O'Neals in Town

Van, Madeline and Gracie visited us recently. As always, it was great having them here. We all toured the local aquarium, flew a kite from Jockey's Ridge, and went fishing/crabbing. Gracie managed to catch a few blue crabs, and tried her best to put them down mom's pants while she wasn't looking. ;-)

Of interest, Van and I will be going to China in the near future (November/December?) to pick up their second child, Garrett, from an orphanage. I'm honored and privilaged that the O'Neals have asked me to do my small part in bringing this longtime-in-the-making adoption come to fruition. No doubt, this will be a trip to remember.

Group effort.

Mooommmmyyyy!!!!

Daddy got blown away by the kite again!!!

Pull those staples out Gracie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently, some of daddy's "hair glue" got on her hands.

Gracie seems content. Maybe it's because Auburn beat the Vols once again. [sigh]

A small maurading black bear ransacked our living room...

Fortunately, Gracie did her best impression of that dentist elf from Rudolph, and proceded to make a gummy-bear.

An overgrown, rare-breed weiner spaniel cat also invaded the premises.

Here's my first speckled trout....
And here's my second... What?? What's that Madeline? What do you mean "your" fish? Pshawww!!!!!

Ryan is Coming to Town

Ryan is coming to town this Friday through Tuesday. Apparently, the locals have gotten wind of his arrival, as well.

Big plans for the weekend: Ryan, Sherry and I - along with Mike and Ansley Casey and their 3 boys - are going to Busch Gardens on Saturday for the Howl-O-Scream festivities. Should be a blast. If the weather cooperates on Sunday and/or Monday, we should get some fishing in, as well.

I'll post pix next week.

Fishing in the Surf

October has ushered in absolutely beautiful fall weather here on the island. We've had crisp and sunny afternoons in the low 70s and nights in the upper 50s. Winds have been light, and have allowed me to test the surf along OBX. Normally, this time of year, the great migration of fish begins in earnest - and OBX can produce great fishing conditions.

This past Tuesday morning, I tried a spot near Jockey's Ridge that a fishing buddy recommended. While the winds were light, we still had a significant swell from the hurricane that hit New England last week, believe it or not. Frankly, I figured it was unfishable, but had to give it a shot anyway.

Having found the spot, I waded in the water up to my shorts (the water temperature is still in the mid 70s) and went at it. Cast #2 and I was hooked up. Small speckled trout. Cast #4 and I was hooked up again. Another trout. They were pretty thick, and sitting right on the spot as advertised. After 1 1/2 hours, I had hooked and released about a dozen trout, a couple puppy drum, and kept one very nice trout of about 3 pounds. The biggest trout I've caught to date.

The following day, I tried a new beer-battered fried fish recipe for the trout, and it turned out really well (surprisingly). Crunchy, brown and really tasty!

While the weather has remained fantastic since Tuesday, the fishing has not. I tried a couple more mornings at the 'spot' and a few other locations, only mustering a few tiny specks and puppy drum. There is much to learn about surf fishing.

At any rate, the conditions look really nice for Monday AM (pre-dawn, of course), so I'll give it a shot.

Shrimp Are Here!

Three different species of commercially-caught shrimp inhabit the waters of coastal NC where we live: Browns, Whites and Pinks. Brown shrimp constitute the largest percentage of harvests, and pinks only a fraction. But it's the white shrimp that provide a fun fall fishery here for guys like me.

White shrimp are short-lived, fast-growing creatures that reach a maximum age of two. In fact, their annual spawn in the Spring forms the bulk of the catch in fall. By late-August to early-September, whites are usually large enough to catch for personal consumption (i.e. "shrimpus cocktail deliciousus") and live bait (everything loves to eat shrimp).

I've learned to locate them around reeded areas in the tidal creeks and inlets. If you know where to look, you can see them - lots of them - cruising around the bottom in muddy areas just waiting... begging to be caught in my cast net.

Back in the day when I was still in school, I learned how to throw a 6-foot cast net while I served as the mate of a fishing boat. If thrown correctly, a round 6-foot net covers a total surface ("cast") area of Pi (3.14) x radius x radius... or 3.14 x 6 x 6 which equals 113 feet. These days, however, I've chosen to learn how to throw an 8-foot net which covers a full 201 feet if thrown perfectly. It's a totally different (and more difficult) technique to throw the big net, but the results are worth it.

