[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..A warm welcome to out new community members!

This has to be the warmest Sept-Oct that I can remember..I had the air conditioners on most of the day, and wearing short pants all week..It has been warm and muggy for most of the week, and foggy the past 4 mornings..Weird!

Ive been out on the water just about everyday..I took one day off this week so that I wouldnt crash and burn, and Im finally starting to catch some stuff..Ive been feeling really good lately, better than I have in a long time

Not much to report this week..How was your week?

[Stitcher]

Steve, I think that is the shortest post you have ever written. Wow!!

The weather is finally suppose to become Fall-like on Tuesday, as a cold front is moving in our direction. It has been in the 80s all week......A/C on here too.

My mother called as usual on the weekend for a weekly checkin. She couldn't believe our weather is so warm. For her it is normal...living in Florida.

I will say I have been enjoying having my car keys back and being able to come and go from home when I want to. 82.gif
Dr. Stern can mutter to himself all he wants, "I would prefer she fly than drive a car."
What do those neurologists know anyway...hum... 14.gif

I am off to NYC/Penn Station, by way of Amtrak, on Wed to attend the PDF 50th. I am excited about the trip, the lectures/education and the opportunity to visit with a couple of old PWP friends.
Not old in age, of course, just old in the number of years I have known them88.gif

[Virginia Therese]

Hi, Carolyn...I just realized (only took me about 6 months to notice! lol) that you live in Gettysburg, PA. One of our favorite places to visit is Lancaster, PA...PA Dutch country where the food is so good and the countryside so serene. I guess I just wanted to let you know that we have "some connection" to your part of the state...and I just wondered if you spend any time in Lancaster...or, is it just "another place" for you...nothing special about it...

LOL...usually I thank you for all the good information that you post at the forum...and now, I'm speaking to you about Lancaster and its good food...quite a contrast!!!

Therese

[Stitcher]

Theresa, Lancaster is only a short hours drive north of me.

Anytime!

Oh yes, food is a good thing too.

[vlhperry]

Steve, miss your humorous pictures, even when they poke fun at positions I support. You have to laugh at yourself sometimes and not let life get too serious. It was 91 degrees yesterday in Minnesota and will be the same today. We have never been this warm in October, before.

The early part of the week I had a very sore throat and my glands felt swollen. I felt crummy all Monday, Tuesday and on Wednesday had the worse smelling diaarea ever. Was scared to eat Thursday, but was feeling better on Friday. I finally received the DVD of my sons wedding on Friday. It is wonderful. Am hoping to get more copies but my DVD burner does not recognize the format.

Am back to playing my clarinet. It gets harder and harder to find a group that will accept me because of my inconsistant ability to continue playing.


take care all,
Vicky

[Todd]

Yeah, this was by far Steve's shortest post in this topic - possibly ever! C'mon Steve...

Heading to NY for the PDF 50th Anniversary Symposium. Looking forward to it but just dread the cross country flight. Seriously kicks my butt and takes me about a week to recover. Hope it's worth it though...

Gave a speech this weekend for a local APDA symposium that went over really well. Got to meet Dr. Hubert Fernandez, who answers questions on the NPF "Ask the Doctor" forum. Great guy.

Amazed at how lazy my college students are. "What? We actually have to read the chapter? Can't you just give us your notes? You mean I have to actually work and turn stuff in on time?" Unreal. And they want to work with children to help "guide" them. Scares me...

Other than that, still no speeding ticket (knock on wood) and loving every minute behind the wheel of my car. 425 hp is so much fun!

Have a great week everyone!

[stevem53]

Sorry folks....It was just an uneventful week, and I dont want to bore you all with fish stories every week..but..Ive been fishing almost everyday, and when you have pd..and you fish..you fish..and you rest..It steals alot of time and mental energy away from other aspects of my life..It has been a game of getting all my ducks in a row lately..The price of conch, the species that I fish for, went from $1.15 per pound in the early summer, to .70 cents per pound in the late summer, and presently the price Ive been working on now..So its been a game of economic roullette

Conch = .70 cents per pound

Gasoline = $2.65 per gal

Bait..Frozen horseshoe crab..Male crab = $1.50 a piece..Female crab = $2.50 a piece

So heres what Ive been doing for the past 3 weeks..The only other bait that works is the green crab..which I can catch myself..but..it cost me my time and gas, and It costs me one tank of gas ($15.00) to catch enough crabs to bait 25 traps..I have to haul about 15 crab traps to catch that amount..I am only capable of hauling 50 conch traps per day because of pd..So if I haul 15 crab traps, it takes away from how many conch traps that I can haul per day..Plus, the crab traps are a hike across the upper bay and the weather prevents me from going there when I need to..and the green crabs arent catching me enough conch to justify fishing for them..So its back to buying frozen horseshoe crabs, which is the best bait, for big $$$..When conch is $1.15 per pound you can afford to buy bait, but when they are .70 cents per pound the bait becomes expensive..So the riddle that has to be solved is this:..What is the minimal amount of bait in each trap can that you get away with, and still produce enough conch to turn a profit?..Female crabs are much larger than male crabs..I can cut a male crab in 2 pieces, at .75 cents per half per trap..I can cut the female crabs in 4 pieces at .61 cents per quarter per trap..A trap catches anywhere from 3-10 lbs of conch per trap..If you can average 5 lbs per trap, you can turn a reasonable profit if you haul 50 traps..that is, if you dont have to travel far to work your traps..because of the $2.65 per gal of gas price

So the deal is to set the traps in productive areas as close to home port as possible, with the minimal amount of bait possible in each trap, and using whatever else crawls in the trap as supplimental bait

So thats the numbers game Ive been playing for the past few weeks, and it has consisted of moving my traps all over creation, and losing money, up untill this week..Tending traps is a numbers game, and I think Ive finally got it together..Just like "Deadliest Catch"...But on a less lethal, and smaller scale..

Vicky..I decided to not post the pictures because, although I may think they are funny, someone else may get offended..and I felt that this thread isnt a good place for that, especially when controversy is brought on by the thread's host..Ive posted the same stuff, and worse, on a political message board and it gets some laughing, and others foaming at the mouth..All depends of your partisanship loyalties, and the thread topic of discussion, if you know what I mean..As Ive said..it either draws laughter, or getting cussed out..Ive been called anything from brilliant to childish, and some things that I dont think Dr John would appreciate if it were repeated here..