4 Reach

Name:
Location: California, United States

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

A day of fishing

Hello All,
I would like to thank each of you for the comments of my experiences. Considering these topics have received notice, I think I will offer up another one for your entertainment.

One of my “Father and Son” outings with my dad was to fish. We would find streams, ponds, lakes, and even the ocean to pass the time.

I remember one summer we were at our favorite lake trying to catch dinner. Because I was a young child, my father would cast my line out into the water for me and I would sit back and watch the end of my fishing pole. When a fish would nibble on the bait at the other end of the line, I would notify my dad so he could set the hook and hand me the pole to catch my fish. This is a common practice between father and young son. Until this one particular day, when the stars were out of their alignment and clocks seemed to turn in reverse, yes existence seemed to take an altered course as we began our day.

The plan was to fish the shore early, then head out on the lake in the boat and return when the rest of our family arrived and continue fishing with them on the shore. While the majority remained as planned, the details changed significantly with the first nibble on my line. I called my dad over to check the line and certainly there was a fish on the other end. With the hook set, I took the fishing pole from my father as I noticed his pole dancing with a fish also. It was a great moment as my father and I both brought in our fish. I could see my fish from the shore and pointed it out to my father and he argued that it was his fish I was seeing. As the fish emerged from the water, it had two set hooks belonging to each of us. This was the only time I have seen one fish caught on two poles; however, this was later topped by a fish caught without any bait, hook, or line.

We then launched the boat and went down to our “secret” spot. Most anglers have the one spot they like to fish because it has always been reliable. As we arrived to the secret spot, we noticed another boat with two gentlemen in our location. So, we dropped anchor just far enough away, as to not interfere with their day and yet close enough that we could hit the hole at the bottom of the lake. As my dad and I fished, I happened to look in the direction of the two men in the other boat and see a fish jump from out of the water into the very center of their boat. With nothing else to capture my attention I watched the events unfold in the other boat. Both men first looked at the fish with an obvious recognition of the other’s catch. Then, as a realization set in of no connecting fishing line, each man began to lay claim on the fish. First, a discussion led to an argument and escaladed into in all out fight between these men in their small boat. Needless to say, greed shortened their day of fishing and they soon left. The desire for having it all does not always have to be in a boat, when it comes to fishing.

With word of the remaining family member’s arrival, we recovered the boat onto the trailer and made our way to the meeting point on the lake. My uncle and cousins soon arrived and the entire clan began our fishing adventure as a team. My uncle, an avid Bass Fisherman, brought out his enormous tackle for the fight that he would soon encounter. From the shore, he could see three bass varying in size settled in under a rock about ten feet into the water. After catching two of the three, he set his sights on the third which was the larger of the others; however, it completely ignored the plastic worm the other two so anxiously attacked. He finally resolved himself into leaving the plastic worm in sight of the bass and grabbed a lure from his tackle box and pulled it as close as possible to the bass’ mouth with no luck. Try after try, my uncle became more and more determined to catch this fish. The bass would not budge, that is until the lure came too close to the plastic worm. This bass was contemplating the worm and did not wish any other creature to take it, so it attacked the lure with such force, no "hook setting" would be required on my uncle’s part. Realizing an error, the bass immediately wrapped the line under the rock where the fish had previously rested and my uncle’s fight was only beginning. Following much effort, we finally hailed a nearby boat for some verticle assistance with this fish. The boat operator had left his pole with the line trailing on the stern of the craft as he unweaves my uncle’s line from around the rock. My uncle began to bring back his empty line, as the bass had managed to “spit” the hook, but my uncle did manage to retain all of his bait.

At this point, the boat driver began his departure from the area only to have the boat’s propeller pull a fishing pole over the back. Disappointed in the loss of his equipment, while he was only trying to help another angler, the man slowed his speed on his way out of the cove. My uncle made one last cast to catch this “monster” bass and had a bite. Something grabbed my uncle’s hook so strong and bent his fishing pole over past 110 degree bend. My uncle was elated when he brought to shore- the boat operator's fishing pole. We called the gentleman back over and returned his property and walked away with only the story I have just written.

I promise this to NOT be, another wild fish(Y) story.

Be Safe,

Reach

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Another chapter of not judging the book....

Hello All,

With my days and nights changing to a new life style, I wondered how I would spend my time. Mornings filled with college class schedules and my nights with practice, my only option was to take a position in public service. I just graduated High School and was now heading into a path known only as “My Life”.

Once an Olympic hopeful, I remained a non-professional skater. Since a child’s age, I participated in every balance sport I could find. My skating included ice, roller, and boardwalk. Ice skating was practicing hockey, dance, figure, and speed. Then, when an ice rink could not be found locally, I spent my practice sessions in the roller rinks practicing hockey, dance, speed, and rexing. The summer months found the boardwalks in San Diego as I entertained the passer-by’s with my spot skating, in between my surfing sets. It was the early 1980’s and skating was a national rage. So many people, kids, flocked to their local rinks on Friday and Saturday nights with the dreams of having all eyes on them as they demonstrated their abilities, or meeting the “Right” person to share the rest of their life.

