Morning Guy Blog

For Early Risers Who Wish That It Could Be Morning All Day

For Early Risers Who Wish It Could Be Morning All Day

Just some clear water and colorful rocks …

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I guess the novelty of winter is wearing off a bit and thoughts are turning towards spring.

Here is a short clip of some clear Rocky Mountain water and colorful glacier scoured rocks:

So, this is kind of bizarre: I have always enjoyed maps and now with the advent of Google Earth, I have come to enjoy examining places of interest from above — usually when I am dreaming of visiting the place or am planning some hike, etc. I was looking over Google’s satellite imagery of Flathead Lake when I stumbled upon a boat with two yellow elongated objects protruding perpendicularly off of its stern. I realized that I was looking at Marlene and I underway — from nearly 500 miles above!

Yeah, I’ve seen satellite images of my house and my car parked outside of my house, but I have never seen myself in motion via satellite. Wild stuff.

We live in interesting times.

Marlene the Explorer in her yellow earthbound kayak.

My Not-So-Lofty New Year’s Resolution

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At the onset of a brand new year, I suspect that most people embark on ambitious resolutions. You know, goals like loosing 30 lbs. or quitting smoking or learning how to speak a foreign language. Big goals. Hard goals.

Not me. I’m keeping things simple and easily attainable this year.

Angry Trout Marina

Oh, I’ve done the ambitious resolution thing in the past. And by all rights, I should do so again this year. I am a very imperfect human in need of many improvements. I bet my wife could list twenty just off the top of her head. And while I would like to be a better person, I just can’t be this year.

Just think of the song lyrics, “I wanna do right but not right now.”

When it comes to New Year resolutions, I have had checkered past. I did quit smoking decades ago—that’s my hallmark resolution accomplishment. But God knows I could still lose some weight. And wouldn’t it be neat to speak Spanish or Swahili or even Double Dutch?

Maybe next year. Not this year.

Why? Because this year: I hereby resolve to “relearn” how to fish.

You read right. Fish.

And I can do this. I can achieve this.

I have no fishing paintings yet, but I bet there are fish in this lake.

Yeah, I’ve fished here and there over the years. And yeah, I know how to tie a hook and reload a spinning spool. I might even remember how to flay. But I really haven’t seriously fished since I was in high school. And I wasn’t too serious about it then either.

Plus, that was Minnesota fishing—a bobber and twenty feet of water. Crappies, Sunnies, and maybe a Northern or Walleye. But Flathead Lake is deeeeeep. And in the summer, I am told, the fish go deep. And we are talking trout. Sometimes biiiiiig lake trout. So, no more bobber. My bobber days are behind me.

It is time to learn how to do the deep-water jig!

Truth be told, while I love to eat fish, I have never been that interested in fishing per se. But I do love being out on Flathead Lake. And fishing, the way I see it, will provide me with a whole new excuse for being out on the water.

So, if you encounter my unimproved self this year (2017), please “cut me some slack.” Maybe I’ll get back on a self-improvement trajectory next year. Maybe. Yeah 2018. And if you don’t encounter my unimproved self this year, you’ll know why.

I’ve gone fishing.

HNY!