FRIDAY FISHIN TRIP.

 The month is drawing to a close and with the sun shining on after work I stopped by Brush Creek to try my luck.
 A 20 *F day with sunshine and negligible wind makes for a comfortable day on the stream.
A good pair of fingertip-less gloves goes along way for comfort on  these late winter afternoons.


This time of year I've got the valley to myself 

If you pick a good day; one of 20 degrees F or higher with negligible wind, you should be comfortable in a good pair of hunting socks, sweats, a few layers of shirts, your waders, vest or jacket, and a stocking hat. A pair of fingertip-less gloves goes a long ways in keeping the hands warm on cooler days. Comfort is key here, as no one enjoys freezing and it makes for a short day. - See more at: http://www.totalflyfishing.com/iowa/#sthash.iqDvn5TO.dpuf

If you pick a good day; one of 20 degrees F or higher with negligible wind, you should be comfortable in a good pair of hunting socks, sweats, a few layers of shirts, your waders, vest or jacket, and a stocking hat. A pair of fingertip-less gloves goes a long ways in keeping the hands warm on cooler days. Comfort is key here, as no one enjoys freezing and it makes for a short day. - See more at: http://www.totalflyfishing.com/iowa/#sthash.iqDvn5TO.dpuf

If you pick a good day; one of 20 degrees F or higher with negligible wind, you should be comfortable in a good pair of hunting socks, sweats, a few layers of shirts, your waders, vest or jacket, and a stocking hat. A pair of fingertip-less gloves goes a long ways in keeping the hands warm on cooler days. Comfort is key here, as no one enjoys freezing and it makes for a short day. - See more at: http://www.totalflyfishing.com/iowa/#sthash.iqDvn5TO.dpuf

I followed the coon trail along the stream. 

 Here and there it got a little dicey with the ice and snow.

As for tackle this time of year I usually fish a panther martin spinner any day that wind picks up.

Today would have been a great day to fish a nymph, scud, streamer or some other wet fly. 

 Sunshine and a nice pool, now all I need is a trout.

 The bluffs rise to well over a hundred feet above the stream along this stretch of Brush.

 I sat for a bit and enjoyed the view.

 A twisted cedar sits high a top of the bluff.

 The moon was already high in the sky by 4:00 pm.




Well, as luck would have it, my fish adventure turned out to be a great hike.

 Back home Susie and I took the dogs for a hike before we shut things down for the evening.

 Not a Shed antler but an old multifora-rose stem had excited for a minute.












I found my first shed of the year just the other day, a nice 4 point with a thick base.

 Fresh bread with butter and salt, a tangerine and an avocado and some fresh cup coffee.









What a great end to a Friday. 

ATLAS SNOWSHOE BINDING REPAIR

 Beau has been talking about picking up a pair of snowshoes for doing some winter trekking in Colorado.

So with that in mind, I dug up the pair of atlas snowshoes we got him over ten years ago only to find the plastic bindings had rotted away.

Atlas has a pretty good racket going if you look at the price of repairs on their web site.

Rivet/Buckle Replacement- $12 to $20+ price varies depending on what needs to be done.
Binding and Crampons Replaced at the same time- $65 pair (most common repair)
Bindings Replaced- $50 per pair (only installed in pairs & only available in some cases)
Crampons Replaced- $20 each
Toe Cord Replacement- $40 each (see disclaimer* below)
Arch Strap on Electra Bindings- $18 each
Heel Straps (rubber)- $15 for one, $25 per pair


 I ended up swiping the bindings from this old pair of Snowtread snowshoes.
in the 1960's plastic snowshoes were the next innovation in the mountain snowshoe world.
 These “Snowtreads” in Green Mountain modified bearpaw designs were

also the first commercial snowshoes with integrated frame and decking, thus reducing labor costs during manufacture.

Snyder chose polypropylene for these snowshoes because of his background, and because of its lightweight, maintenance-free, and rodent-proof nature. The “greasy”polypropylene frame and decking also prevented snow from sticking. A nylon webbing binding attached to a polypropylene hinge that

was integrated into the frame. These inexpensive snowshoes were marketed

by Sportsmen Products of Boulder, Colorado.

 

 I split the old rotten binding plate
of the atlas.

Slid the nylon bindings from the snowtreds in and wired them down with some copper wire.


A couple of old ski poles and I'm good to go.



