A Place For My Stuff

2009-04-09T13:25:00.010-04:00

Important tax reminder:
Don't forget to pay your taxes......

Muchas gracias!
21 million illegal aliens are depending on you!

Parenting FAIL

2009-03-30T09:58:00.001-04:00

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - A prison work crew baby-sat a 2 1/2-year-old boy who was spotted Friday running along the center lines of a rural Maryland highway, with trucks loaded with gravel rumbling by, police and correctional officials said.

The six minimum-security inmates shared their lunches with the toddler, who apparently wandered away from home, and played with him while authorities located the parents and investigated, said Correctional Officer Gary Kershner, who was overseeing the prisoners.

"Me and my inmate crew, we just kind of baby-sat for the next three hours," Kershner said. "They were as much entertained by the child as he was by them."

Friday Pets

2009-03-27T11:05:00.001-04:00

Friday Pets

2009-03-20T11:29:00.003-04:00

Favorite Strip

2009-03-19T09:08:00.006-04:00

Mr. Breathed's unique sense of humor always appealed to me.

Story

2009-03-05T09:27:00.004-05:00

I heard a story yesterday. Sounds like urban legend, but I thought I'd pass it along.

A co worker's daughter had promised some friends to watch their dog while they were away on vacation. While she was taking care of the dog...it died. The dog was very old so it was no real surprise. The young lady called her friends and told them what happened. They were not surprised and gave the name of their vet to the girl, and told her to take the body to the vet so it could be properly disposed of.

Unfortunately, the young lady did not have a car, so she placed the body of the dog (about 50lbs) in a large suitcase and took the bus to the vet. When the bus arrived she was struggling to get the suitcase on the bus and a man on the bus lended her a hand. The gentleman asked her what was in the suitcase, and she told him she was taking some computer parts to the local computer store to sell them.

The bus got to her stop and she got off and was struggling to carry the bag to the vet's office. She noticed that the gentleman who had helped her had also got off of the bus. He was walking up behind her. The next thing she knew he was right behind her. He punched her, knocked her down and stole the suitcase.....................

Registration FAIL!

2008-11-26T08:20:00.006-05:00

I found this tidbit at the mall this weekend. Evidently someone has trouble reading the instructions on how to apply their county vehicle sticker. It is supposed to go on the INSIDE of the windshield.

Things I learned on my trip to Atlanta

2008-03-24T14:51:00.003-04:00

Airlines can replace a window in an airplane while it sits at the gate. It takes the glue 1 hour to dry.

Airlines cannot replace a cracked windshield at the gate.

"Lakisha the pleasure seeker" hangs out at the front of the Best Western at the Peachtrees.

There are alot of homeless people in Atlanta.

Homeless people like to hang out in front of the Hooters on Peachtree street and watch the TV through the window.

Drinking 8 martinis in one night causes physical and emotional distress.

It takes about 2 days to recover from drinking 8 martinis in one night.

The Best Western at the Peachtrees packs its pillows with packing peanuts (or something similar).

The Best Western at the Peachtrees has a crappy cable channel selection.

The Marriott Marquis' cable channel selection is similarly crappy.

The doorman at the Marriott Marquis thinks he knows where the Best Western at the Peachtrees is located....he doesn't.

Max Lagers was reputed to be a "hot spot" in Atlanta...its not.

The waterless urinals at the "World of Coke" save 300,000 gallons of water a year.

The World of Coke has a guy in a Polar Bear suit you can get your picture taken with.

It costs $12 to buy the picture of you with the guy in the polar bear suit.

The CNN building has the longest escalator in the world.

There is a cardboard cutout of Ted Turner on the tour of the CNN building (but not Jane Fonda).

Ever wonder how China can make things cheaper than us?

2007-12-06T10:44:00.001-05:00

My Mom forwarded this to me... I found it amusing.

The Construction Site Hard Hat

The Dust and Particle Free....Breathing Apparatus

OSHA Approved Scaffolding

and....My all time favorite.

The "New" Lightweight Welder's Mask.

Taking advantage of the system.

2007-10-02T13:04:00.001-04:00

I just moved out of my apartment...I lived there for about 2 years. There is a Lebanese family that lives in my building and the oldest male in the household has a handicapped tag on his car. This allows him to park right in front of the apartment building so he can access his apartment....Except.

