08.27.26 School's in session...

     When you're just starting out, in anything, or anywhere, it doesn't matter where you begin. It's all new and everything can offer a learning opportunity. So for me having at the chance to enter any classroom in the Lowcountry gives me a beginning point. I don't know if these spots are fishy but it doesn't really matter. There's moving water, grasses, mud, crabs, shrimp, and the occasional splash to take note of. One things for sure, while at least on foot, it's not like the Jersey Shore where you can use other anglers as fish finders. Maybe from a boat down here yes, but the amount of acreage of water, and the limited access, means you'll probably have to find your own fish, which I always enjoyed more. 

     Last night on our way into Hilton Head to meet friends for dinner I stopped by Southern Drawl Outfitters to pick up a map of the area and a few flies. After dropping $8.99 a fly and $35 for the Top Spot map I was on my way to The Black Marlin Bayside Grill which

sits on the western side of Hilton Head on Broad Creek. When we pulled into the parking I looked up and saw the below building, which gave me all the reason to believe that renaming my place was the right move. 

     Inside the restaurant was a long wall with the below art covering it. It was a familiar sight, although different. What I see is a school of menhaden, bunker, or pogies getting chased by a tuna, whereas most times up north I've seen a striped bass in the pursuit. But striped bass aren't a fish of much interest down here although I've heard they can be caught in the Santee and Savannah Rivers. 

     Besides the learning the waters, and the roads, well hell just about everything, I also have to mark the various boat ramps that are down here. My early take is South Carolina is user friendly as I have seen countless access points during my limited tours around Beaufort and Jasper Counties. 

     And while I had started to think I was just about dialed in to the striped bass, but are we ever really, down here the closest thing to dialing I'm doing is my phone to ask Siri where I am. I'm missing the idea of teaching this fall semester, in some capacity, but I also like to learn, and I have a lot of learning to do. 

08.26.26 I miss my old lawn tools....

     "And like a good neighbor, The Average Angler is there....". It's been a while since The Boat House, whoops, The Guide House, has been shown any love. And the yard hasn't been mowed and raked for some time. The last thing I want is the town to eminent domain this place due to the ongoing revitalization and rebirth in the neighborhood. Like across the street, and soon next to and behind me. So being a good neighbor is important. Today I paid the price. 

     With feel-like temperatures like 1,000 degrees I pulled out hat tools I had. The two biggest were this old battery operated Ryobi weed hacker, which wouldn't draw blood if you ran it across your neck, and an old American brand 14" push mower. 

     I left my old gas powered tools when we sold the house, because, why would I need them? well, here you go. While I thought I was done with good old gas I might have to rethink that as I broke my ass with the above set-up today. 

     I spent four hours in the heat getting the jungle under control, and it didn't go unnoticed. Town hall is just a block over and several town vehicles slowed down around the curve, it sits on a corner lot, to see what activity was going on on the corner. Nobody stopped, but all gave a wave before moving on. No doubt it was somebody's talk at the coffee maker back at the office. 

     In the end the best I could do was weed whack the grass in the yard. They have different grass and weeds down here and if you let it go the stalks became almost high and stick like which is too much for the push mower. If I allowed to get back there today I'll have to rake it all out before running those sharp blades across what's left. 

     The skiff sits where I left it and I need to finish up with the sellers as far as getting the documents that go with it. I'm not worried as it was registered in Georgia and had a tag on it, 

although a little outdated. I'll have to send the SCDNR my application to get it water legal before I use it which hopefully is sooner then later. At some pint over the next few days I'll have to get down to some water and scout around. The Full Moon is August 28th so this week is a good one for flood tides, which could mean tailing redfish somewhere. 

     While the yard work was noticeable I wanted to hang something to let the neighbors know this place will soon be full of life. So I went inside and pulled an old wooden fish that was hanging on the shed up in Cape May. It wasn't much, but people notice even the smallest things. 

     The place is now marked as something-fishy-is-coming and when I find the right wooden board or plank I'm going to make the first The Guide House sign to hang outside. It won't be much, more like the finger painted "For Sale Coming Soon" sign like I planted on Route 29 which

proved to be key in selling our house before it went to market. So maybe a sign like that will start The Guide House off with some good juju. I'm thinking I might run the idea past some Martha's Vineyard artist to see what he comes up with. Anybody know any like that up in the Vineyard?