The summer of 1980 also brought great joy and sorrow for me. The joy was in the form of competition at Silver Cup. Pretty much a guarantee in my category, I was moving on, as I targeted the United States Olympic Men’s Team. The sorrow arrived one warm night as one of my closest friends was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Randy was only 15 years young and shot by two fully grown adult males in the most cowardly and spineless acts. For these two did not act like True Men by standing up for his individual action, they just sped away in their vehicle not knowing they were being followed, and later apprehended.

Shortly after, every “news” paper in Southern California was on the scene. Considering this was my place of employment, we were instructed to remain quiet regarding the media. These “professionals”, “reporters”, people in a desire for historical accuracy decided the only avenue for their name to accompany this story was to interview any person on speaking terms. And, these “qualified journalists” did just that, talked with anybody. The very next day, my name appeared in the local “news” paper as being one of the victims. Not that I hold anything against these people, their position is a necessity, or that is what these people convince themselves as they “report” non-reliable shit. Again, weighing heavy on my heart and mind, I knew the need for continued practice as Silver Cup was only right around the corner on this timeline.

The team arrived to the location two days before the competition and we were excited to begin our rituals. The following four days contained much practice with little- to no sleep. Then, the night before the opening ceremonies we were allowed to have a night out. I did not sleep well for many reasons, one of which was the early awakening at 0400.

I had the most fun during the competition in the company of some major names. On the television, these people were superstars and now I am “goofing around” with these same, but, normal people. Though I was proud of my Tenth place, I did understand as Randy was always in the back of my mind. I knew he was with me that day, as I looked at the line up of competitors. My final outcome ranged in the best five percent in the nation. The spooky part came when I finally arrived back home. Some of my friends, who also knew Randy, asked if anything odd had happened while I was away. They said, little things changed, as if Randy were still with us. For example, when Randy would ride in Mike’s car, we would always put him in the back seat and he complained about the rear seat belts being under the seat and not at his ready. While I was away, the seat belts found their way to above the seats without assistance. Did I mention, I had a crush on Randy’s sister, Michelle? Well, we never went out again following these events.

There are times when I wonder how, or where, Michelle is in her life. I never wonder about Randy any more, for I know in my heart of hearts how, and where, he is in this next stage of life.


Be Safe,

Reach

Friday, March 09, 2007

You Know You Have A Real Jeep (Are A Real Jeeper) If.....

Hello All,



My Jeep parked in front of a 2006 Toyota Sequoia

You Know You Have A Real Jeep If . . .
1. You use a hose to clean the inside and the outside
2. You take your date home early on a Saturday night so you can work on your Jeep
3. You determine that the best route from Point A to Point B is through a rock pile or over a mountain
4. You call a scratch or a dent, a beauty mark
5. You roll it over and don't get upset
6. Your Mom or your sister can't get in without help
7. You judge every hill you see by how much fun it would be to climb
8. You feel nauseous when you see a H3
9. You get custom pin-striping from trail brush
10. A low-rider Jeep pulls up next to you, and you want to get out and slap the driver
11. It takes more than 6 hours to get the news paper
12. You pull into the unplowed parking spots on snowy days
13. You take your friends wheeling and they say "What trail; I don't see a trail!"
14. You've been forced to add TJ, CJ, YJ, and XJ to your spell-checker
15. You can see OVER a lifted Suburban
16. You carry emergency supplies and clothing because you never know where you will end up
17. Your Nerf bars battle rocks and win
18. It rains and you don't care that your top and doors are off
19. You drive around to look at Christmas lights . . . topless
20. You change your plugs in the parking lot at work on a break
21. Your "Parts Department" is on blocks behind your house
22. You take your Mom wheeling and she has to help you flip the Jeep back onto its wheels again
23. You use an ice-scraper on the inside of the windshield
24. You get more heat from holes in the floorboards than through the heater vents
25. Every page of your repair manual has greasy fingerprints
26. Passengers scream "DON'T ROLL IT!" when you take them wheeling
27. You spend more time under your Jeep than under your significant other
28. Winter comes and you can't remember where you left your top
29. You spend more on car washes than on insurance
30. Even worse, the car wash won't let you in
31. You fix almost everything yourself
32. You feel sorry for someone in a $60,000 Toyota Land Cruiser
33. You have the phone numbers for all of your favorite mail-order accessory houses memorized
34. You have all your credit card numbers memorized
35. You slam the door and chunks of dried mud crumble to the ground
36. You get asked to pick up your co-workers in a snowstorm . . . and get paid for it
37. Your wife/girlfriend refuses to get in it
38. You are the only one on the street who doesn't plow their driveway
39. You are dating the Service, Parts, or Sales Manager at your local Jeep dealership
40. You try to run the plow trucks off the road when it snows heavily
41. You can't hear your $200 stereo over the howl of your tires on the highway
42. You have a high-water mark INSIDE the Jeep
43. After your answer to "What did you do this weekend?", The next question is always: "And you do this for fun, right?"
44. Your criteria for selecting a "significant other" includes auto repair skills--air tools optional
45. You plan your wedding around the Club's trail ride schedule
46. You save broken Jeep parts as "mementos"
47. You know the exact story behind every one (see above)
48. When someone refers to "The Good Book", you think of "The Jeep Owner's Bible"
49. You keep trying to convince your significant other to allow you to remove the doors on the family minivan
50. Your Jeep no longer fits in the garage
51. You always have your drinks "on the rocks"
52. You think that any tire that isn't waist high looks like a bagel
53. You can't take a girl, who's wearing a dress, on a date without carrying along a set of steps
54. You can't sneak into church late because the engine is too loud
55. You know your ring gear size, but not your wedding ring size
56. All of your shirts have some sort of grease or oil stains, or battery acid holes, from not planning on working on your (or a friend's) Jeep
57. You have a dirt berm at the end of your driveway from the mud that got washed off of your Jeep
58. You think that an "airline" is something that connects your differential to your air compressor
59. You stop trying to get the dirt out from under your fingernails
60. You buy parts for your Jeep instead of food for your family
61. You spend Super Bowl Sunday turning wrenches rather than watching the game
62. Your e-mail address refers to your Jeep rather than you
63. Your garage holds more Jeeps than your house has bedrooms
64. You have enough spare parts to build another Jeep
65. You have Jeep parts in your cubicle at work
66. You have to wash your hands before you go to the restroom
67. You carry along enough tools to supply a small garage
68. You nickname your Jeep after the noises it makes or it's most damaging trail accident
69. You carry along a replacement part for every drive component on the Jeep
70. You can air up your tires without stopping at a gas station
71. You're constantly getting passed on the highway
72. The Service Department has to let all of the air out of your front tires in order to reach the engine
73. Your wallet is always empty! –Just Empty Every Pocket!