He lives on the second floor.
There is no elevator in the building..you must use the stairs.
I have seen him frequently carrying many bags of groceries by himself up the stairs to the apartment.
There has never been anyone disabled coming out of or going into that apartment in the 2 years I have lived there.

I wonder what his disability is.... Maybe it is mental.

Thank Goodness for Bluegills

2007-08-21T11:52:00.001-04:00

Thank goodness for bluegills. Ethan and Sarah had a great time catching their first fish at Lake Anna. The bluegills were willing and the kids had a blast.
They took to casting very well, although they need a little practice with their accuracy. When a cast was let go everyone on the dock had to duck because we would not know were it would end up.

ZZZZZZZZZZ...............

2007-05-24T14:09:00.001-04:00

I am still here. I just fell asleep.

Buy American Next Time

2007-04-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

A surprise on a couch made in China.

"You've got to be kidding," said Dobbs, shaking his head at the shame of it. The guest held up the Toronto Star story about a black woman in Brampton whose new couch arrived in her home bearing a packing label describing the colour as "nigger-brown."

News Article

The Wild Boar

2006-12-20T13:34:00.001-05:00

I spent 10 years in the Army as a “FISTER” or Fire Support Team member. As FISTERS we were forced to go to training exercises (hereafter referred to as “the field”) with both the Artillery (our home unit) and the Infantry (our supported unit). This effectively doubled the amount of time we were in the field versus most other combat arms units. Since we were so frequently passed from the Artillery to the Infantry neither one really knew how to (or wanted to) deal with us. We were treated like red-headed stepchildren getting neither support nor understanding from the Artillery or the Infantry.

Generally we were considered a nuisance to the Infantry because we did not provide any tangible benefit during training exercises since shooting live artillery at friendly forces has never been considered productive or beneficial in any way. With no tangible support benefit we were just more mouths to feed, water and keep track of while in the field. The Artillery considered us cry babies because we complained so much about going to field. The Artillery going to the field maybe 3-4 months a year, riding in humvees, just could not understand what the whining was about. We would go to the field for 7-9 months a year, and WALKED everywhere. With this minor background the story starts.

We had been assigned a new Brigade Support officer (BDE FSO), a Major who was known for his general disdain for enlisted personnel and especially FISTERS. He had been in position maybe 2months before the first major field problem with the Artillery came around. He dragged every FIST team to the field regardless of their schedule with the Infantry units. Since the field problems with the Artillery required transporting equipment and personnel to the Big Island, the field problem would be a month long. This caused much grumbling from the FISTERS and the BDE FSO was quick to point out that complaints about seeing family, attending school, or rest were considered whining and would not be tolerated.

Once on the Big Island we headed to the Observation Post (OP). There were several OP’s spread around the impact area. The favorite was Pu’u Ahi. This OP was accessible by vehicle which made it very popular with the officers Officers being the kind that never strayed too far from wheeled vehicles in case they must rush off for “important” business. This provided them a way to supervise (harass) us without expending too much energy in trying to find us. The Pu’u had several bunkers dug into the side it, of which several appeared to have been dug by overzealous boy scouts. One was built extremely well. Too well to have been built by FISTERS. It surely had been constructed by combat engineers. Surprisingly the “engineer” bunker was the least popular as it was built for withstanding artillery impacts and had none of the comforts of the other bunkers, like a place to lay out flat to sleep and areas for spreading out to play spades.

Accommodations were further complicated by the BDE FSO deciding that he was going to sleep on the OP with the FISTERS to “keep an eye on us”, and had confiscated one of the bunkers for his personal use. He took one whole bunker for his cot, field desk, table and chairs, and easel. This caused distress amongst us as a whole forcing us to pack into the remaining bunkers like sardines.

Well the Major spent 2 nights on the OP, and decided that the FIST would spend the entire field problem on the OP. We would be shuffled in once a week for showers, then promptly wisked back to the OP to crawl around in the lava dust. After his monumentous decision, the Major left us, returning to the base camp for a shower and 2 day rest. While the Major was away, a funny thing happened.