Snowshoes not only open up a vast world of wintery wonders, they are a great way to get a solid workout in the process.
Big Jim had a couple pair of wood framed snowshoes around as I was growing up.  But my first memory of shoeing was with my neighbor Cary.  We took some old badminton rackets and tied them to our feet and hiked the snowdrifts along the railroad tracks.  Outdoor activities are the key to making the most out of the winter wonderland. An ancient way of crossing wintry landscapes, snowshoeing is steadily gaining popularity as an adventure activity today. Snowshoes give you float in deep snow and make the vast wilderness areas reachable even in wintertime. The extraordinary mystique of a quiet winter forest is best explored on snowshoes.  It all sounds nice but, I myself prefer cross country skis.
If I was in Colorado it might be a different story.

SPRING FEVER

 Spring Fever hits hard when ya venture down to the hoop house.





Temperatures inside were just below 70*



The red lettuce still has a little life to it and a few days of sunshine along with some water will bring these plants right back to life.

 The spinach fared the subzero temperatures much better and they have already had some vigorous growth.





It won't be too long before we're eating home grown salads again.








 View from our morning walk

 

MLK Day and I did go to work to.

 A stealthy walk with the dogs before school this morning brought Maxine, Ace and I right up on a young doe that wasn't quite sure what to think.







But, when Ace spotted her, she kicked it into second gear.

 Just after that we caught the West end of a East bound coyote.





















I took an off trail route across the top of the world when I spotted a pair of bald eagles hanging together in the prairie

 I was hoping to find a buck with a large rack that the hunters may not have found. Like this one just down the road from our place but, no such luck

 I did spot another doe that had some interesting markings.
White deer have for thousands of years and in many cultures been considered special or sacred. The Celts considered white stags to be messengers from the “other world” and their appearance was said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encountered them. In the Legend of King Arthur, the white stag is the creature that can never be caught. King Arthur’s repeatedly unsuccessful pursuit of the white stag represents mankind’s quest for spiritual knowledge. In the Chronicles of Narnia, the pursuit of a white stag brings the kings and queens of Narnia through a portal and tumbling back into a closet.
The white deer are entirely unique and beautiful. Most people describe them as striking, mesmerizing, and even magical.  This one is a piebald is a doe, usually a mammal such as a white-tailed deer or horse, that has a spotting pattern of large white and black patches. The color of a piebald’s skin underneath its coat may vary between black (under the black patches of hair) and pink (under the white patches) it's a genetic variation (defect)  that produces the piebald condition in white-tailed deer.

 I tried one of the new flys I tied last night.

 I ended up with a rat nest and no trout. 

















But not a bad way to end the day. Happy MLK Day!

Ski Strap Hack.

 Doughnuts and a cup of coffee for breakfast and I'm good to go.

 I started out by walking the dogs through the sugar bush and on days like this spring maple season doesn't seem that far off.




The point down at the end of the field was the former campsite for Beau and his buddies growing up.

 The dogs were ready to hit the house and the chickens were ready get out an scratch around.

 Do ya have any of these laying around?












Use them for a
Ski Strap Hack

 Ski straps sell for about 4 to 6 bucks and if you loose a koosie I'm sure you'll be able to find another one

JANUARY THAW

 Second semester has started with a "Winter" themed door decorating contest.






Evelyn one of my freshmen homeroom students drew the poster for the door..

She's the one on the skis.

UPDATE:    We WON!










Root beer floats and Susie's cupcakes for the class.

 Susie and I have been wanting to get on the ice sense Christmas time.

 The warm Southern winds for the last few day has made for a dramatic change in the weather.  With overcast sky's the temperatures reached 40* so, we laced up the ice skates and hit the rink at the park in town.

 Our goal was to get back on the ice again and skate a few laps and not break something in the process.

 Susie got the hang of things after a few laps and the poor ice conditions didn't help.

 The action was fast and furious with hot pucks zipping across the ice.

 GOOOOOAL!









We'll do it again soon and hopefully we'll have some better ice.

 I also had a chance to get a peak at the hives to see how the bees fared








Three of the four hives I have around Bellevue did just fine. 

But one hive in Bellevue didn't do quit as well and two more hives over near Maquoketa froze during the cold snap too.







Maxine checking out the ice down by the cabin,
It might be a while before we can do any curling.