Fishing Has Been Good

I've been learning how to fish the local nearshore species like red drum ('redfish'), speckled trout ('specks') and flounder. While I have experience fishing from boats for nearshore and offshore species, it's definitely not the same, and I've been climbing a learning curve in the process.


The bite pretty much turned on around May 1st, when the water temperature in Roanoke Sound hit the mid-50's. If you don't want to fish from a boat, casting from the shore or a bridge is a strong substitute. I normally fish off the causeway bridge between Nags Head and Roanoke Island, and have gotten to know some of the local regulars, who have given me some good tips. Currently, my favorite type of fishing is using artificial lures for specks. They tend to bite most in the early morning or late evening, and have delicate, soft mouths, so you've got to go real easy with them and set the drag on a light setting.

My standard routine is to arrive at the bridge about an hour before sunrise (it's about a 10-minute deal from the time I role out of bed). I then work the rest of the day, after getting home. Yesterday was a first for me - on my very first cast (at about 4:50 AM), I got a bite and hooked up within 5 seconds of fishing. Yeah, that'll spoil you. I ended up catching 3 specks and a nice flounder - all of which are absolutely fantastic to eat.


Van and Madeline O'Neal, along with their daughter Gracie, came down the weekend before last. Madeline - who loves fishing - and I went to the bridge, and she caught her first 2 specks ever. She had a blast, and is now hooked.

More photos on their visit to come...

Spring Break in Florida

For Ryan's Spring Break, I tried to put myself into a 9-year-old's head (not a real stretch) to figure out what would be most fun for the boy. I figured beach, pool, sun and amusement parks, and decided upon Clearwater, FL (near Tampa) to stay on the Gulf and visit nearby attractions like Busch Gardens.

The weather was beautiful, but windy. On the first day, Ryan's main ambition was to hang out at the pool, which was fine by us. Within an hour, he had run into a baseball teammate of his from NoVA, so whammy, he's got a playmate for the next couple days. It's a small world after all.


On day two, I reiterated to Ryan the prospect of going to Busch Gardens. "Nahhh... maybe later" was the response. OK. No worries. Another day at the pool, and dinner at the local seafood restaurant. By day three, Ryan still wasn't keen on the whole amusement park deal, but finally relented, so off we went.

For our second ride, we found the biggest, baddest coaster at the park. I wanted the front seats, and Ryan and Sherry were indifferent. We stood in line for a quicker middle seat for a bit, but I had us move to another line for a front seat. Guess who turned out to be waiting in that line? Ryan's friend and his family again. Go figure. Naturally, we hung out together for a good part of the day, and had a *great* time... even Ryan confessed to being happy about the decision to go to the park.



Of interest, the airline lost my luggage (and only my luggage) for 2 1/2 days... long enough (just barely) to force a change of underwear, and hence a trip to Walmart for new clothes, etc. ;-)


Ryan got a tat. It was his second choice, but unfortunately the nose-ring piercing pagoda was closed.

All in all, we had a very enjoyable spring break.

Hello from the Outer Banks!

After a tumultuous couple of years, I'd like to share with you - my family and friends - all the 'stuff' that's been happening in my life, and this blog technology seems like a great way to do just that.

In the Fall of last year, I made the difficult decision to leave all that I've grown known over the past decade in Northern Virginia. I'm not going to go into the details of why I moved (as Logan and Ryan are recipients of this rated-G blog), but needless to say, it was very hard to say goodbye to all my great friends, and even tougher to establish a long-distance relationship with my children. For those of you that I didn't get to see and speak with personally before I left, I apologize and ask that you not think of it as a reflection of our friendship, but rather as a sign of the struggle that is inherent in essentially cutting normal ties with everyone.

In the summer before before I decided to leave NoVA, I was lucky enough to meet an incredible woman named Sherry Martin. Believe it or not, Sherry and I met online at Yahoo Personals. Corny, I know. At any rate, when I told Sherry that I wanted to start a new life on the Outer Banks, she, too, indicated that she was more than ready to leave the frenetic pace that is NoVA.

As Lily Tomlin once said, "Even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat."

So, long story short, on November 28, 2007, I bought a house in a small town called Manteo - located in the heart of Roanoke Island. Sherry and I are now engaged (more about our relationship later).

If you're not familiar with the Outer Banks, Roanoke Island is located just inside (West) of the barrier islands. It's closest to Nags Head, proper, and has a population of around 6,000 including our most famous citizen Andy Griffith. Yep, he's still alive and spotted on occasion shopping around the island. Apparently, there is a certain 'protocol' that one is supposed to follow when (and if) you run into him, as in, don't hound him for autographs or photos. Describing the life in Manteo, therefore, as truly Mayberry-esque is no stretch of the imagination (my goal is to simply avoid filling the local role of Otis).

In one of the first weekends for us on the island last December, we learned about a 'must attend' event - the local lighting of the Christmas tree. Sure enough, in 'downtown' Manteo (yes, we even have more than one stoplight), folks put on a big to do. Everyone... and I mean every single citizen living in a 5 mile radius was in attendance. The town hall served as the backstop for a large group of featured carolers singing all the holiday classics. Amazingly, the town had pretty sophisticated 'snow blowers' to simulate falling snow as they performed - while a huge closed-circuit projection TV ensured that even the more gravity-challenged could see all that transpired. BTW, it basically never snows here... maybe once a decade. Hurricanes are a different story.

One thing is clear to Sherry and I: We're not in Kansas anymore.

Basic functions like food shopping are now much more... interesting. On the island, we have the Food-A-Rama and the Star Market (I think). Mom and pop shops, for sure. As such, apparently, the concept of 'rewrapping' items in the meat department is a standard cost-cutting measure. On one occasion, we bought ground beef that was green within 1 1/2 days. As I've been on the latest diet (the "South Beach / No Green Meat" fad), we tend to travel off the island now for our primary shopping to Food Lion or Harris Teeter's.

More to come...