Manly Things..

If the highlight of my Summer was the visit with my grand kids,then this impromptu trip to Fort Bragg comes in a close second.
The Partner,his friend RB,and I headed out on the four hour trek right after work,passing Clear Lake long about midway.

..Smoke on the water.


My proximity to this brown Gull didn't seem to phase it one bit..


These two ladies,on the other hand,were decidedly perturbed at my intrusion..

The Partner's trailer is snuggled comfortably in the woods,about a half mile from the ocean.We settled in that first night with a hearty stock of Budweiser,and played a very fun board game. (The name of which escapes me..did I mention the hearty stock of bud?).

The point of the game is to correctly answer multiple choice solutions to different survival scenarios.

Did you know that Willow bark can cure a headache?..Or that you can drink your own urine if you have no water? (Apparently,it's perfectly sterile when it first comes out,but tends to collect bacteria pretty quickly thereafter).

RB kicked our asses two games in a row to become the 'Sole Survivor',and was quite pleased with himself.

I decided right then and there that if we were ever stranded on a desert island without any food,..I would eat him.

The next morning,we went down to the shore so Partner and RB could do some diving for abalone,and other sea going edibles.

I didn't have my own gear,but I was more than happy to enjoy the beautiful coastline of Northern California,and document the whole operation.

..it's harder than it looks.

They'll stay within about a hundred yards from shore,where the water is at about ten feet deep.

In spite of some early morning fog,the weather and the water were comfortably warm.

The Partner displays his bounty!..

The limits on Abalone are fiercely monitored..Three a day,per person.

You don't wanna mess with those kids over at Fish and Game..Poaching is very nearly a capital offense in these parts!..

The fellas managed to each get their limits in about an hour.

Six Abalone,two ocean perch,and a type of sea trout called a 'Greenling'.

This ain't no downstream Oyster!..that Abalone is nearly ten inches..(seven inches is the minimum you can keep).

The flesh of this Greenling is blue,but turns white when it hits the frying pan.

My reward for hanging out onshore!..The Partner had these beauties filleted in no time,and packaged for me to enjoy at home.

We did take some time to go down to the marina,so the guys could purchase some fresh Albacore (Tuna)..You can see folks on the dock lining up to buy those tasty critters at $2.00 a pound..

This handsome beast was waiting patiently for whatever scraps the crew might toss overboard.

I may not have been able to go snorkeling,but I damn sure was gonna try my hand at ocean kayaking!...YES!!

Me and my Kayak..You can see by the grin on my face that I'm about to have a Yak-Attack..


Warning!..This ain't for the faint of heart!
Manly men,doing manly things,on the high seas!
..and floating and stuff.
Mendocino is an absolute bonanza of sea caves!
Sorry about the unsteady camera work,but I was filming with both hands,and trying not to get deep-sixed. (That's manly sailor talk for falling off the boat).
The voice you hear at the beginning is RB's.



We finished off the day by taking in a movie!
Normally,I don't go to the theater.If there's a movie I want to see,I just wait for it to come out on DVD.I had to think back to remember the last movie I saw in a theater?...'Jurassic Park'!
Naturally,we decided on a guy flick..'Inglorious Basterds'.
Check it out..I'm sitting there watching the movie,..minding my own business,..when all of a sudden Brad Pitt starts yelling at me!
I kid you not..One of those Inglorious Basterds has the same surname as mine!
..Some nefarious ancestor,no doubt.

All in all,it was a most satisfying adventure!
Thanks for taking me along for the ride Partner!..