Monday, May 31, 2010


Sunshine and a few clouds. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High in the low 80's, Lows in thef upper 60's. Winds out of the south at 5 to 10mph.Killian started off the day fishing, while MiMi cooked a breakfast of fresh eggs (thanks Jess & John!) bacon and toast. Blue Dog enjoyed her plate. Jess is coming over this morning to gather up the children. We are to go to the Raley's for a cookout this afternoon. Killian is upset, as he will not be fishing this afternoon. I told him that school is soon over, and he will spend the summer here, fishing to his hearts content.Plans changed at noon. We headed over to Jess & John's with the kids in tow. John was just finishing up mowing the lawn. I am envious of his raspberries. They have leafed out and are looking really good (for the most part), while mine look very sad.We started off straight away on the outdoor plants. We trimmed up the plants that got burnt during the winter, and pitched out the plants that did not make the cut. We moved the dirt from the dead plants into the potato planters, to better bury the rather long potato plants. John went for the tractor and got an additional bucket of dirt for the potatoes. Once the dirt was in the planters, we started on cleaning out the chicken coop. This done we assembled a swing (glider) and began working on cabinet hardware. Alas, it was time for dinner, and John's folks showed up, as did Capt.Bill & Ms. Emmy. The old folks hit it off immediately. Jess and Sherry had thrown together at great meal of BBQ Ribs, corn on the cob, squash, baked potatoes, tomatoes, fruit and other goodies. We all really had a great time. Afterwards, we all watched the Wedding Video and the CD Photo's. A good time was had by all!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Back at the house, after a great day with the Great Grandparents, Killian insists on fishing. Apparently, an entire day of fishing at Papa's & Grandma's is just not enough.
Killian caught an eel, that Madison had no trouble grabbing.
Croakers abound...

but som birdwatching was in order.
This is a great way to check out what the other fisherman out on the river are catching.,
Sherry & I did some early morning glass work, before going over to Capt. Bill & Ms. Emmy's around noon. Killian began immediately fishing, with Capt. Bill and I joining in.
Plenty of Hard Head to be caught. Enough for Capt. Bill to re-bait his pots.

We all fished until supper, and we feasted on a wonderful meal prepared by Ms.Emmy and Sherry. Steak, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, macaroni salad, green beans, and rolls. Sherry made a cheese cake and Ms. Emmy had a plate of cookies, brownies, and rice crispy treats as well as watermelon. Great meal!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Killian caught a big load of fish today. All croaker, all big. He had the time of his life. Just goes to show you, you can have a heck of a good time, and never spend a dime!



After I snagged the Skate, I hand off the rod to Killian......who fights the monster for 20+ minutes, until...

...he is just about to beach the beast...

...success!
Killians first Cow Ray. Not much to eat, but great fun for a 8 year old boy!
Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. High 79F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. A really beautiful morning. The kids started the day crabbing. Only one lone crab decided on a chicken neck dinner though. One crab will make for some pretty thin soup. Maybe more before the weekend is over. They say the crabs are going for $150+ / bushel. That is pretty amazing! Who in the world would ever pay that kind of money for a crab, when you could buy steak & lobster for the same amount?
The Blue Dog is taking in the early morning sun, and keeping a close (blue) eye on the Children. She woke me last night at around mid-night with a "woof", and came to the side of the bed to let me know someone was lurking about. I dressed, armed myself, and went outside to investigate. A car had parked in the neighbors drive (Art & Nancy, currently of Dallas, Tx.), and turned out the lights. Using the wood as cover, I moved in behind the vehicle. By the light of the neighbors security lamp, I could see a young couple in the throws of passion. I recalled as a youngster, being caught in the same compromising position, and so I quietly backed away to return to my bed. Nothing here but some heavy necking by a couple of high school kids. They drove off a short time later (12:30AM by my watch. She must have a 12:30AM curfew). It is a safe place to "park", close to home and secure, so I will do and say nothing. The next time I am alerted by The Blue Dog at mid-night on a Friday/Saturday morning, I will do a more cursory investigation. I have to carefully check these things, as we have a prior neighbor that is under a restraining order, and she is not allowed in the neighborhood. Additionally, we have equipment and storages buildings that have been broken into. Last year someone broke into Sherry's studio in an attempt to gain access to the house. And so, I can not sleep through a "Blue Dog" alert without taking it seriously.
Killian trying to perhaps catch a fish. The tide is all wrong right now, but later today it will be up. If the wind lays down, the skate may come in, than Killing could do some "skate boarding". That is where you hook the skate, jump on a knee board, and let the skate drag you around the river for a bit.


