Bourgeois' Blog

Hold on to your old Silver coins folks...

2010-12-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Silver is on the move my friends. I've mentioned it on my blogs before but this timely piece is put together by a webmaster who really knows what he's talk'n about in the Silver & Gold market place. If you haven't been pay'n attention to the steady climb of both of these precious metals, then read this now, if you read nothing else about Silver this year. :-)

Silver Prices Skyrocket!

I'm thrilled to know that the few Washington quarters I have in my hand are going for like, $5.25...

I'm also very impressed that the 15-20 nice old Mercury dimes resting on my Mini-treasure shelf, are up over the $2 mark too! :-) Sheesh, and that's just melt value friend! Who knows how much this neat old stuff is worth to the Numismatics, what with real Silver being quite rare in these fast paced, disposable times?? There weren't all that many Merc's and War nickles made in the first place, back in the day you know.

Anywho, read this fine piece and consider yourself WELL informed. ;-)

P.S. This whole Survival blog, by the way, is one of the very best I've ever been on and well worth some of your reading time. There are topics for every kind of #Outdoorsy person you may be.

Enjoy your Sunday friends and followers, all the very best to y'all this special time of year! :-)

Fall is in the air...

2010-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Fall Fly Fishing a current seam - By Bourgeois

Now, off the river and into the streets...

So to-day, well, yesterday now eh, this ol' bushguy took himself a fly'n leap and jumped right smack dab into the middle of society (the opposite of bush, hehe)by way of Ottawa, our Nation's Capital! Whooo Wheee! Yup, one of our ol' "Here I are folks, in the flesh, real and ready" zingers, hit me from the past and developed by one of my best friends way back then, Carl Amyotte. He was one powerful yet awesomely lovable ladies high-class shoe salesman work'n on Ottawa's world famous Sparks Street.

Whooof. I'll tell ya right here and now my friends, once I got it go'n again, revved up from my own real past experiences, sucker almost went into auto-pilot and damn near took me over. I had to take a real firm grip on the five speed gearbox/Tach that dwells in my little cranium. Hehehe! Yes Sirri Bob, first the smile came out...then broadened and stayed as the day just flew on and more things clicked...

I kind of became, well, what was happen'n, if you will and I suddenly allowed myself to laugh a little. An out loud laugh that allowed anyone within ten feet of me to hear. Fear them not, he say's. Chuckles and laughs can and do go a loooong way to help spread the good tidings which we enjoy and they keep that semi-lost upside down frown, alive. :-} And it was so...

A large number of folks who I came into contact with picked up on all of this and responded in an almost predictable way. That is to say, in a nut shell, send out good vibes, then be prepared to have a few of 'em mirrored right back at you. :-)

Best day I've had, deal'n with society stuff, in months. Amen. :-)

So all this time uptown, by the way, the weather was really re-fresh'n to say the least. I took advantage of that too and breathed deeply and steadily into the wind-tunnel'n moisture laden teeth of it all. My lungs cleared while the H2O flooded my being and charged me with vigor. It's kind of for me anyway, like stopping and smelling the roses, on 50X steroids! Har! Don't forget now folks, above all else, I Am, a LOVER of all of the Great Outdoors. That undying Love is really what has got me this far, so far in life and I was just a giv'n 'er to-day just like the little dot in the yin and yang of me and society...

Well there's a lot more to this wee story but my semi-old eyes R get'n heavy and I'm go'n 2 shut 'er down for now my friends. Tomorrow's go'n 2 B another busy one, shake'n & rock'n out there right in the vortex of it all again. I hope 2 come out of it in even better shape than 2 day, see'n as my inner & outer chi force, is just about back in the groove again where I'm more or less, in control of what happens to me again. Definitely got my second wind. Who'd like to dance with me next now, I'll B think'n. I still have a little room on my dance card. Hehehe.

Does this fall weather make you feel spunky too? Drop me a note here if it does. Oh ya, and smile more tomorrow. You don't really even need a reason and it's real easy stuff, once you get it go'n on. :-)

Old relics...

2010-08-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

With the water levels so low in the Ottawa River this year, I got to explore more newly exposed river bottom than anyone has seen in over a century. By walk'n along real slow like and keep'n yer eyes peeled, stuff that has been sitting in 2 or three feet of water for long periods of time suddenly exposes itself. None of this stuff would interest the average person of course but I've always had the fascination of a kid. I get excited over little things in life and discovering something which has been hidden for years, turns my crank. I've drawn the odd comment on Twitter with some of this stuff before so a few peeps at least see the merit of taking a picture of said objects. That's incentive enough for me so I thought I'd put together a little group of river salvaged treasures (junk) on here so I'd have a place to store these pics.

Sooo, here's a few more for ya...

Dangerous?

This oldie dandy was spotted last Saturday and as I hunkered down to record it with my little Pentax, memories floated back in my mind's eye of when I had last uncovered a similar discovery but it was from a grassy spot...

It was about 25 years ago while metal detecting and I had just pulled the 14th one of these nature toned beauties out of the ground around the old shooting range at Shirley's Bay on the Ottawa River. As I added it to the little pile in my trunk, I was surrounded my a bunch of army guys and one of them with a lot of bling on his outfit, informed me how dangerous this all was, for at least two minutes. Then, he ordered me out of the area, for my own safety and he took all of my dangerous "live" shells and probably headed for the bomb disposal squad with them right after I left.

Never know what kind of stuff's going to happen when you look for treasure eh.

Just another day in the life and times of this ol' bushguy. Hehehe

Track'n bass...

