Back over the bridge and home

It was dark when I crossed the bridge this morning, and it was dark when I returned with my abalone limit this evening.

As I pulled into The City, I was assigned a stop to pick up dinner. In line at Taco Bell on Lombard, a reminder that Halloween is indeed The City's most important holiday.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Sunset - Pacific Highway

Heading home with 3 ab hitchhikers.

Will fill in later with additional posts since this mornings sunrise shot.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Après-dive

We lunch on fiendishly good sandwiches at Trinks in Gualala.

I am enjoying "The Russel" (Roast beef, roasted red bell peppers, red onion, mayo and horseradish cheese, served hot). I don't know how it got its name.

After lunch Doug finds the fiends in the kitchen responsible for the sandwich (yes it is Halloween).

A good day to dive

Doug said he wanted to dedicate this dive to Ms. Smith's Schneider Elementary School class in Farmer City, Illinois. They are learning about abalone and following his abalone diving exploits on video.

Conditions were calm and visibility good (~6ft) as Doug forecast.
Not perfect, but pretty darn close.

Gearing up on top of the bluff...

...and climbing down the hill.

It is about an hour past high tide and Doug looks for good entry points in the cove...

... however, he does not walk on water.

In the water...

...we quickly find abs.

We are experimenting with the underwater camera here - two shots of the same abalone hole - one with flash and one not. I think the one without the flash is better, as the flash just lights up the particles in the water. But I'll leave it up to Ms. Smith's class cohorts. I wonder - How many abalone can they count in these pictures? (the pictures can be expanded by clicking on them)

We soon limit out...

...and shoot some video clips of abalone diving in these conditions.

Doug on the beach with his catch.

The catch. Doug's are bigger than mine. As an ab diver, I suffer from premature extraction.

Après-dive.

For the benefit of the Ms. Smith's elementary school class -The kids should know that in this picture I am holding a bottle of an anti-inflammatory and nerve soothing medicinal tonic prescribed by a medical practitioner to treat PDSS (Post Dive Stress Syndrome).

Calm Cove

We decide to dive the point.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Sunrise - Bay Hill Road

Pretty spectacular. More pics later.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Rolling north

It was a dark and foggy morning on the Golden Gate Bridge...

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

This is the end...

... of the abalone season.

One month left.

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Re: This is the end...
Date:	Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:30:36 -0700
From:	MW
To:	Zach

Thanks Zach
I'm planning on coming back tomorrow night, but - depending on how I feel - might crash at your place and blow out early Sunday (avoiding the incoming Halloween traffic). I'm figuring this to be the dive when I finally get my trophy 10 inch abalone. Maybe three.

I'm sure we'll have some more shots in November. I'll keep Doug on watch, and tell him I need reports of good conditions even if he can't dive. You need to get your priorities right. BTW - Nice gavel work at the exchange.

Got a new phone (Palm Pre) but had to switch to Sprint Network. Not sure how it'll work up there, but will text on arrival.. - mw

---

Zach wrote:

No problem Mike. I can't make it...just got off two weeks on the road and getting ready to go on the road for another two weeks...everything should be where you left it! please let me know when you get there and start drinking my beer :)

--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

---

Rick wrote:

Mike,

Thanks for the invitation. I tried to rearrange my commitments for tomorrow, but was unsuccessful. Happy hunting and let me know if we are lucky enough to have another opportunity this year.

Rick

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

---

MW wrote:

Zach, Rick,

This is the end of the abalone season - in case you had not noticed. One month left.

Let's review the season, shall we? I have made three carefully planned attempts this year, all of which have met with less than ideal conditions and several washouts. Nevertheless, I have managed to get four abalone marked on my card this year (which I believe - puts me four ahead of your combined total).

For the last month of the season, I have a new idea. The"No Plan" plan. Instead of scheduling a dive in advanced based on tide tables, I've asked my reliable local source to inform me of ideal conditions, with the intent of dropping everything and heading up on a days notice. No sooner did I set this up, when I got my first notification. Ideal conditions are forecast for tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday AM. What say you boys? I am up for a Friday drive (early or late) to target either late Friday or Saturday AM dive - or - a crack of dawn drive on Saturday morning for a mid-morning Saturday dive? - mw