     These posts, like getting away from packing and moving, are fun to write as they will tell the early days of The Guide House and my adventures down here. There's so much water, so many fish, and so much to learn. I'm gonna ride and enjoy this wave for as long I can upright.

     And to circle back to Captain Nick Stanzyck, who was struck by lightning last week and suffered cardiac arrest, well, he's now back home recovering. They say lightening doesn't strike twice and we hope for Nick's sake that is true. 

08.25.26 We made it down to "Home", and a new name for The Boat House...

 

     I don't know how well I'd do as an over the road trucker at this point in my life. Cape May to Bluffton is about 750 miles and 11 or so hours. For me that's a long trip. I can't stand still and concentrate for that long. I got so bored on the trip down I gave myself a haircut while driving. At least I wasn't texting.

     We drove down to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, which was about 7-1/2 hours before checking into a Residence Inn by Marriot. We had reservations and when Theresa checked in she asked about Luke, and their Dog Friendly Policy. The lady at the desk looked at Theresa and said, "You're service dog is no charge...", and we left it at that. Truth is Luke needs a service dog way more then he could ever be one.  

     He's not a fan of car rides and needs coaxing to get into the back of the Suburban whenever we go somewhere. It's all been a lot for him and we have tested his good-dogness since the chaos began in say April before all the moves. Now he has to get used to the real-feel 105 degree temps down in the Lowcountry. He didn't have much room to stretch out since both vehicles were 

packed to the gills. We also had stuff outside, like our matching bikes which we'll need daily when we begin our new lives on September 1st, a little less then a week away. 

     Our first stop was at the-formerly-known-as The Boat House to unload both stuff that I need, and of course don't need. To say the last few days before the closing was a shit-show would be putting it mildly. But thank God we were able to but it because I don't know where I would have stored the boats and all of my stuff, both fishing and Man Cave related. 

     So that brings me to the new name of The Boat House. After thinking about it The Boat House worked, but then it didn't. Yes, it a great place to store the two boats but it's more about just storage. There's a building, or shed, room, tiny house, attached so it'll be more about a hang then just storage. And with the hopes of guiding down here my thinking made me rethink the name, and then The Guide House hit me. I'm sure there are other guide houses across the world so it won't be original to this one. The closest thing that came to mind was the reality show that ran during the early 2000's.

     Guide House was a show that was brought to life by Jason Puris and guide Brendan McCarthy. It was set in Montauk, shot in 2006, and featured guides, Paul Dixon, Amanda Switzer, Brian Goulart, Brednan McCarthy, and Matt Miller. While there was no "The" in front of Guide House it's still The Guide House, so maybe I'm copying it a bit, but it fits. 

     The Guide House, in Ridgeland, will be a place for me to do all things boat and fly fishing that will be open to the guides down here if they let a Yankee in to join the ranks. I can just imagine working on skiffs and boats, having fly tying sessions, and campfires and barbecues sometime in the future. I know you just don't show up into other peoples backyard so I'll have to learn and earn my way in, but time is ticking.

     For now it's just a storage place and after I get a handle on our real house I'll have to come up with a plan and get to work up there. Right now I have to keep the grounds up and have it look like it's inhabited and not just a dumping ground. This first thing I have to do is move the fence that surrounds the property. On one side the fence is way over the property line and almost into the street.

     I have the name of the contractor who installed the town approved, but out of compliance, fence and am going to let him deal with the move. I'm not lazy but I just think that'll be something be worth paying for as I deal with other things that need to get done.  

     The town also gave them a permit which stated the previous owners were installing a six-foot high fence, when really the neighborhood allows for a four foot high one. So I am going to take a 

little off the top and duplicate the scalloped design. That'll be a chore but it will look good, and more neighborhood friendly, when I'm all done with it. 