The call of nature forced me out of the bunker late in the evening and as I was enjoying the 50 mph breeze, I noticed some movement down by the Major’s bunker. While watching I heard some muffled yelps and then noticed about 3-4 people scrambling up the hill toward me. I asked the soldiers “what the hell were you doing down there?” Panting under his breath on of the soldiers said “you don’t want to know Sarge.” Thinking of the possibilities of what the soldiers could have been doing at the Major’s bunker I said “The hell I don’t. Tell me what were you doing down there.” After a pause one of the other soldiers panted “We trapped a boar in the Major’s bunker and used his field table to block him in”. Now….this took a second to sink in. Then the true meaning of what the soldiers had done sank in, and what trouble they could get in. After pondering this for a minute I said, “Carry on”. The soldiers stared at me in the dark, the wind howling around their open mouths. I said “CARRY ON!” One of the soldiers replied “Right Sarge!” and they disappeared into their bunker.

The next morning the Major’s hummer rumbled up the OP, sending certain soldiers scurrying for cover. After a sojourn to the port-a-potty the Major wandered down from the top of the hill towards his bunker. I watched (from a distance of course) as he stepped to the door of the bunker and then paused. He seemed to be reluctant to enter the bunker, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. As far as I knew the boar was still in the bunker and would come racing the second he removed the field table blocking the doorway.

Well, no such luck. He bent down and entered the bunker. I heard a slow but steady stream of expletives start wafting toward me on the breeze. Curious as to what happened (and pretty sure the boar was gone) I put on my gear and walked down to the Major’s bunker.

When I got to the bunker and walked around to the front, I first noticed the field table. It was laying just outside of the doorway on the ground with obvious scrape marks on the side facing up. I then noticed that the Major had set his rucksack outside of the bunker. It looked like it had been run through a wood chipper. It was full of holes, all the pockets had been completely ripped open. The boar evidently not wanting to worry about snaps and straps had decided to eat his way through the rucksack. I quickly suppressed the laughter that was starting to rise, and could feel my face getting red as the expletives described above continued to emanate from the dark doorway of the bunker. I stuck my head in the door and asked “Major …… are you ok?” “F—K NO! I am not OK! What the hell happened in here?” I looked around…. The dusty bunker floor was covered with dimples from the pig’s hooves. At various places there looked to be balls of tin foil stuck in the dirt. Upon closer examination these were found to be tin cans of food that had been chewed to extract their contents. Ripped up paper, clothing, snack and candy bags littered the floor. The Major’s briefcase was laying on its side and looked like it had been rifled through, and of course was also covered with dusty hoof prints. A lone sleeping bag lay on the floor covered with dust, boar hair, and of course hoofprints.

The bunker was indeed a sight to see. There would have probably been less damage if a grenade had gone off in there. I surveyed the destruction, trying to surpress any signs of mirth, and said to the Major, “Sir, did you leave food in the bunker when you left?” he nodded his head yes “Well you can’t leave food out while up here on the OP, even in cans..” I said as I kicked a squashed can of Vienna sausages. Boars will find anything..I don’t care how well you hide it. Every good FISTER knows that.”

I wandered back up to my bunker and was immediately interrogated by the guys. I just told them. “ You better watch you’re a—because if the Major finds out that wasn’t an accident heads will roll.

Something strange happened to the Major after that day. He began to treat us with some respect, and actually started looking out for us. Hell, by the time the field problem was over it even seemed like he gave a sh-t about the FISTERS. Funny what a run-in with a boar can do…..

NO Citation Channel Catfish :-(

2006-05-08T11:17:00.002-04:00

Well, it looks like I wont be getting a citation for my channel cat, because...well...it is not a channel cat. It is a blue catfish. Evidently there have been some blue catfish stocked in Burke Lake and in Lake Brittle. My 16-18 lb blue cat would be considered a "baby". Blue catfish are consistently caught in the James River over 60lbs.

Citation Channel Catfish?

2006-05-01T21:07:00.002-04:00

Not being a regular catfisherman I am not sure if this is a channel cat or not, but the odds are it is. I caught this baby at Lake Burke in Fairfax Virginia while fishing with my girlfriend. The catfish was 33 inches long and length/weight charts put the fish at 16-18lbs. I fought the fish for 15 minutes and released it after the photos.
If the fish is a channel cat, then it may qualify as a Virginia citation fish. I am going to submit it with the pictures and see if they accept it.