2010-08-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

I got an opportunity to fish White Lake on Sunday with my old friend Tim and his best buddy Dave. They wanted to know what I thought of their new Bass Tracker. I was impressed. Here's Tim at the Pickeral Bay launch ramp.

It was great to get out on the water again. I hadn't been on White Lake in over 20 years. Dave got the Tracker up on plane and we spun up the lake towards a wildish look'n shoreline. Logs, overhanging trees, Lily pad beds and clumps of Cabbage Weed greeted us as Davey swung up to the bow seat to man the electric kicker and slip us in a little closer, within casting distance of the shore. As the boys dug their rods out of the holders, I snapped on a small floater/diver with my little custom hook'n system and flicked a cast near the edge of some pads. While I slowly reeled and paused this little crank Tim mentioned that we were going to get rained on. The sky had thickened with dark and fast moving clouds and a good breeze had started up.

On my second cast, a fish thumped the little crank half way back to the boat and I set the hook into a high jump'n Largemouth. After a few more jumps and a decent deep run, I turned him towards us and slipped my thumb in his mouth and brought him in to meet his admirers.

The action got going pretty good then and that ol' custom crank, battle scarred as it is, just kept on call'n fish to itself. :-) Tim started work'n his Rapala topwater with fairly aggressive pops and after about a half dozen casts another decent black bass pounded that thing like there was no tomorrow. More Whoop'n. After a nice splashy battle Tim had him up and out for a quick picture session then released to fight another day.

Dave up to this point had been try'n out lots of other different stuff and mentioned he didn't have hardly any plugs so he didn't use cranks that much. I suggested he give one of mine a try so he agreed and tossed it around about a dozen times or so then handed it back to me. As he did I peered into his tackle box then and spotted a cool look'n little purpley colored diving plug (the only plug) with a neat feathered tail hook that he had substituted for the original bare treble the week before. "You've gotta toss this puppy out there, I tell him, it looks like a real killer to me". Lo and behold Dave goes for it. I just get back to my own casting and hear a grunt behind me. Turning quickly, I manage to see a nice bass swapping heads for tails out there about a foot high over the surface then crashing back down as Dave gives out his bassers whoop. "Just started retrieving it", he blurts out between surges of black bass power pulls. "Damn, these cranks do work eh Larry", I hear him say with a broad smile across his face as he puts the thumb to the spunky LM. Sho nuff buddy, just ask KVD. hehehe.

Well to shorten this post a little, we all caught a decent pile of fish including Large Mouths, Northerns, big Yellow Perch and a really fat Rock Bass and we all had a really good time. Plenty of laughs and bits and pieces of fish'n tricks were exchanged through our day. When the rain got heavier and heavier in the early part of the afternoon we finally ended up cutt'n our losses and head'n in against a stiff north wind pushing 3 foot rollers and pelting rain. She was a bit of a cool ride back but we made it safe and sound and not too frozen.:-)

All in all. It was a great day outdoors and I want to thank Tim and Dave again for having me aboard their amazing little Fish'n Machine. It was a real pleasure. I hope they invite me out again sometime and I know we'll catch even more fish next time. If the weather permits, we can even have a shore lunch...

and we try to carry on...

2010-08-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Some close personal thoughts...

I don't really even know how to start this piece.:-(

Oh, you may even want to leave now,if you're someone that's perhaps a little afraid to get teary eyed over the loss of a family member of really close personal friend...

My foundations have been brutally tremor'd. My heart has been squeezed roughly and my poor ol' brain seems to have developed a few short circuits way down in it's deeply rooted recesses. It's a fact that life can change for any of us, in an instant. At any time. Could be a good change, bad change or anything in between. We are Not the master of when or how that change comes to us as the following thoughts may perhaps illustrate...

I was SO saddened and heart broken to hear recently somehow through the internet, that my long time best friend had suddenly left this jumbled up old earthly world. Wait! Hey! That's not supposed to happen, that can't be right, I remember thinking. My buddy Marce is simply way too healthy for any of that stuff to be right. Dis-belief and anger at the thought, flashed through my mind over and over as I read of how his last day with us, at least, was up at his beloved bush camp on Donnagana Lake.

Here's what I stumbled on and read that day...
Marcel Edmond Lalonde

LALONDE, Marcel Edmond - The Lalonde family announces with sorrow, Marcel's death at his camp on Donnagana Lake, Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at the age of 60 years. Son of the late Edmond and of the late Nilca (née Otis) Lalonde. Beloved husband of Jacqueline Lalonde (née Rochette) of Chelmsford. Loving father of Andy Lalonde (fiancée Chantelle Pelletier) and Michelle Johnston (Kevin) both of Chelmsford. Dear brother of Colette Picard (Hervé) of Dowling. Predeceased by his sister Lise Siblock (late Vic). Sadly missed by his grandchildren Haven and Dawson. Lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. He enjoyed fishing and hunting and was a former member of the Chelmsford Fish & Game Association. Marcel was a retired miner after 32 years of service with Falconbridge Mines. The family will receive relatives and friends at the CO- OPERATIVE FUNERAL HOME, 4691, R R 15, CHELMSFORD, Sunday evening from 7-9:30 p.m. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in St-Joseph Church, Chelmsford. 11727532

Well,that was most likely the place Marce would have picked to go, if given the choice. So that, was sort of cool I thought maybe. You see, I too have entertained similar thoughts over the years of spending some of my last days up on Crooked Lake, where I spent my wonderful early days surrounded in nature because of my most gracious and adopted Aunt Siiri,so that at least sort of made some kind of sense to me. I guess.

