shroom town

nooner

de fuca

birthday present from the cute boy

de fuca



now gracing my office wall....next to the b&w surfy pics of the cute boy

rookie luck

my first attempt at fishing salmon
ran a kwikfish
hooked the first...a hen...not 20 minutes after putting in the drift
took me almost 20 minutes to land it
i was nervous
24 pounds

hooked the second...a buck...about an hour later
28 pounds

Gaz hooked his...a hen at over 30 pounds...just after I landed the buck

Happy Birthday to ME!

Gaz with my buck..

my hen & buck...

I can fish...

Super bright hen by Gaz...

Uncle John...the patient expert.

fall...

Finished at dusk.
Shapes in the shadows.
Lone coyote.
Me.

Noll

surf contests...are nothing like swim meets

swimming...is not subjective
you race...the clock
no one...judges you

surfing....on the other hand
up against...mother nature
a panel...of judges

the cute boy...

slip kid

The V-man has been busy creating...



Van did all of this on his own. He built all of the lego* sets, moved each piece, etc... Took every individual pic by himself....on his own camera.

My contribution....?....i downloaded the pics from his camera to my computer, added music & uploaded the whole sh'bang here.

He's 9.

Look out George Lucas...

* most of the legos used to build the base belonged to Van's dad & uncle when they were kids.
ie: these legos are 35+ years old

warlock

I was on the phone with the cute boy tonight as I pulled into the parking lot.

It was empty...save for me.

I mentioned that the emptiness...
while generally relished...
had started to creep me out.

I often let my imagination get the better of me.

His advice...don't talk to or go with anyone.
And...keep your fist clenched until you hit bone.

I assured him...
I keep my key grasped between my fingers like a weapon.

With that...I started off on my usual hike.

Wouldn't you know it...not ten minutes in...
I came upon a guy pissing on the trail.

Nice.

For close to twenty years I've been hiking Hoyt.
I have never felt unsafe in these woods.

But every now & then...
I do get spooked.

I see things...


...the warlock that watches over me as I trudge up the hill.

Cursed imagination...

saturday boys

equinox

First day of Fall.

Hot.  Arid.

It didn't surprise me that some woman was yelling at me....asking me if I knew CPR...as I drove up & pulled into the parking lot at Hoyt. I had already pulled over twice on my drive home from work....to let an ambulance and then a firetruck pass.  Lots of sirens tonight....I had noted.

I nodded and parked, quickly running down to the small crowd that had gathered.  Probably a crap shoot on her part...but none of the other bystanders seemed to offer any knowledge.

There on the cement lay a boy in his early 20s barely breathing and a pale shade of grey.

Does he have a pulse?...I asked.

Yes.  Very weak.

Was he working out?

We don't know.

I found him in his car slumped over...offered a gentleman.  We carried him out.

 

Did you call an ambulance?

Yes.

As I was assessing the situation...the fire truck pulled up. I stepped back as the firemen & emt's began asking the same questions...going about their business of reviving the boy. I could see fresh tracks in his right arm.  The firemen also pointed this out...and asked what he had taken.

Nobody knew.

Nobody knew who he was.

I stood there watching them work....mesmerized.  My analytical brain had taken over.  No panic.  Only questions & curiosity.  Analyzing every move they made.  Inching closer....to watch & learn.

And...as quickly as the crisis had started....it was over.  The ambulance arrived as the boy was rousing.  The colour coming back to his cheeks.

So I turned and made my way up the hill.... to 4 miles of empty trail.  Thankful for the solitude.

sketched

she sat quietly at the bar...crayon busily flying over paper

she left this with her tip...

foggy

some days...
the fog
...feels good

birthday boy

The V-man is 9 today.

Yanked from my loins at 2:06 p.m....all 9 pounds, 21 & 1/2 inches of him.

....a keeper.


Here he is at 7 months....

fin-icky fin work

taking advantage of a small day to practice fin first take-offs...



keep the fin down

plant it

spin it

drift

concentrate...

concentrate...!!

voila!

photos courtesy of Gaz

matsyasana

fish pose

carnitas & olas

exposed

State Long Course Meters Championships

The V-man swam in his first ever state championships this past weekend.
Improved times.
Top 10 finishes in all of his events.