Photo credits go to my girlfriend Bev. :-)

Spotted Seatrout Replica - Final

2006-05-01T20:51:00.000-04:00

Finished Mount

Here is my finished mount from Mike at Marine Creations. I think it looks great! I cant wait to receive it.

Spotted Seatrout Replica #3

2006-04-10T07:35:00.000-04:00

Mike has finished my replica and it looks great! Now we need a background. Mike and I discussed some ideas, but I will leave that for later. Mikes site is Marine Creations. Check it out to look at some of his work.

Finished Product.

Scale tipping down.

Spotted Seatrout Replica after some finishing work.

Spotted Seatrout Replica "rough"

Spotted Seatrout Replica #2

2006-03-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

There has been a bit more work done on my fish replica. The artist sent me this pic about 5 days ago. Here are his comments.

"Mount has been cut out and seams filled. A bit more body work to
do before starting on the eyes, mouth and gills."

Thanks,
Mike

I reposted the original picture of the rough blank so you can see the work he has done.

Spotted Seatrout Replica after some finishing work.

Spotted Seatrout Replica "rough"

Knee Surgery

2006-02-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

I had arthroscopic surgery last Wednesday the 15th. Now, one week later I am able to walk pretty well, but the knee is still very sore and stiff. In addition I have a dandy bruise above my knee evidently caused by the device used to hold my leg in place while on the table. Sometimes I dont know which is worse, the surgery or the bruise.

Inside of right knee

That bruise ranks at least in the top 2, if not the worse that I have ever had.

Spotted Seatrout Replica

2006-02-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

A long time ago in an estuary far far away..... I caught an excellent stringer of Spotted Seatrout the smallest of which was 7 1/2 lbs and the largest 9 1/2 lbs. Due to my financial status as a part-time college student and dishwasher, getting even one of the fish mounted was an impossiblity. These 4 fine fish thusly ended up baked in butter and devoured.
Now, many years later, the creation of "replicas" of trophy fish has become increasingly popular. The option allows the angler to release the trophy fish and still have a memory of the catch of a lifetime. I am having a replica created by a gentleman named Mike Kroessig. His website with galleries of his work is here.
Below is the "blank" of my 9 1/2 lb Spotted Seatrout replica and Mike has already started work on trimming the rough spots. I really like the posture of the fish as it does not look like it was nailed on to a 2x4.

Spotted Seatrout Replica

Johari Window

2006-02-21T07:58:00.000-05:00

I stole this from my buddy Maelstrom's blog. It is an interesting exercise in personality awareness. Both of you folks who actually read this blog please click on the link and follow the instructions.

Interactive Johari Window

First Striper!

2005-12-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

I had heard about striped bass from my father when we used to live in Georgia. We had heard that Lake Lanier had stripers stocked in it, but we never caught any. We only went there a couple of times, and we were looking for largemouth bass. Even as a child it struck me how interested he was in the striped bass. We never tried to exclusively fish for stripers, I dont know if my Dad thought it was a pain, or if it was too much trouble with a little kid (me) in the boat.
We moved to Florida in 1979 and I remember my Dad getting excited about stripers again when he found that a couple of impoundments in Florida had been stocked with them. I think his excitement died down when he found the resevoirs were too far away for a one day trip. My Dad grew up during the depression, and squandering money on a fishing trip, to him, was unacceptable.
Once I moved to Virginia I found that the Chesapeake Bay was one of the primary breeding populations of the Atlantic striper fishery. I heard of the large stripers being caught in the Bay in the Fall and Spring. Hearing of the availability of the stripers sparked an interest in me that had been laid down by my Dad. I had been fishing in the local ponds and lakes for largemouth, but only for a about a year. My overbearing now ex-wife complained every time I went fishing (or anywhere else) so I decided to try to maintain marital "bliss" and quit fishing (or doing anything else).
Just this year my Girlfriend and her family sparked my fishing interests again by getting me involved in the homeowners association catfish tournament. The fishing bug had bit me again and I was upgrading my equipment, restocking the tackle box and dove headfirst back into fishing. As I started fishing in Lake Anna I heard that the Lake is being stocked with stripers. I began to research on how to catch these elusive (to me) gamefish. I read many articles about using live bait, trolling, trolling with live bait, casting with topwater plugs. I heard terms like pencil poppers, planer boards and down lines. Terminology I was not familiar with. Finally I decided to just charter a trip with one of the guides on Lake Anna. Here is the result.