You see friend, Marcel Lalonde, I am very proud to say, at one time was my very best friend and actual real life hero as well. I so looked up to this guy. Marce, as I used to mostly call him, was a really personable kind of guy from the get go, that could best me in almost every way and yet he would never let his finely honed ego get in our way. Marce would always get a kick out of smiling while thanking me for being there with him and revealing the budding talents that I was developing while he was right there to share in my accomplishments. He was indeed, perhaps even without knowing it, my Real World Sensei helping me, right there, to prepare for my future as it turned out. I most certainly learned much about respect for another person and also how they should also earn it just as we should all strive to practice the same. I also absorbed much and confirmed a lot about really powerful things like just how deep true feelings and love for the Great Outdoors can go, through this remarkable man.

Marcel has helped me in so many ways, to mold me as it turns out, into who I am to this day. We shared a very powerful Outdoorsy bond we did,like blood brothers. We never seemed to disagree on anything. Almost like one mind, sometimes. One of our first trips together, I still remember to this very day, riding with a 25 pound pack on my back,on the back of Marcel's awesome little 100cc Twin-Jet Yamaha motorcycle. We fairly flew up ol' highway #144 heading north for Sandcherry Creek to fish for those beautiful Speckled Trout. Turns out we caught a passle of them that day with Marcel catching a real hog over three pounds. He just loved Specks and fishing for them. We cooked some over the coals of our little stream side fire there in the early evening and totally agreed that this was all we both ever really wanted to do in life. Oh the desires of youth eh. Then again, I still feel that way to-day. So it's good to know even now that Marcel and I were both on the right track back then...Amen brother Marce!

I can still hardly believe Marcel has really left us. He was always So healthy, mentally & physically as well as spiritually. Besides his tremendous love for all the outdoors Marcel was also a very accomplished, gymnast, wrestler and a well rep'd street fighter in those early years of our lives together. This amazing man only 16 and 17 at the time, could totally mesmerize and inspire people with completely impromptu handsprings, cartwheels, back flips and his classic running, full tilt at and right up, a wall and flipping over to land on his feet again. All the while, he'd be smiling & laughing with the sheer enjoyment of performing his flawless flying feats. He would do this whenever it pleased him, always in full command of his senses and abilities. Marcel just loved seeing people happy and he gained pleasure from sharing in the enjoyment of others. Being so big hearted he ensured that he was a well loved man from the Sudbury valley.

Many of the deep underground miners from Falconbridge worked with my friend Marce over a long career and all I can say to any and all of them is, You guys were real lucky and very fortunate to have spent so much time, even at work, with this truly remarkable fellow worker of yours. I know Marcel rubbed off on y'all and influenced you too like he did me. Keep him in your hearts too now, ok boys!

Oh Marcel, I so miss you. Thank you with all my heart for being in my life when you were ol' friend. You will always be in my heart, until my last breath. I do believe for sure, that we will indeed meet again somewhere in the great heavenly bush by the side of a Spec stream my man, I just know it.

Your friend forever,

LarryB

Marcel has left the lake...

Gassed up...

2010-02-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

So like I haven't been on this particular blog since before Christmas due to many complicated issues and general life problems. However, to-day when I dropped in, there were a few comments posted which I hadn't seen. After reading them, I felt like I had just kicked it into another gear.

It's amazing what a little friendship and good will can do for a man. After a pretty solid week of givin' er, to find friends on your blog, sharing a little love, makes much bad poop go away. At the risk of sounding girlish, a tear rolled down my wind tanned cheeks as their heartfelt words soaked into my ol' grey matter. :-| Someone out there feels some of my pain and offers soothing and gentle words. Praise the Lord! I feel darned near re-born because of these generous and thoughtful folks I've met from the internet. Thank you, my friends. Thank you for your encouragement.

I'm going to be skippin' double time, for the next little while now because of y'all. I can feel myself coming back towards the light, of hope and love and solutions. I'm workin' on a new multi plan right now that just may get me into a better situation in the near future.

So, Thank You goes out to Mungo and Tami and Dennis for helpin' this outdoorsy Canadian get the flicker back in his eyes. You people Rock! :-)

Have a Fantastic evening!

Maybe the last time...

2009-12-22T04:13:00.000-08:00

Is this my last post? :-(

I'd like to extend a very heart felt Thank You, to any and all of You readers out there who have ever come to any of my blogs and shared some of your time with this little ol' outdoorsy dude! I've been totally thrilled to have been able to entertain you! Your various valued comments have got me through many rough society days in the past! Peace to all of You. I will miss Y'all! :-(
...Where to now?

Flying High...

2009-12-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

Fishing the Fly...

Sherri Russell

As you may have possibly gathered by now, if you follow any of my blogs, I myself don't do a lot of Fly Fishing these days. I do still have though, a beautiful little four piece Eagle Claw fly rod, that my Fly Fishing Sensei, Robert H. Jones gave to me on my birthday, a Long time ago. Although that sweet little rod has not been used in over a decade, I'm looking forward to whipping it around somewhat next year for Smallies in the rapids around the Champlain bridge.

I know that every time I use that awesome little light weight fly rod, I will be getting into some fine old memories of the past of days of fishing with my old friend Bob. And That is a Good thing. As you know, Robert H. has moved on to Trout Heaven now and all I'll ever have is memories of him. Thank God for those! Remembering folks we've really gotten close to in life, is one of the ways of showing respect and thanks, for the time spent with that person. So, I'll land some small jawed bass on Bob's rod next season and let those memories flow...

