. Well, I guess this year is about over...2005 was a good year...but 2006 should be even better. Once January 1st hits, I'll be starting the 2006 sockeye season countdown. I can't wait for that to begin!
Got a few random pictures in over the last few weeks. Didn't want to bother creating another picture page...got eleven of those already...so I thought I'd just post them here:
Sockeye Pete and Bunny JD Elissa Cousin Ejay Ejay and Family
December 15th:
Merry Christmas to all. Well, Glory and I are going to do it...we've bought a pair of tickets to a Dallas Cowboys football game. We'll be headed over to Texas Stadium on New Year's Day for the Cowboys vs. Rams football on sunday evening. Should be a fun (but expensive) event. To put things in perspective - the cheap parking lot over there is $50.00. Ouch.
Got a few new stories up on the website....Dad's First Fish and Whacked in the Eye are a couple of stories from the AK2005 trip. Hope you enjoy them.
Also added a new poem on the outdoor poetry page. Wrote this one today at work while I was goofing off a bit. I've kind of ran out of work for the rest of the week. It takes more effort to pretend to be busy than to actually be busy. So, I noodled around with this short poem...Home on the Breitenbush.
Folks are coming soon! Cousin Irene is headed this way for a few days on Monday the 19th. Then Cousin Ejay is due to show up here on January 2nd - he'll be spending a few months with us I believe. Praise God for all of his work at getting Ejay here. Thank Nanay, too!!
November 13th:
I've added a photo page with some pictures of our Alaska property. It's a 2.5 acre parcel located down in Kasilof, Alaska near Cohoe Loop Road. We hope to start making improvements next summer - enlarging the gravel pad, erecting a few buildings, etc. Until then all I have are these pictures to remind me of the future! Both Glory and I are extremely excited about finally getting our "Cabin in the Woods" that we've dreamed about since day one. Also, we are gladly accepting any and all donations to the cabin fund. The current total so far stands at around $450.00. But it's growing!!
November 7th:
Still loving that Texas fall weather. Another weekend of 80-degree days!! Went bass fishing on Sunday and managed 2 hookups. Landed one nice 2-pounder, definitely an above average fish for the lake....well, from my experience anyways.
Still haven't got around to working on the AK2005 journal yet. I haven't forgot about it...it's just a large body of work to deal with, so I keep procrastinating.
October 30th:
Okay I know its been awhile since my last update, but that's what happens when I actually have to go to work during the week. By the time I get home my eyes are shot from staring at a computer all day and I have no energy to work on this website.
Anyways, here's what's happening:
a) Went bass fishing on monday this week. Caught 1 little guy. The weather last week finally turned to fall. We've been stuck in the 90's for what seems like forever. But last week the weather finally dipped down into the 70's. I love Texas when the thermometer drops into the 70's! Anyways, I caught a bass again.
b) Glory's family came to town October 8 and 9 and we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was great to see the in-laws again. And we even had some turkey!!
c) Been working in the yard quite a bit. Have ripped out all of the buried wood barriers around the flower beds and replaced them with brick. I don't understand why people bury wood in their yards - especially in a town like this that is susceptible to ants and termites. of the five sets of wood barriers I pulled out - two of them had major ant nests in them. It was quite a sight to see those bugs scurry about trying to drag their larvae off to safety. Fortunately I had my WMD's available and they all got nuked. The only good ant is a dead ant.
d) Have started the Alaskan cabin fund. We're up to $400 already. We willingly accept any and all monetary donations for this project. Glory and I have definitely been dreaming a variety of scenarios for our Alaskan property. We'll probably make a decision early in the spring as to how much we're going to improve the lot this year. It depends upon a variety of factors.
Well, that's it for now. Tomorrow night is Halloween. Kinda hoping for some rain. We've got a few stupid kids in the neighborhood and some rain might help keep them inside!
August 27th:
Got my rolls of film back and posted a few more pics in the AK 2005 photo gallery. Still haven't even started on transcribing the trip journal yet. Figure that will take a couple of months to get around to.
August 21st:
Well, I have returned from another successful Alaska fishing expedition! As always, the Lord blessed me with an excellent vacation. Among the highlights were 79 sockeye on the bank, a record 23 silvers landed (including 5 consecutive days of 3-limits at Ship Creek), Bunny's landing of 20 sockeye, Mom and Dad's first ever Alaskan salmon catches, 50+ sockeye caught by the dynamic father and son Schmidt team, a couple great halibut trips, and the purchase of our 2.5 acre property down in Kasilof. We had some really great days on the river, met a lot of new friends, and saw sights and wonders that only Alaska can provide. We had a couple of lowlights as well - such as a few motorhome mechanical problems and a number of confrontations with an ever increasing number of Swiss fishermen.