Doug Ball (left) and myself with my first 3 Striped Bass.

Quips from Uncle Bob

2005-12-07T07:51:00.001-05:00

Here are some quips forwarded to me by my Uncle Bob.

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked. She simply replied, "No peer pressure."

The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?" "98," she replied. "Two years older than me." "So you're 96," the undertaker commented. She responded, "Hardly worth going home, isn’t it?"

I've sure gotten old.! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends but thank God, I still have my driver's license.

A 97-year-old man goes into his doctor's office and says, "Doc, I want my sex drive lowered." "Sir," replied the doctor, "you're 97 Don't you think your sex drive is all in your head?" "You're damned right it is!" replied the old man. "That's why I want it lowered!"

An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart?" the preacher exclaimed. "Why Wal-Mart?" "Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week."

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

I've still got it, but nobody wants to see it.

I'm getting into swing dancing. Not on purpose. Some parts of my body are just prone to swinging.

It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffeemaker.

The good news is that even as we get older, guys still look at our boobs. The bad news is they have to squat down first.

These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, "For fast relief."

I've tried to find a suitable exercise video for women my age, but they haven't made one called "Buns of Putty."

Don't think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches.

Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up.!

Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing.

THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Side Scan Image #3

2005-10-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

The following images are of the spillway from the "heat transfer lagoon #3" at Lake Anna. This is where the warm water released from the power plant is transferred back into the cold side. The images are taken from the warm side of dike 3.

Spillway from #3 lagoon to the cold side.

Spillway (highlighted)

Humminbird 987C

2005-10-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

Humminbird 987C

I just purchased the Humminbird 987CI combo. I was lured in by the side scanning capabilites, the large display and the dual frequency sonar. I installed it on my Hurricane GS202 this last weekend and was able to take it out for a test run. All images are taken from various locations on the warm side of Lake Anna, VA. I have included screenshots of some interesting features and my interpretations of what the image represents. As with regular fishfinders the side-scanning images are open to interpretation. Post a comment if you think I have something incorrect.
For more information on this product go to humminbird's website at www.humminbird.com.

Image 1

Image 1A. Leaving the boat ramp.

Image 1 was scanned as I was leaving the boat ramp. As you can see the back of the creek I am in is not very deep. There are some objects on the bottom and the below image illustrates what I think they are.

Image 1B. Highlighted Features

Image 2

Image 2A. Submerged Road

Image 2B. Submerged Road (Highlighted)

2005 Hurricane GS 202 Review

2005-10-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

I purchased this boat in June 05, and used it the rest of the summer. Here is some items I have noted for the GS 202

Handling:
The boat handles great while on a plane. The 202's hull abruptly flattens on the bottom about 1/3 of the way back from the bow. This results in slippage while turning at high speed, and the Yamaha 150 will labor while pulling a hard turn at speed. This was noticeable at tubing speeds and even more so at full throttle. The boat leans nicely in turns, and does not flop over on its side while making fast maneuvers at speed.

One issue I had was handling at low speed. Trolling, idling, or docking was horrible. The boat would turn inconsistently. A slight input at the helm could cause a minor course change or make it turn 45 degrees. While trying to correct, the same (but opposite) input at the helm could make no course change, or again make it heel over 45 degrees. Reading the documentation on the hydraulic steering I found that air in the system could cause erratic steering. I notified the dealer and when I had my 10 hour service the tech checked the steering and said everything was fine. I went through several more weekends of trying to get used to the erratic steering. It was too irritating and I started regretting purchasing this boat. Well, the dealer sent me a bleed kit with hydraulic fluid and tubing needed to flush the system. I performed the bleed, and saw no noticeable air come out of the system, but when I put it in the water...Boy what a difference. The boat handled as expected. Docking and slow speed maneuvering were fine. I was relieved! Well I have not used the boat in about 3 weeks so I took it out recently and the steering issue returned. I will have to get the dealer to look at this again.

Construction:
The boat seems to be constructed well. Looking under the decking there appears to be a wood strip backing for the deck/hull joint. This is a good thing and gives the screws something to bite instead of simply being screwed through the fiberglass. The wood strip is unfinished however. There is no paint or gelcoat on it at all. I don't know if it is treated or not, but I am concerned about its durability in the long run.

