Well it was a weekend with a bunch of highs and lows. It's a fly fishing blog, I know.....but you know it isn't always but it usually ties into fishing somehow. So. Today was Father's Day. I got an invite to join my father and brother for breakfast in Allentown which was very nice. Later in the day my son and daughter took the trek out to Mercer County for dinner at one of our newest and favorite hangs, Al's Airport Inn. I got a cute and memorable card from Erin....the cover says it all. She drew that freehand, I'm impressed. There's a nice message inside on how great I am and a promise to spend more time together, and of course fishing. If kids only knew how much time together matters before you croak.
So where to begin. My Aunt passed away this week and on Thursday we buried her. It was sad, but at the same time, nice to be reunited with so many family members that I'd hadn't seen in some time.
She was the oldest of my mother's siblings and had six children who I grew up with. They were from Keansburg where my mom and dad grew up and I spent countless hours there. All good times. It was a nice send off to heaven and the repast at Yesterday's in Hazlet (where I bartended there over 35 yeras ago) was a great venue to catch up some more with my family.
Then it was off to Erin's high school graduation. I was so beat up from the week, and has to many Guinness's at the repast, but luckily I had my son Sean to help an old man up when she started to walk up to get her diploma.
After the ceremony it was late dinner at Buena Sera in Red Bank. I have to say that place is just really good. I was always turned off by the wanna-be-ganster-vibe I got there but I have to give credit where credit is due. It was a good way to end the two days on a high note.
On Friday it was time to tackle the transfer case replacement. You know I am not mechanical in any way or shape. My ace #1 mechanic and her boyfriend weren't able to assist me, but their diagnosis last week really helped get me off in the right direction. Earlier in the week I drove 90 minutes each way for the $1,400 replacement case from Collis Truck Parts in Northampton, Pa.
I had found and watched a You Tube video on how to do this and after 7 hours, between thunderstorms and a tornado watch, it was in and I was done. A test drive confirmed, at least for now, that I had done it right. I also replaced a "liquid line" for the a/c system and re-charged the coolant and now I have cold air conditioning. I must say I am impressed with myself after all of that.
I got a call later Friday afternoon that my mom was in Centra State Hospital and would be admitted, which turned out to be until Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. She's good. It has been a busy month for her during her one month visit back home to New Jersey. She admits, " I can't wait to get back to Florida".
When Lauren had the truck up on the lift she let me know my tires weren't looking good and they should be replaced. I found a good set on Facebook Marketplace for $150 for all four. A quick pit stop in Trenton on Saturday morning and for $80 bucks they were installed, balanced and the old skins kept
by the shop. Four Goodyear tires for $230, now that's not bad. Now while I nearly hurt myself playing mechanic Lauren, Brandon and my ex-wife were hooping it up in Saratoga with two nights of the Dead & Company. It was a great way for her to celebrate her 21st birthday. I stated last year that I had seen
my last show in Philly and I have no tickets or plans to see them in what is alleged their last shows ever. I now wished I could have made it to one more show. But now to fishing. In between all of that I did sneak out early Father's Day morning. I have wanted to mouse up a bass in the Delaware River and tried
but that didn't happen. I did manage to move a half a dozen or so on an articulated eel fly that I had tied while trying to come up with a pattern for the Delaware. Even though they eat head first this
could use a stinger hook as most of the strikes came from the rear. I had dug up an old fly line to use since my intermediate line parted and I haven't got a replacement yet. Let's just say no matter what I did the memory wouldn't fade away. It was frustrating to say the least.
And finally I put the Simms waders to rest in better hands. Simms had made good on the G3's that I had a problem with earlier this year. A big thanks to John Frazier from Simms who reviewed the case and made sure things came out right in the end. I had ordered a Large 11 and they just didn't fit me the
way my old Simms waders fit. So I did the next best thing I could do other than try and squeeze into them like sausage skin, I gifted them to my brother for Father's Day. They fit him much better and now hopefully he will join me for some fishing. We have fished together in the past but not nearly enough as we should.
So that was a real busy, and at times stressful, weekend. I hope I am done with funerals, seven of them in seven weeks has been enough. This week things wrap up with school and then it's all about next weekends big doubled-up graduation party at the house. Right now it looks like rain, that's where the $2,000 tent comes in, but hopefully it's cool with clear skies. But, things for me never seem easy, so I'll expect the below of course. "I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too".