The first version of the AK 2005 photo gallery is now up and available. I'm hoping to update that page when I receive back my 4-rolls of developed photos. Until then, enjoy the 30 selected digital pictures that are up and posted.
Over the next few weeks I hope to revise the homepage, add a few AK2005 stories, and transcribe the AK2005 journal for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
June 29th:
Well, it's about that time. Sockeye time, that is. In just a few more days I'll be standing in the Kenai wetting my line - in desperate search for some nice chrome Kenai reds. Doesn't get any better than that!
Not much else to report.
Glory and I did make our first trip to the waterpark last weekend. Had a great time at Six Flags - Hurricane Harbor. I rode the "Der Stuka" waterslide - a 7-story waterslide that basically goes straight down. It was a blast. Got Glory to go on a couple of attractions - against her better judgment. Really enjoyed the Lazy River and the Wave Pool, too. Wouldn't mind going back there again. It was a good relief from this string of hot nasty weather we've been having. Good time to go north and get some fresh air in the lungs!
June 9th:
Well well well....I have a few things to report I guess. First of all, I had a massive computer crash/hard-drive failure on my old machine. Of course my most recent backup of this website was done on October 2004. Therefore, unless Bunny can find a way to access the data on my dead hard-drive, I will have to rebuild many recent website additions. As it is, I just got FrontPage installed yesterday and restored my October data today. Therefore, if the website is buggy or if links don't work, it's because things are a bit messed up with the restore....but at least I'm back!!
Went up to Anchorage from May 26th - June 1st to prep the motorhome for the summer vacation. Saw new baby Abigail, too. Glad to report that all is well with the motorhome. It started up on the first turn of the key - and that without even having to charge the batteries. The only real casualty (besides the cover) was a single windshield wiper. After spending Thursday and Friday getting the motorhome prepared for the summer, Wayne and I went camping over the weekend. We drove up to Redshirt Lake and fished for Pike and battled mosquitoes. Then we drove down to Portage/Byron Glacier and did a little more hiking. I drove on to Soldotna on Monday and camped overnight at Watson Lake. On Tuesday I spent the afternoon hanging out at Beluga Point watching the Turnagain Tide. All told, I had an excellent pre-sockeye Alaska vacation.
Here's a couple of pictures from the recent trek north:
Wayne's Pike Hiking the Glacier Byron Glacier Watson Lake Sunset
On the homefront, Glory and I just survived 6 days of Dallas living without an air conditioner. When I got home from Alaska last week, I woke up on Friday and was greeted with the sound of our air conditioner dying. I called the AC service guys for help, but of course no one could come out until monday. Then when the guy came out monday, he couldn't fix the problem - we had to buy a whole new internal furnace unit. And of course, that wouldn't be available until Wednesday. So, we spent six incredibly hot sweaty sticky days and nights at our home....and it was awful.
May 17th:
Well, sockeye season is getting closer every day now....lets see...roughly 47 days and counting. Not bad at all. Headed up pretty soon for a late May visit to Anchorage to get the motorhome ready. Hoping to get at least one quick fishing trip in: either kings or pike. I'll file a report when I get back.
Have a few pictures to post from Glory's digital camera from the Texas Rangers game the other day. Click on the links below to see some of those shots. They beat Cleveland that night 6-1 with Soriano belting 2 home-runs.
Baseball Pics: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Went bass fishing again yesterday. Decided to try out my chartreuse spinner bait instead of my plastic worms. I hooked and landed my biggest fish of the year so far....it was a nice sized male. Maybe a 2+ pounder (I'm being kind now). Saw a behemoth of a she-bass in the shallows as well. She must have gone a good 10-pounds, but I couldn't get her interested in my bait before she swam off.
The walking, less eating, mountain-biking diet is started to pay off a bit. I've dropped 10 pounds since I really focused on my plan in mid-April. I'm hoping to lose another 10 pounds by the time I leave for Alaska in July. Trying to reach that elusive 175-pound mark....something I haven't seen in years! I better do it, too...all of this exercise is killing me.
May 6th:
Not a lot going on to report. Just the usual stuff I guess. Going to the Ranger's game tomorrow night. Still doing a little bass fishing every now and then. Glory is working for her new company and has been spending time up in Tulsa, Oklahoma getting them ready to move down here to Dallas.
Regarding our Alaska trip - we've got our airline tickets booked and ready to go. I've set up a couple of halibut charters already. And I even have a short late May trip to Anchorage planned in order to prep the motorhome for the summer vacation. Other than that, I'm just counting down the days until fishing time!