In the hull there is nothing special. Your typical plywood glassed stringers and supports, and there seems to be no foam flotation. There are places where the plywood was not completely glassed or gelcoated. This could be a place for rot to take hold, but I don't think it will be a problem for a boat stored on a trailer. The hoses for the self-bailing deck and bilge pump seem to be run kind of haphazardly through the hull. One of the 12v plug receptacles (cigarette lighter style) has already broken. I was trying to plug a spotlight in the receptacle and the back of it just popped off. After inspection it appeared that the back of the receptacle had not been properly glued to the body (it is plastic). No doubt a manufacturer defect. I would think that stainless steel receptacles would have been better and I will probably replace the plastic ones with stainless later.

Storage:
The storage bins are self bailing. The ones in the front of the boat are part of the molded fiberglass deck. They have hinged upholstered lids that act as the front lounge seats. My starboard side bin had the optional changing room attachment installed. I removed it as it had a tendency to pop up in my face when the lid was lifted. Every time I opened it I felt like I was fighting a giant jack-in-the-box. The "lid" that the upholstery is stapled to is slightly flexible plastic. The gas shocks that lift the lid on the starboard side have started to crack the plastic where they are mounted. The dealer says he has a new lid for me, but I have not seen it yet. The bin in the rear on the port side is an insert. Its finish is not as nice as the molded bins, and it appears to be screwed to the deck from underneath. Indeed there are several screws under there whose purpose is not clear. The lid for it is a very flexible plastic and it appears cheap. I don't know why this lid is different from the front bins. There is a small storage bin aft that is part of the molded deck, and this is used as the battery box. There are two bins near the transom, the port side is molded and self bailing. The starboard side is an insert mounted low in the hull so it is open to the inside of the hull. It is very large, but does not drain and will hold about 10 gallons of water in the insert. I would not store anything in there that was remotely susceptible to moisture damage. Finally there is a place to store a cooler (included with the boat).

Front Deck:
The fittings seem to be good quality and all of the ones I could see from inside the hull are through-bolted to the deck. The front deck is a good size for fishing/casting and has minimal room to mount a trolling motor. There is a motor receptacle mounted on the front deck. I have a 54lb minnkota mounted on a quick release mount so I can remove it for "non-fishing" excursions. There is an anchor locker on the front deck with a bracket to support the anchor. I have a large danforth anchor with 5 Ft of chain and a 100ft rode. There is ample room to store this setup, but the anchor brackets are mounted a bit too far apart to hold my anchor. There is no fitting to secure the bitter end of your rode to. A stainless eye or U bolt would have been a nice touch. I have the fishing package which includes 2 fishing seats for the front of the boat. The mounts are low profile and don't get in the way too much on the front deck. Having 2 seats is overkill. There is no room for 2 people to fish in both seats, unless you are kids and aren't casting very much. The seats are lower than standard bass boat seats and they don't rotate very easily. I have used the seats twice and probably will not use them again. It is more comfortable to stand. There is a folding ladder on the bow of the boat. Those over 40 who eat a lot of big macs will have trouble getting out of the water on the bow ladder. Luckily there is one on the stern with a handle to grab on when hoisting your carcass out of the water. The stern ladder is definitely easier to use from the water and I would reserve the bow ladder for access from a beach.

Canvas:
The bimini top is sturdy stainless steel. It is fairly easy to retract and comes with a vinyl cover to wrap it in its stowed positions. The top is a pain when you are trying to fish off of the stern even when lowered all the way. The stern navigation light is mounted on the bimini top and (in my case) is susceptible to being removed by low bridges. One problem is if you remove the bimini top, you have no stern light. There is no mount or option for a stand alone stern light without the bimini top. The playpen cover fits well and keeps the weather off of the vinyl and helm. There are no vents in the top to let out moisture, but this has not been a problem yet. The back of the top does not completely cover the back storage bin and allows it to fill up with water (see storage above).

