What a day. Lately I've been laser focused on getting my life back on track or really just trying for find the right track. With Ryan's car gone and the delusion of it one day being my daily driver it's been some internet searching insanity for a car that I can use for work with a little fishing mixed in. A 20 year old Silverado work truck isn't a commuter car or one that you should use for quick trips to the beach. I realized lately the amount of gas I have to feed her and the rotating auto-deductions from EZ Pass that I have to find a smarter car. I also have to reassess how much money I'm spending and making commuting to Newark for work. I think that job costs me about $800 a month to get back and forth to.
It would be a day of many stops. And while this lately has been a blog of a lot of non-fly fishing stuff it always touches or comes around to fishing. First stop was to Trenton to the metal salvage yard. My tobacco road looking yard is filled with bad ideas and rusted things, so they had to go. On my last trip out to Laura's I loaded up some of the things Jim had designed and built for the boat. One of them was a poling platform he built that was sized to handle the Yamaha 175 and the jack plate that was mounted to the transom. Fresh off the Hilton Head trip where our guide poled us around Beaufort looking for reds I thought for sure my boat needed one back on, you know, for all the poling I do.
After I posted on it I got a few calls from our mutual friend Mike Ferraro who quickly warned me to be careful. "Colin, when we put it on and backed it down the ramp the boat started to take on water." Wouldn't that just be me and fit into all things that go wrong. I told Theresa and informed her I could drill out the platform to make weight.....WTF was I thinking. Later. And it went in the truck.
That and some other metal I had laying around brought me in a cool $46.00. It's not the money parting with all these things as much as it's a huge reduction in the mental chaos that exists having too much shit. The cash was enough to cover the witch hunt looking for a new ride and an order of Chik-Fil-A chicken strips which we are on a binge thing lately.
You know you don't know until you realize things but how many used and new cars are out there on any given day. It's ridiculous. In my search for a daily driver I found a 2007 Yukon Denali. That's my favorite ride. Had one a few vehicles ago. Just for reaffirmation, it's basically a big pick up truck, almost the same engine as I have. Again, me, delusional. So Theresa and I took the drive down to Palmyra down near Camden. It was there she sat in a seedy, what I thought, was a "Buy here Pay here" used car lot. Another thing I have to reassess is how I'm sitting if a used car purchase is going to break our piggy bank. I'm 55. I should be able to go and buy a $20,000 used car with no problem. For now the search for a $5,000 ride will do, and still set me back.
If you know the Route 73, 30, and 130 mess that runs through Camden County then you know how easy it is to get turned around and lost. Siri had us driving around in circles and on one of our turn arounds we noticed traffic all bunched up on Route 73 in Mount Laurel. There was one car stopped in traffic and a car behind it with their flashers on occupied by an elderly woman. Of course, everyone
slowed, but no one stopped. When we got flush to the car I looked over and saw a woman who needed some kind of help. So we pulled over and assessed the situation.
Here's the skinny. You know I document everything. Everything. Good, bad or indifferent. For myself and others included. I don't hold back, and maybe sometimes I should. I don't need to take pictures of other peoples suffering for any personal gain. What I will tell you I will always snap a picture before I help someone if there is any chance it's something, like a crime, that would need to be investigated and that I may be called on the carpet for. I've seen too many crime shows and been at too many incidents so I know better. And yes, these are human beings, someone's family and loved ones. It's not to be insensitive or embarrass someone. But's there a lesson always.
I probably wouldn't even post this but Theresa and I have been on a little Good Samaritan run lately. But back to yesterday first. People pull over and get into a bad spot for a variety of reasons, emergency childbirth, medical emergencies, and even trauma. After an assessment it appeared the woman had overdosed on something. She needed a IV line and probably a little Narcan to reverse her respiratory depression and help her mental status return back to normal. In my old beat up truck which doubles
as a storage unit and fly fishing shop there's an array of people helping things. Fire extinguisher, tools, ropes, and my once-was-an-EMT-wanna-be-Amazon bought-cheap-first-aid-bag. In it are a few Narcan kits that Theresa had scored at a health fair in NYC. Narcan, aka naloxone, is a opioid antagonist, which reverses the effects of opioids, like heroin and fentanyl. It's a life saver, and good to have on board.
Now mind no one stopped even after we stopped. Not a nurse, not a cop or fireman, nobody. eventually the police and EMS came and we were out. But back to why write about this anyway. I guess part of me is just baffled about peoples quandary about stopping to help someone out. I was first
dismayed but peoples lack of action back last April when I pulled over as cars drove past the man laying in a Newark street while on my way to work. Where is the humanity? At least pull over and call 911 and wait until help arrives. Nope. Gotta go.
