Rainy Father's Day

Today we were really hoping to get back to Apple Creek in honor of Joe's dad for Father's Day. That meant biking the dirt road carrying our fishing gear, somehow, and we were well determined to tackle the challenge. But the weather did not cooperate. It rained all day. So we just went to one of our usual spots. We both caught a few small trout, but fish were not biting hard. Just enough for us to be hopeful and stay out in the rain to catch bigger ones, only ending up to lose our lures. I lost 2 today, my first 2 this season so far. Still glad we went, so we didn't have to wonder how fishing would have been.
Definitely good thing we had our yakitori dinner planned, even if Joe had to set up inside the garage again.

Our second time went a lot more smoothly.

A little more prepared, with various veggies and filling side dishes. Joe still needs to learn how to eat while grilling though. We'll need to practice soon again!

We wish all great Dads out there a happy Father's Day.

Yakitori Party- Practice Run

Joe got himself a Japanese style yakitori grill (shichirin)  from ever so convenient Amazon. It showed up at our door on Tuesday, and next day (yesterday) we had to give it a try. Of course, our new grill brought a stormy weather, so Joe had to set it up in our garage in case it started raining (and good thing he did).
Our practice run went well. There were things to learn and tweak, but we are more than happy to practice and eat tasty chicken pieces on skewers.

Fish Bites, Bug Bites

Last Sunday I landed a 16" Brown. The biggest trout so far for me. It was overcast and predicted for wind to switch. We opted for a quick early morning outing on the stretch of a river I hadn't fished. As the river twisted and turned, it was like turning new pages of a book. I was really not expecting much... then this big Brown surfaced from the dark water. It gave a little bit of fight, which was definitely exciting! I'm not all that comfortable holding this big twitching fish, therefore I'm holding it out for just enough time for Joe to snap this picture. And there was a scream or two, "Hurry, hurry, hurrrrrrrrry!"

Today (Friday) after work we couldn't waste such a beautiful evening, so we went back fishing. The grass got a lot taller and bugs and flies thicker than 5 days ago. I got far more mosquito bites than fish bites. I was almost tempted to smoke a cigar to keep bugs away, when Joe reminded me that this was only the beginning of bug season.

It was still fun to be able to look into the underwater. Joe saw a huge fish laying underneath a log. Maybe next time! 

Joe's Power Wash

Spring is slowly advancing around here. May was a little chilly, and it probably took a whole month for trees to bud out. Our apple tree is in bloom finally.
The reason I went outside with my camera yesterday was actually to document this below: Our shiny silver Subaru seems to attract bird poo. When I got off work yesterday, I noticed three big splatters. Not again!

This time it required Joe's enormous squirt gun to give Subaru a power wash. And it worked! Thanks to Joe's toy.

Trout Season Officially

Trout season actually started the day before our departure to New Orleans. Joe has hardly missed opening days of trout season, but he did this year. The weather was not favorable for fishing, and he wanted to avoid any sprained ankles before the trip. So yesterday was officially Joe's first day out on the stream. A quick trip to Frowling Falls... turned out to be one of the best outings. I (Kayo) had to work and miss all that excitement! Joe caught a couple of very nice browns first. Then he caught not one but TWO 29" steelhead, roughly weighing 6 pounds each.
To show how big the fish were, in the below picture is only one of the steelhead wrapped in a black garbage bag, barely fitting in our refrigerator.

Even better, here's Joe holding one. Oh, how I wish I could have been there....

Today, our Mother's Day plan was to have Joe's mom over for BBQ rib dinner, so we could go out fishing in the morning. The same stream as yesterday, but NNE wind (not good weather for fishing) and chillier. We didn't see any steelhead like we hoped. I did manage to catch this 14" brown before all small fish quit chasing spinners. A very good catch for a trout standard really, but I had to let it go because I was chasing after much bigger steelhead.  
Cheerful marsh marigold was in full bloom in woods, as we thought of all our mother figures out there. Happy Mother's Day!

NOLA in a Flash!

Before it becomes old news, I better write a quick post from our NOLA trip.... or more like key snap shots of our otherworldly time in New Orleans.
Day 1: After our early but smooth flight and a cab ride,  we reached French Quarter before noon. Just as predicted, though, it started raining, then POURING. What better way to stay dry than a pint of Guinness and a Po Boy.

Once the rain quit, we had to say hi to the mighty Mississippi.

As expected, but it was still very nice to randomly encounter jazz bands and street performers everywhere you went in town. Oh, and random parades that stopped traffic!

 And our highlight: gator swamp tour. Joe's always wanted a pair of gator-skin boots since he was young, and this was the closest he's gotten to a real thing.

 We hardly stayed out late at night, but a NOLA trip without Bourbon Street is not complete.

We had another rainy day, which was perfect for museums to learn the local history and culture.

When this close to the gulf, we had to enjoy some raw oysters during happy hours. Fresh!!

 Couldn't forget about the above ground cemeteries, either.

But we must admit, what we miss the most about our trip is this awesome frozen Irish coffee drink at Erin Rose, a great dive bar 3 blocks from our room. And we were glad they were having cool weather for them (not for Joe). It was a fun anniversary adventure for us.

Still Alive... in NOLA

We are in the middle of our vacation in New Orleans. Yesterday we went on a swamp tour to see alligators and it was fun. Always nice to learn about the area.

One thing we learned. We are far from wild partyers even staying right on Bourbon Street. Tonight, though, a storm is keeping this party town tame just a bit. We are staying in to recharge for tomorrow, also to digest all the good food we have eaten.