MW Mobile Blog

For friends, family and the random search engine visitor. This blog started as an experiment in mobile blogging from my Palm TREO 600, 700, Prē, HTC Evo, Samsung 5, Pixel 3, Pixel 6 Pro. Now it serves as a simple repository of favorite activities. Expect bad golf, good fishing, great sailing, eating, drinking, adventure travel, occasional politics and anything else I find interesting along the way including, but not limited to, any of the labels listed here...

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

2017 Abalone Report Card 1-6 - A Sea Ranch Sojourn


By Wednesday I was convinced. Conditions were looking good for the weekend. We'd have an early minus tide Saturday through Tuesday...


...and it looked like swells would be relatively benign over the same period.


Last year I only went diving once. Got my limit of 3 abalone, but that was it for the year.  I had not been in the water yet this shortened season, and the July closure for the first half of the season was only a week away. Local rumors were flying that CA Fish & Wildlife might close the second half of the season.  It was now or never.


Reached out to the usual suspects looking for a dive buddy. No joy, but was determined to get in the water if conditions permitted. Sigrid joined me for the ride north on Saturday. Whether I got in the water or not we would enjoy the food, friends, and vistas in one of the best places on the planet.


Stayed at a friend's place at Sea Ranch - was very impressed with the new security layer on his gate keypad.


It was a weekend to get reacquainted with the locale and friends. We were invited to a wonderful dinner with Summit neighbors Peter and Bonnie, now living at the Ranch, and also invited for wine and cheese with Charlie and Kathye on their spectacular deck overlooking my favorite cove.


In the year since my last visit, there have been some changes in the area. Two Fish Baking, our favorite source for breakfast pastries relocated from Sea Ranch to Stewart's Point - which is actually more convenient. The sticky buns are just as good, but you still have to get there early before they're gone. My go-to location to get my fishing license - Baker Brothers Hardware & dive shop - closed up operations. The good news was that I was delighted to find my occasional dive buddy Jeff had taken over the Gualala Sport and Dive Rentals with his wife Kelli.  A definite upgrade over Baker Bros,and a great spot to get outfitted for a dive. MW Recommended. The bad news is that Jeff is now so busy he didn't have to time to dive.  Which brings me to the point of the post. Time to get in the water.

If I was to get any abalone this trip, it would be a solo dive. Fortunately, with benign conditions and a minus tide, it was feasible. I spent a lot of time looking over my favorite Mendocino County cove.


It looked safe enough, but visibility was poor. Without a dive buddy, I decided to go with an alternative site.


Our new Sea Ranch friend Frances offered up her private stairwell access to a neighboring Sea Ranch cove. Convenient and (relatively) easy.  Had to check the regs - the cove is within the Stewart's Point Marine Conservation Area.  No problem - regs state that "The following may be taken recreationally from shore only: marine aquatic plants other than sea palm, marine invertebrates, finfish by hook-and-line..."  blah... blah... blah.... Abalone is a marine invertebrate. We're good.

Net net - two dives over three days, a three ab limit each dive, and one happy abalone diver. Some pics from my first Sonoma County ab dive:

Load up the gear

Early start to catch low tide.
Walk down the stairs to the beach ( heh.. heh...  too cool) 
Minus tide meant navigating a field of mussel. 
Not my best look.
Minus tide entry





Diving solo in a new locale, I wasn't inclined to do any trophy hunting. Got my limit and got out as the flood tide brought a little more swell than I was comfortable with.  Two good days.

Dive day 1 - one 8 and a couple 9's

Dive day 2 - one 7, one 8, one 9
<SOAPBOX> Six abs in two dives over three days. With all the talk of a "distressed" "starving" abalone fishery, it's worth pointing out that I went 6 for 6 in an unfamiliar Sonoma cove with fat healthy abs on my first dives in a year and without a lot of effort. I did see a lot of urchins, and also plenty of abalone that were easy to spot from the surface in about 4 foot of visibility. There was a lot of kelp in the shallows. Mid-cove the kelp was sparser and seemed a little chewed up. This was my first time in this cove, so I can't compare current conditions to prior years. So there's that. </SOAPBOX>.


