TennesseeGuy

It's a matter of taste.

I'm not into believing what newspapers and TV news readers tell me. I'm not going to be joining the bad economy club.

I suggest not wasting any more energy on a crazy guy.

Best to join me on fishing trips because I catch all the hell for everybody which would give you a free pass.

Next month my wife and I will spend a couple of weeks in NW Ontario. We'll have excellent medical care available to us in both the U.S. and in Canada. We each have a $500 deductible for medical services in Canada. Being in the bush has it's drawbacks for receiving quick medical attention, but we have the same thing in some of our remote areas of Tennessee.

I'm okay with health care systems in both countries and wish others felt the same way.

Oncogene, I hope you consider changing your handle on the board. It doesn't fit you. Come fishing with me, but only after your degree work is completed so you can pay your own way. Best to you. You're into some pretty important stuff. If I'm guessing correctly you might come up with a break through that could add years to lives of men.

A heavy fish Lew. Way to go.

Part of the population makes it with only a birth mother. Others need multiple mothers, especially the Government Mother. Sometimes a glass of warm milk helps. 98.6 F. is the optimum temperature.

Oncogene, you could find free medical coverage in the U.S. military. I'd recommend you for a spot because you're young, bright and I like you. The G.I. bill would probably be available to you so you could complete your education. You'd be a better student after serving. It worked for me and lots of others.

You're a great bunch of guys and gals who know how to have fun.

Cliff, thanks for another fine report.

I've been self employed since 1976 and purchased health insurance for my family. In July 1999 I turned 65 and went on medicare. I pay nothing for part A, but I pay for medicare part B, a supplemental plan and a drug plan. I'm also still paying 2.9% of my earned income into medicare as a payroll tax. I've never considered myself to be entitled to receive free medical coverage. If I did, where should the free stuff stop? Should I also receive free government housing, a free automobile, free food and free fishing tackle? If I did I'd be hard pressed to have self respect and incentive to fare for myself.

I'm only saying what seems right for me. I won't be telling you that our plan would be better for you. Hooray for anyone who is satisfied with their health care plan. I won't be finding fault with yours.

We have two great sources of information on this board with Moosebunk and DonC who are well informed professionals. We've also heard good and not so good experiences from others. Other opinions have been what posters think is true, but can't be documented.

A single payer health care plan would do well for some countries, but I don't want it in the U.S. because our large population would create so many layers of bureaucracy that it would be inefficient to the point that it wouldn't work. We're almost past the point of return with our present system. My family doctor began a practice with two other doctors in 1973. They had a receptionist and each doc had a nurse. My doctor is now on one week and off the next, working 7 long days each week. There are only two doctors, but the support staff has grown to 12 including nurses and administrative workers.

In the state of Tennessee we provide health care for those who are financially unable to pay their own way. TennCare is also available for those who are uninsurable, but they pay a premium when they are able. Many TennCare recipients have cell phones with lots of minutes and many eat out more than I do. They do a lot of doctor shopping, end up with multiple prescriptions for high powered pain pills and sell them for 100% profit because they pay nothing for them.

Yeah, the back is bad. There was nothing holding L4 & L5 together and the same thing is happening above and below the problem area. Maybe we'll do the same thing, doubled down, in about 8 years or so. Seems like a good reason for me to go fishing again next month. Thanks for asking.

oncogene I'll compare my most recent experience with yours.

On a Thursday morning in 2005 around 10 a.m. I informed my family doctor that my back was bothering me and I was ready for whatever. I had an MRI at 1 p.m. the same day. At 3 p.m. I received a call at home to pick up my MRI film and deliver it to a surgeon so he could check it and he would see me the next day a little after noon. The next Tuesday I had the first of three lumbar epidural steriod injections. Two days later I traveled 1475 miles to Red Lake for a 7 day fly in where I had my all time greatest fall fishing trip. When the next two epidural injections didn't help we decided on surgery. I stopped taking aspirin and the surgery came 10 days later. It was major surgery on December 29 and I had major complications after the surgery. We went in again on New Year's Eve to stitch up a spinal fluid leak and to remove and replace one of four screws. Major complications after #2 also with double pneumonia putting me in ICU to bring in the new year. Lots of pictures and great care gave me a nine day stay in the hospital. After several follow up visits my cost totaled ZERO. No delays. No problems at all.

