Gone Fish’in!

March 18, 2025: I had the great experience of joining a group of men who had arranged a fishing trip on The Gulf of America. I have had no fishing experience during my life. I joined this group because a couple of them are good friends and I was curious of the experience. As we headed out the waters seemed rough. I asked the captain his opinion of the height of the waves. He thought 2-3 feet. That didn’t sound like rough seas to me. So the first thing I learned was why I hear boating warnings when waves are forecast to be 2-4 feet. I wondered if I would get sick. I didn’t. But four or five guys did get sick and were leaning over the edge of the boat feeding fish. So, I got to see that.

We were catching grunt fish. Catfish was the second most caught. I learned they could sting. The first mate was always quick to help release the catfish with a tool that extended enough to avoid a sting. They also caught a couple red snappers.

I learned about the boat. I am an engine guy so I asked about engines and props and gears. Also, navigation. We were 13 miles out from Hernando Beach, FL. in about 8 feet of water. It was a great experience with some great guys in a great location. Here is a video.

Hayden’s Graduation

May 21-25, 2025: We traveled to Bloomington, Minnesota for Hayden’s graduation. He graduated from United Christian Academy. Hayden would love to have a career playing professional soccer. His earliest soccer training was in Africa, where he was born. His agent has arranged for Hayden to travel to Portugal in August for trials with some professional teams. This is the time to chase those dreams.

The Color Guard Team

We enjoyed other activities during our stay in Bloomington. One event was attending a St. Paul Saints baseball game. Baseball is good, but our main interest for this game was watching the Civil Air Patrol color guard team participate in the opening of the game with the national anthem. Our grandson, Nehemiah is part of the color guard. Their team won a competition earlier this year so we were excited to see them present the colors. As it turned out the weather was cold and rainy. The game was postponed to another day, but the color guard did get a chance to practice. Here is a short video.