In between dives Bonnie and Peter joined us for an abalone feast. Of course. Tried to get Frances to enjoy the fruits of her cove, but was disappointed she would only stay for a glass of wine and some conversation.
Bonnie helps out with the piccata sauce
Good company, good food, good fun. Somehow I managed to neglect getting a group shot. I know. Hard to believe.


After our second dive we drove home to EssEff with abs in the cooler. Stopped at Washoe House for buffalo burger on the way back.  They're under new management since being purchased by the Petaluma Creamery.  I always thought the food was good but inconsistent. Now they're better. A similar menu but everything from the service to the food is better than before. A definite upgrade.

Cleaned and sliced the three abalone I picked this morning on getting home. Finished the day with my favorite treat after a successful ab hunt.

Fresh abalone sashimi
Life is good. Hopefully we'll have a second season so I can complete my report card.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Bad day at Half Moon Bay

 Our Foursome - Me, Stuart, Brad and Unreliable Bob 
Actually it was a gorgeous day. As the starter told us, it was a "Chamber of Commerce" day at Half Moon Bay. Warm, sunny, mild winds (for the coast), exactly the kind of day you almost never see on the coast this time of year. Conditions were great.  Which just served to remind me how much I hate the Old Course at Half Moon Bay.


Let me be clear. I don't hate the entire course. Just the first 16 holes. The 18th hole is great. And I like the 17th hole because it gets you to the 18th hole. The 18th is one of the prettiest holes in golf. You play along an Ocean bluff and into a castle-like Ritz Hotel where a gallery of hotel guests sipping white wine overlook the green.  As far as the rest of the course, you might as well be playing in a suburban housing development in Peoria, Illinois. I only hit one house with one near miss, and no windows. So there is that.


This was an OGC event, where the two best net balls per hole wins the tournament for the foursome. We had an unnamed unreliable golfer fail to show up in our group. Okay. It was Other Bob.  His absence required the rest of us to rotate hitting a 2nd ball on each hole for scoring purposes.  Our team finished -2, 13 strokes behind the winners. I finished with a 118.


 We'll just focus on pics of the glorious 18th hole and call it a day.



Sunday, June 11, 2017

Keepin' it 100 at Sharp Park

  Anyone see that? 
After our team 69 in the #SaveSharpPark Benefit Scramble last week, I was feelin' it. I had high hopes for this round. Of course, I always have high hopes for my round.


This week we had Brad, Other Bob, and Oz - making his first appearance on the Bad Golfer Distribution list.

Oz on the 4th tee
He'll be fine with this crew.

Oz out of jail
Brad says he only shows up to my foursomes for the blogging gifs so he can study his swing. Here's one he can work on...

Iceplant
As for Other Bob...
Bob rebounds with a sparkling three putt bogey on 5 after his snowman on 4.
... I think he was worried about the team autographed Championship Warriors basketball he won at the Save Sharp Park Benefit Auction. I was supposed to bring it with me but accidentally left it at home on display in the den.


I'm pretty sure I'll remember to bring it next week. But I digress...

Bob nicely out of the trap 
We had a rare sighting of a cart girl on the course...


... and the Irish coffee enabled me to achieve the kind of balance that is so important in golf (caffeine/ ibuprofin / nicotine / alcohol).


It was working. At the turn:

Brad    45
Oz       45
M.W.  49
O.B.   51   

Other Bob deciding whether to give up golf on the 10th green
We always take the time to enjoy the wildlife in the park

Heron hunting frogs
 A few more pics:
 Aiming High on 16 
Traditional 17th Tee Selfie
OB
Brad
Oz
I am always hoping to break 100 on this course. Alas, it was not to be.

19th Hole
Oz     92
Brad  92
OB    97
MW 100

I think I am on the verge of a breakthrough, - a 100% All Animated GIF Golf Post. Stay tuned.