The time between the last safe ice and fishing opener is always a challenge. It is a time to get the garden ready, trim the apple trees, and get everything ready for fishing opener. This year the opener is the second latest date it can be (last year was the latest) which basically means we have an extra week to wait before we hit Leech Lake. My current project of reconfiguring the electronics in my boat has hit a snag as it is less expensive and more convenient to order new sheet metal panels for my boat rather than simply try to make an adapter to cover up the existing holes. Hopefully they arrive soon so I can get back to the work of finalizing everything. I did replace my wired remote cable with the Ethernet cable and was able to link the two units together to see if they would talk to each other. Like it is suppose too, I could display each units output on each other's screen which was pretty exciting. The weather still can't decide what it wants to do, winter-spring-winter?!?!?! Two times this week I woke up to snow, Saturday morning and this morning. Although it was a beautiful scene, it melted fast and by noon on both days it was gone. I know we can have snow into May but I have to admit, it's getting old. The weatherman suggested that this winter is the 4th snowiest on record. I think he is being kind!
The highlight of my weekend was taking the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. Lasting both Saturday and Sunday, a total of 16 hours of classroom and road course training proved interesting. There were 6 guys in the class with me being the oldest. Most people take this course to get their motorcycle endorsement however having passed my test last year, I was interested in learning the correct way to approach riding. Having some experience was interesting as the course assumes you have never been on a bike. The first 6 hours was classroom work and I aced the 50 question test at the end. Being multiple choice questions I approach each one by looking at what are the wrong answers. The next 10 hours consisted of riding a small course in the parking lot. We were all given Honda Rebel 250 motorcycles (pictured) and it was obvious they had seen better days. All had the mirrors and front turn lights tore off, half had the back turn signals missing, and a couple showed evidence of some horrible event the bike experienced at the hands of a seasoned rookie! It was pretty thorough and although it seemed as though I knew the material, it was good to have someone critic your habits and work on good fundamentals. The highlight of my course was when I wiped out on the bike while working on a curve exercise. Rolling through the corner, we were to accelerate and apparently I exceeded all expectations by having to lean enough for the right peg to hit and grab the pavement. Ending up under the bike the instructor came running. Expecting a good lecture, I was pleasantly surprised at the rather mature discussion of my misfortune. I went on to secure a perfect score on the road test, something that even surprised me.
My last picture is of me celebrating the gifts from my co-workers Welly and Tom. Both had spend a good amount of time in Mexico lately and each brought me something that I am truly grateful. Of course everyone at work is aware of my Green Bay Packer status so Welly found this beautiful Poncho in lovely Cancun. One look and he knew it was me. I simply can't wait to wear it during next year's Super Bowl! In my right hand is the special gift I received from Tom. In a traditional hand crafted bottle is some of the finest Tequila in Mexico. Both are wonderful gifts and allows me to reflect how special these guy are to me. Of course I did have to model the Poncho to all of our factory workers, most of whom are die hard Viking fans. I was definitely a good way to remind them which team to support next year! Easter is this weekend and I hope to get most of my boat electronics completed, assuming everything comes in by Friday. Speaking of Good Friday, it's a great time to plant potatoes and that might be the goal for this weekend as well. Three weeks to opener, I am getting anxious for sure. The fishing sales are in full force as I am doing my annual accumulation of the latest and greatest.
The highlight of my weekend was taking the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. Lasting both Saturday and Sunday, a total of 16 hours of classroom and road course training proved interesting. There were 6 guys in the class with me being the oldest. Most people take this course to get their motorcycle endorsement however having passed my test last year, I was interested in learning the correct way to approach riding. Having some experience was interesting as the course assumes you have never been on a bike. The first 6 hours was classroom work and I aced the 50 question test at the end. Being multiple choice questions I approach each one by looking at what are the wrong answers. The next 10 hours consisted of riding a small course in the parking lot. We were all given Honda Rebel 250 motorcycles (pictured) and it was obvious they had seen better days. All had the mirrors and front turn lights tore off, half had the back turn signals missing, and a couple showed evidence of some horrible event the bike experienced at the hands of a seasoned rookie! It was pretty thorough and although it seemed as though I knew the material, it was good to have someone critic your habits and work on good fundamentals. The highlight of my course was when I wiped out on the bike while working on a curve exercise. Rolling through the corner, we were to accelerate and apparently I exceeded all expectations by having to lean enough for the right peg to hit and grab the pavement. Ending up under the bike the instructor came running. Expecting a good lecture, I was pleasantly surprised at the rather mature discussion of my misfortune. I went on to secure a perfect score on the road test, something that even surprised me.
My last picture is of me celebrating the gifts from my co-workers Welly and Tom. Both had spend a good amount of time in Mexico lately and each brought me something that I am truly grateful. Of course everyone at work is aware of my Green Bay Packer status so Welly found this beautiful Poncho in lovely Cancun. One look and he knew it was me. I simply can't wait to wear it during next year's Super Bowl! In my right hand is the special gift I received from Tom. In a traditional hand crafted bottle is some of the finest Tequila in Mexico. Both are wonderful gifts and allows me to reflect how special these guy are to me. Of course I did have to model the Poncho to all of our factory workers, most of whom are die hard Viking fans. I was definitely a good way to remind them which team to support next year! Easter is this weekend and I hope to get most of my boat electronics completed, assuming everything comes in by Friday. Speaking of Good Friday, it's a great time to plant potatoes and that might be the goal for this weekend as well. Three weeks to opener, I am getting anxious for sure. The fishing sales are in full force as I am doing my annual accumulation of the latest and greatest.
4 comments:
Aye, yi ya yi....I am the Packer Bandito.
Better post a picture of your pancho on opening day.
AK Keith
You need a sombrero....
Dewey took the words right out of my mouth. Maybe a burro on a leash too.
Hey Dave, My neighbor has a mule. Maybe he'd let me borrow him for a couple of days.
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