Asking for your thoughts and prayers.

[lReef lKeeper]

what you mean to tell me your not popular already???

wow, i cant be seen talking to you then.... lol

to late ... i saw you.

V, a card, imagine that. it should have been a card from one parent APOLOGIZING to the other for what they created !! check mate

[V]

lmao major

[Missy]

lmao major

Hey guys, I'm not that much of a geek.

[Amphibious]

Dick is coming out of recovery!

Two grueling days of driving, 19 hrs first day then a Motel. 21 hrs second day with 3 hrs in a rest stop in northern FL. Got home 7 am Monday. Went to bed, couldn't sleep, got up and mowed half the lawn. Slowly, I'm recovering. Been poking around TR but reluctant to respond because I know I'm ADDICTED to you guys and would spend too much time here instead of catching up on beauty sleep.

Thank all of you for the kind wishes, thoughts and prayers! The trip was just good, not fabulous. The reason??? My friend of 45 years, Ron, is killing himself with alcohol and he knows it but refuses to quit! Long story short is... He's always been a mean spirit but was fun to get to know and do things with like aquariums, our fishing ventures into the Canadian bush by canoe and family things. Ron has a great wife. I overlooked his hard demeanor and just accepted him as a friend.

Well, the alcohol he consumes has made him worse. We got along on the trip because, as usual, I overlooked (tolerated) his harsh criticisms of everything from my lifestyle to the Resort cabins, services, etc, etc, etc. Blah, Blah, Blah. He was the reason for the forced long drive to MI. I wanted him out of my truck and out of my life! It's a tough call to end a friendship and I'm not sure that's what I did. I'll still talk to Ron but will never take another trip with him!

I talked to his wife the next day and she confirmed, "He's changed for the worse".

So in two years I've lost 2 brothers to alcohol consumption and now a "best" friend is doing the same. It's sad and ugly!!!

ENOUGH about that part of the trip! Now to the good stuff...

[V]

awww gawd no, never dream of it missy, however things dont quite add up when your just the current founder of this online publication...
see, im on to you...lol

[V]

hey ampage..

yeah the drink can be a mean beast. ive been down that road a few times, especially when you can make it yourself by the barrel loads. But ultimately it takes some common sence, mental will power & a keen urge to find the path again that reclaims the wheel.

after everything was said & done, i hope it was still worth it my friend. welcome back

[Amphibious]

Thanks V. Nice to see you around again, my friend!

[Amphibious]

We target 3 species of fish when in Canada in this order, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, and Northern Pike. We caught all three but not in the numbers we usually run into. Canada is having a cold spring which effects the bite.

Here's Ron with a nice Small mouth...



And, yours truly...



These "females" run from 16 to 20" and are illegal to keep until after June 30th because of the spawn. It was tough finding Smallmouth because of cold water conditions. They are, pound for pound, one of the toughest fitting fish. Lots of fun to catch and great eating. No, we didn't keep any for shore lunch.

[CarmieJo]

Dick, I am glad you are back safe and sound! I am sorry that your friend has changed for the worse.

You know that I am a victim of a drunk driver. You probably don't know that I have 2 brothers-in-law who are alcoholics and 2 of Rick's grandparents were also alcoholics. I worry about his brothers every day. Rick and I are very occasional social drinkers as is his mom. His Italian dad has a small glass of wine with dinner each evening. I know that Dominic, like a lot of college students, drinks. I am praying that he will follow our example and be a responsible, occasional drinker.

[Amphibious]

Thanks Carmie.

Here's another fish picture...



My brother Dave on the left taking a pic of his fishing partner, Nathan, holding up a "Smally".

We also saw tots of wild life on this trip, 2 black bears, 4 moose, 2 whitetail deer, eagles and this mother fox with her kits...



She just sat there letting her kits play while I shot a dozen pictures. Cute and cool shots!!!

[Skurvey Dog]

It's so good to have you back safe and sound. It must have been very difficult to be stuck in an auto with an unhappy person. I hope you made good use of your stereo with a fav CD or two! If that wouldn't of worked, you could have rolled all the windows down. You are a good man Dick. It takes a great deal of character to steel in emotions and keep that little devil off your shoulder from tempting you too much in handling something that was working on your last nerve. It's so sad that he has not reached his "bottom" yet and got his own personal "wake up" call. I personally believe that it is harder on those types of people's loved ones who are suffering more because the individual doesn't acknowledge that they have a problem that they need to move away from. So sad.

Looks like you had a great time while you were there. Wow, just to be able to see all of that wild life had to be a wonderful moment. I love the great outdoors,,,,,, nothing beats it. Those fish have beautiful markings! What was the water temps?

So.................... did you rough it with tents, or rented a cabin or what? Nothing beats an outdoor wood fire and telling stories!

[V]

foxes are wild pests down here that can attempt stalking you if your in the bush,funny considering the size of them but i dont think ive even seen them cubs though.
geeze you couldn't have asked for better weather by the look of it. nice shots bud

[Amphibious]

Thank you Lori,

It became a difficult time as it progressed. The trip home, to Ron's place, was dead quiet. He and I didn't see eye to eye on music. To keep him happy I didn't play the radio. He read a book.

The water temps were in the high 40's to low 50's depending on what lake we were on and even from one bay to another on the same lake.

Here is one of my favorite places to fish in Canada, Island Falls in a huge impoundment called "the Flood Waters"...



The Flood Waters are controlled by the Electric Company and generate electricity many miles away from where we fish. some years the water is low but this year the snow melt created a condition about 3' higher than normal.



A closer look at the main falls. There are a total of four, all part of the same river, split by rock formations. Really a neat place!

[rayme07]

Hi dick I am glad you are back I sure missed you. I'm sorry to hear about your friend I know how it is but there is no need for me to tell that story. You got some awesome looking smally's they look nice, fat and healthy I'm sure they fought hard. Canada certainly is a beautiful place with all of its wild life and piece. Thanks for sharing this part of the trip with us cant wait for more.