Parting is such sweet sorrow

The moral of this post is that if you complain enough, eventually people will get tired and do whatever it takes to quiet you. In a recent email (dated 6/2/2010) to the author, Rea brother Kirby laments:

"...sigh ... i WONDER if i will ever see a bottle of the Shag or EscanabALE, though ..." - KR

Despite his implication that he never tasted Big Shag Big Stout, his forgetfulness is a known quantity on the blog and for the sake of editorial integrity I will point out that his sampling of BSBS was an event previously documented. Readers of this blog should avoid taking anything he says too seriously. That said, in a recent chain of emails he has agreed in principle to documenting a tasting of E.P.B.A. if a bottle ever finds itself in his possession:

"I will give you a words-and-photo record of my EscanabAle [sic] tasting, as soon as I find the suitable occasion to drink it. My first day of vacation thhis [sic] year, perhaps." -KR

Therefore, it is not without some trepidation but with the best intentions that I have boxed up E.P.B.A. bottle #6 in preparation for shipment to Hood River, Oregon: If all goes well the box will be UPS'ed to Kirby by the end of the week with an expected arrival date of mid to late next week. I will keep the readership advised as to when the package has arrived.

Election Day

Back in SF just in time for the primary. Yes that is a porta-potty next to the polling place. I asked if I could fill out my ballot in the porta-potty rather than the voting booth. It just seemed more appropriate. I also brought the Chronicle recommendations into the "booth" as a guide and in case there was not enough toilet paper. Voting directly opposite their recommendations is the right choice more often than not.

As we are still living under the boot heel of Single Party Democratic Rule, I remain a Republican and voted in the Republican primary. MY choice - Chicks in Charge in California. I voted for Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina. Neither are professional pols, and perfectly capable of making major mistakes in the pressure cooker of a major campaign (Remember Carly saying neither Obama nor McCain were qualified to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company? It's true, but you don't say thing like that in a campaign). Regardless, they are both smart, mean, good businesswomen, technically savvy, and tough as nails. Exactly what we need in this state. With any luck, we'll finally be rid of Boxer - who is an embarrassment to California.

I also voted for Prop 14. Not sure it's the right thing, but it'll shake things up, and that is a good thing.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

more rain

A good night to be in Chicago

At the Sports Bar...

... across the street from the Holy of Holies . Meeting an old friend and watching the Hawks go up 4-1 in the second period of the 4th game of the Stanley Cup.

I should be at the United Center.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

In case you were wondering...

... the current ShagCam configuration.

And we are out of here. Running late as usual.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

UPDATE 06/09/10:
After over 100 hours of continuous operation, ShagCam is off the air. May it Rest In Peace until the next visitors restore it.

Camp Notes - More New Stuff

We have a new rug! Thanks Papa

In addition to the new captain's chair and the new dock extension, we added some more new stuff during the spring trip. Most noticeable is the new rug pictured above. On a related note, neither the rug nor camp in general has been properly swept out after the most recent fall, winter and spring trips. This is due to the spectacular spark and smoke failure of last year's new vacuum which was in service less than a year. It was simply a bit too dainty to stand up to the run-of-the-mill dirt, leaves, firewood debris and dust bunnies the size of Cleveland that regularly drift across the camp floor. For any readers who utilize on-line calendars, please set an alarm for June 5, 2015. On that date the vacuum will have completed its five year purgatory in the wood shed and may then be disposed. In addition:

We have new knives! Thanks Papa.

We have a new Weber - Thanks HDW!

On this last, it is not really a new Weber. HDW contributed his old Weber, as he felt the new rectangular grill was too unstable. BTW - the screws that secure the legs of the rectangular grill must be occasionally tightened from the inside of the charcoal pan to keep it solid and stable. In any case, as you can see, we almost have enough grilling capacity at Shag now. I believe that two more grills (one smaller and one larger) will finally give us the minimum grill space, with the range and temperature control to properly prepare a grilled dinner at Shag.

Camp Notes - the Captain's Chair

B-Daddy-Gilly-Gill pimped out his Big Shag ride. Some notes on the new chair.

The chair is stored in the shed. Mounting on the bench is straightforward. Slip the bracket over the bench and tighten the wingnuts. Two important notes - First - the black rubber sleeves on the bracket are an important part of mounting the chair safely - SO DON'T LOSE THEM. They easily slip off, so be careful when transporting the chair that they are not lost.