On another note, I have recently made a new friend online that LOVES to fish with artificial flies. This amazing lady's name is Sherri and she's really and totally hooked on catching fish with fly tackle. Her blog She's So Fly is just brimming with great Fly Fishing related material. Sherri enjoys turning other women on to the wonderfulness, of Fly Fishing. Sherri knows that it's done magic for her and she loves to let all those other ladies know, that it can do the same for them. She really encourages ladies to participate in this fine sport. Just click her link here and go meet yourself a real fine Fly Fishing Woman to-day, and see what I mean.

So the other day, out of the blue, Sherri lets me know right on her blog post, that I had won a contest she was running. Great Scott! This gal is too much! :-) Well, now I'm REALLY going to have to catch some Bassy's on Bobby's old "Claw" next year to help put some of this cool prize to great use! Thank You so much Sherri Russell, for being So Cool! :-)

Bent rods to y'all!

Super Easy Bass Contest...

2009-11-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Fresh off the press:
A brand new Killer contest for free Bass Tackle, is now up and running! This folks, is by far, the Easiest contest I've ever hooked up with.

My man Wolfy, over at Flowing Waters, just gave away an awful whack of Fly Fishing gear to another Outdoorsy blogger friend of mine, The Outdooress for winning his last excellent contest over there. Congrats Outdooress! :-)

In this latest contest, Wolfy is giving away a Very healthy pile of deadly Bassin' lures. You will Not believe all the cool gear in this package! So, get over to his blog ASAP and get yourself signed up before you miss your chance at this super Bassin' Deal! It ends the 5th of December, so Go get 'em! :-)
Wolf Waters...
Oh, and if you find that you enjoy this man's writing, and or this really sweet contest of his, please, Pass It On! :-)

Thanx for dropping in to-day...

Best Tarp SetUp Ever...

2009-11-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Master Plan...
So after seeing this great plan for using a Tarp for a shelter, I'm totally convinced that this is The Best Plan I have ever come across. I asked myself, why make a lean-to with your camping tarp when you can use this pyramid or Tipi design to make a much better overnight shelter? This is a very inventive and well thought out and tested plan here friends. This man knows his stuff!

I intend to use this exact design myself within the next month or so, as the weather conditions around here in Ottawa, determine the need for walls on my shelters, especially seeing as I'm starting to climb the hill now. Not even close to over the hill yet though! :-) Here's the link...
TarpSetUp

My Thanx go out to the NW Woodsman, for generously putting this ground breaking and valuable Outdoors news for Tarp Lovers everywhere, on the web! Thank You Sir Woodsman!

Have a really great day...

Fenlander’s Natural Lore Blog...

2009-11-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

Cool Boat...

If You are the kind of person who likes the old world craftsmanship and enjoys making real cool stuff from natural things, then you are going to Love this man's blog! I really dig his latest entry about how to make this neat little boat. I think I'll try it with some Cat-tail leaves, next time I'm around a wet spot. Now why didn't I know this cool little "bush trick" when I was a youngster? I wonder how many mothers these days, teach their children, to build little boats or other neat stuff?

Leave it to the Laplander's to do things the right way, eh. At an early age in my life, I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time around a large and wonderful group of Finn's and I sorta Know what makes these beautiful people tick. I work in much the same ways to-day still, because of that early up-bringing, with my beloved adopted Finnish family. :-)

Lots of folks out there have various woods skills but not everyone can teach those talents to others in an efficient manner. The Fenlander does a really, really good job of doing that and of spreading his vast knowledge and I myself, readily admit that I've already learned much, from recently making his acquaintance online! :-)

Go have yourself a look see if you too are into Wood-lore, from the original Old School methods, practiced by a modern day, totally talented and very generous man...
Fenlander’s Natural Lore Blog

Thanx 4 visiting to-day!
:-)
lb

Presenting...The Tadfry

2009-11-23T09:36:00.001-08:00

Canoeing 016
Originally uploaded by Outsides4me

Well folks, I was going to tell y'all about this deadly little killer crank this past summer, but I forgot. :-(

So, to make up for that, here's a picture which my friend, Outsides4me, shared on his Flickr Photostream of this awesome little plug. He has had a pile of success with it too. :-)

I've been tossin' this little killer crank-bait around for over a decade now and it has been cleanin' up where ever I've used it. This well designed mini plug, is very appealing to almost anything with fins. I've even bagged a few Brookies and Rainbows on it. :-)

If You really dig fishin' with Ultra-lite tackle, then you owe it to yourself to track down a few of these awesome little floater divers. If you want to increase your catch next year, that is. :-) lb

A dear old friend departs...

2009-11-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

Bob Jones Remembered...
I originally got to know this amazing man many years ago, after meeting him while I was working at Laurentian Trading Post, here in Ottawa, at the fishing counter. We then became fast fishin' buds and fished many times together. We covered lots of different water and fishing techniques, in his old "Tin Goose", Bobs' beloved Sportspal canoe. :-) I respected this man as much if not more than I did my own dad. Bob always felt like an older, bigger, cooler, brother to me.

Robert H. Jones

Here as you can see, is a copy of two old pictures of one of my real life hero's out there doing his thing. The top pic shows Bob on the left, fast at work photographing a thrashing Salmon, with Pete Sticklee on the big net and a young and agile John Kerr, playing the fish. On the far right with the big hair, is none other than the well known Burt Meyers, of Ontario Out Of Doors Magazine fame, doing what he likes to do, mingling with his boys, on location! :-) I, luckily enough, was there too and took this picture and many others of the whole crew on Sticks' slick boat, with my little Pentax SP500 (back then) and gave most of 'em to the boys. Wish I'd have kept a few of the nice ones of Bob with his fish, now though. :-(

The next shot was taken shortly after Bobby moved to British Columbia to retire and become the full time Outdoor Writer. Yup, Jonesy in his glory, fighting another beauty, and all decked out in that cool west coast Fly-Man's Garb! Lookin' Good Bobby!

