January 13, 2015 - Tuesday
-32 degrees/clear/calm
Pentoga Road

Thankfully there's no wind this morning and a warming trend is promised. According to Carl the Weatherman, this is our last frigid spell for a while. I hope he's not lying this time. Carl's been known to do that every now and then.

I walked five miles first thing Monday morning. It felt good and other than a tight thigh muscle, I came home in good shape. I'll lay off today and go again tomorrow. With the days growing noticeably longer, I want to get the daily routine going as soon as possible.

I spent some time online looking at the hotel where Sargie and I will be staying in Mesquite, Nevada, for three days. At the invitation of Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri, we're heading to LasVegas the second week of February. 

Mark and Sheri have a floating time share and with a wedding to attend in Mesquite, Curtis and Sarah will be with them the first three days. Sargie and I will be staying on our own at a nearby hotel and resort. After the weekend is over, we'll tell the kids goodbye and the four of us will be heading to LasVegas for three days. 

From the pictures I've seen on the internet of the hotel/casino/resort, EVERYONE has a perfect body and is gorgeously tanned. The ladies all wear bikinis and the guys have washboard bellies. I told Sargie we better get busy; there are just two or three weeks remaining for us to perfect our bodies.

The old sonar Luke gave me a few years ago finally died. It's the unit I use to "see" my bait at eye level when ice fishing. It's been getting worse over the past two years and finally yesterday, it gave up. Luke purchased it years ago, used, on Ebay and remade it into an ice fishing sonar. I've used it heavily for three years or so. I guess neither one of us needs to feel too badly.



I'm not sure I'll purchase another this year. The season should be half over and with the LasVegas trip and property taxes on the horizon, plus a back hoe to pay off in the next four months, I just don't believe a fish finder is on my immediate horizon. I'll save my pennies and purchase a new one for next year's ice fishing season.

None-the-less, I went fishing Monday afternoon and managed to catch a pike, a medium-sized perch, and the biggest bluegill I've caught in years. Fishing was slow, but at least I didn't get skunked.

I may take the shack off the lake today or tomorrow. This bitterly cold weather does have a few advantages; there's a good crust over the slush and pulling it in the quarter of a mile shouldn't be a horrible chore. With warmer temperatures on the horizon, I really don't want to wade in knee-deep muck later on. If fishing was terrific, it would be a different story. I think I'll use the Clam tent for the immediate future and if I find a place where fishing is great and the slush isn't too horrible, I'll put the shack back out.

Sargie closes tonight so it is a long day ahead for her. I'm going to grade some papers, make arrangements for Brutus to stay at the kennel while we're on vacation, and I'll make reservations at the resort for Sargie and me. Later today, I may bring the shack in... or I might leave it out and simply fish. Decision, decisions.

But first, it's time for a cup of coffee and to think deep thoughts. Oh wait, I need to work on my washboard abs and further develop my well-defined tan lines. I almost forgot. If only you had my life.

But then as we all know, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...