The End
lyrics by Jim Morrison & The Doors

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end

Point Arena, California
Thursday	10/29/09	7:39AM	Sunrise
Thursday	10/29/09	8:53AM	5 feet	High Tide
Thursday	10/29/09	3:11PM	1.45 feet	Low Tide
Thursday	10/29/09	3:59PM	Moonrise
Thursday	10/29/09	6:17PM	Sunset
Thursday	10/29/09	9:07PM	4.29 feet	High Tide
Friday	10/30/09	2:54AM	1.36 feet	Low Tide
Friday	10/30/09	4:28AM	Moonset
Friday	10/30/09	7:40AM	Sunrise
Friday	10/30/09	9:18AM	5.36 feet	High Tide
Friday	10/30/09	3:50PM	0.9 feet	Low Tide
Friday	10/30/09	4:23PM	Moonrise
Friday	10/30/09	6:16PM	Sunset
Friday	10/30/09	9:59PM	4.43 feet	High Tide
Saturday	10/31/09	3:29AM	1.66 feet	Low Tide
Saturday	10/31/09	5:30AM	Moonset
Saturday	10/31/09	7:41AM	Sunrise
Saturday	10/31/09	9:44AM	5.72 feet	High Tide
Saturday	10/31/09	4:28PM	0.36 feet	Low Tide
Saturday	10/31/09	4:49PM	Moonrise
Saturday	10/31/09	6:15PM	Sunset
Saturday	10/31/09	11:48PM	4.54 feet	High Tide
Sunday	11/01/09	3:03AM	1.94 feet	Low Tide
Sunday	11/01/09	5:36AM	Moonset
Sunday	11/01/09	6:42AM	Sunrise
Sunday	11/01/09	9:12AM	6.05 feet	High Tide
Sunday	11/01/09	4:06PM	-0.14 feet	Low Tide
Sunday	11/01/09	4:19PM	Moonrise
Sunday	11/01/09	5:13PM	Sunset
Sunday	11/01/09	10:36PM	4.61 feet	High Tide

---

Doug wrote:

Hey Kids,

Tomorrow and Saturday will be very good dive days... Keep in touch, and enjoy!

Doug

19th hole

MW 103
RE 113

 But I got crushed on skins... Waiting for DH to provide final skins accounting.  Although Don left after 13, we divined he would have shot 92.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Roy hits it stiff on 18

Wins the hole and the skins.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Bringing it home on 18

I'm pressing after my sparkling par on 17.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

17th tee

Roy swings a big stick.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Roy out of jail on 15

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Don's last hole...

.... before leaving to close on his house. Not sure what this is about - he sets up the tee time then bags out on us. Very bad karma.

His 2nd...

3rd...

...and 4th shots on his way to a 6 on the par 3 13th hole.

Heh. Wrong hole to press Roy on the skins. "Instant karma is gonna get'cha."

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Roy out of trap on 12

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Don sinks par putt on 9

The only hole at Crystal that he had yet to par. Crystal relents and offers this parting gift as he heads out of town.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Don tees off on 6

First of his two tee shots on this hole.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Roy tees off on 5

I am 4 over after 4. 

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Live blogging Crystal Springs

Don's farewell round. Our supposed fourth - Dan - proved to be unreliable. As usual.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

San Francisco Power Tour with Wes and Susan

Bay Bridge, Embarcadero and Klaus

Tadich Grill for lunch

Haight Ashbury for medicinal supplies

The Castro & the wrong Twin Peaks (and no - I don't understand whether Wes is adopting a defensive or invitational posture).

The right Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks Panorama (click to enlarge)

Milan Trolley on the "F" Line

Lombard "crookedest" Street

Golden Gate Bridge

Tour completed inside three hours (A little long - we got lost in the Haight).

SF Power Tour underway

Friends (and fellow travelers) Wes and Susan are in town. I am taking them on my patented power tour. Will update with higher quality pics later.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

UPDATE: The Tour is linked here

San Diego Airport

I took a connecting flight to save $50. My flight into SFO is delayed 3 hours. I am on my 2nd $10 Guinness with 2 hours to go. Do the math.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

I am not a creature of habit...

...contrary to the representation of a commenter on this blog, I am always willing to break the mold, shatter convention, take the path less traveled and explore new directions.

Instead of the traditional Chicago hot dog from Gold Coast Dogs at Midway, this time I went with an Italian beef from Gold Coast Dogs.

Radical.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Sigrid has found her place...

If not in the world, at least in the Southwest boarding line.

I am on another flight and have an hour to kill.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Ale Allocation Addendum

Some additional Escanaba Pail Ale allocation notes to supplement the Reference Post:


Sean's allocation to the four Rea boys (pictured above) were left at Camp, and are among the 11 bottles stored in the secret wine cellar. Sean also attached an interesting condition to this allocation. If any of these four bottles are not claimed at camp in person by their owner by the end of the 2011 Shag Camp season, ownership of these bottles reverts to a first come first served basis.

The key to the bottle numbering can be found on the allocation spreadsheet.

The Brian and Andrew allocations were handed off to Wendy before the Bear game.

Andrew subsequently received his allocation at an undisclosed location, but ...

...something happened to the bottle in the transition - looks like Brian replaced the hand drawn label with his much more professional looking custom design. Well done Brian.