So it was 10 days ago when Theresa and I decided to make a Mickey D's trip for some McFlurry's. We were on Olden Avenue and found a car up on the median. Cars going back and forth in both directions, of course, no one stops. This one I thought for sure was a shooting. Theresa called 911 and after quick assessment determined this wasn't trauma or medical, just a driver under the influence, like really influenced.
And to wrap it all up I guess here is why I post this. If you can't or won't stop and SAFELY help then at least pull over and call 911 and wait until help arrives in case the situation changes for the worst. And I offer this PSA if you are going to stop. If you find someone unconscious or just out on the nod first make sure the car is in park. In both of these cases the car was in drive and running. Startle someone behind the wheel and their first reaction may be to step on the gas and drive. That could put anyone in the cars path, or your vehicle if you pulled in front, in harms way. While there pull the keys and put them on top of the car. Remember, that person, no matter what the when, why, and how's, could be you, or someone you know. Plus, they are another human being.
And then it was off to Tractor Supply to give both dogs a much needed bath. If you aren't in the know and have some dogs their Pet Washing Stations are great. For $10 it's better than trying to do it in your bathroom or freezing them to death with the garden hose, especially if you have a well, where the water is just above the freezing mark.
And lastly there was the late afternoon trip to the Plymouth Meeting Mall across the river in Pa. Theresa wanted to go and check out a "thing" going on there that involved her jam, reflexology, reiki, crystals, energy work stuff.....you know, all the things I'm into. But, how many stupid fishing things have I dragged her to? So it was time to return the favor.
I haven't been in a mall in like 20 years. This one was in full effect although what was once high end stores had been replaced with B level stores. We did the walk through. Theresa made us appointments to have some energy work done with crystals. It involved laying on a table and having rocks placed in strategic positions along your body. Let's just say I was so relaxed I fell asleep and didn't know where I was when I woke up, and my mouth felt like a Deseret. So I guess something went down.
As we walked though the mall I saw a map that laid out the store location. I saw...Orvis? What. Wait, maybe this day can end up about fly fishing. So we pulled around and looked over and there it was. If you had ever been to the Marlton store it looks like this could be it's sister.
Inside it looked Orvisy. Nice and big and a nice display of everything Orvis and fly fishing. I love when stores have the space for those big rod and reel layouts. The other thing that is nice is at just
about every store you'll be offered a drink and a snack as you shop. At some stores, like this one, you may even be able to snag a local brew, and in Pa Yeungling is always local.
Lately I've been going through the want-it-to-be-right process of buying new boot foot waders. with my brother Ryan now in ownership of those Simms G3's I need something boot foot for the fall and winter. And after using the stocking foot Orvis PRO zips I wouldn't go anywhere else. But the problem is, like for many of us, and especially the ladies is the sizing. Thanks to years of hitting the gym, or not, I'm built like a horse, well I guess a sickly horse, no ass, no legs, all upper body.
I run the XL's in the stocking foot which gives me lots of room for climbing and maneuvering on the minefields of the Delaware River. I had my eyes set on the same size for the boot-foots. I had tried them on in size 12, I'm an 11, at Andrew's Princeton store and they were okay, enough. A little sloppy to the point where the waders were just too high on my upper chest. I felt like a St. Bernard. But in the legs and body there was more than enough. Do I need more than enough standing vertical on the beach or jetties?
In the last week or so I've been like an Orvis loser. I've been to Princeton, Haverford, and now Plymouth Meeting. The other stores didn't have the L 11 which is what I felt I belonged in. Convinced
and not wanting to see my wader savings get spent on something stupid like food I pulled the trigger before we went on our world-wind tour. I ordered the waders, in XL 11, and those flats boots for next years trip back down to Hilton Head. That'll be in July. And in June the Vineyard, even for a day or so.
Orvis associate Mike is a good bud of Andrew's and helped me out a bunch pulling stock so I could try a bunch of sizes even though I had already placed my order. After lots of walking and bending I felt better in the L 11. Luckily a quick call to the Orvis mothership and they were able to change my wader size before it shipped out. I will say this, I will have to be aware of what a bacon, egg and cheese or Chik-Fil-A can do to my waistline going forward.
I was catching up with my sister the other day and she said, "Bro whats going on down there?". Referring to my recent "awakening" of how much of a mess I am, not really a mess, but I guess just another normal person existing on the earth these days. The thing about having a kick in the head moment? Be careful how you share because you can come off like you know or are better than the next person. Nope, I'm a dope. I would love to have a bunch of mulligans (redo's) about so many of the decisions I have made in my life. And I have a great life. Always thankful and blessed, I believe that.
So yes the blog has been lately more about that kinda stuff rather than fishing, but hey, it's really just been the story of an average angler since this all started in 2009 and 2,826 posts ago. I'll try and steer it around and back into the water. Fall is coming. It feels like it, and I love the fall.