I won't begin to compare our system with any other because I'm only concerned with what's available for me. Hooray for those who have a good health care system and are satisfied with it.

We have great sources of information on this board. Moosebunk and DonC are solid and informative with no reason or need to show bias. They are both professionals and I value their opinions. I'm also open to listening to anybody's personal experience. A few of the posts are pretty weak.

I have no ear for medical information gathered from politicians promoting their agenda, TV newsreaders or picture shows. Horror stories on either side of the border mean nothing without names and locations.

Johnny Bass, no disrespect, but I think you might be responding to posts that you're not reading completely.

RE: DonC stated that he works in ER and it was his brother-in-law, not his brother who died.

Being able to connect horror stories with names and locations would do much to add validity to claims.

Really nice Drew. Reading it wasn't as good as being there, but a hell of a lot better than sitting here working.

Thanks for another super report.

Thanks for the kind words. I've shared your precious responses with family members.

Bly, thanks for the poem. How special.

Johnny Bass, you picked a good day to be born. Happy Birthday.

Our 50th was made better by all of you.

Connie

Congratulations. What a great way to celebrate a wedding anniversary. I had the same thing in mind, sort of, but it doesn't work for #50.

Thanks for the report. Yes, the walleye fishing looks great.

June 7, 1958

June 7, 2008 after 50 Golden Years

I was hoping to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with a shore lunch

at Table Rock on Little Vermilion Lake, but my wife thought a small family

gathering would be appropriate. Our daughter and two sons insisted on

having a bigger bash along Roaring River on my older son's farm in

Tennessee. It was a casual affair on a hot day, so shorts were part of my

uniform. Family members from Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and

Washington D.C. joined us in what turned out to be a great weekend. Here

we are with our daughter and two sons.

My sons and brother join me for a shot.

The next day at our house with three generations including the two gals and

the guy our children have brought into our family.

My talk came last. After expressing love for my wife and children I

announced plans for visiting my doctor to see about reversing a previous

surgical procedure with intentions of increasing our family size. Unfortunately

I have additional obstacles that can't be reversed.

Many other friends joined us including two guys I coached in high school

back around 1962. A couple, who were with us for a seven week fishing trip

to Ontario in 1960, delayed their annual season long trip to LOTW so they

could join our celebration.

Norma and I are rich with family and friends.

It's been a great 50 years.

Great present to spend a day fishing with your sweetie. Nice job.

Having a sitter report that early on a Sunday morning was quite a good start.

Nice going with the lakers. Thanks for bringing us the report.

Also a pretty good stable of fishing partners there. Sometimes the odds are against the fish.

I've had a super busy eleven days since returning from Little Vermilion Lake. My stay began

May 16 and I came out May 31. Nobody rode up with me, but a former OFC member and his

wife traveled part way with me from their new home in Dryden to Newman, Illinois on the return

ride. We first met on the old board and both couples spent time together at an AllCanada show in

Indianapolis back in 2002. Skylane is still farming in Illinois, but spends much of his time at his

place near Dryden where he'll soon have his Cessna 185 complete with floats. A 185 w/floats and

hundreds of acres of $6 per bushel corn make life great for Skylane.

As Whopper and Deg mentioned, we were not able to fly to Sportsman's until a wind shift moved ice

away from camp. Here's a shot I took in Red Lake from the government dock showing an iced up

Howey Bay, part of Red Lake.

Left to right are Norton, Whopper and DEG as we ride in on a Beaver.

