West Lebanon, NY and the Valley of Speed!

After a long week at work I was extremely grateful that I had a 3 day weekend for hanging with the family and enjoying some much deserved rest and relaxation. Saturday afternoon Rebecca, Alex and I packed up a cooler with cold drinks and salty snacks and headed off to Lebanon Valley Speedway for an evening of 1/2 mile, high banked oval, dirt track racing! We arrived at 5 PM and were immediately greeted with the roar of engines buzzing around the track and the smell of high octane fuel in the air. The action was non stop five and a half hours, well worth the $22.00 we spent for admission (adult admission $10 and Kids are $2.) The food at the track is a bargain compared to most outdoor events. There is a family section towards the entrance of turn #1 but from what we experienced I think it's safe to sit in any of the grandstand sections, we spent most of the evening sitting in the stands closest to turn #4 and the crowd was friendly and respectful throughout the speedway during our visit. Now I know many of my readers may have no interest in racing but I honestly think that anyone who goes to a dirt track will not only enjoy themselves they will go again. The pictures and video's don't do justice to the action of the speedway. The cars are fast down the straightaways and the action is amazing. I am always mesmerized watching multiple cars slide sideways through the corners in different grooves in what can only be described as synchronized chaos. Just when your are about to fall off the edge of your seat the vehicles come out of the corner with the drivers mashing the gas pedals to the floor and your body shakes as the pack goes blasting by you down the straightaway into the next set of corners. Unlike NASCAR the races at the local short tracks are usually between 5 - 40 laps and the excitement is non-stop. We may not know all the local racers at each track we visit but Alex and I always have a great time picking a car we like, sometimes because of their lap speeds, but more often because of their car number or cool looking paint scheme!
It was a great evening spent with my wife and my son and as always we will have memories from this evening that will last a lifetime!

Sunday Morning...

The past 2 weeks my job has kept me busy 7 days a week, thus my extended silence in the blogging world. I was on my way home this morning after working all night and needed a break so I stopped by a stream along the way. There is nothing like the sound of a bubbling brook and the birds chirping, especially on a beautiful Sunday morning. I sat on a large boulder at the brooks edge reflecting on my life and all it's blessings while enjoying the peacefulness of God's glorious nature. While finishing my drive home I began singing on of my favorite Kris Kristoffersen songs which just seemed to capture the mood of the morning. I decided to share it here because he and Johnny Cash sing it much better then I do!

She has her Daddy's eyes and...

My love of the great outdoors. Tonight Alex didn't feel like going anywhere after spending the day in the pool with his cousins who are visiting from Pittsburgh.So I waited patiently for Ariel to come home with hopes that she would want to go out fishing with me. She finally got home and was more than willing to spend the night out on the water with her daddy. At 7:30 we had loaded up the canoe and headed down to the pond at the end of our road. I realized the past few weeks how much I have missed bass fishing and the desire to spend any spare time I have on the water has been reignited.

Tonight would be different than my fishing trip with Alex earlier in the week. You see Ariel has already graduated from lure fishing 101. Drowning worms was never her style, she was captivated the first time she watched me tie on a spinner and rip it through the water column and refused to sit and watch a bobber dance on the waves ever again. I can remember her graduating from the snoopy pole to a big girl rod and reel!

She began mastering her underspin combo in short order and it didn't take her long to move up to her first open faced reel. Like many other things since she was a natural and caught fish effortlessly. I have always been proud of the fact both my kids learned how to use a fishing pole properly and at a young age both of them were able to go fishing and cast their own lines without assistance. Ariel would tag along with me and Tony in the boat and much like me she is a firecracker when it comes to trash talk while out fishing. On several occasions she would be reminded verbally that she was going a little too far (especially the day she began pulling fish into the boat with her effortless use of a rubber grub) but more often than not she learned her lesson by watching the masters hone their craft.

Fast forward to tonight, we shoved off from the shore and I gave her choice of lures. She opted for a soft bait, I smiled knowing she never shy's away from a challenge. It has been awhile since the two of us spent time fishing together alone and despite there not being a lot conversation I basked in the joy of knowing my daughter was enjoying this moment as much as me. I tied on the lure of her choice and paddled us across the pond. It only took a moment for her to hook into a fish and before I knew it we had doubled up and both our poles were arched beautifully. The occupants of the other 2 vessels on the water watched in awe as my daughter and I both battled with healthy fish only moments after we had arrived, mission accomplished!

