John

Think that we have been down this road before. How soon we forget!

Damn, I thought that you were on vacation, again............

Happy Birthday Helene, Happy Birthday Jeff. You are both lucky to have such a great Dad!

Congrat's Emil, best wishes to all.

Hope that you had a great on Bernie, belated Happy Birthday. Hope to see you again at Lakair.

Belated Happy Birthday Cliff. Sorry I missed it..........sounded like a good one.

As they say......."the fish stinks from the head"........

Great post and a great tribute Hookset. You are absolutely right, a lot of us are at that time in our lives where our parents are no longer with us. You put into words what many of us feel and think on a practically daily basis. I for one will try to be some of the things to my grandchildren that my Dad was to me. Thank you......

Glad that all is well Glen. I was flying over top of you yesterday early evening en-route back home. It was pretty rough at 30,000' too.

Welcome Eric....

That's great news Rick. Thanks for the update and the pic's. He is in good hands and is a lucky boy....... John..

Happy New Year and very best wishes for 2008 to all at OFC.

Thanks for the update Rick. Ben's ACL/MCL surgery was done the "old way" too so I know pretty well what you are going to go through. Knowing you as a person, I know that he is in the best possible hands. Great news he is going to be OK. John.....

Please let us know of Jack's progress Rick. Ben and I will be rooting for him.. John...

Congratulations...........

Two of my favourites............. Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

Hey Steve, best of luck my friend. I'm sure that you won't need it as people like you make their own breaks! Locating there, you are pretty lucky. You have the river and of course the bay and the Atlantic not too far away. Get over to the Eastern Shore and do some exploring, some wonderful places and some great striper fishing. Joe and Art can tell you way more than I can on the river fishing, but from what I understand the variety of fish is pretty broad. Be well my friend and stay in touch. At least the Bruichladdich will be cheaper down there. J...

Scotch is distilled in regions and is quite different from region to region. My personal favourites are Islay whiskeys, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, Bowmore. They are an aquired taste and are quite "peaty", "smokey" and some have a mild iodine aftertaste. Bowmore is probably the best value starting in the $50's but Lagavulin is my personal choice. As a bottle will last me a month, I don't mind the $90+. Highland and Lowland malts are a little more mainstream. The Grant distillery in Speyside produces some nice whiskeys, Balvenie is one of the best in my opinion. Again from $50ish per bottle for bog standard 12 year old to $150 for an amazing 21 year old Portwood. Grab a book or two from the library as a good start. By the way Ken, there are no garbage malts, just some are more average than the others. John..

So true Brian, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Brian, I don't get out much these days..............

This is my buddy who is almost 11. Mostly good days, occasionally his aging body catches up with him (a little like me really). Rich C, ACL tears rarely repair themselves, especially in dogs. We went through it last year, $3000 later the knee that was repaired is probably stronger than the other. If you opt for the surgery, get her into aqua-therapy. It's the best thing for rebuilding muscle and keeping the joint mobile while she continues to heal. Your vet will tell you when it's appropriate to start. Hookset, as DebS says, fatty deposits are common in older dogs. Ben has them and unless they get really big, don't effect their quality of life too much. I hope that you get positive news about Muskie.

Just to relieve the boredom a little between seasons, check this out. http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/swf/blueangels/blueangels.swf

TJ, I travel a fair amount and was aware of this. I only use sealed disposable glasses. Drink out of the bottle...........also never use the supplied coffee makers.

Sincerest sympathies on you loss. I know first hand how tough this is. John...

Sounds like a rough one Glen. Hope you get back to feeling better soon.