Don drew the short straw and had to fish with me the first three days. On the third day ice cleared

away enough for us to get close to this pile of ice. It was much, much bigger when we arrived on

May 16, but sun and wind caused much of the ice to fall off into the water.

Ice pile up close.

More ice piled up on a small island

Guess the surface temperature.

With this in our bays we found river fishing to be better.

This guy has his butt to the wind, hence ruffled feathers.

I coached Jim in H.S. back around 1963. His shirt plugs my school. Miami University 1958 and 1961.

Parts of '54 '55 & '56 in the military kept me from finishing in 1956.

A blurry shot, but the plane was really close and traveling around 120 knots. Buzzings are a fun

part of my trips.

Will is a football player who goes to school and lives with Mom, Dad and Sister. This was his

second trip to Little Vermilion. He's a tough young man. No whining about anything and last year

he graduated from eating hot dogs to devouring my fried walleyes.

Not the same fish. Jim and I took Will out to put him on a PB pike and we did it, several

times. Will ties on his own lures, does all the casting and bringing in of fish, but he's

not into handling them, especially pike. We'll get to that part of fishing next year for sure.

Another for Will.

We didn't get to see this one, but she was heavy and maybe approaching 40". Will knows where

she stays and he'll be back, next year and the next.

A sentimental ride. Heading home and missing the place already.

We were told to be up and ready by 7 a.m. on Saturday (May 31) for our ride home. We had one

guy in the shower and another in bed when Pete Kay brought his twin Beach 18 to the dock at

6:15 a.m. Pete is all business and is always ahead of schedule if weather cooperates. Here's a

shot of our crew heading home. Will is riding shotgun, but the seat back is too high to see his cap.

L-R, I'm a billboard for Sportsman's, don't know what Jim's advertising, Wes in red, then Joe - Will's

dad.

Right side passenger closest to you is not in our party. Next is Ben, then Ben's Dad, Roy, who is also my family

doctor. On May 16 one of Don's fish put a good sized treble hook in my thumb and booger picker.

Doc arrived with antibiotics on May 24, all the way from Cookeville, Tennessee. Okay guys, beat that

for personalized medical care.

I was fortunate to spend time in camp with great people, some as guests in camp and others we met

in Canada. With the late spring our camp owner had to overcome a lot of adversity. He was not able to

get into camp in order to prepare for early guests. A camp worker broke his leg (two breaks) before he

was in camp a full week and was air lifted to Thunder Bay for medical treatment. Water lines were frozen

for our first 4 days in camp. I didn't hear one gripe in camp. Don, Phil and Kyle were a joy to be with.

We ate well. We fished well together. Everybody did his share with chores and we had a great week.

Hopefully we'll all make the same date in 2009.

Our camp owner, Brett Geary, worked his tail off and got everything up and going as fast as possible.

Thanks Brett, for making our stay a great one.

My wife and I will be part of three couples who will be on Little Vermilion the July 26 week. I'm already

excited.

Holdfast, you have my best wishes as you go back on active duty. Thanks for your part in keeping us free.

Peace comes after victory.

Nice.

Sure glad Bruno is a vegetarian. Last bear I got close to thought eating me would be a good idea.

My predictions came true, but I was lucky. We went in minutes after wind blew ice away from the dock at Little Vermilion.

Thanks Mr. Sun and thanks Ms Wind.

In May 16 and out May 31 or whenever......................................................

Weather is great. Spring is arriving and fishing is great.

I'm fortunate to be joined by three such fine fishing partners. We're going to have a great week in camp and lots of success on the water.

Happy birthday Art. I'll toast the occasion with a glass of wine in a bit.

Ben, believe me when I tell you Kevin will find a way to get you to camp and put you on some good fish.

Friday I'm taking three youngsters fishing and I may be in over my head. They've already bugged me to death fretting about ice conditions, so what will happen if it's not gone the very minute we're supposed to fly?

Norton and Whopper have been with me before, but it's Deg's first time and they're already ganging up on him by making him fish with me the first couple of days or so. Poor Deg.