Monday, August 31, 2009

Gulf Coast Tuna's

As you might remember early this month while out in the Gulf of Mexico , about 30 miles out ,Barry lost a motor and we limped back in ,He re powered last week and went deep on Saturday.

Here's Gulf Coast Tunas , Amberjacks , Lings , Dorados and Kings , not a bad day in the Gulf .


With the new motors the fuel mileage Doubled , old motors gave only 250 round trip miles . now it's around 500 plus . Giving us more ability to get further out to the shelf where the waters goes from 250 feet and then drop sharply to over 1500 feet to 2000 feet in places. I was not able to make this trip but did get some pictures of some Black Fin Tuna's






The driveway lay out shot ,


A nice 29 pound Ling. Some old timers refer to this as "Chicken of the Sea"




The tunas one was 16 pounds and the other 21 pounds



The new motors ,Make things better for sure, and safer to boot.




This bad boy can fly in 3 to 4 foot sea's and never get wet.




Jason got stuck cleaning some fish .





The 2 tuna's





Brandon's son checks out the catch .




We are going to grill some fresh Tuna steaks tonight , This is of the things I will miss in the mountains Fresh seafood !!!

and that's the way it is !

cheers !

.bb













Sunday, August 30, 2009

Our Memerial Week on Lake Travis

Well I promised some water shots , but if read yesterday's post ???



So this I will share with everyone who cares to look .



Each year my brother , his kids and my family converge on Lake Travis for the week before the Memorial Day holiday. I usually ride the Goldwing and my brother brings his boat , The girls come up in my truck.



Lake Travis located in Central Texas is part of what is called "Chain of Lakes" there are five lakes in the chain , I have been on all 5 lakes . Lake Travis is my favorite and the deepest . about 40 miles west of Austin.



This year was extra special as my niece was graduating from University of Texas in Austin the same week .

All of the photos are high res so enjoy our week of fun with our children ,

I'm really going to miss this , our children are becoming adults and growing into future leaders that we"Baby Boomers" will be relying on to correct things our generation could not, Change the world for there children to experience the fun that we , as parents have shared with ours . At my age I have seen the best America has been , and I say it with pride and sadly know it will never be this good again. (please don't be offended by my views)




Last year the water covered most of the rocks you see in this picture. It came almost to the road you see . When we arrived we were shocked by the water level at the cove named "Fisherman's Point" , about 20 feet down from last year !


Early morning I manage time for a few moment's of peace and quite before the crew starts up for the day. I love to cast a few while it's quite and the water is glass !



This is a passion for me !



The beauty of the sun setting while we look to the east.



Our day camp by the water , Last year the water would have completely covered the white truck to the right and our lower camp screen room . But the center of the bowl as I called it this year is over 40 feet deep in the center , the main body you can see is still 60 to 80 feet .This is the lowest level I have seen in the 36 years I've been coming out here.


My niece .




A few get ready to go for it on the Molecule . We got this thing a few years back. It always the hit of the party.


As usual it rained , In past years of experience I got it down to a science with temporary shelters . We have camped at these same spots you see for the last 5 years , Getting there early is a good thing , best choice of spots in "Pace Bend Park". you can goggle for more info on the park itself. or click here , In this picture we are all having a "toddy" (adults only) just wish I could see one in this shot !


As a kid I water skied , competition salom back when Bob LaPoint was at his best, I still ski at 53 years , over 35 years now . So of course my daughter is following her papa. I got her hooked about 3 years ago when she was 14 years old.


Our "Home" for a week ,This shot around 1:00pm , starts getting shade at 4:00 , The summer lake winds are a blessing during the afternoon and evening , usually hang under the trees during daytime hours


If you ever see this thing flying around a lake , those who choose to dare and hold on are having the time of there lives . I'm running a little hot on the throttle as I crank um outside the wake @ about 40 mph.


A little "air" never hurt anyone. The dimension's on this tube are 11' x 10' and will ride 4 kids or 3 adults no problem , But you gotta have some horse power to pull it right !


This concept is from HO sports. It rides on the three balls and the sled portion only touches the water when its being pulled out . The best tube I have ever ridden or pulled . Kinda pricey at 400 bucks , but as you can see it's a real crowd pleasure !




The "Graduate"


The rain has its benefits . I have always been fond of rainbows and it give me a peaceful , easy , feeling when one happens to stop by and visit . Ya I know "The Eagles" coined that phrase. This one special , as it was a double bow .


When it first appeared it was massive in width .