The rest of the night would be filled with missed strikes and fish lost before making it into the boat but it didn't matter we were having fun. We fished into the darkness and marveled at the bats swooping down between us eating their fill of mosquitoes, an act that Ariel appreciates more than most people could ever imagine. As we rowed back to shore we listened to the frogs along the wood line and the occasional high pitch squeak from the bats. While we didn't say much throughout the night I cherished every moment we spent together and look forward to many more fishing trips together. I just pray when my children grow up they look back on these brief moments in life with as much joy as I do when I reflect on the time I spent at the waters edge with my dad.

More enjoyable than after dinner mints

Tonight I got home from work and finished up my paperwork while Alex ate his dinner. As soon as we were done eating the two of us loaded up the canoe and headed down to the pond at the end of our road. Alex loves fishing and tonight's goal was to: First, relax and have fun and Second, to learn new fishing tactics. Anybody can fish with a worm and catch fish but I think the most enjoyable way to fish is with artificial lures. While it can be a lot of fun once you learn, the learning part can be frustrating as Alex learned tonight.

Alex started the night with live bait and I began throwing different lures trying to determine what the fish wanted. Eventually I settled on one rod with top bait and one with soft plastics. These are two of my favorite ways to bass fish and once I proved the fish were willing to play I let Alex start throwing some lures out of his tackle box. Before too long the fish were coming in the boat. I finally switched Alex over to a soft plastic bait and gave him a few quick pointers on how to work it. Three casts later the kid had a fish on that was well over 5 pounds and in comparison to the biggest fish of the night I estimate it was closer to the 10 pound mark. I was impressed at how well he was fighting the fish but after a couple minutes the fish was still going strong and pulling us back into the lily pads. I knew what was coming despite praying it didn't. The fish rolled just under the surface and made a mad dash into the thick cover of the lily pads. I tried to maneuver the canoe so that we could regain the upper hand but it was too late. I have lost a lot of fish in my days but I actually wanted to cry for Alex, seeing the disappointment in his eyes was almost too much for me to handle.

Despite our disappointment I used this as the perfect opportunity to tell Alex my story. I grew up fishing fast moving water with my dad and the only time I used lures was at the local hobby pond. It wasn't until I was 15 and my brother gave me his boat that I started getting serious about bass fishing. By the time I was 16 I was a pretty good fisherman and me and my friends would hold tournaments between us, sometimes as individuals other times as teams of two. More often than not Tony and I would come out ahead of everyone but I had a dark secret, I couldn't fish with soft plastic baits. I tried time and time again but it wasn't until I was almost 18 that I finally revealed my secret to Tony and without hesitation he started giving me pointers. When ever I was alone I began honing my skills and before too long I was enjoying a taut line and smelly hands. Finally the day came and Tony and I were fishing together and bragging rights and getting stuck paying for breakfast were the stakes agreed upon. I began the day using my typical lures and Tony went to his tried and true rubber worms and began dreaming about his free breakfast. With my back turned to him I opened up my new tackle box and rigged my line with a soft plastic bait of my own. The master was about to be schooled by the pupil. I almost immediately hooked into a nice 3 pound bass and spontaneously declared "Ut-Oh - someone learned how to fish with rubber!" While I would like to say that I won the tournament that day, I didn't but it was the beginning to a new journey of fishing which I still am learning to master all these years later.

When I was done telling Alex this story continued fishing and time after time his pole would bend and his line go tight but unfortunately none of the fish made it into the boat. He was frustrated and disappointed but he made sure to tell me despite that he was glad to be spending time with his dear old dad on the water. I used this opportunity to tell him how proud I was of him. You see in my story above I was almost 18 before I began my journey of fishing with plastics, Alex is only 11! He is 7 years ahead of me and despite being really bummed out about losing the big one, he now knows its possible which will fuel his desire to not only catch that fish some day but to catch one even bigger - a feat that I am positive he will achieve. I am also proud of the fact he achieved our first goal of the night, relaxing on the water together, father and son having fun. I would have much rather have had Alex catch all the fish but he was happy to share my success and posed with some of the fish that I landed tonight and considering our lines got tangled on one of the bigger fish I think he should get credit for catching that one!

Fairy Tales Do Come True

My life is proof that fairy tales come true and while I don't know the ending the story is a happy one. As a child I would play a game with my Mother every spring where we would count American Robins on our way to school. We would pick a specific number, usually 100 and once you reached that number the next person you saw was the one you would marry. I can remember reaching the goal just before pulling into the school parking lot and doing my best to make sure the first girl I saw was Rebecca. You see ever since I was in grade school she was the girl of my dreams. Throughout high school we were friends and on our graduation night we posed together for this picture.