     The early plan is to gut it inside and out and replace the T1-11 siding with Hardie Board and do a board and batten siding, which fits into the neighborhood and the Lowcountry. The doors and windows will be replaced and some type of air conditioning will be installed. I've never delved into mini-splits but this may be the place that I do. 

     I'm going to resist my usual ghetto-half ass projects and really get this planned out and sketched on paper before I start construction. The covered area to the right sports a ceiling fan and wall mounted television, which is a great hang, but I wonder if I shouldn't expand the structure past it's 13 x 25 foot current footprint. Erin is midway through her design studies and is pretty handy with CAD and computer based modeling and concepts so I'll give her something she may be able to have for her portfolio. and if her design wins I'll throw her a couple of dollars for her time, and brain. 

     Back home we'll begin the torturous task of unloading and figuring out what to do with all of this stuff that's filled the two car garage. Needless to say we could have done with far less but it is what it is. Luckily some of this is going to make its way down to the kids and my Mom in Florida so it'll lessen the pile in the garage. 

It took us 58 and 60 years to get here and it's going to take us a bit to unwind it all. 

08.23.26 Wait'll they get a load of us...

 

     Here we go again. Loaded to the gills and heading south. Today we leave for the 11 hour drive down to Bluffton. We're gonna drive for seven hours and spend the night in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It's just too much with the dog and two cars to drive straight through.

     There was still work to be done here in Cape May. We were able to pack up and whittle our storage units down from two to one. At times I had to shake my head because I thought I edited down just about everything, but of course I didn't, especially when it came down to my tools. I have enough stuff I'm dragging down to start either a home building or auto repair business, if I only had real skills. 

     While it's embarrassing enough to tell the tales of a Sanford & Son couple what's more embarrassing is that I've had on the same clothes for three days. The truth is were still living out of suitcases and boxes. Last night I took the time for a much needed shower and shave as I couldn't stand my own stench anymore. 

     I have been holding on to a pair of basketball sneakers that I think I purchased twenty years ago. Believe it or not I used to have a game. Back in the 1990's I played nearly everyday in a mens lunch league at the YMCA in Montclair. While we were at the pool, during our brief stint home, we met a very fit older couple. The guy told me he played in the mens pick up league at the new gym in Sun City. He asked if I played, and of course, I said I do, well did. So these kicks will be put to good use. 

     With this big life change I'll be changing my health and wellness related life. That starts September 1st. There will be a weigh in and a change in diet, along with some dreaded exercise. If I plan on spending time on a poling platform with clients I have to get into that kind of work shape. So be ready for a new me in short order. I'm attacking this like I'm trying for the Olympics, or an Iron man, or let's say a 5k, or a memorial walk. 

     Lucky for Theresa and I we have The Boat House to drop all this shit off on our way to Sun City. The Boat House started out was The Sugar Shack, then The Shrimp Shack, but there may be one last name change. That I'll announce in the next few days after I spend some time there to see if it fits. Let's just say, since I am leaning towards revisiting the guiding side of The Average Angler, the name may be more reflective of that, although not a unique and original name. 

     In the last month we've been from New Jersey to South Carolina and back with a run up to the Adirondacks. That's a lot of driving, a lot of gas, and a lot of time still shaking my head that we have pulled this all off. We're anxious to see the house because while we were away the contractors were busy installing new countertops, installing lighting, putting down new floors, and painting the place. It'll be a far cry from the big old 100 year-old house we left behind in New Jersey. To say I've felt lost without it being on my mind, every minute of every day, along with the physical work it took to maintain it, is an understatement. That house consumed us.

We're looking forward to just living. The new routine will be hitting the gym, preparing healthy food, lots of scouting and fishing, good hangs at The ^%&*$ House, some kind of work, trips to the pool and beach, lots of Happy Hours (with healthy food choices), and of course a daily nap. That all sounds like a good way to live life and we're ready. 

08.22.26 Back from the North Country and off to the Lowcountry....

     And we keep on tacking on the miles. On Friday night we got back from a five day jaunt up to the Adirondacks. Besides the joy of seeing my family waking up to 50 degree temps was a nice change. 