My wife always gets the shot, our daughter and close friend .


A little more wide angle on this one


What can I say , at school my daughter friends say we are "The Coolest Parents" at school , I just believe that all we can do is show them that getting outdoors , away from the cities and all the vices that come with it , is the only way for them to really know what their own "limitations" are.
This we give them today , will come back to us a hundred times and more !

I hope you have enjoyed a very special event we celebrate each year in Honor of all the men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty to keep us all safe , and keep freedom alive in the United States of America !

the dell is heading to the shop in the morning .
and that's the way it is !
cheers!
.bb

















Saturday, August 29, 2009

Out of Service Lost C/Drive

Some times things don't go as planed.

Last night I lost communications between my OS and C/Drive . My sea level pics are on this drive, so I'm showing ya the suspect !

Had some pics of Galveston Bay and Clear Lake from yesterday and I'm afraid you will never see them as I deleted them off the camera card after download .

I have a good component level tec that I have become good friends with over the years , I hope he can find some of the 60 gigs on this HD and back it up.This will be the essential part of the answer, and reformatting

With out any data from the HD the next step is a bitch!

I can install and format a new HD ,but hate all the driver and up-dates plus all other programs that will be need to reinstalled to restart the Dell. Last time I spent about 6 plus hours after it failed.

I still have an office but like working with my L.A.N. via wireless in our living room.







Questionable ? think so !




The Paper weight


I'll be working from the desk top for a few days , So like I said , I like writing this in my living room. While in the office I don't have as much freedom with my life , feels like I should be writing invoices !
cheers!
.bb




Thursday, August 27, 2009

Just a Few Shots from a Moving Car @ 70mph.

Some shots of local attractions and scenic views in high resolution. please enjoy the mountains today ,

I'm going down to the bay today for a " day at sea level " for tomorrows post
.
a good shot of "Blue Mountain" it's one of our landmarks. always tells me the cabin is close. The elevation little over 7200 feet




Same "Blue Mountain" different angle off 166 , It's name befitting . during the rainy season as the trees get dark green the hue of the mountain appears to be blue in color.


This formation called "Point of Rock" , it's got a county park and rest stop at the base right off the highway. also an historical marker with the same name, I'll do a segment about the history next trip out.During my arrival in Ft Davis 1995' this was one of my favorite local attractions.



The "Point" of rock, from which it's name originates
The sheer side is used by local climbers for a repelling and practice course , there are "pitons" from many climbers still in place. You can climb up from the rear side and look over this face ,but ya gotta make your way back down , and just to get up there is a bitch .



A tighter zoom and a glimpse of some of the county park / rest stop. I love to stop here late in the evenings during spring and fall months, extremely cool place to explore and easy to access.




There is a section of highway 17 just north of Ft Davis with some great formations , Gumo I know you have seen this before.


This one below is a lot like a formation down south to Terlingua called Willow Mountain 3700 feet , same type extrusion and similar in looks , just this elevation here is around 5000 feet.


The barrage of signs upon arriving into Ft Davis coming in on 17. If you ever visit i strongly suggest you take 4 or so hours and do the 166 Scenic Loop , the 50 + mile loop is a camera bug's (like us) pot of gold ! Take a little extra time to go up to the McDonald scoops at the top of Mt Loch, this will take up a good part of your day ,my advice is to start early. expect a 4 to 6 hour day and pack a lunch and bring an ice chest , for the many stops available for taking a break , pictures , etc.


Welcome to Downtown Ft Davis , all these photos were take just after the Fourth of July 09. This little town really turns into a giant during the celebration. fireworks , parade , street dance I think you get the idea. I love small town USA.


A good shot of the newly remodeled county court house .



On the way home from Balmorhea we took a few shots on the way back to the hideout along 17 . We had gone to the swimming hole that day so here ya go. There are several passes on this 34 mile trip including "Wild Rose Pass". for another day














Looks like it's starting to cool down low temp this morning 58 degrees in town , looking forward to a quick trip up next week to help Barry move some materials up and start up on his shop.
and that's the way it is !
cheers !
.bb















Just looking back!

From this in 2005



To this in 2008



Color from the mountains.


Views from the top of our property.



Looking West.





My daughter refers to this spot as "hers"






I believe this natural "chair" had been sat in many years before she had claimed it as hers .





These shots were all taken from the top of Skyline all directions.



MC Donald observatory shot from Skyline .

You don't think we walked up here do ya !






and that's the way it is !
cheers!
.BB