My little swimmer is taking shape.

sunday school

It's no secret that I am agnostic/atheist.
At 13....I told my parents that I didn't believe in religion.
No longer would I attend church.


Then...I found this.
Now I'm in church every Sunday...

photos courtesy of Fletcher Burton

fish a la tyler

the cute boy got up this morning and said we were going fishing

uh....ok?

the surf is micro
south winds coming
and...
the tyler had been somewhat neglected

sure...why the hell not
nothing like feeling like a big ol' piece of bait out in the middle of lake pacific

paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle

dinner!

fine day

no early morning commute
sex
coffee/tea
toast
long walk
nude sunbathing
eagles soaring overhead
fruit
surf
sex
long walk

day half over...

swimmin stoke

School is out and swim season has begun.

The V-man competed in his first ever LCM swim meet (long course meters....50 meter pool) this past weekend. About 265 swimmers (in all) ranging in age from 5 to 18 competing.

50 meters... is a long way to swim for an 8-year-old. (some days...it's a long way to swim for a 40-year-old)

The V-man was undaunted by this.....

Saturday:

50 m. back - first (A time)
50 m. breast - second (A time)
50 m. fly - disqualified (he had it won......damn two hand touch!)

Sunday:

100 m. free - first (A time)
100 m. breast - second (B time)
100 m. back - first (A time)

side note: his times were not only faster than all of the 8 y.o.'s...but also faster than MOST of the 9, 10 & 11 y.o.'s

"A" times....qualify him for the Oregon State (10 & Under) Long Course Championships.

He kicked ass!

Not bad for a boy that once needed the threat of "calling Papa"... just to get him into the pool for practice.

enchanted forest

not much in the way of surf today
sure...the buoys say south swell
but...
the south wind is on it as well
blown out crap

so...

the cute boy & I went in search of oyster mushrooms...

bounty!

unfortunately...these beauties are about 40 feet up...

no fretting though...
we did find several...a couple pounds worth...within reach.

friday fodder...

After a visit with Red in the hospital Thursday evening....
I bailed...for the long holiday weekend.

She's doing well.
(as well as can be expected)

The wind has been nuking for days.
No surf.

So...the cuteboy & I went for a long hike.

Six miles of treasures.

Forest.
Sand.
Floral.
Tide pools.
Sea life.
Fauna.

Oyster mushrooms...
(which we harvested for very good eating)



tiny crab...

lancet...


I also found a lovely geode with seafoam crystals & a fairly new bass lure.

drinking & thinking

when
people you love
...hurt

dinner

everybody gets to eat...

Happy Mother's Day!...to all the moms out there.

cancer

FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT
FUCK FUCK FUCK

FUCK

my best girl
her double d's

mastectomy

wrong....doesn't begin to describe this

gonna go scream
several more obscenities

pillow talk...

conversations when you live almost a 100 miles apart....

me: you sleep good?

gaz: yes

you?

me: not too bad

gaz: lol

me: ;-)

8:27 AM gaz: but i could smell you on your pillow

me: ewww.....sweaty?

gaz: LOL

no

hahah

me: hee!

gaz: sweet like jasmine on a zephyr of wind

me: LOL

gaz: ;-)

8:28 AM me: funny boy today

...and some wonder why I call him cute boy.

trillium

The cuteboy (knew he) was in hot water the other day...
...so he pic'd me flowers.

Lovely....aren't they.

NO...he didn't PICK these flowers.

Picking trillium will so severely injure the flower...
that it can takes years to recover.

Lucky for him...he has a really cute smile.

divine comedy...

14000 lines

divided into 3 canticas

each consisting of 33 cantos

One...

...of my favorite poems.

Dante's journey through

the three realms of the dead.

Inferno

Purgatorio

Paradiso

It begins the night before Good Friday

and ends...

the Wednesday after Easter.

Certainly my own hell started well before Good Friday.

interesting...

that it ends....

the Wednesday after Easter.

Down there a place is that no torments try
But only darkness grieves, where the lament
Hath not the sound of wail, but is a sigh.


Party on Wayne. Party on Garth.