Hard hitting news...

Seemingly just out of the blue the other day, I ran into another old and mutual friend of ours, Grant Hopkins, while exploring part of the Canal system. We talked fishing and catch-up for a bit but it wasn't long before I brought our old fishin' buddy Bob, into the conversation. With sorrow in his voice, and a changed look on his face, and in his eyes, Grant told me that he had found out over a year ago that Bob had unfortunately left British Columbia, for the big fishing hole in the sky. :-(

So you see folks, sadly, I just have to report that my dear old friend Bob Jones, is now one of the "Dearly Departed" on my list of great people I have known in my life.

He had a very special way of impacting people that he met, especially if they showed him a fondness for fishing or rods and rivers and such. He was also a really, really, good teacher too. As a matter of fact, at one point in our lives, Bob was indeed, my real life Fishing Sensei, especially when it had to do with Jig tying and Fly Fishing. He patiently answered so many of my questions and I absorbed as much as I could from him. But, there was always more, with Bob. Tireless he was!

This link will take you right to one of Bobs' very own articles over on the Outdoor Writers Of America website, where he was a very well liked and respected member. Sort of fittingly perhaps, on my little blog here then, Bob shares this fine piece about how he and an old friend of his, met, shared great friendship and then, parted. Remembering...

I also wrote a little more stuff about Bob on my other blogs too, along with a few links for others to tour for some of his work. Bob has authored and Co-Authored quite a number of fine books and was editor for some of the big boys out west. I really feel a strong need to get at least some of his story out there, because this man was way, way more, than just a fisherman or a writer or a photographer. He accomplished almost everything he ever wanted to do in his life and I'm so thankful for being a little part of that! I will remember you always, Sensei Jones!

Thank You, my readers, for sharing this tiny piece of my dearly missed old fishing companion, with you to-day. Maybe you even have your own old fishing friend that You can remember to-day too? If they were at all to you, like Bob Jones was to me, then they most certainly deserve a few moments for a little thoughtful reflection, on your part. :-)

lb

Urban Outdoors...

2009-11-14T03:33:00.000-08:00

Look familiar?
Inner City Outdoors...
So I toured along the Rideau the other day for a few hours, capitalizing on the rare and beautiful weather, for this time of year. I really needed a break to clear my poor ol' head of all the job search stuff I've been up to lately. ;-) It didn't take long though...
Tall Weeds
Check it out, I nearly got lost in the really tall weeds. :-) About a quarter mile later as the terrain changed, suddenly my photographic background starts to kick in. I stop right where I am, slip my little Pentax Optio, out of my jacket pocket, and shoot...
Perspective
Forget fishing for a minute. I look all around me and discover a pretty cool pool of Artistic talent, right there, for all to see. The city even has a sign up on the pillars to let artists know that it is indeed, O.K. to perform here. How Cool is that?
Redhair
Well folks, from my point of view anyway, it's kind of like a skateboard park these days. Keeps the cooler boys and girls out of trouble and affords them a safe place to share their skills and talents with others who appreciate the same good stuff.
Wolverine
How long did this take to do, I wonder?
The Singer...
Monkey
Spidey...
These kids, every single one of them, were Outdoors and doing their thing, in a place where it was cool and safe to do so. Maybe some of them even have a skateboard and or even a fishing rod. I felt glad to have discovered such a neat place almost right in the middle of the city of Ottawa. I believe that ALL cities and towns, everywhere, should have these places and things! We should be encouraging our youth to use and perfect the things that they Love! Nuff said...

I hope at least a few of these amazing young artists go on and get rich and famous, using their obvious passion for what they do. Go get 'em kiddies! :-)

Oh ya, back to the fishing. :-) As it turned out, the bite was really tough but I did finally manage to catch a few spooky and skittish Yellow Perch at the end of Dow's Lake, where it meets the canal. I just love the bright vivid colors on these puppies, at this time of year too.
Perch face...
There's lots of outdoorsy stuff going on in any urban neighborhood and I think it's neat when you can combine a little culture with yer fishin'...

Good bye to Taylor Mitchell...

2009-10-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Too young to leave us...

It is with a very heavy heart that I bring this extremely sad info to you here to-day. This one in a million, type of thing, Really gets to me! At the risk of perhaps sounding wimpy or whatever, this story saddened me so, that I ended up crying like a school-girl, for a minute or three. What a loss!

How can these things happen, I ask myself? Where's the justice? Life is so fragile. We just never ever know, when or how our flame is going to be put out, do we? All we can do, is try to live each and every day as if it was our last and enjoy it to the fullest.

Here's the link to this really sad story I read this morning about this wonderful little lady that was just really starting to go places...
Taylor Mitchell - Musician

Maybe you could visit Taylor's page on Facebook too, the link is in the article. You can see for yourself where this bright and talented young woman was going, before she met her tragic end. Thank You Taylor for sharing So Much with us!

R.I.P. Taylor Mitchell! God has you now. We ALL will miss you and think of you often through your wonderful music!

Only 19 years of age...

:-( Larry

From The Fisherbabe...

2009-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

You wear What?

So here my friends, is a hyper-link to a lady Known as The Fisherbabe who Loves to fish and most certainly knows how to dress lady-like. :-) My gal Lizzy also has a page over on getreeled.com as well. Like I said, she really Loves to fish, although not professionally like some of the other Ladies I've mentioned in here. :-)

Fisherbabe in action...

