Smartie's Bar & Grill #75

I remember watching years ago how Aussie's are fearless when shark hunting.
Their boats are usually shorter than a decent bass boat used for bass tournamants.
They treat sharks as if large game fish like Marlin.
That is how Steve Irwin { Crocodile Hunter } ended his life.He was just too
cocky.I remember that video of him holding his son above some alligator
tank while on a springboard.Er some such act of deliquency.
He learned his last lesson while getting cutesy with a stingray.

 

The original was not so well painted.

 

LOL ~ Awesome.

This '66 Mustang is kinda cool, too - some dude in Chelsea painted it:

 

Nice number plate.

 

About as smart as this one:

 

I remember living in the floor above in a 4 apartment dwelling
with the most unconventional rascal in town.He was a combination
mountain man and highly popular { albeit mean as a rattle snake at times }
bearded tough guy.He was called by his last name { Always }.
That being by the locals who practically worshipped the ground he
walked on.I occassionally forgot and called him by his first name.There was
hardly a day that went by when one or a few buddies of his stopped over.
His front door was never used.I mean never.Except once,when the sheriff stopped
over and I heard the banging on his front door.
The back of his ground level apartment had a wide sliding door.That
was used like some people use opening their refrigerators.
He was a druggie and former cigarette smoker.His addiction was
simple and noticeable.He drank cans of Beer.Basically just one type beer.
Miller beer.I mean,throughout the day.He had no noticeable means of
support except his crap truck.Or his Septic tank truck.He used it a few times
a week.He got the standard rate of $ 50 dollars per visit.
He was very big on softball.That is when his buddies flocked his
pad { always in this kitchen around his formica table with old 50's
styles chairs }.He went off each year to some state where they held
semi-pro Softball tournaments. }.
He drove the same car parked in front of his apartment.
A White Mid-60's Mustang.That had seen better days but always
managed to run.The back seat and floor was littered with miller empties.
I never knew such individuals existed or could exist.I got along with him
because I don't cramp peoples style.Plus he was pretty stout and rowdy
as a peeved-off brown bear if one tried to jerk his chain.

 

A really classic Land Rover was the star in the movie,,"The Gods must be crazy." It was a 1954 Land Rover. If you haven't seen the movie it is hilarious and worth watching.

 

Well .. that young coon that's been surveying our trashcan finally disregarded what the older coons conveyed to it and knocked it over, made a minor mess.. now he disappears with the rest that have made the same mistake.. only to be heard off in coon lore as being transported far away!

They love dry dog food, I'll bait the live trap with that and then deport his little ambidexterous fluffyiness down the river. (confluence of Alamito Creek and the River is a favored spot)

 

Clarence.

 

Or something in the air tonight around this little town, earlier today there was a shooting in the park. Earlier tonight the police were shining their lights around the back of the store evidently looking for somebody. At 3:00 a.m. I was out front and saw several undercover sheriff vehicles past the store speaking of which there just goes another cop down the highway then a few minutes later the sheriff himself comes in the store I was kind of StarStruck you know as I don't think on my feet very fast I was polite to the man and he was equally polite and damned if I didn't charge him for a cup of coffee Jesus I should have told the man that was on me. Or whatever it is going on had the sheriff out of bed at 3:00 a.m. I bet I'll be reading about it on Facebook in the next couple of days

 

There was something in the air, here, too. Over a span of about a month, we had four bomb related incidents. Two were innocent little bomb threats and two involved actual bombs.

 

This one a 14 yo kid shot multiple times.

 

We had someone crash a car into a hedge this week.
That's about as exciting as it gets for the police around here.

 

Consider yourself fortunate.

 

I do.

 

It has now rained every day for at least a week. It rains several times a day. Every time I get up the gumption to do something it rains. Since grass needs to dry out it before being cut it is growing faster than we can cut it. So strange for this time of year. Sure glad I got the roof on. Now the wife wants a roof over our back deck. I am ripping down some heart pine for joist and will probably use 1x4 for purlins battens. Galvalume roof.

 

Lucky.

I wish we would get rain here in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Land Rover are no longer what they were cracked up to be.
Same with Jeep.Older Jeep are far more dependable and better built.
Chalk it up to who owns the manufacturing of those vehicles.
Go to YouTube and - Scotty Kilmer - nearing 3,000 posts and
over 4 Million subscribers.He gives his honest appraisal of vehicles
as a lifelong mechanic who started work learning cars while at his
Fathers gas station.His vast wealth of knowledge about cars is almost
surreal.Plus he has a really good attitude.
Jeep are overrated.

 

Got a mess of mangrove snapper to filet. I paddled out to an island, found the barest 'shoreline' I could get out and fish from (lots of islands are covered in dense mangroves, all the way to the waters edge)

I was right next to the boat channel than ran by and the tide was coming in. Using 1/2 lead sinker and shrimp on the bottom, I caught my bag limit of snapper. They have to be 10 inches to be legal, can't tell you how many 9 inchers I have tossed back...

However, yesterday they were all keepers, one even 13 inches. They are some fine eating. Also caught a nice 20 inch spotted sea trout that had to go back in, of course.....gerrrr jrrrrr....

No pics, left my phone in the van but here are some open source ones......the trout was about this size too

Mangrove snapper...

 

I have to admit, I'm not fond of fish that tastes too fishy. I prefer whitefish such as haddock or cod. But seems like you are doing just fine in the supply department!

 

So explain your cooking technique.Cut up pieces of fish and
tossed around in a baggie with flour and seasonings and then
a little oil or butter and pan fried.
Or forget the doggone pan.That's the French style.Sautee fish
in a pan with oilve oil.
After coating.Plus make sure to wear gloves and a spatula and
no ketchup.Oh ! plus apply heat.Propane griller or burning coals
from firewood.Fish tastes better on Good Friday's.

 

It was a good day, for sure! I was tempted to keep the trout....
Mangrove snapper move off shore when they start getting bigger than about 14 inches. Would but that they were all as big as hers! Look at the massive size of that snapper!
I could live fine on one of those islands, little propane stove, some breading and oil....Game warden would never find that trout!

If they stop you, you better not have illegal fish in your cooler and they always check it. My friends wont drink my beer because I keep fish in the cooler too. LOL, you aint drinking the cooler water!

 

I make my own breading mix, about 70% flour, 30% corn meal and spices so secret, i'ts classified! LOL

Beat an egg, drag fillets thru it, then put them in the breading bag and fry in vegetable oil.

Olive oil might be better, kinda pricy to fry in, though.

If you can even buy mangrove snapper, bet the fillets are about 13$ a pound.

You better bring serious bug spray when the sun goes down in coastal areas, Jesus Christ!

 

Snapper does not have to taste fishy.

 

I couldn't eat that if I wanted to. Just from the still, I see three things that would have me in the ER 30 minutes later.