     My sister and her family live on Lower Saranac Lake and most mornings she and I sat on her dock as the sun rose behind us. It's funny when it comes to siblings. No matter how long the 

distance is between us and the time between hangs it's always like we were back to when we were kids again. Besides a few chilly mornings the weather was perfect. That was a far cry from the 100 

degree temps in South Carolina and the tornados in Cape May. We kept in contact with our neighbors and luckily we made it through unscathed. 

     While up there we did the full Adirondack circuit. That went from doing nothing, to boat rides on

 Lower, to visiting Lake Placid, and finally checking out the old houses in Ausbale Forks. If you've been here for 17 years then you remember the two homes I purchased, one in 2004, the other next door in 2009. 

     Ausable Forks was about to take off and I was in early enough to watch the town start to transform. Then in 2011 Hurricane Irene came and parked herself over the area and the West Branch of the Ausable found its way over the wall and into both houses. The town has yet to recover. But real estate is always a good investment and if you can hang on long enough, always worth it. 

     I did a quick search on Zillow because there is a For Sale sign on the front lawn of 3 French Village Road. I thought, "How much could they be getting for this place these days?". Even thinking wouldn't it be funny if I bought it back. Remember, I bought it in 2009 after my neighbor pulled a murder-suicide inside and it was in foreclosure with the county. So let's see the history.

     My wife and I at the time bought it in 2009 for $43,000. The floods came. And life came. And we sold it for $21,000 in 2013. At the same time we sold the house next door, for I think $6,500. Okay, please don't judge me. So let's see what's it's listing for now....

     Ouch, that hurts. But that's just what it's listing for. But if it goes anywhere near that, well never mind. Water under the bridge, after coming through the house. While there Erin and I looked for our brick at the old Town Clock park. It was part of the town's makeover back in 2004. Since then the bricks have lost their level and the clock is behind in time, kind of like the town. 

     Saranac Lake has also has changed markedly since my first visit here in 1987. It was there that I first visited Paul Smith's College and turned both my brother and sister onto. She took the bait, set up camp, and never left. So walking around town was a good time. I even got to have an adult beverage, finally, with Erin, who became of legal partaking age last month.

     But even though she's 21 she still has that kid in her and couldn't resist getting one of those squishy toys all the kids are raging about theses days. They're a cross between those sticky octopi we used to

throw at the walls when we were kids and the spinners kids with issues used to carry around with them. I remember stopping at 7-11 about 10 years ago on my way into work at the child and adolescent inpatient psych unit at Monmouth Medical. I bought a dozen for the unit. Great idea. I clocked in at 7am and by 930 they were throwing them around at each other and broke a reinforced glass window on the dining room door. So by 10 am they were in a box at the nurses station. 

     And to bring it a little towards fishing. Kids, no matter how old they are, just want to fish, and catch fish. Boy have I learned that the hard way. I pushed fly fishing on them too hard too early, and spooked them out of the sport, and fishing altogether. So it was fun to watch my big kid have fun with rod, and fish, in hand.

     On the way home as the girls slept I put on the Millhouse Podcast to ease the ride. Remarkably we went from Saranac Lake, New York to Cape May, New Jersey, with maybe a 10 minute slowdown in traffic deep on the Garden state Parkway below LBI. That was weird. Friday afternoon in the summer? 

     I happened to pick out Episode 35 with Richard Stancyzk. Like most of the people on Andy's podcast they are legends from down in the Florida Keys. Richard owns the famous Bud & Mary's Marina in Islamorada and is one of the top guides in the Keys.

     Like other podcasts I had forget if I had listened before, which I had done, but he was interesting enough to listen to it again. During that hour long show he talked about his son, Nick, who is a guide out of their marina. When I got back to Cape May I lugged in my computer and connected to the still working and strong Starlink satellite I had set up before we left.

     It was then I learned that on Thursday Nick's boat had been struck by lightning as he headed out with a charter. The boat was towed back to the marina and he was airlifted to a local trauma enter where he remains stable but in a medically induced coma. So thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Mother Nature is a bitch, but a wonderful and beautiful lady at the same time. 