If You have a blog on blogger.com, then maybe you'd like to add this Fishin' babe to your Follow list too, like I did. She's got My interest. :-)

P.S. You'll understand the title of this post when you get to her blog. ;-) lb

Women, outdoors...

2009-10-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

More Outdoorsy Women...

Peace Pilgrim

I just found out about this amazing woman yesterday. She came to be known as, the Peace Pilgrim. Here's a link to some of who Mildred was and what she's done for So Many people out there that she met in her travels. Peace Pilgrim Bio...Maybe you could pass this link on to a friend who you think may need a little encouragement and or inspiration in their lives. They'll be glad you did.

This fine lady's take on Freedom, Love and Peace is right up there with some of the most basic rules of life. She proved that, we, as humans, need little else. :-)

Next up on the Cool Outdoorsy Ladies list, is this gal with a hot stick from Texas that knows how to fish under real tough desert conditions, and does real well in the big tourneys.

Bassin' with Tami...

My hat's off to Texas Tami who learned some of her Bassin' skills from the likes of non other than Mike Folkestad, 3 time U.S. Open Champion! She can give a lot of regular bass boys, a spanking and has proven that a few times on big tourneys already. :-)

I'm very happy to be linking you up here to-day to this cool woman's blog. Texas Tami...Go see for yourself just where she's been and what she's done and where she's goin' next! Go Tami Go! :-) lb

P.S. It's so good to see women doing stuff they love, outdoors. I Love Outdoorsy women! :-) lb

Heavenly Custom Cranks...

2009-09-25T06:45:00.001-07:00

Heavenly Custom Cranks...
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

My most recent "outdoors shoot" produced this interesting capture of ever changing light and plenty of sweet subject matter to boot...

Are You a plugger from way back, like me? Well then, when have You ever seen a genuine snag-less crank-bait, let alone, one that simply hooks anything that bites at it? I've been field testin' these Killer-Kranks for a number of years as you may have guessed, if you know your older plugs that is. ;-)

Go custom, or go home.... :-) lb

Disabled Recreations...

2009-09-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Lindsay meets the Pro's!

Ike Likes Lindsay!

Here's two of Professional Bass Fishing's finest Anglers, just beaming, while in the presence of this awesome little girl, who Loves to fish too...

Disabled Recreations - Pictures of Lindsay with her Favorite Anglers

Could one wish to keep any better company? :-)

Now, I ask You, is Fishing a Magical thing, or what?

Tight lines,
lb

Tommy Biffle Leads on Lake Jordan...

2009-09-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Some Hot Current Events for Bass Fishing folks...

Hey there Bassers, the Battle of the Best is ON! Go see what's happenin' in Alabama with Bass Fishing's Elite Boys, right now...

Biffle Leads on Jordan

Check out my Man Swindle's super action shot from over there, he's in 4th place now and fishing in Top form!

The G-man, Rockin' it!

This is a Mark Jeffreys & Matt Pangrac Photo

From what I've seen and read so far, the G-man is pretty well fishing @ his very Best right here and he even stated, that he is really fishing for FUN in this contest, because of a nice lack of pressure, for a change. Ya gotta Love this very Cool Basser! GO G-man Go! :-)

Thanx 4 dropping by to-day friend! lb

Life under a rock, from, the Marvelous in Nature, By Seabrooke...

2009-08-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Totally Awesome Nature Blog, this way--->

Here's a craw-daddy picture from Rustyblackbird's Flickr Photostream, Rustyblackbird...
which I located on Seabrooke's beautiful Ontario Nature focused blog, which I luckily just discovered through my hook up with Mungo over at Mungobah... yet another woodsy nature based blog I just LOVE!

You're going to LOVE this pretty little lady's stuff, she is SO artistic and very generous with her splendid work, to boot. ;-) Five stars and a big Thumbs Up to You, Cool Nature Lady! Just keep on teachin' us, and sharing with us, ya hear? :-) lb

...here's a small sampling of Seabrooke's work, to do with Crawfish...

Life under a rock, the Marvelous in nature...

Man, I just can't seem to get my fill of all this Nature stuff and all it's splendor...lb :-)

More time for blogging...

2009-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that I am going to have a little more time for blogging. The job that I've loved doing for the last 18 months has recently come to an end. Yup, I'm back out in the job market again now, as depressing as that is. :-( I'm hoping I find something quick, so I don't have to wait around for EI to kick in. Even then, how far does that big check take you?

My newest fishing friend took me up to a couple of his little Trout lakes in the Calabogie area yesterday to fish out of his new canoe. I stuck to my selection of artificial lures, like usual, while Art simply tossed nice juicy dew worms to tempt those trout. To make a long story a little shorter, Art spanked me good. Although he had never caught a Rainbow Trout before, he made up for it with his wormin' tactics yesterday. Yes sir, he scored three nice Rainbows, one of them over two pounds! :-) Jees, I can't wait to see this guy on the lake after he gets a little experience! :-) Congrats my man, on such a fine catch of trout. Also, thanks once again for letting me tag along to provide ballast for your canoe Art. I'll gladly do the same again, anytime.

To-day it's all cloudy and cool out and I'm staying indoors and doing a pile of stay home jobs that I've been putting off for too long already. My fridge needs defrosting pretty badly as it would be nice to be able to open the freezer door again. Most of my collectibles haven't been dusted in a dog's age and there's a pile of 'em to dust. Pictures have to be downsized and titled to save hard drive space on my poor old, overworked computer.

If the rain holds off, I may go out for a short bike ride on one of my little close to home circuits a little later...

