Random January Collection

Last weekend found us down in Portland, visiting with some of our favorite friends. After a weekend of being spoiled with incredibly high thread count sheets (thanks, Chase!) and much other pampering, Brock and I took a quick trip out to Astoria, OR. I think if I had to go back to living on land someday, that might be a place where I could do it. We checked out the Maritime Museum there – highly recommend for any of you salty types in the area. There was fantastic history, along with the lightship Columbia. We didn’t get to go aboard unfortunately; weather was rough and tides were too high. And sometime when we get a chance? Cannery Pier Hotel is definitely on our list of places to stay.

Inside, there was a great display of a ling cod. When Brock and I were up in the San Juans at one point, we went out fishing in the dinghy. He didn’t bring a net along. Of course he was catching in his usual efficient fashion (I am pleased to say that he doesn’t just fish, he really catches!). The line was particularly heavy on one pull. It turned out he had caught a rockfish, which had then in turn been chomped on by a big ol’ ling cod. So he gets them to the surface & we figure out what’s going on, but we have no way to land this duo. The ling cod is only staying there because it’s got the rockfish lodged in its jaws and it’s not letting go. So Brock looks at me and says “Make a noose.” Being compliant and not exactly figuring out what he has in mind, I comply. Then he says “OK, now put that around it’s head. Oh, and watch out for the teeth!”
Really? Are you kidding me? Do I look like I fell off the turnip truck yesterday? So I tell him “How about I’LL hold the rod and YOU put the noose around it’s head?” Needless to say, nobody actually wanted that job and in the end, the ling cod let go and lived to swim another day. That was sure one tattered and torn rockfish by the time he was in the boat!
The pilot boats were very cool. I bet those guys can sure tell some stories over a beer or two!
This is a puppy we came perilously close to adopting a few weeks ago. Somehow we managed to keep our heads and realize that there are many reasons it’s not the right time for a dog for us, but WOW. We were both head-over-heels for this little guy. He’s a Corgi-Boston Terrier mix: long body/short stubby legs/huge bat-ears of a Corgi, coloring of a Boston, and just the greatest little personality ever. But truly, Roomba is a better choice for us at this point.

And this is my guy, driving the 180′ Royal on a Sunday morning. And in keeping with the Magic Brock nature, he was, of course, cleaning windows. That’s my guy!

No Responses to “Random January Collection”

  1. Anonymous
    January 26, 2010 at 5:07 pm #

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  2. wsxwhx652
    January 25, 2010 at 4:01 am #

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.