April 9th:
It's hot today. Way hot. And windy, too. That's why I'm inside right now instead of down at the lake or out riding my bike - too darn hot.
Latest news - Wayne and Marie had their baby girl on April 1st! Abigail Marie Schmidt has joined the family! Congratulations to Wayne and Marie. We are very happy for them - although I fear Wayne has just found another excuse to not go fishing this summer...
Speaking of fishing and summer, I've book my flights for the coming Alaska fishing season. It's all official now and I am getting exciting....under 90 days to go and counting! Looks like I may have even talked Dad Cannon into making the trek north again this year. I've got to get him an Alaska sockeye salmon before he gets too old! This year just may be the year. Now, the next project is to get Rodney to commit to a trip again this year - I need some more new stories.
I've added a photo page from our trip to the Dallas Arboretum last weekend.
March 26th:
A lazy rainy Saturday here in the big T. No fishing, walking, or bike riding going to happen today. Instead, I opted for the 2-hour nap on the couch. Life is good. Saw a coyote running in the field next to North Lake today. Happy Easter to all.
March 25th:
Started work again on tuesday. I'm working for Eatzi's Restaurant at their corporate headquarters. Should be a short assignment - going to fill in and help prepare for their year-end audit, do some other odds and ends, and then move on. Should probably last about 6-8weeks.
Wednesday night went to a great presentation at Hillcrest Church. They had a pastor in from a local messianic-Jewish synagogue to explain the traditions of the Jewish Passover meal and how all of the elements and traditions of the festival point to Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah. It was a very eye opening experience - another reason why we love Hillcrest Church!
March 21st:
Another trip down to the lake this evening (Still on vacation - yay!). Unfortunately I couldn't catch a darn thing. I had one tug on my line one time in an hour+ of fishing. Slowest outing I've had so far. Hmmm..
10trips / 12 fish
March 20th:
Went to Church this morning - they had a great service for Palm Sunday. They had a big orchestra/choir/drama-team presentation. Very nice indeed. There sure are a lot of talented people at Hillcrest Church - it never ceases to amaze me.
After Church, I headed down to the lake again. Got out on my bike today, too. It was a gorgeous day out today - 75degrees, just a hint of wind, not many clouds. Despite the nice conditions, I had to work hard for the fish today. I ended up hooking 4 fish and landing 2. I noticed that the fish strikes were much more lethargic today compared to prior days - today it was more like the fish were just nibbling. Kinda strange. I also managed to hook and land 4 or 5 wads of garbage: pop cans, plastic bags, etc. Given enough time I might be able to eliminate all of the garbage out of the bottom of my favorite hole! Anyways, had a great time and another multiple fish day.
9 trips / 12 fish
March 19th:
Another windy day, looked warming out than it really was. Good thing I had my sweatshirt along for the trip. As I get out of the car I strike up a conversation with another fisherman who is leaving - we both use the same kind of black leather carry-bag for our fishing tackle. He tells me that he had a couple good strikes from some lunkers at one of the drainage pilings on the west end of the lake. I tell him my story about my lunker from a few days ago. It's funny the different people you meet when going fishing.
Anyways, went down to my favorite stretch of water and worked hard for a couple of hours. Managed to hook 3 fish and land one. One of the fish I lost was another big one. Not quite a lunker, but a nice 3 or 4-pounder. I had it on long enough to bring it to the surface for one tussle and then it was gone. That is the second nice big fish that I've had on in the last couple of days. I really want to land one of those biggies!
8 trips / 10 fish
March 18th:
Another trip down to the lake. Heavy winds made for a lot of murky water and difficult fishing. I had to strikes but was unable to complete the hook on either. Chalk this up as my first "skunk" of the year. Boohoo.
7 trips / 9 fish
March 17th:
The short cold wave we had move in the last few days is finally over. Back to sunny and low 60's today. After my 1pm interview with a prospective job client I decided to head down to the lake and go fishing. Figured the bass would be hungry since I had been down there in a few days.