Rapala Minnow Rap Fishing Lure

2009-07-31T21:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a sweet vid of Al Lindner, catchin' some fine fish on Rapala's Minnow Rap... Great underwater footage here! :-) lb

Small saws

2009-07-19T19:14:00.001-07:00

Small saws
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Besides my 35 year old yellow Swede Saw, these are the only other two saws I'll ever need in the woods... :-)

A dozen folding knives

2009-07-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

A dozen folding knives
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

I think I've been carrying a folding knife for about at least three quarters of my life. I'm never without at least one folder on me, it's a habit I've had since early youth. I You dig knives, you'll know what I mean. :-)

Eating Healthy with the BEST Nutritional foods...

2009-07-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Nutritional Notes...

Simple Food...

Thought I'd share a few of my thoughts with y'all in here to-day, about healthy eating. I've actually built a whole lens, which is kind of like a webpage, to do with getting the proper nutrition into us. The older we get, the more important our diet becomes. Seeing as I'm no spring chicken anymore, I take this food stuff, pretty darn seriously... :-)

Go have yourself a peek at this little compilation of my take on the proper nutrition and how we all should be eating better, more health producing foods...

Eating Healthy with the BEST Nutritional foods...

You only have One body, why not feed it the absolute best foods you can? :-)

later,

Dazzling Lure Finishes...

2009-07-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

Newer Lure Finishes...

So, do You use lures with these awesome new finishes or are You more of the Old School type in your fishing lure color selecting?

It seems to me that it pretty well all started back when this Heddon Spook came on the fishing scene in a brilliant new finish that was unbelievably bright and highly visible. There was No doubt that fish could see yer new Dazzling Spook to be sure. :-) Did it catch more fish though?

Spooky...

Here's a look at a pair of modern day, high-tech, Rattlin' Lip-less crankbaits, in a some snazzy clothes. Mini-multi-balls, dance around inside these fish attracting lures and "call" fish from great distances. Sound travels faster and farther in H2O than it does in air, and fish hear and feel the vibrations caused by these rattlers and shakers, and beat them up!

Lip-less Rattling Cranks...

They used to say, The Eyes have it, when talkin' about the Cool baits that worked real well. How about these then, for a sweet set of peepers? :-) Whew! Add that to all that rattlin', shakin' and vibrating and this sleek finish and you've got yourself a genuine Killer package there buddy! :-)

Eye Detail...

There, now you can add that little tidbit to your fishing facts file...

lb

THE Best Book on Tipi's...

2009-07-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Tipi Talk...
THE Tipi Book!

To-day, one of the things I want to do here, is I want to do my part to spread the word about this terrific softcover book that lives on one of my many book shelves. So, if You have ever dreamed about living in a Tipi, or even ever just wondered how they were made, or about anything to do with this ancient form of dwelling, you are in for a fine treat, with this read my friend. :-)

I've just recently Twittered and or Tweeted this fine volume too, (se link below) because, as I said above, I really want More nature lovers and back-to-the-lander's and survivalists and Outdoorsy people and intelligent folks everywhere, to know more about this amazing invention of the ancient Native Peoples. A real tribute to their Ingenuity and understanding of things...

...as seen on Twitpic...

You see, it is my Firm belief that Knowledge, is without a doubt, the key to everything. Success, happiness, love or whatever, Knowledge is the Key to it all. The more we have, the better our lives will be. That, of course depends too on just how much bad knowledge you care to let into your life. You and only You, get to choose which knowledge You let into that brain of Yours.

This book will be like getting a B.A. in real authentic Tipi stuff, to the average Outdoors enthusiast. There is Nothing left uncovered in this incredible book. Look for it to-day, it's worth at least three or four times it's old cover price.

With times going the way they are at present, perhaps even more folks will be looking towards alternate housing in the near future and the Tipi fills the bill, in that department real well. A Go-Anywhere, climate controlled, Cool and comfortable home. Nuff said...

later,

Fine, fresh and free food....

2009-06-20T05:04:00.001-07:00

Wazup?
What'cha bin doin'?, someone asked me the other day. Here's a little bit of those doin's. :-)

Milkweed

Vegetables from the wilds...

Well now looky here friends. A little patch of free food, represented by this fine, free and very fresh vegetable, from the wilds. Yup these bumpy little things are what turns into blossoms, and become a purplish tone, in a few days. You can click this picture to see what it looks like, over @ Twitgoo as well... Or, click this link...http://twitgoo.com/v0j9

There seems to be a few different species or sub-species, or whatever, of Milkweed around my neck of the woods. However, no matter for me, they are All quite Edible and Tasty to boot, let alone the Health aspects considered. Get Milkin' :-)

This plant needs no introduction but for the Wild Food newbies reading this, this happens to be my second favorite wild berry after Wild Blueberries and followed closely by Wild Raspberries and Blackberries. :-)

Wild Strawberries

Not edible as far as I know but beautiful to behold, none the less, here's a picture of some very dainty little blossoms, (which I can't recall the name of right now)casually thriving right along side of the road...

Dainty...

A sampling of just the perfect natural early morning light, on some common roadside plants...

Early mornin' light...

Here's a very common, yet stunningly brilliant, little Butter Cup. Stick it under your chin to see if You like butter. Remember doin' that as a kid? :-)

Butter Cups

I'll be adding a few more fishing tackle shots in here a little later but here's one for now, to spice your interest. :-)

Pretty faces...

later,

The Four "T"s...

2009-06-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

See this pic on Twitgoo, too...
Fun Bass...

Do You, use these four Super-fine internet resources yet?

