var switchTo5x=true;

Tag Archives: bass

Diary of a Half-Back Lifestyle

A model Florida Crawfish aka, lobster.

Miss Kitty, my favorite farm member. Now gone!!

American Press Travel News—3/29/2021—Bob and Barb “On the Road Again”—-Why do we travel half way back to our old home, VT, to TN., from Southern Florida? Summers in Florida are humid. With my deviated septum (partially blocked nostril) I have a hard time breathing in heavy humidity. So, when the cooler  winter and spring breezes, with their lesser humidity devolve into more summer-like conditions, even starting from the first day of spring, we head for the hills of TN.. In Florida we eat seafood, in TN. its beef, chicken and garden vegetables. Fishing in Florida its sea fishes, in TN. its crappie and trout, and our favorite walleye pike. I can breathe in TN., and love the cool breezes throughout spring, summer and fall.

We live on a small farm at about 2000-feet above sea level. When the summer heats up all around our plateau, we are 8-10 degrees cooler than all the other areas, cities and towns, and just about every night is a no-AC needed event.

As an author, I find it easier to work at our farm in TN. than in Florida. Florida has too many things going on, and this causes me to divert, and avert my time from putting finger tips to keys.  However, the Keys is truly a paradise for a fisherman, like me. With boating, searching for marlin and dolphin fish, the schools of tuna, the occasional wahoo, I get lost in the Gulf Stream of life. My preference these days is to sight fish for permit, bonefish, seatrout, snook, and redfish inshore, in quiet waters.

My sons David and Brian were brought up in the Keys, and were my nearly constant companion on my favorite boat “The Shalom.” That is until their fancy turned to girls and cars. We gathered our own shrimp and saltwater crawfish called Florida Lobster ( I still prefer the real northern- waters kind, with succulent claws and tail).   Today, my sons have a fine boat that they own and enjoy, I have my farm and when I can visit the Keys to be with my boys and their life’s experiences!  STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!

Living In Natures Park

A great way to exercise your butt and casting arm!!

American Press Travel News-July 15th,-Bob and Barb at Goose Holler’ Farm and Ranch–Well, we are self-quarantined, or sequestered, or hunkered-down. Never in our life, have we ever thought, that we would be in-hiding from something we cannot see with the naked eye! So here we are, waiting for what we think we know, what the future could hold for us, and everyone else in America, and the world, are waiting for. We hope its a real vaccine that is easily available for everyone, quickly! In the mean time, what we all have to do is keep our “cool”, not let our cheese slip off the sandwich! There are several ways to keep the bulb in the socket, for light at the end of the tunnel: Number 1– Stay in touch with your loved ones and friends. Reaching out for sociality now is vital for the human psyche. 2-Stay away from the constant TV news channels that pump info on statistics and fear. 3-Pickup on an existing hobby, or acquire one. Go hobbies.com for ideas, and also do a home improvement project or two. 4-Eat and drink well! And if married, or sharing your hideout with a friend, still find alone-time, too!

If you have a pet, feel blessed! Why? Getting out of yourself, and caring for a pet is a therapy, all on its own. If you don’t have one, get one! Dogs are best, cats are great too! A dog is empathetic, and note; spelled backwards, dog spells G-D! With a dog you have to bend to feed, and pickup after it. Smile, and look into the eyes of an entity that will not judge you, love is always real. A dog is always faithful to the love it is shown! And remember;  Exercise is a key component in staying healthy. Everything is connected from head to toes. Not seeing to the whole body by forgetting to care for any part of it, will effect the whole body!

Just finished clipping thorny brush away from the fence that blocked my view of feeding bass. Got my juices flowing, as I just sat back down to my monster, flip-top, laptop. No it just has a 17-screen, but I feel like I’ve got to feed the monster every few hours-I’m a writer, eh? A few thoughts: Great exercise, a full-set of clothes, after a towel-bath, and here I am again!

I love to do exercise that allows me to look back and see exactly what I accomplished with my sweat-equity. I used to actually go to a health club. I lifted weights, pulled cables with iron attached, and rode a bike to nowhere. Yes, I got sweat equity, but always felt that I was being totally self-serving-just stretching muscles, pumping heart, etc. I guess, before my farm, that’s what I needed to do as a food and travel writer. Got to burn those amazing home-made desserts off somehow! Oh, and while I was out there along the fence-line, the blackberries were black. So, I stuffed my mouth with mostly sweet, vitamin C.

Our Terry as a pup. Gone now, I still mourn his loss!!

The take-away from all of the above is: Keep moving, don’t despair, stay healthy, drink, drink, drink–water, mostly and try and keep more smiles on your face than frowns.

Blue Bank Resort On Lake Reelfoot

American Press Travel News July 7, Bob and Barb “On The Road Again”-  this time, “nesting” at Blue Bank Resort, at Lake Reelfoot in Horn Beak, TN.

Note* we will be posting all week. Now just testing to determine connectivity! Please stay tuned to some exciting stuff coming up!

 

Go Fish Education Center in Perry, GA.

Barb lips the biggest largemouth in the world.
Visiting a black bear at the center.
Free catch and release pond with gear included!
Barb hitting the pheasant lights on the simulator.

American Press Travel News-October 9th, 2019-Perry, GA. – Bob and Barb “On The Road Again” this time in GA. While in Perry, GA. on the way home from Florida to our Goose Holler’ Farm in TN., we stopped in a area of GA. that has several interesting Go To places for locals, travelers and general visitors. There is a huge convention center, a marvelous outdoor venue for equestrian and RV convention events, as well as a monster Georgia National Fair, and carnival functions, year-around. A huge project now open for over a decade is the Go Fish Education Center. This center features over 200,000 gallons of aquariums/exhibits. The exhibits showcase fish and habitats from all areas of Georgia. We tried out fishing and hunting simulators. These were a real treat for us and the various families including children that tried these simulators out. We were introduced at the incoming desk of Go Fish to Michael Fulghum, the aquarium manager. Fulghum said that the tradition of fishing was passed on to him from his grandfather and father. “Working at the Go Fishing Education Center has allowed me to share that tradition with others. From school children to senior citizens , the staff at the Go Fish Center teaches the skills and techniques needed to enjoy fishing. We have the great pleasure of sharing some of life’s little moments with our guests, whether watching a child land their first fish, or helping a family catch their limit, the Go Fish Education Center is here to secure the tradition of fishing for years to come”, concluded Fulghum. We agree, this is a terrific venue for keeping the healthy and happy sport of fishing, top-of-the -mind for everyone. Visit their state-of-the-art hatchery, and catch and release, with bait and tackle is free at their fishing pond that’s stocked with several warm water fresh water species. Go to their website: www.gofisheducationcenter.com for more information.