Tulip Festival

The tulips (and daffodils) are in full bloom in Skagit Valley, WA. There are acres and acres of
tulips of all size, shapes, and colors. What beautiful color. Its hard to take a picture that shows
the beauty of the fields or of the flowers. And its harder to get them to line up on this page.

Double click on the picture to enlarge it.

Another fish tale......

We made another fishing trip to the Cowlitz River in Washington State. It was beautiful to watch the deer on the river bank, and the bald eagles swoop down on the water trying to catch some fish for dinner.

It was rumored that springers (salmon) were coming up the Cowlitz River early to spawn. Also, the steelhead trout were coming home also. So off we went with great expectations.

The first hit we got was a big fish. It partly rolled out of the water after being hooked and it was enormous. After a ten-minute battle, with me on the rod-n-reel, and Nolan skillfully maneuvering the boat against the strong current and then netting the big fish, we finally got it on the boat. What a battle!

The steelhead trout weighed in at 15 pounds. That's a lot of good eating.

We did hook in to some more great fish, but had no luck getting them in the boat. A couple of them spit the plug back at us within a few feet of the boat. Another large steelhead turned in to an aerial acrobatic and did several leaps completely out of the water before finally getting rid of the plug. The last fish rolled on the surface of the water when hooked, leaped out of the water, and when it splashed down, it was gone, hook(s) line and sinker. Or rather the plug. We believe it was a springer (salmon) because salmon have very sharp teeth, and if they get the line in their mouth they cut it with their sharp teeth. On examination we saw that the line was cut a smooth as if with a very sharp knife. Sure hated loosing that great plug. It had caught a lot of fish.

A Fish Tale....

Stacy's husband, Nolan, is not only a great husband and son-in-law; but he is also an outstanding fishing guide.

He took us fishing on the Cowlitz River in eastern WA State. It was a cold blustery day. but the scenery on the river was worth the trip.

Stacy and the "good luck" fish rock....

The Cowlitz River is a fast flowing river that even has some rapids. Nolan would do amazing manuevering of the boat against the current, while the fishing plugs tried to find the fish. He constantly worked a small trolling motor to hold the position of the boat where he wanted it so the plugs would fall where the fish (hopefully) would be.

And....... we DID catch some fish.

Some were small.....

....and were thrown back.

But others were DEFINATELY keepers....

The single fish on the left has already made it to the dinner table. Boy was it good. We made quite a team: Nolan would find the fish, Stacy would do the dance with the "good luck" fish rock, I would get them in the boat, and Barbara cooked them. What a team!

Almost time to head EAST!

In just a few weeks we will be heading home. We have been on the Pacific coast for a year now, and have really enjoyed our stay. While here, we have enjoyed many things:

Family - Stacy and Nolan

Lots and lots and lots of snow...........

Even floods.....................

But we have seen beautiful mountains......

And even have done some fishing....

But, now its time to roll up the hoses, pull in the awnings, and hit the road.

So, come and join us as we leave this beautiful part of the country and head home.