Second - To be securely and safely mounted - these wingnuts must be tight. Hand tightening is not good enough. I used a needle nose pliers to snug the seat securely. The does not mean that Roy should use all his strength until he strips the wingnut or bolt. It does mean he should use common sense and tighten the wingnuts with the pliers until the chair is solidly and securely mounted on the bench.

Camp Notes - Water Level

9.5" - Measured from the base of the right post at the end of the dock the morning we left. A few days of rain and thunderstorms helped. Looks like the level was over an inch deeper than when the dock extension was added.

Departure Day Dawn

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

In preparation for leaving tomorrow...

... I have recommitted myself to draining the pig tonight.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Blessed event

We enjoyed watching our usual squatters setting up house under the backdoor eave again this year.




Fortunately, unlike last year, the cowbirds never located the olive sided flycatchers nest.

Contractor Conference

Meeting in the rain with the builder, the septic tank guy and the well guy. Discussing guesstimates on when,where and what would have to be done to upgrade the water system.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A good day for cleanup

Perhaps we'll get a break and one last fishing opportunity.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Shag Lake Bass For Dinner

Two days before heading back, thought we should finally have a few of the bass fillets for dinner.

Necessity being a mother... we used ingredients we had lying around. Concocted a bastardized hybrid of a court bouillon and the bar poche au champagne recipe found elsewhere on this blog to poach and sauce the bass. Accompanied with green beans and brown rice pilaf. It was good.

Can You Poach Large Mouth Bass?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The Dell buys the farm

This is an unedited image of the interesting but unchanging permanent display on my Dell laptop.  Apparently, an LCD display can indeed shatter. We learned this when Papa picked up my Dell and threw it on the floor in a fit of rage.  His anger was triggered while reading the news on my Dell and learning that Armando Galarraga lost his bid for a perfect game due to a blown call by an umpire (see link below).  

While his reaction was understandable, the loss of the Dell means ShagCam will now be limited to periods of time that the ancient iMac is not being utilized for Skype, sports betting and stock research.  

Also, blog updates will be limited to Palm Pre posts for the forseeable future.  Pics from my camera will have wait until I get back to SF and a working laptop.  In the meantime, I am adjusting to life without a laptop.

Pray for me.

  44 - Senator takes on bad call on Galarraga perfect game

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The secret is out

From today's Detroit Free Press:

Try a fly rod when fishing for sunfish; you'll catch more

BY ERIC SHARP
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

On nearly every inland lake in Michigan, just off the shoreline you'll see the bottom covered with rings 18 inches to three feet in diameter. In lakes where the natural bottom is dark, the rings look like black circles; where the bottom is sandy, they look light...

Where I've been fishing lately in the northern lower, a lot of male sunfish have built nests and are hanging around waiting for the females to ripen their eggs and drop them in the beds, but I figure that the major spawning activity is still a week or more away. Some lakes in the Upper Peninsula don't see bluegills start spawning until well into June.

Fortunately, no one reads this rag, and the few that do don't believe anything in it.

Evening on the lake

Intermittent rain and thunderstorms kept us off the lake over most of the last two days. We need it, so can't complain. Used the time to work on the blog and get some clean-up done in preparation for leaving this weekend.

The sun broke out just in time to set and we took the opportunity to get back on the hunt. No fish to report, other than some undersized pike, but the quiet lake and setting sun made it a special night.

Mayfly hatch...

... on an unseasonably warm and disquieting still evening.

Archival Shag Lake Pics - Ahos

Family historian and archivist RAC noticed Bruce Aho's comment and sent these pictures of the grandparents who bought the Shag Lake camps we now enjoy. The pics are 1960's vintage-

Jack Aho and Anne Neumann

George Neumann and Anna Aho

We still have that "Mutual Fun Inn" sign. Kinda cool - I thought.

Papa skypes Barry to discuss current events

Barry was very impressed with Papa's technical prowess and political acumen. General conclusion - regardless of whether you think Israeli military action to enforce the blockade was justified (and we do) , the raid was handled badly, the consequences should have been better anticipated and this debacle is a Public Relations disaster for Israel.