maybe

So sorry to hear, Tom! Deepest condolences from Jeff & I.

Did anyone else notice this "Sno Wovel" thing on the right side of danbo's link? I've seen it all now.

I think that next year, Sugarpacket should start a secret shopper service for the OFC spouses & family members. Glen, there's only one thing to do with 40 t-shirts...fashion model. Take em all with you one day, and put on a new shirt for each photo.

There you go...asked and answered. I was up til 4 finishing the annual fishing photo albums for Jeff's grandmother. Our boat was her late husband's pride & joy, and the two of them really enjoyed fishing. She's too frail to come out with Jeff & I much, so I do books full of 8x10s to try to make her feel included. Thank god I'm better with a Canon than a spinner. Up next: wrapping the gifts that don't get delivered until tonight/tomorrow. Happy Hohos, everybody!

Sad to say the search has been called off, and they haven't found him.

It's almost time for the 2009 Toronto International Boat Show - Jan 10 to 18 2009. According to the current exhibitors list, Garmin will be there. So will the boys from Radioworld (who I just can't say enough good about). Lowrance is on the list too. If you can make it, it'd be the best way to get a handle on things. There'll be demo units galore fired up, and none of the misinformation from clueless teenage sales clerks. I've had a Garmin eTrex Vista Cx for a couple years now. Does perfectly well for fishing, geocaching & shopping in downtown Toronto, give or take that when I get right down in the heart of Bay & Lakeshore, the super skyscrapers can conk out the signal. I don't tend to go there, so it's no huge deal for me. If it is for you, the new HCx revision doesn't have that problem - much more powerful, even locks in through the Direct Energy Center roof. The little handheld guys don't speak, but if you can set your own VCR clock you'll likely be just fine. My Vista has several different and easily identifiable chirps/beeps that it uses to get my attention based on what's happening. You can tell whether it's warning you to do something soon, telling you to do something nownownow, or banging its head because you goofed. When action is required, it automatically switches to alternate displays that get the point across really quickly and easily. You do have to look at the screen, but it's a half second glance. Get yourself a good base that'll put the display in an ergonomic location. That's the secret. Really, consider going to the boat show - it'll make so much more sense when the experts can show you in person.

Sue gets a standing ovation for that wit! For the other gals on the board, here's the Control A Man remote:

Our little handheld Garmin is meant for hiking, and is loaded with street maps (shopping in Toronto) instead of topo or charts. With a little sideways thinking, it works very well for getting home after dark. During daylight, I took the GPS out and let it record our paths through the channels and around the lakes. I know that if I'm within X feet either side of that track, I'm safe. It's easier to keep the little arrow indicator on top of a track line on your way home than it is to look for markers on a chart. Bonus: the GPS has an alarm you can set to sound if you get ___ feet off track. We carry paper charts for the lakes, and check them before we move after dark, to make sure of the safest way back to the known safe path in the GPS. We also carry a 5 or 10 million candle power spotlight. There are some channels where s with little tinnies and canoes like to sit right in the middle without marker lights. Sweeping the area with the spotlight before we go through keeps everybody safe. It's also really helpful for doublechecking that you're a safe distance from known hazards.

Huge THANKS to the guys on my team...and especially BotBot, for being our kick-butt little inspiration! Enthusiastic applause also going out to the tourney support crew (Cliff, Gerritt, TJ, and I'm sure I'm missing someone), and the other captains who held my newbie hand & taught me which way was up. CONGRATS to the Extreme and Slammers crews - it was a thrill chasing your tails this year. Can't wait to do it again! It was quite a ride. When I signed up to captain, I'd figured I was just going to push some papers and watch the real anglers duke it out. Next thing I know, my husband's on my team & we're having a blast on the water - this year, with 3 muskie! Previous years, no muskie. Tourney year, 3 muskie. Hmmm... Sign me up to captain again next year!

Sounds like a great argument for sitting down. Bonus: no more women complaining about your puddles or the seat being up. Seriously, though - they've been making slow-lowering toilet seats for years now. Any plumbing supply should be able to get them. American Standard has several models, and other manufacturers pop up if you google slow closing, slow lowering, or soft closing. Here's a YouTube of one in action. At least one manufacturer has a seat that not only closes slowly, it closes automatically when you flush.