Got on the water about 2pm. Should have taken my sweatshirt with me as the wind was quite chilly - but oh well, I braved the elements in my shorts and t-shirt. My first fish of the day got off after a few tugs and pulls. But at about 2:30 I landed a decent little male. The usual 1-2pounder that I always seem to land. A few minutes after that I hooked another one and played him for awhile, and he popped off right at my feet as I was bringing him in - so I'm considering him "caught". Then I moved around the bank a little searching for a good spot. I settled for the #5 hole (named for the frisbee golf #5 hole nearby). I made a few casts and then hooked another one. This fish gave a good tug on my line and I set the hook pretty hard. Next thing I know the fish peels some drag and comes to the surface - oh my gosh - it was the lunker of lunkers! This big she-bass was as wide as it was thick and must have gone 7-8pounds, no lie. I played it for a few moments more and set the hook again, just to make sure I had it good. The lunker came back out of the water again and flopped around within 5 feet of where I was standing - and then - threw my hook before disappearing down into the murky depths. I stood there silent for a few moments regaining my composure - I couldn't believe there were actually huge bass like this in this lake - and I had just fought one! Desperately I cast back out in the same area looking for the huge she-bass - I figured that perhaps she was guarding a specific territory and I might get her to reset on her spot after a few minutes, but no luck. I had my chance and she was gone. A few minutes after that out in the middle of the lake I happened to be watching when another giant bass broke the water and splashed up a mighty wave. Cool. My lake has big fish! Now, I'm really excited to go back and continue my quest for "the big one".
6 trips / 9 fish, 1 lunker hooked and lost
March 14th:
Went out fishing this morning - had a couple of hours to kill before my doctor visit. The temperature had dropped a few degrees from the prior day - and the wind was chilly and gusting pretty good. I actually had to wear my sweatshirt down to the lake. Anyways, things were a bit slow again today. It took me 39 minutes before I finally hooked into a fish. At first I thought it was a monster, I felt it hit my bait, I set the hook - and I could barely move it. It took a lot of effort to move it off the bottom and start reeling it in. Then as it got closer - the unbelievable happened - a large tree branch broke the water in front of me. Impossible - I was sure I had hooked a fish, but here I was pulling in a tree branch instead. Hey - wait a minute - there's the fish - he's wrapped into the tree branch, no wonder it felt like a lunker. Anyways, I landed both the branch and the fish and got a good laugh out of that incident. Anyways, another successful outing - meaning I didn't get skunked! I've been out 5 times now and caught at least one bass each time - although my average catch per trip is definitely beginning to plummet: 5trips / 7 fish.
Linked below are pictures of the lake that I've been fishing at. One picture is also the little river that flows behind the lake. The far bank underneath the tree-line in the "Lake 1" picture is the section that I've been having most of my success on so far.
March 13th:
Woke up too late to go to church - Bunny's going to scold me when she finds out. About 11:30am I headed down to the lake to go fishing again. It was windy out again this morning, but the wind was coming from the opposite direction and didn't affect the lake too much. Things were slow for me again today. I caught one bass, and lost 2 others. I'm having a great time just getting out on the water though. Lots of critters to watch at the lake: turtles, squirrels, ducks, geese, hawks, blue herons, canaries, and even cardinals. Anyways, I've still managed to keep my streak alive by catching at least one fish every time I've been out so far! Hope it continues.
March 12th:
Decided to go fishing again at Andy Brown park. Went down around 2pm - very hot out and extremely windy. There were some 1-2foot swells rolling across the lake at times. The rim of the lake had a lot of muddy discolored water as a result of the windy-choppy conditions. Despite the conditions, I still managed to catch my one bass and keep my streak alive.
March 10th:
Headed back down to the park today and went fishing again. Things were a bit slower than before but I did manage to catch one bass. Hey, at least I wasn't skunked.
March 9th:
Wow, first entry of the year and it's already March. Guess that can only mean a couple of things: a) I'm spending less time on the computer due to work, b) My hands still hurt a bit so I don't like to type as much anymore, and c) There hasn't been much going on to talk about.
So, since I took vacation this week, I figured I'd better start getting some things updated. Don't have any excuses this week...
Well, I guess it's time to break the news - I went bass fishing yesterday for the first time - and I caught 3 bass. Okay, I admit it - I had fun. But in truth the fun wasn't because I was bass fishing - it was because I was outdoors at a nice park on a beautiful day. The fishing was just an extra. So anyways, I've done it now - caught my first Texas bass. However, I am still a sockeyer. I hope and pray that this foray into bass fishing doesn't curse me for the coming sockeye season!
Speaking of sockeye season, we're starting to close in on July 1st - my official target date for the beginning of my Alaska vacations. Let's see...March 9th....July 1st....hmmm.....looks like about 113 days and counting! Heck, that's right around the corner. Time to get final preparations in place I guess.
Got some new pictures of JD Cannon in the mail the other day. I've posted our favorite on the homepage. The black square covering his butt was my last minute edit before posting the picture. Nobody should have their naked butt posted on the web...
Also got a few nice Anchorage sunset pictures from Wayne Manor the other day. The white clouds down below the tree line are covering what is normally Cook Inlet. Wayne sure was thinking ahead when he bought that property. Man, that guy has some awesome views. Take a look at the links below for a couple of nice sunset shots:
