Ghost Hawk!

A few days ago I was driving down a country road and a big hawk nose-dived from a tree and crossed in the front of my SUV. The hawk pounced on something on the left side of the road. I slowed and quickly pulled out my camera as the hawk was flying back across the road and snapped the picture. As you can see, I apparently missed the hawk. Dang, I was sure I got the shot. Oh well, it's my Ghost Hawk. 


Anyway, as I was searching the photo for the Hawk I discovered an interesting picture of foliage. Can you see what I see and I did not photo shop. Mother natures camouflage art. It's funny what you can find in the background of photos. Could this be Bambi?

This deer did not turn out to be a ghost deer. We have a salt block near our house and it draws deer and other animals near so I can take a few photos. This morning I took this photo of a Deer near the salt block.  If you look closely you will see two buttons near his ears.

See Deer

See Deer Run

I had planned on taking a few more pictures of this deer, however plans don't always work out when taking photos of wildlife. Enjoy and remember: What's in your woods, lake, river, or bay. Get out! 

Seminole Lake

The beautiful Seminole Lake is located in the southwest corner of Georgia. The Chattahoochee and Flint rivers flow together into Lake Seminole and the Apalachicola River. Seminole Lake holds the state record for Sunshine Bass; 16 lbs 5 oz. What is a Sunshine Bass?

Here is the information from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission,“Sunshine bass were first produced in Florida by state hatcheries, and all sunshine’s are still produced and stocked. This is because they are a hybrid of a female white bass and male striped bass that does not occur naturally. Sunshine’s often have broken stripes on the front half and straight lines on the rear half of the body.” Other fish in the Lake Seminole include Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Pickerel, Catfish, and Striped Bass among other species. Also, you may see an American Alligator swimming in the waters along with snakes and much waterfowl.See more river, lake and bay maps at  www.leolakes.com

What is a fishionista?

A fishionista is one who is so worried about what to wear fishing that he or she forgets that it’s about fishing. These folks didn’t all of a sudden become this way. It’s been a slow process and is likely a result of the high fashion industry attempt to tell the fisherman what to wear. I am sure they have already coined the word fishion, which means fishing fashion to the layman.

It’s just not right to wear a Fedora on a fishing trip and I don’t care how fished-up it is which means the same thing as man up, but in a fishy way. In an opposite kind of way it would be like wearing a camoflauged safari hat to a luncheon at the Trump Tower in New York. Those folks would certainly give you the look of disgust or maybe even call security, that is, if they let you in.  

A fishing hat should be  based on function and not fashion. It’s real simple. A good fishing hat should keep the sun and rain off of our head and face. Most fishing hats are repurposed hats such as ball caps, cowboy hats, or hats accessorized with fishing lures etc….. which is fine.  True, there are a few hats that have been modified in an attempt to become “the fishing hat” like the modified ball cap with curtains hanging around the back perimeter. This is a good function for keeping the sun off the neck because you certainly don’t want to be a red neck, right? However, too much function is not good either. Like when a 2 foot brim is added to the front of the hat.  This added shade function gives the hat an Elmer Fudd look, not good.

This got me to thinking. How bad has the high fashion industry infiltrated the fishing industry? How many Fedoras’ are being worn? To find out, I preformed my own un-scientific study of fishing hats using popular fishing magazines as a guide to gather totally useless information.  I counted/categorized every hat pictured in the most popular fishing magazines to determine the most worn fishing hat. Folks that were not wearing hats or were wearing knit caps were not counted.  I must say, I have discovered some interesting results. All fishing hats are repurposed or modified hats such as the ball cap or cowboy hat that became a fishing hat. There appears to be no totally designed hat that is exclusively for the fisherman. Hmmmm, a design opportunity?

A total 279 fisherman were pictured. The results indicate:

90% wore a BALL CAP, a great do everything hat that can be turned backwards in windy conditions.

5% wore a SAFARI HAT, a good hat with a 360 degree brim and a tie for holding down in the wind.

3% wore a COWBOY HAT, fair, good hat in full sun, but not so good in windy conditions.

1% wore a BALL CAP W/CURTAINS, as good as the ball cap but added sun protection with the curtains.

>1% wore a FEDORA, a useless fishing hat.

Good news, the results seem to indicate that fishermen still put function above fashion and were not swayed by the high fashion industry, whew. I do not look forward to the day when I put my designer waders on and ask my wife if they make my butt look big or I over hear someone say: Wow, he’s wearing the latest Tommy Gun’s Fish Wear. So, come on folks Fish-up and DON’T BECOME A FISHIONISTA.

A Blue Spring!

Here is what's in my woods. What's in your woods? Get Out, and adventure outdoors! Spring is not always green. Here are some beautiful photos of blue. 

Indigo Bunting

Eastern Blue Bird

Great Blue Heron

Blue Jay

Robin Egg Blue

Remember: Whats in your woods, lake, river or bay? Adventure Outdoors.

An Eight Person Kayak

This kayak can comfortably seat eight people. It’s approximately 32 feet long and weighs about 950 lbs with a capacity of 1750 lbs. Great for group fishing trips or if you just want to party, this kayak will fit the bill. Heck, you could take the whole family including your friends. The Kayak is limited to only one color, yellow. With an appropriate name like Bus-yak who would forget it. Oh boy, just think what your friends would think when you paddle up in the Bus-yak? "The Bus-yak glows."

You may have a few concerns about the Bus-yak.  Like, is the Bus-yak difficult to turn around on narrow waterways? This is not a problem. The engineers at Bus-yak solve this issue with swivel seats. Each seat will swivel 180 degrees, which allows for paddling in the opposite direction. There is no need to turn the Bus-yak around; it’s always pointed in the right direction. There is a warning about all parties swiveling around at the same time causing a rollover. With a little group coordination this problem is solved. Also, you may think that transporting Bus-yak may require a large vehicle due to its sheer size. On paper this does appear to be a fact, however with a little creativity the Bus-yak could probably be spanned and strapped between two Yugo’s and off you go. Can you imagine fishing on the Bus-yak with your family? Think of what fun you will have. It’s better than a Banana Boat ride in the ocean.

Then I woke up and realized that the Bus-yak was a dream. Whaaaaaaaaaaat! Dang, what have I been drinking. Remember: What’s in your woods, lake, river or bay? I hope it’s not a Bus-yak.    

A Propelling Story

When the first human, “Ug” entered the water he probably figured out that he could float on logs to sneak up on prey, catch fish or just have fun. The obvious next step was to propel and maneuver the log. "Ug" picked up a stick and used it as a way to propel and guide the log. The other members of the tribe must have been awed by this brilliance. The stick became the choice in which the tribe traveled the water ways. Unknowing to "Ug", this was a major breakthrough in watercraft propulsion.

Sometime later, "Ug" began to understand that the shape of the stick made a big difference in how well the log could be guided and propelled. The paddle was born. The paddle could be used to go up stream and into deeper water. Ug’s life was better, much better except when "Ug" was up a creek without his paddle.

After many, many years the outboard motor was born. To a very small degree, we all have Ug to thank for today’s outboard motor. I have a couple of antique outboards. One such motor is this 1946 Western Auto Wizard. It is model number WD-3 and is a neck snapping 3.2 hp. Before the war, the outboard motor wasn't too successful, however after the war the motor became as hot as an Ipad, well almost. 

Carl Kiekhaefer produced this outboard and later he became the founder of Mercury. The motor is not worth much, but I was thinking that maybe I can make it into a coffee table. Do you think it's too "Ug"ly? 


Hope you enjoyed! Remember: What's in your woods, river or lake? You have to get out to find out. 

TANGLED IN A WEB!

I BELIEVE I am the first person to actually get tangled up in the web, but I out smarted the spider. For the last few weeks I have been working my butt off on my web site which is about Lakes, Rivers, and Bays etc....  I know a little HTML and am pretty good with graphic programs so that helped; however I always exceed my abilities and that's where I got tangled up. I've made some major improvements and added a bunch of stuff. The colors I used are quiet dark but that makes the pictures pop. Please give me some feedback. You will find the address below. Thanks!  

www.oldfieldstudio.com
Click the address above for a trip to my web site. Remember: What's in your Woods, River, Lake, or Bay." 

My attempt at making a fishing pole lamp.

I decided to make a trout fishing pole lamp. Why? I’m not sure why. I guess just because I can, well I think I can. To begin, I sketched out a design that I liked and then off to the home supply stores I went. I purchased an 18” round wood base, an 8’ foot long, ½ diameter tube, wood, ball, wire, a trout, a hot dog and coke. Oh yeah, I was hungry and ate the hot dog & drank the coke. I didn't eat the trout, it's wooded. I planned on using it as the big catch on the end of the pole. 

After a lot of sawing, trimming, bending, scratching my head and re-sawing, re-trimming and then assembling, it was finished. It actually works and it wasn't too hard to make. The electrical cord is hidden and runs inside of the pole which is a tube. What I like best about the lamp is that it bends over the chair to provide light on to whatever I am reading.  What do you think about the trout fishing pole lamp?    

Check it out! Click on it for a better view.

I added a red and white float and placed the light fixture on top. 

The reel is antique and I added the trout.

I think the base needs something. Maybe rocks? Hope yeah enjoy. Oh yeah, if you would love a beautiful decor map of your favorite lake, river, or bay, then check-out my website leolakes.com. Makes a treasured gift for the lake lover!