Be safe,

Reach

Sunday, March 04, 2007

A little progression report

Hello All,

Some of you may remember my experiences with the Canadians. They are back and within 45 days I shall be aloft.

Friday brought the mid-level meeting on the Production Company, which has a final name at this time. Due to licensing the name is currently being withheld; however the Company, Staffing, and projects are coming more to a reality than before. With a firm contract and two tentative on the table, we are moving forward. The strongest portion of this first contract comes not in revenue, but with options. Therefore, if you are into action/sports/reality films, keep one eye on this site and the shelf of your local stores.

Currently, we have two reels in the can and the third arriving this Monday for the next phase of the first production. The subject of this first film is off-road racing as viewed from one sponsor, manufacturer, the team, events and preparation in Trophy Cart categories, Sand Rails, and Rhino for recreation.

Be Safe

Reach

Friday, March 02, 2007

A Beach Revisited

Hello All,

Well, March is here and my friends from the north are back in town. This year, unlike last, I will be taking them up on their offer whether I am physically capable or not. As some of you may remember, I have been invited to take a few jumps with an elite Sky-Diving team. Though I am not certified, they have assured me there will be no problems in getting me back in the air. I find it funny that I can no longer fly airplanes, due to my medical certification loss, and here I am going to be joining up mid-air with a full competition team.

I have seen other people repost articles of their past and I would like to repost one of mine. Now that I have some new readers, I ask the others to please bare with me on this one. So, if you are new to Reaching in, I bring you Waves.

For the past 24 hours, I have held the undeniable urge to write about waves. Not those found in the air or light, but the ones surrounding our coasts.
Many Marine Biologists state the ocean is a living, breathing body. With every living creature playing a role in its eco system, much like the life giving cells of any living thing.

Growing up a surfer, my friends and I have always believed every wave holds and exhibits its own characteristic, making it unique in its own existence.
A person can live on the same beach for most of their life and not see the same wave twice. How can this be?
The rise and fall of the ocean floor is the forming factor for each wave; and, as each wave breaks, the sandy surface of the floor will shift, thereby, changing the angles of the floor ever so slightly to create a newly formed surface for the next wave. It is with this information in mind; we believe each wave has only one, short life.
A surfer may not be the best, or worst, as they attempt to ride the next set of waves.

However, considering the life expectancy of this one wave, a surfer must honor and respect that which only exists for a short time. In doing this, the rider must give this ride his/her best effort, for this ride will never happen again. Even the waves respect one another; in that, they will follow each other to the shore. When two or more collide, they generate a force that will be viewed in awe for the magnificence they create.

How does this apply to us?

There are many aspects in our lives, which resemble the waves. Some of us take our careers, or families, for granted; yet, each is just like the wave. As we drive to work, do we think of the day’s goals and not as this day only existing this one time? How would one person react, if they were to begin thinking in the terms of the wave? Would a person not change their interaction with their loved ones?
Their Friends?
Themselves?
Their co-workers or a stranger on the street?
Moreover, what about those waves that collide, could we not view this as those people whose personalities clash? I have had times, when I would “test the waters of a storm”, only to find I do not belong on this beach. My communication is like the paddling of a surf board, as I try to place myself into that position to best ride the wave. It is at times like those, that I have found the best solution is to return to the beaches I know and wait for another set- for I am not a storm rider.

The distinction and significance of every moment is ours, for this ride is short and will never happen again;
Finally, the best part arrives at the end of the day, as it will be the time to celebrate the next set of waves.

Be Safe,

Reach