One Week Till Opener!

Commercial airline travel has become an interesting sport these days. This morning I got up early to catch a 9:00 flight to Chicago only to discover that it had been delayed till 9:45. Given the additional 45 minutes, I wondered into the Skyclub for some coffee and a small bite to eat. Often this is a place to meet fellow colleagues and this morning was no exception. Conner Quinn of Emerson came strolling by and with time to spare sat together for a few minutes as he was heading to Las Vegas. I figured at about 9:00 I would head to the gate, hitting the restroom first. Double checking my flight status the monitor said it was back to 9:00 and boarding. Scrambling, I rushed out of the club and looked for the first cart with a driver. After explaining my dilemma he kindly let me on board and what would have taken me 7 minutes was accomplished in less than one. A nice tip for the retired gentlemen and I was the 3rd last to board. Crazy thing was that we pushed off the gate at 9:15 and sat on the tarmac for another 45 minutes. Truly amazing.

Well the snow combined with the cold weather gave me an opportunity for that last push to get the boat ready for this weekend. Having just received my new boat polish that I ordered from Walleyecentral, it worked great. Everything is cleaned and vacuumed, new line on the rods, tackle boxes reorganized, it should be a great weekend. It was a good weekend for my friends to send me evidence of their successes. The first is Lucas Kimblom and his father Greg, a good friend from Eau Claire. Greg has an interesting profession which he and his team harvests human tissue from those that are less fortunate and have passed away. Bones, blood vessels, and a host of other products are harvested and used to help treat those that need it more than the person from whom it came from. Lucas participated in his first turkey hunt this year and by the picture, was very successful. It is great to see hunting traditions being passed down to the next generation. Congratulations Lucas, nice bird.

The next picture is Rambo, showing off his successful hunt. My wife’s cousin, Tony Rombalski, he bagged this bird on his dad’s farm just south of Eleva. The Rombalski farm is designated a Wisconsin Century Farm having been in the family for over 100 years. Turkey’s have really established themselves back home and turkey hunting is as popular as deer hunting. Rambo is an interesting fellow, a veteran of both the 1991 invasion of Iraq as well as a second tour of duty a few years ago. He is an excellent diesel mechanic and as you see a proficient turkey hunter.

My last picture is of my good friend Lory Brasel. Lory used to work for me before heading to Portland Oregon to work for a window manufacturer. He has since come to his senses and moved back to Minnesota however he still maintains his connections in Portland. The great Columbia River flows past Portland on its way to the sea. It still sports a fishable salmon run and May marks the peak of the spring Chinook. Not as big as the Kenai king run, they still provide a great sport. This first run of salmon utilize the most upper portions of the rivers, often making their way hundreds of miles to their traditional spawning beds as far away as Idaho. The dams on the Columbia have had a huge impact on the modern day runs, however they still manage to support a population of both early and late run Chinook and Coho. I am sure Lory enjoyed great salmon feast.

Here's hoping for a great report next week!