Helm:
The helm is part of the molded deck and so is sturdy and does not feel as if it is going to fall apart. There is the standard compliment of gauges. Speedo, Tach, Fuel, Trim, Amps, I would have liked to have a water temp/water pressure gauge also, but thought of it after I already purchased the boat. There is an FM stereo/ CD player mounted in the helm with a MP3 player input. There are 4 speakers in the boat and the system sounds good. The wiring under the dash looks like it was done with no pride in workmanship whatsoever. The grounding bars are not secured, but just laying on top of the fuel tank. None of the slack in any of the wiring was taken up and secured. It is just dumped on the floor fuel tank as well. There was trash, plastic bags cardboard leftover from the installation, under the dash as well. Sloppy work period.
One peeve I have is that if you turn on the navigation lights, the dash lights come on as well. There is no option for dimming the dash, or turning it off. This destroys your night vision making it a necessity to have a spotlight for driving at night.

Usability: (Is that a word?)
As I stated before the boat handles well at speed. Hopefully I will get my slow speed steering issue fixed as that can get really frustrating. The boat excels at cruising/rafting/partying. It handles tubing pretty well also. The step-down deck is great for keeping small kids corralled and Godfrey has a back gate that will close off the aft deck access. The boat is stable when anchored (102" beam) and does not hardly rock at all when I move around the boat (I weigh 245lbs). One person can fish from the front deck, but if you have a second they have to stand in the cockpit where the seating is. While it is not impossible to fish from down in the cockpit, it is not ideal. The bimini top blocks the back of the boat from being used as a fishing platform and one day I may take it off to see how it will work. There is almost no place to put any flush mount rod holders...A disappointment. I did mount some driftmaster rod holders on the genealogy, but I have yet to actually use them. There is little space to mount electronics, and I worked around this by using a ram-mount setup on the helm. The ample storage keeps gear out of the cockpit and leaves plenty of room for socializing. I have had 6 people on the boat at one time and had plenty of room to stretch out.

Summary:
I think Godfrey has a little quality control work to do in their assembly department. The messy electronics setup, constant steering problems and lack of attention to detail lower the value of the boat. The boat shines as a cruising/party boat although it is not the best for fishing. I like the open design, the wide beam and the boat handles well. The Yamaha 150 is a fair match for the boat, although if you were a skier I would opt for the 200. I think the boat is a little overpriced for the quality you receive. I am generally happy with the GS 202 although the recently found construction flaws tarnish its image.

New Boat

2005-07-26T11:02:00.001-04:00

FunDeck GS 202

Well, I finally got a boat. It is a dream I have had for many years and one I thought would never come true as long as I live in Northern VA. It is a Hurricane Fundeck GS 202 built by Godfrey Marine. I did not think I would get a deck boat as I prefer to have boats built primarily for fishing. Getting on in years, and having young children makes me lean toward a more comfort oriented boat, although I did get a trolling motor installed. This boat is stable, comfortable and does provide a decent fishing platform plus its lowered interior helps keep the young kids safe.

FunDeck GS 202

Here are some stats.
Length: 20'2"
Beam : 102"
Fuel Capacity: 52 Gal
Motor: Yamaha 150 HP 4 stroke (man is it quiet)
Speed: 45mph Speedo 42 mph GPS at 6000 RPM wide open throttle (WOT)
Cruise 30 mph at 4000 RPM.
Other stats you can view by going to the manufacturer's site.

Texas man arrested after rescuing swimmer - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

2005-07-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Texas man arrested after rescuing swimmer - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A man who rescued a swimmer caught in swirling river currents found himself in trouble soon afterward when he was arrested by authorities who claimed he was interfering.

JIMMY BUFFETT!!!