     Today we'll be packing up both cars before the long ride back "home". It's been a month of staying in Cape May and with family and friends but now it's time to start the process of learning our new normal. We're getting a little tired of living out of suitcases and our cars and not knowing where anything is, but, it's all good. I told my sister, who is a teacher herself, that my body and mind are missing the feeling of returning to work both in the classroom and hospital. Boy, who would ever think that. 

     The above picture was taken just about a year ago when the fall semester started. It seems like an eternity ago and so much has happened in the past year. I'm looking forward to getting settled and back to work, which could be teaching, guiding, or picking up garbage around the Lowcountry. I don't care what it is I just have to do something productive, and keep the money coming into the checking account and not leaving it. But one thing is for sure, what a long strange trip this last year has been.

08.20.26 I guess I'm a creeper....

 

     The only social media platform I've ever been on, or signed up for, is Facebook. No Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or SnapChat for me. Now I know that there's some minky-flinky stuff going on behind the curtain with Facebook, but I stay anyway. And what stuff am I talking about? Well, I find it suspicious that after I do a search on the internet, or these days have a thought, my Facebook page then gets flooded with content of similar posts from other sources. And forget it if you join a Facebook group or search for something on Facebook Marketplace. You're tagged and it seems like you can never be un-associated with that item, person, or place, for the rest of your life. 

     A recent example of my Facebook feed getting blown-up came after I did some searches on traveling to Ireland. When it was done off Facebook my emails blew up. When I went on a few Ireland Facebook travel sites and asked for some advice my feeds, including ones for United Airlines, who I searched off Facebook, blew up. And my Messenger had lots of traffic as well from tour guides, accommodations, and even strangers who had traveled to the Emerald Isle.

     So that brings me to something I was notified of a few days ago. I had been identified as the proud lead engager, or creeper, of the Southern Drawl Outfitters Facebook page. Just so you know SDO is a fishing and fly shop located down in Hilton Head. I've been there a few times over the years and even picked up a t-shirt that I sported at the years The Fly Fishing Show. (Note the crowds to the left and right of me).

     During the past week I had been following, and writing about, the Lowcountry Tarpon Open, which is run by the shop. The updates for that tournament appeared on Facebook long before they were posted on the shops website, so that's where I would check. 

     So during that week I must have been the shops biggest stalker because I was put on the top of their "Engagement List", and, told I should "Celebrate my recognition....". Now that's just scary to me, and I find it reverse stalkerish, and definitely kryptonite-like when I surf Facebook going forward. 

     Now I know that every time we fire up our computers or phones we are being tracked, and watched. And forget it when it comes to cameras out in public these days. Currently people, and towns, and cities, are fighting about the legality, and constitutionality, of Flock cameras. 

     Flock cameras, or Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) are used to identify vehicles by their license plates, make, model, color, and even damage, but they say there's no facial recognition technology being used. And there's the cameras people install at businesses and residential apartments, condos, and single family homes, like those do it yourself Ring cameras. Hey, it's all fun and games watching someone slip and fall on the ice on three front stoop but do we need to be watched and tracked on video, by our clicks, and by our IP addresses 24/7? 

     After the big announcement to the other Southern Drawl creepers that I was the winner I stopped going on or around anything that is Southern Drawl Outfitters. Hey, it's not the guys and gals in the shop I'm sure, but just the thought that someone is watching and maybe is tracking me creeps me out a bit. 

     And that's a shame because next week Theresa and I finally go "home" back to South Carolina and I would probably have put my hands on my fly tying stuff to catch Fly Tying Night at the shop on August 25th. But can you imagine me walking in and introducing myself, "Hi, I'm Colin Archer", and then the guy I'm talking to, who's in the know, is thinking "Oh there's that stalker-Engagement Winner in the flesh". So, no thanks. 

     There's also a fly only tournament that they're running in December which I would be around for, but I won't be reporting on because I just don't want to be watched, even by machines or mathematical equations. I can imagine walking into the shop and some facial recognition security program picks me up and puts me in their database. God forbid anything nefarious should ever happen at the shop or anywhere, who would they put on their check em' out list? Colin Archer, Weekly Engagement List winner, from August 9-15th. I've seen those Law and Orders and cop shows and see how things go sideways in a hurry. No thanks, I'm good.