Honestly I never imagined we would be together and I figured after that night our friendship would fade away. Now here we are years later a happily married couple slowly but surely growing old together!

As I type this its hard to imagine that 17 years ago I was putting on my tuxedo and preparing to start a new chapter in my life. From here on out it was no longer my life, it was OUR life. While parts of that day are long forgotten, I still remember looking into her eyes as I pledged my undying love for her till death do us part. All these years later and my heart still skips a beat when I look at my wife, much like it did 17 years ago.

Today marks the beginning of another year together and while there are no wicked witches, evil step mothers, or big bad wolves I feel like every day is a fairy tale and we are the prince and princess. Happy Anniversary Rebecca, I love you and though I don't look forward to the death do us part, I  do look forward to sharing the rest of my life together with you today, tomorrow and forever.

Weekend Bliss

It was a relaxing Saturday, after sleeping in late I whipped up a hearty meal which can be read about on my food blog - Food Lovers Delights. After cuddling with my wife and watching some racing on television we decided to head out to pick up some odds and ends at the store and sit down for dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants - Tokyo.This time dinner would be different, we decided to go for Hibachi rather than our usual meal of sushi. The price for a meal may seem a little high but when you consider that you get a soup, salad, fried rice, vegetables and the meats of your choice cooked right before your eyes its a reasonable price. Hibachi outings end up being more like dinner and a show, especially if you have an entertaining chef, which we did! We had another group of people seated with us which can be awkward if your not sociable but in our case they were an outgoing and friendly group much like us. Everything was excellent and we all enjoyed the experience as much as we did the food.

After dinner we decided to go to the movie theater to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.The kids have read the books and as a family we have enjoyed the other 2 movies as rentals.It's not often that I desire to go to a theater to watch a movie but I knew this would be a good experience and fun as a family. The movie was a hit and it felt good to laugh throughout the entire evening.

After dinner we went out for ice cream at Friendly's  and unlike in the movie, we all got our very own. Because seriously, who likes to share their ice cream! 

I am grateful to have had such an amazing week with my family and that we were blessed with the ability to do so many different activities. While I am not particularly excited to be going back to work Monday I am extremely thankful to have a job that provides all the needs and wants for my family. Another great day comes to an end but hopefully there is another adventure awaiting us tomorrow!

A day on the Island

Growing up I spent countless summer weekends camping at Fort Getty Campground on Jamestown Island, RI. The days were spent fishing, snorkeling, exploring the salt marsh, swimming, hiking and exploring the old fort. While the fort openings have been back filled due to liability concerns, all the other activities are still alive and well. Just as I loved spending time here my wife and kids have also grown to enjoy my childhood hideaway. While I had no intentions of camping this week for $20 you can obtain a daily parking pass and enjoy everything the camp ground has to offer including real bathrooms and hot showers! So today we awoke with the sun packed the cooler and headed for the ocean. Of course my first order of business was to set up a seat on the pier and catch some fish. When I was younger the fish seemed endless but over the years their numbers faded to what felt like only an occasional nibble. It is with great joy that I report the fish have returned and are more than willing to keep a boy occupied for quite some time! This morning I caught several different species of fish and saw even more at the end of my line despite failing to land them or take a photograph of them. After a day of fishing I made a hot dinner with my table top grill then enjoyed swimming and then explored the inlet to the marsh with Alex as the tide was making its way back in. I am so glad that my family enjoys the ocean and never complain while we are at the shore as they are either exploring, swimming or just relaxing in the warm salty breeze. It's good to be me!

 One of approximately 100 Skip Jacks (baby blue fish) that I caught today.

 A big old skate that had me excited thinking I was eating flounder tonight

Ya, I'm happy catching skates - It's much better than working! 

 A baby Black Sea Bass

 Alex waiting patiently for his Hamburger to finish cooking

 Rebecca keeping everything tidy for us messy kids

 My beautiful daughter being embarrassed by Daddy

 The view of the Jamestown bridge 

 Our swimming hole

 Enjoying his san pellegrino limonata!

 One of the islands historic windmills

 The view from the new bridge

Still smiling because vacation isn't over quite yet! 

Putt, Putt, Go Carts and Baseball Oh My!

Tonight after a hearty dinner of Flaming Johns (Fillet Mignon) we took a trip to Sonny's Place for our annual vacation stop. Tonight we started with a round of miniature golf followed by Go-Cart racing then a round in the batting cages and of course we finished the night off with some ice cream. It was a great night that we won't soon forget!

 Me Celebrating after a hole in one on the 13th hole!