2005-06-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, another Jimmy Buffett concert has come and gone here in Northern VA. The pre-party in the parking lot of Nissian Pavilion is usually pretty cool, but over the years I have noticed that the Parrothead demographic has changed. What used to be a bunch of pretty cool folks getting to gether to party and have a good time, has now been infected with a--holes.
This has not happened all at once, but has been a gradual process, getting worse every year. This time I was affected by a group of a--holes from the Prince Georges County Fire Department. Now, it has been my experience that people from Maryland are generally a--holes anyway, with few exceptions. They also seem to have all been to the same bad driving school where they are taught how to cut off other drivers, drive aggressivly and break of their turn signal switch so it cannot be used at all. This group of about 4 cars all parked together near where I was stationed. When they arrived one of them set up a DJ level sound system with HUGE speakers and powered by a loud obnoxious generator. Now if the guy was willing to spend that much money on sound equipment you would think that he would have purchased a decent generator not one from WalMart for $150. The thing was LOUD! It sounded like a lawn mower and was only about 20 ft from where I was. The sound radiated for about 100ft in every direction and ruinied everybodies party in the area.
Now the generator was obnoxious enough, but the sound system was worse. First, all you could hear was BASS. The folks parked next to me noted (screaming over the sound system) that they did not mind the generator as much as the stereo. It sounded like CRAP! Evidently the Maryland walking-talking-rectum had forgotten what concert he was attending as he started playing hip-hop, rap and other garbage. I guess that he and his party figured that if they were having fun, then f--k everybody else. Again.. typical Maryland a--holes.
The Prince Georges County Firefighters showed some forethought as they had brought a small porta-potti and had erected a makeshift stall out of a WalMart tarp and some PVC pipe. A good idea except that no one used it. It was evidently much easier to relieve themselves on the front of their vehicles or even next to the porta-potti, but not in it. I guess they really should have brought a giant fire hydrant that they could hike their legs on. Nothing I like to see more when I am eating than some a--hole drunks pissing on their own feet in full view of me and about 200 other people.
The concert itself was good. Typical Jimmy Buffett with the sound quality being as good as can be in a metal roof pavilion. Nothing spectacular. The people on the other hand have gotten worse. More drunk idiots spewing their guts, passing out on the concession tables and being carted away by the police. I also saw more people trying to subvert the event security and try to secure seats in areas where they were not supposed to be. I had not seen this in a Jimmy Buffett concert before. Usually everyone is fairly well behaved. I saw no less than 3 people be removed forcibly by security for trying to steal other peoples seats down our aisle. I think its funny watching someone yell at the cops or the security because they are getting removed because they dont have a ticket, but of course its the cops' fault. It always is.
After the show I usually sit and cook out while waiting for the thousands of other folks to leave the parking lot. It usually takes at least an hour just till you can actually see the lines of cars moving to get to the exits. I had hoped that the Firefighter clan had left, but no. They showed up and cranked up the cheap generator and began plowing us with obnoxious music again. A couple of them were wandering around so drunk they could hardly stand. One got "lost" a couple of times and was returned by some good samaritans.
When the cars started thinning out you could see the mess that had been made. People had left piles of trash heaped all over the parking lot. Some people who had built props just left them in place. The parking lot looked more like a landfill and I had to manuever around heaps of garbarge to prevent running over a beer bottle or something. Nasty.
Well, we'll see how it goes next year. It may be time for me to sit home and listen to some "Home Made Music".

Your Child's Best Interest

2005-06-09T08:03:00.000-04:00

This was posted on this site labeled "Legal Issues and Court Cases affecting sexual offenders".
Here is the link http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/issues-csocietal.html
The Ringleader is at it again.

» CC »10-27 Virginia: Judge rejects state's civil commitment request! ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A judge in Alexandria rejected a request by Attorney General Jerry Kilgore to commit a convicted child molester as a sexually violent predator. In his ruling Friday, Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Alfred D. Swersky agreed with the state that Brian K. Manuel is a "sexually violent predator" who remains a threat to the community even though he recently finished serving an eight-year prison term for his crimes.

But the judge stopped short of granting the state's request to have Manuel confined indefinitely to a mental institution. Swersky instead ordered that Manuel never be alone with a child and that he participate in sex offender therapy, take hormones to squelch his sexual urges and undergo regular polygraph tests. (by Associated Press)

ABC 7 News - Judge: Accused Killer Needs More Treatment Before Standing Trial

2005-04-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

This is the same Judge that presided over my hearing. This guy attacked and stabbed an 8 year old boy 18 times!

ABC 7 News - Judge: Accused Killer Needs More Treatment Before Standing Trial

C&O Canal

2005-04-17T18:55:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to go see part of the C&O canal last weekend. It was a great day trip! I took White's Ferry across the Potomac River instead of dealing with the Beltway. Anyway, here are some pics.

Lock 22 at C&O canal

Whites Ferry Crossing

Whites Ferry Crossing

The C&O Canal.

Catching some rays

More Sunbathers

Frog in the leaves

Beaver Shot

Another beaver shot