The Waterman are out early this morning, as there will be big demand this weekend for crabs. I do not see them in close, but the crabbers out deep seem to be catching a few.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Woke up before the sunrise to a very chilly morning . The Low this morning is 62F. Highs today will only reach into the low 70'sF. It will be a beautiful day, that is if it does not rain. They are predicting scattered showers and thunderstorms with winds from the SE at 5 to 10MPH. The chance of rain is 50%.


As I stepped out of the front door to take a picture of the sunrise, a Bald Eagle sipped by me (less than 20 feet away) with a Bluebird in hot pursuit! The Bluebirds are nesting in the Martin box, and whenever the Eagles do a fly by they harass them out of the neighborhood. This goes on the entire trip down the beach, from one nesting bird to the next. (Osprey included). The Eagles are constantly being hassled. We are hearing them "chortling" or "chriping" all of the time now. They seem to have located a favorite tree next door at Jeff & Tammy's (a summer home, seldom used other than to mow the grass). They spend most of their day there. Yesterday, Sherry and I watched an adult fishing out front. It caught several large fish, only to drop them again in mid-flight. It finally gave up and flew off in the direction of Newtowne Neck. Really an amazing sight. They do Aerial combat with each other, the Osprey, or (as stated earlier) song birds throughout the day. I have got to get a camera with a faster shutter speed!


Well, time to get back to work. I must finish the Transoms today, and begin replacement inventory. The Kids (Madison & Killian) come over tonight. A Big Holiday weekend is planned, I am sure.





Thursday, May 27, 2010

"Spike" showed up again today. He has a taste for Mulberry's.
Beautiful Moon raising over St. Clements Bay.

Beautiful day today. Highs in the low 80's, Lows in the mid-to-upper 60's. Stiff breeze 10 to 15 mph. out of the east all day. Full moon tonight,
I spent most of the day working on the Starry Night Transoms, and working on Fat Forest, trying to finish up before it is time to take it on the road.

The Moon has gone full, so maybe the crabs will come on.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010


Pecan Point Heron complete, and ready to go to wax and polish. After that little bit of finish, it needs only to be signed and I can put it into inventory. Sherry continues on torso's and inventory replacement. I will begin three Starry Night Transoms in dichroic glass. It took some effort, but I got a lot of good photos of the finished panel.
The weather is great. Highs in the lower 80's with little or no chance of rain (that is predicted later in the week). A new customer came by today. Bonnie H. picked up a gift for her mother-in-law, and is measuring up a half-round window for a custom panel.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Up really early this morning. I have to get the Pecan Point Heron completed today (soldered, at least). Sherry is off to Lizza's to measure up some commission pieces, and afterwards, do some shopping.This male is courting this female. He continues to bring her seeds. Very Cute.
All of the foiling is complete, as is the soldering. I will patina, wax, polish and hang tomorrow. I can not wait to see it in the light!

"Spike" hung out most of the day. It is great fun to watch him browse all day. First the Mulberry trees, than some berry bushes, than some cracked corn, and back around again.

Monday, May 24, 2010

I woke up late this morning to cloudy skies and mild temperatures. The winds were moderate, out of the east all day. I went to work straight away on the Pecan Point Heron. Sherry is in her studio doing warm glass and bevel clusters. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. We have a number of commissions that are building up. Inventory is getting low, and it looks as if we are going to be required to take a trip to our supplier in NJ. I had a couple of deer visit the bird feeder today. This spike buck, and what looked to be a small doe. This buck treats the cracked corn as his own, and chaces off all comers, ducks included.
He stopped to sniff at the newly planted red raspberries. This could be a problem once they begin to come on.
The ducks arrive mid afternoon for their cracked corn, black oil sunflower seeds, and fresh water.
The Osprey were in a fit today. A juvie Eagle landed in their nest tree. It drove them to distraction. Sherry saw one adult and two immature birds.
The Great Blue Herons were busy fishing on the low tide. This is the resident bird (Pecan Point Heron). He hangs around the pier at Art & Nancy's, chasing off any other herons that happen into his domain.
The Blue Grosbeak was at the feeder all day, as was his mate. She must not be sitting, or she would not be so active. Maybe later in the summer. I would really like to build a population of these really stunning birds.
All of the cutting, grinding, and fitting is completed. I will begin foiling that afternoon and into the night. Hopefully, foiling will be completed by tomorrow.



Even the squirrels get into the act when the spike shows up.







The Heron watches over the crab pots, waiting for the tide to get low enough to fish.