Sunday was our last day on the water for 2008. Our marina closes down the end of Thanksgiving weekend, and it takes a day and a half to prepare the boat for storage. In order to get the scunge off the hull in time to hit the turkey dinner on Sunday, we figured we had to start pulling the boat out around 1:30pm. A short day on the water's better than nothing, so after braving insane gridlock at Timmie's for morning double double, we hit the water. Jeff started the day off by challenging me for the title of Baitfish Catcher Extraordinaire: Rather than compete with him, I switched to targeting zebra mussels. You have to be really crafty with these critters...they bring lockjaw to a new level. Eventually, we decided that cruising around enjoying the scenery would be more exciting, so we set down the rods and enjoyed the trees. About 12:30, we found a beautiful patch of clean weeds up in the north end of Buckhorn, and settled in for our last bit of lure washing. The water was absolutely clear, and it was a rare treat to watch little 4" perch wandering around 8' down. With the bright sun, they lit right up...very pretty. Really wish I could figure out how to tell my camera to focus under the surface. This last spot was beautiful, and the little perch were cute, but the weeds were the only things biting the first few lures I threw out. Going onto 1pm, it was time for one last lure before heading for the marina. Time for my favourite catchall...a #3 Vibrax Foxtail in silver shiner with a small Gamakatsu G-Stinger. It'd taken quite a beating this year, most of the paint and tail missing, but I figured it was good for one last hurrah before I broke out a fresh one for 2009. If nothing else, I can usually count on this rig to chase the skunk away with a bluegill or pumpkinseed. Panfish....ha! Expecting one of the little guys, I was some shocked when the rod lurched and the drag started screaming. After the little 30 inch muskie a few weeks ago, I recognized the way the fish hit this time. On one hand, it's really neat to know what's going on....but on the other, it's more pressure when you actually know it's not just another bass. Fun, either way - bring on the adrenaline! I gotta say, it's a MASSIVE treat to catch a muskie in clear water. The fight itself is great, the pictures are great, but actually getting a clear view of the fish as you work to bring it in....*that* is flipping spectacular. Wow. Lots of head shakes and a few good runs later, 38 inches of extremely bad mood appeared boatside. Clearly, we had interrupted its zen, and it was in an expressive mood. It managed to give Jeff a good scratch (ooo - fish story for the boys!), demolish our folding net (ooo - upgrade + shopping trip!), and break one of the hooks off my Vibrax (definitely going in the fave old tackle display case now). After a few quick pics with a yardstick and our team tourney sign, this one's going to wind up on the wall. Back in the water, the fish revived quickly and sprinted off strong. That was it - we put the tackle away. One last cruise under the causeway and back, and then time to hit the marina and get the boat on the trailer. Really glad this fish came when it did...usually the last day is a sad time, but we were still grinning hours later as the pressure washer splashed algae at us.

Missing half a week of Lakair to sit through show tunes with your girl - that deserves a standing ovation. Bravo!!

FWIW, Fabricland's current sale has craft netting on for $1.22 per meter. This stuff's sold by length (in meters), and the netting is 180cm wide. Might be worth taking a wander in there and just looking around. The staff will definitely know what'll hold a hook (or pins), what won't, and what'll unravel if you look at it.

Nobody there now. Geez, Glen...you sure know how to clear out a room.

The more pixels you can get, the better. They're your margin of error cushion. They can compensate for a lack of zoom. Say you've got 4x zoom on both your old 2mp and a new 10mp, and you zoom em all the way trying to get a pic of a fox across the road. On the 2mp, the fox might end up being about an inch wide blob on your monitor at 100% display size. With the 10, putting more pixels into the same square feet of reality, that fox will be closer to half the size of your monitor. Cropping the image (cutting away the excess stuff around the edges) is a fast Red Green way to squeeze more zoom out of your shot, and with the extra pixels, the image quality will still look ok. More pixels can also compensate for blur/fuzz. Grab one of your pics that's slightly blurry, and drop it down to 50% size for viewing. It'll look a bit sharper. At 25%, it'll look a lot better. (Try to stick to multiples of 25% - odd numbers aren't as talented at sharpening.) Dropping a 2mp shot to 25% gives you a postage stamp. Dropping a 10mp to 25% still gives you an ok 4x6 print. I have a 10mp Canon Powershot A640. Love it. Fast startup, great auto focus system, very easy to get a good grip on. Chomps the same AA batteries I always carry for GPS/MP3 speakers/etc. The weird swing-out-flip-over view finder comes in really handy for shooting around corners...it'll work on any angle, and auto-rotates the image. Several prints from this camera have been gallery-exhibited, some into the 2'x3' size range. Not bad for a point and shoot critter! I never go out in poor weather, or by myself, and our boat's not the least bit tippy, so I don't worry much about it not being waterproof. If your camera may get dunked, bear in mind that there are rigid waterproof enclosures available for many nice makes/models. The ones I've seen look kind of like a clear custom-fit Pelican box, and run $200ish on ebay. Definitely check that the box is available BEFORE you buy a camera, just in case. It'd be lousy to buy a camera, then want a box and find out you can't have one. There are soft ziplock-on-steroid thingies too. Think I've seen them at Tiger Direct for about $20, but I could be way off on that. I usually default to checking Canada Computers when I need something electronic. Great prices, knowledgeable staff, always very good service.