Anyway, pretty nice-sized shrimp around already (see quarter in photo for scale). Lots of little ones around, as well, which should get bigger over the coming weeks. I caught my limit yesterday morning in just over an hour - around 2+ pounds (headed). I'll post again at a later time on shrimp...

4th of July - Fireworks & Boat Ride

Ryan was in town for the 4th of July, so we made plans to see the annual fireworks display at Festival Park in "downtown Manteo" (I always still laugh to myself when folks use those two words together). Joe and Evette invited us aboard their pontoon boat to get a view from the bird's seat, so we made an evening of it.








Ryan and I prepare to have a race...

Naturally, Ryan won by a landslide. Wait a tic... did I mention it was one of those "Ryan's Rules" races? Hmmm...

Joe had Ryan blast the air horn as we went under the bridge in Manteo. It was loud enough for all of us to cringe. Of course, Ryan's finger slipped accidentally and it was discharged a second time.

The canal directly behind Senator Basnight's (NC) home on Roanoke Bay. Did I mention the good Senator lives maybe a half-mile from our home? Still haven't met him yet...

Evette chilling.

Shortly after snapping this photo, I made sure to bundle Sherry up tightly in her life preserver.

Spalding. What is this photo doing here? I don't know.

The monsters distribute their drool amongst passing vehicles.

Beach Photos

We hired a photographer for some beach photos on the last day of Ryan's stay with us.

Despite our best efforts, I think we actually have a few keeper shots. These are proofs, so the quality of the final shots will be better.

Due to our visitation agreement, Ryan and I aren't scheduled to be together again until October. I'll send you some photos in the meantime.

We miss you and love you, Ryan!

Summertime Fishing and Crabbing with Ryan and Friends

I was fortunate enough to have Ryan for a full two weeks during August. We had a big list of things 'to do', and got through alot of them. In the short time that we've lived here, Ryan has already made lots of friends, and they get the opportunity to engage in all sorts of fun summertime activities together.

One day, Mike Casey and I took our boys out fishing at the crack of dawn. Following a beautiful sunrise, we headed West to the Mann's Harbor area in search of whatever was biting.

Naturally, the boys had a solid breakfast of champions on the way out.

Both Mike and I try to emphasize safety first while boating, and lifejackets are a mainstay...

and although Bryson looks cranky, it's really just early in the morning.

One of the twins. I still can't tell them apart.

Prepping for departure.

Within 5 minutes of dropping anchor, Ryan had already hooked up and landed his first speckled trout. Seriously, Ryan already demonstrates some impressive fishing skills, and seems like a natural. Not once did he snag all the obstacles we were fishing (around a dock) or loose any lures. I on the other hand, managed to hook up with the old bridge at one point. DOH!

Oh, BTW, this is Ryan's nostril. Hmmmmm.....

On a separate trip, Ryan, Austin Shackleford and I went on a crabbing trip. Austin is the son of Audra and Brit Shackleford. Audra sold us our house, and Brit is the captain of the Doghouse - one of the top charter fishing boats in OBX. It's no wonder that Austin is so mature and alot of fun.

We headed down to Mattamuskeet, and crabbed several spots within the refuge first.

Crabbing was not very good there, but we did manage to pull out maybe 9 good size jimmies.

We then rehydrated and headed to my secret crabbing spot outside of the refuge, which turned out pretty well.

We managed to catch around a dozen and a half big crabs, and headed on home. Dinner is served!

Ryan's Birthday Party

Been awhile since I've updated my blog. August always flies by, doesn't it?

Ryan turned 10 on July 31, 2008. No longer a big boy, now defined as a young man. Very exciting.

We had a birthday party for Ryan, and all Ryan's Manteo friends came over for a pool bash.

The boys (and girls) played for *hours* in the water without tiring - amazing what Mountain Dew plus birthday cake can do.

We also cooked dogs and burgers on the grill.

Spalding (AKA Spencer) got covered in mustard.

Of interest, Ryan and his posse had a difficult time opening his main present. Check out these videos (be patient... long loading time):

After expending great effort, Ryan discovered his cell phone in a box. You're a lucky young man, Ryanster. I was maybe 30 when I got my first cell.