(2) My inaugural ocean fishing trip, and my last ditch attempt to capture a contest worthy photo...

Today could not have been any more relaxing. The festivities kicked off at 0830 hours with a french-toast breakfast coupled with sausage and bacon at the clubhouse. Anytime you can get a hearty breakfast for $3.50 is sure to be the start of a great day. After breakfast we linked up with George and Gladys Thompson, whom we had made earlier reservations for a fishing trip and visit to their home on Marco Island. Grandpa and I set sail in the Chevy pickup for Marco Island, stopping for some bait shrimp and a 3 day fishing license for me, on our way to George and Gladys' residence. We loaded up the boat, lowered it into the water, and were on our way to some recommended fishing locales. Our first stop fared us pretty well, as we caught 5 sheephead fish that met the minimum 'keeper' regulations. Things were starting to slow down, so we decided to move to George's 'top secret' fishing spot. We worked up and down, and all around, George's favorite spot, but it just wasn't producing fish today. Gladys, being the most acclaimed angler of the group was able to pull in a few undersized spotted trout, but nobody else was catching anything. We worked up and down a few of the '10,000 islands' to no avail. Around 3:00pm we headed to the marina for a potty break, and then on to our final fishing spot. I suppose it could be named 'pelican municipal airport', as there were dozens of pelicans hanging out there, as well as taking off and swoop-landing to and from fishing expeditions. We soaked up some more sun, expended the remainder of our shrimp bait, and then headed back home. Despite mediocre fishing activity, we all had a very enjoyable time riding the peaceful waves and basking in the sun. Back at the Thompson residence, George cleaned up the boat while Grandpa Jack trimmed the fish into nice size filets. Gladys fried the day's catch, warmed up some ham and bean soup, and made a fresh batch of cornbread. We were elbow deep in the feast in no time, and drinking wine. Gladys made a toast to my homecoming from Iraq, which was very sweet of her. They are such good people, and sure do know how to host a fun-filled day for some Indiana boys!

Side story: Last wednesday, Grandpa Jack and I attended a camera club meeting where we learned some valuable tips on photography and how to get the most out of your camera. We were made aware of a photo contest this month with the topic being 'Animals'. We've been on the lookout all week for our opportunities to snap a prize-winning photo. Well, tomorrow is the deadline and I had not taken a shot that I was proud enough with to enter into the contest. Today I tried my damndest to capture a nice shot of some wildlife while out on the water. I figured there isn't much more beautiful location to get a worthy shot. Anywho, out of the 30 or so pictures I took with the photo contest in mind, I have narrowed it down to the 2 pictures shown to the right. I ordered prints online through Walmart's website, and will pick the best of the two for my submission to the contest. I am leaning towards the lone pelican on the water. We'll see how it turns out!

Tomorrow will be another fun filled day, as we head to church to hear Randy Kington speak, and then check out Stan's at Goodland. Looks like there might be another good blog for tomorrow as well! Until then...