Jeff and I started shopping for a used Suburban-type tow vehicle early this month. A few weeks ago, I posted asking for tips on where to look in the GTA. Thanks again for all the replies and PMs! I really need to stop and single out SlowPoke for extra kudos here. He really went above and beyond, giving me a comprehensive crash course on stuff you only learn by living with these critters for years. Having access to that kind of information is absolutely invaluable when it comes to getting something right your first time. Not to mention, it makes the whole experience a lot less stressful. No wondering if I'd stupidly missed something that'd bite me later. That in and of itself was amazing. So, Brian...THANK YOU AGAIN for the education, and for looking out for us! :worthy: Going into this, I wasn't sure I wanted leather...and that's what's in 99.9% of these critters. Seriously limiting if you're looking for cloth seats in something used. Eventually, trolling Trader.ca, we found out that Boyer's in Pickering had a leather 2004 Yukon and a cloth 2004 Avalanche we could A/B test the seats in. Last Monday night, we hoofed down to check them out. I gotta say, my butt fell in love the instant it touched down in that Avalanche. Comfy seats, contoured just right, very grippy upholstry...everything I like. Then I hopped into the Yukon, and immediately slid forward 2 inches. Ugh. Meanwhile, Jeff's in the driver's seat with his eyes glazing over like it's Xmas. Allrighty then. My thought, when we got back from the test drive: "I guess leather's tolerable...not like this is my main car. Now we can start looking around seriously." Jeff's internal monologue was apparently much closer to "OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!!!" because as soon as that thing was in park, he was outta there. Just a cloud of dust swirling above the seat. By the time I made it out of the truck, he's found the sales guy, and wafting across the parking lot I hear "we'll take it!" We WILL, you say? Right. Well, just gimme a min to retrieve my jaw from under this thing so I can sign papers. Way more than I'd intended to spend, but it was an absolute *steal* and Jeff was practically vibrating - I couldn't say no. Goodbye bank account, hello 2004 GMC Yukon XL SLT. 79k on the odometer, GM Optimum recertified, bumper to bumper for years, and every toy imaginable except traction control and rear wheel steer. Perfect - those are 2 toys I didn't want. We picked the monster up on Saturday morning, and spent the weekend road tripping. A few things are becoming very clear: 1) this thing's going to get a lot more road time than we'd figured on 2) driving a Saturn's made my big truck skills go poof 3) I'm gonna enjoy practicing Thanks again, OFC...for enabling our fishing habit, and for helping out on the NF stuff.

You're welcome!! Enjoy.

WAY TO GO, BLY!!! Cliff...I'm starting to sense a pattern here.

Not sure what format you're hoping to find this in, but here are a few options: Amazon.com has it on his Greatest Hits album, available as MP3 download. Musicstack.com has it as a 7" vinyl record. Myspace has a video. Hope that helped.

Not to be a nitpicker, Kemper...but I think you also forgot vertical holds and muddy/bloody fish. Roy, you devil, you!

One of these teensy little Northland "Snelled" Sting'r Hooks nailed my first muskie a few weeks ago. Maybe something similar would help you?

Hey now...antique stores have their uses. They keep Jeff and I out of trouble when it's too miserable to fish! (BTW, if anyone's got suggestions on noteworthy antique/flea destinations in GTA/Durham, I'd love a PM!)

What the heck...I'm in. I know even less about hockey (they play that in the winter, right? ) than I do about NASCAR, and I'm not going to study. Consider me the idiot's performance baseline for the crew. My OFC fantasy racing team peaked at 7th in late May. Will be interesting to see if using the same approach for hockey gets similar results. I sure hope there's a tutorial somewhere for this...

Thanks, Brian. You hit the nail on the head about what we're concerned with. An odometer in the low-200k range is just fine, as long as it's been looked after and hasn't had major trauma. If it does 5k/yr with us, that'll be a surprise. Hmm...north of Toronto, specializes in SUVs, odd "$_,888" number sounds familiar from last night's Auto Trader search. Do you mean Carline Automotive in Nobleton? That's the first place we're headed this afternoon.

Much as I like Dodge trucks, that's not gonna happen. I already have my dream car, so this one's Jeff's choice - and he's in love with those Suburban things. Having a big lockable cargo bay is useful for him, and the extra seating vs a truck is likely a good idea - our other 2 vehicles are 2-seaters. We do agree on one thing - we're not van people. Hadn't thought of importing, but that is a nifty suggestion. Sounds like the Lincoln guy got a heck of a deal! Don't think I'm brave enough to go that route, though. The way Murphy's Law works, I'd be that one case where the paperwork screws up, and the parts that break are different on the US model. Never know - someone else may snag themselves something great after reading your post. Like I said, this SUV is a 3rd vehicle for the 2 of us. It's not going to see much daylight. We're not looking for something that'll do daily service for years to come, just an occasional backup/hauler that doesn't look too bad. I'm thinking $10k is plenty to waste on that. Useless trivia: I pulled a Carfax report on the Suburban we went to see at the auction. The information in the report was nearly 2 years out of date. For $25, Carfax swore it was a 1-owner vehicle, low miles, and the plates were last renewed in December 2006. Wrong. The vehicle had actually been transferred through 2 other owners since then, and gained 40,000km - all fully and properly documented by the MTO. That was an eye opener.