Blockade Runners Dec. 12th and 13th

[coachlaw]

Looks like 007 might indeed make it after all. Nothing's for sure though.

[coachlaw]

Well, on the eve of the launch here's how things sit. TMO and perhaps Fishbobr will meet me at the launch at 10am. 007 won't be able to make it Saturday, but Ibtsoom will probably be showing up to help us plan the wiring at Blockade Runners. We'll work on the Ghost Camp as long as we can. Tom and Bob will leave in the afternoon as will Ibtsoom.

I'll be there by meself for Sat night and Sunday, which looks like an awesome day out there. If anyone wants to join in, come on out. Give me a holler on my cell if you're comin'. I can pick you up at the ramp if you're boatless. 979-215-1755

[007]

Well, on the eve of the launch here's how things sit. TMO and perhaps Fishbobr will meet me at the launch at 10am. 007 won't be able to make it Saturday, but Ibtsoom will probably be showing up to help us plan the wiring at Blockade Runners. We'll work on the Ghost Camp as long as we can. Tom and Bob will leave in the afternoon as will Ibtsoom.

I'll be there by meself for Sat night and Sunday, which looks like an awesome day out there. If anyone wants to join in, come on out. Give me a holler on my cell if you're comin'. I can pick you up at the ramp if you're boatless. 979-215-1755

The only way to get my boat out there is to fish Saturdsay!!

[coachlaw]

The only way to get my boat out there is to fish Saturdsay!!

???? I thought you couldn't make it Saturday. Are you saying you can make it Sunday? That would be great. Just called, no answer, left a message.

[Ibtsoom]

I'm probably gonna shoot that way on Sun when the weather lays down a bit. I'll give you a shout.

[Ibtsoom]

Sorry I didn't make it out that way Sandy. I couldn't see past the bow of the boat! Also sorry I missed out on the Gumbo. I'll catch up with you next weekend!

[Walker]

We were in Corpus Christi this weekend, flew back up here this afternoon. I was hoping to get down low, make a few circles and take some really nice pics of BR. We flew directly overhead about 2PM today, but there was no ground to be seen down there.

What a crappy weather weekend. We took off yesterday with 100 foot ceiling and 1/4 mile visibility. The control tower at Ellington could not even see us when they cleared us to take off. Nothing ahead but the high intensity runway lights, and they disappeared quickly. We didn't see squat until we broke out of the clouds at about 400 feet landing at Corpus. Pretty much the same today on the return to Houston. Tomorrow is forecast to be even foggier.

[coachlaw]

No problem Ibtsoom. The fog made everything tough, but it sure was serene out there.

Yesterday Fishbobr, TMO and I waited to meet up at the boat ramp until 11am due to the fog. I made the call to go even though you couldn't see anything. I have compass bearings from the ramp to the mouth of the bayou, so I knew I could make it there. Boy was the tide high again. Apparently the high tide brought us a gift. Next to the dock, tangled in dead marsh grass was a nice rocking chair. Bob and Tom looted it and wow is it nice! That made the trip worth it right there. We made it easily to the camp and did a few things there, waiting for the fog to burn off. Finally around 1:30 we could see the Ghost Camp, so we lit out for it. Bob and Tom got a little more than 2 hours of work in on it before we had to leave. They still got a lot done and the roof is now 3/4 off. Thanks for comin' out y'all. I know it wasn't the progress we were hoping for, but every little bit makes a difference

The tide was so high, there was only a tiny piece of the shell pile to put the generator on. When a boat would come by, I'd have to pick the generator up so it didn't get splashed. It was kind of comical. With the conditions we didn't haul any debris, we just stacked it on the platform for later removal.

After I dropped the guys off at the ramp, I got back to the camp and started getting things ready for some night work. Amazingly the fog to the West cleared enough for me to be able to view a nice sunset. As quickly as it cleared, the fog returned. It was nice to see the sun, if for a moment. The fog got so thick last night, I couldn't see the boat from the front porch. I tried to hang out on the porch, but I got wet just sitting there. So into the kitchen I went. I whiled away the hours fiddling with batteries, removing dry wall, talkin' on the phone, cookin' dinner, throwing the hammer at the mouse, and cleaning things up that I broke by throwing a hammer at the mouse.

Here is where I must blame Torque's generosity for this scourge of vermin. As near as I can tell, there is only one mouse in the house. He first subsisted upon the peanuts that Torque left out there. Last trip we saw him poke his head out while we were hanging out in the kitchen. So I made sure there was no food unsecured anywhere for him. I hoped he'd find his way to leaving with no available food. Well, last night the beggar kept trying to make his way over to the kitchen table from his lair under the sink cabinet. So I started moving things around and I found out why. Torque had also left a big bag of bubble gum for everyone. I had put it all in a ziploc bag and it was on the table behind a big boiling pot. Well, Mr. Mouse had chewed a hole in the bag and eaten about 1/4 of the gum in the last 3 weeks. He also left a bunch of yummy mouse poop in that spot. I had to laugh when I thought of this little mouse chewing Super Bubble. I finally gave up throwing the hammer and I put a bunch of poison under the cabinet. I'd rather have given him a quick painless death, but it wasn't to be. I did have him cornered at one point in the night, but he faked me out of my shoes. He's really a cute little guy, but we can't have a mouse in the house.

I drifted away to sleep sometime around 1am with visions of the Saints going 13-0 dancing in my head. Of course I had to set the alarm for 6am so I could pump out the boat before it sank. I had an amazing sleep unfettered by any noise whatsoever. There was no wind, there were no birds, there were no boats. With the fog being so thick, there were no lights visible in any direction. I felt like I was a million miles away from anyone. It was truly peaceful.

After a false waking to pump out the boat, I finally dragged my well rested butt out of bed at 9am. The fog was a blanket over the Earth once more. I made breakfast, caught a few fish off the dock, including one 22 inch red. I then went back to work cleaning up, moving things around, and loading the boat up with construction leftovers.

At noon I put everything on hold to turn on the TV to watch the Saints game. With them trying for 13-0, surely their game would be the one they showed on the TV. DAD GUMMIT! Stupid Texans are on. No problem. I tuned the New Orleans station in on the radio and had a listen. I kept an eye on the fog, and it thinned out enough around halftime that I started seeing boats all over the place.

After the Saints sealed their history making 13th victory, I ran out on the porch and yelled to the world "WHO DAT SAY DAY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS? WHO DAT, WHO DAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!" It was so still out there that some guys in Cold Pass yelled back at me, "COWBOYS! COWBOYS!" LOL. I guess we'll find out next weekend. It was a funny occurrence that never could have happened on a regular weather day.

I got everything packed, and as usual, though I was ready to leave, I just didn't want to. So I took a tour around the camp, taking note of this and that. When I looked again, I noticed the fog thickening. I patted the new front wall, thanked God for giving me the place back again, and locked the door. The Gray Ghost performed admirably once again and got me in just ahead of the fog.

Now when I do sell the Ghost, there is one thing I won't miss. Of all the boats I've owned, she is the most difficult to get on the trailer when I'm doing it by myself. I lingered at the ramp for a long time, just enjoying being the only person around. I did glance at the empty trailers in the parking lot, there were about 8 of them and I thought how many folks were probably lost out there in the fog.

Fully energized by the much needed time on the bayou, I headed home with visions of the upcoming looooong weekend. If anyone can make it, the weather looks great, albeit chilly at night. With such little progress this weekend, the importance of next weekend is much higher. We simply must get the Ghost Camp taken down. I will be out there Saturday through Tuesday. Any help you can give would be much appreciated. As always, I am happy to pick boatless folks up at the ramp. - Sandy

[coachlaw]

We were in Corpus Christi this weekend, flew back up here this afternoon. I was hoping to get down low, make a few circles and take some really nice pics of BR. We flew directly overhead about 2PM today, but there was no ground to be seen down there.

What a crappy weather weekend. We took off yesterday with 100 foot ceiling and 1/4 mile visibility. The control tower at Ellington could not even see us when they cleared us to take off. Nothing ahead but the high intensity runway lights, and they disappeared quickly. We didn't see squat until we broke out of the clouds at about 400 feet landing at Corpus. Pretty much the same today on the return to Houston. Tomorrow is forecast to be even foggier.

MAN! That would have been really cool to see you up there in a plane Bro! Hopefully you can try it again sometime. I can't imagine trying to land a plane in that stuff. I had my truck on cruise control at 35 almost the whole way home. Can't go that slow in a plane.