Well, I for one most certainly do and I just want to share that with y'all in here. Plenty, and I mean Plenty, of opportunities await You out there these days on and off the net. If You are say, lookin' to power-up Your website, or blog, or Lens or Hub or storefront for that matter, get going on this stuff to-day. Oh ya, don't forget, that all this powerful, sweet stuff that I'm sharing with You to-day, is totally free of any cash outlay nor do they have any big learning curve. :-) If You know me at all, then You know that kinda stuff Really strikes a cord, with this ol' puppy. :-)

Here they are for ya then, all laid out and ready and awaiting Your command. Enjoy. Above all, use 'em! They work real well... :-)

Leadin' the Four T pack is none other that the world Famous Twitter the One that (who) actually Started the whole Twitty [(c) lb 2009 ] trend, in "T" stuff. Then there's the sweet Tweetree and then of course, buddy TwitGoo (the Goo) and finally, for good measure, don't forget the fourth T, Twitpic for those of You with even More photos, to have ALL Your bases, totally T covered on the triple W! I just LOVE them all to bits! :-)

So, that's about it for my little bloggy to-night. Twitter, Twitpic, Twitgoo and Tweetree are The Four T's that anyone and everyone should, could and would use, if given the chance, I'm sure. Especially if they (You) enjoy making and or taking pictures and like to show them off to others too. :-)

Chow for now,

Twitpic Album By LarryBourgeois

2009-05-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

Bloggin' & Tweetin' TwitPic...

Wild Violets

Because I'm on Twitter now, like a PILE of other folks :-), I just started using TwitPic to add some of my pictures to the Tweet-pool. Well, if You haven't started using TwitPic yet, my suggestion to You is, Get at it! :-)

It's easy, fast, cool, and don't forget that it's all free. Oh, and did I say, Powerful to boot? Go on now, go and get 'er done friend. Go show off Your nice pictures too, at TwitPic to-day...

This link will take you to my recent shots over there and you can hook-up from that page, real easy-like. :-)

Twitpic Album by LarryBourgeois

P.S. You know what they say about visuals eh? A picture is worth a thousand words... ;-)

lb

Pengun and Blade...

2009-04-24T17:40:00.001-07:00

Pengun and Blade
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Anyone out there ever used one of these cool Penguns? I picked this up years ago and have used it a few times for demo purposes. Pretty impressive! :-)

Brook trout fabric sculpture...

2009-04-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

Brook trout fabric sculpture
Originally uploaded by Happy Sleepy

I found this on the net and wanted to share it here with y'all to-day because it is SO unique. Is this a beautiful sculpture, or what? :-)

lb

Sunshine ride...

2009-04-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Out Ridin' in the sun...

Well I finally got out for another ride on my ol' beast to see what, if anything, was popping out of the ground since my last look. Lo and behold, a half hour into my tour and Voila, a new patch of Day Lilies just starting to sprout. So, I took a picture or two and packed a few of these fine fresh greens into a zip-lock baggy that I always carry with me.

Although I didn't find very much out there other than these sweet shoots, I saw that good ol' Dow's Lake, is still at the low water, winter pool level. They should be lettin' some fresh water in there soon, I hope. The fish are waitin' for me... :-)

Low, or what?

Unfortunately the NCC in all it's wisdom, went and Raped about half the place by cutting down many shoreline trees and flowering shrubs and otherwise contributing to the general erosion problem. What in HELL are those Dorks trying to do, make a Freakin' lawn for all the tourists. What a bunch of no-minds to come up with that kind of money wasting, destructive plan... :-(

later,

Wolf Tracks

2009-03-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

After readin' and enjoy'n Shy Wolf's Super blog for a while tonight about the seriousness of the present state of the Constitution. This quote, had tears rolling down my cheeks, which was Very refreshing, after my day in traffic. :-) Felt Really Good to laugh that hard! :-)

"I'm not O.C.D., but I am kind of a wall flower around women. Like, if they knew how absolutely terrified I am of having to even talk to one, they'd die laffing. But I digress... on with the party.

Being from a beer drinking background, I naturally gravitate to whiskey, good sour mash preferred. Or a really tall snifter of Hennesy over a chunk of ice. Anyway, there was a lot of beer and not much whiskey to be had at the party, so I drank beer spiked from a bottle of Jim Beam, parked my slim butt beside a potted plant and began to be ignored. Which was fine with me. If they can't see me, they won't talk to me.

Umm, well, kinda."

Check out his blog if You are into Reality with a capital R...

Wolf Tracks

yer bud,

LarryB

Biking season has begun...

2009-03-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

YaHoooo!

Well, Biking season in Ottawa has officially arrived for this ol' Sudbury boy! :-) Yup, I took my ol' metal horse out for a spin yesterday in the bright sunshine, to mark the start of spring biking for 2009. Took about a half hour to work the kinks out of my parts but then it all fell into place again. It reminded me of my firm belief that Biking is only slightly below swimming, for the BEST form of exercise a person can do. I travel as fast or slow as I want to, usually more slow than fast. That way I get to really see a lot.

So anywho, I got in some nice exercise, a few good rays, some photo opps and a real nice shakedown cruise all around. I hope y'all got yourself outdoors this past week-end too! Everything is awakening now from the big sleep and it's So sweet to be out there surrounded by it all. Robins bobbin' around in the grassy spots, along with crows, gulls, sparrows and other wild critters, all turn my crank.

Do you bike? Have you been on yours yet? Make sure that your children, if you have any, get out there a lot on their bikes during March Break too.

Here's a picture I took for y'all on a picnic table adjacent to the Ottawa River, where I had pulled in to take a break...

Familiar Faces...

Both of these lures are proven fish catchers. If you haven't tried them yet, get to it... :-)

Here's a shot of some other gear I had with me...

Sporty Stuff...

I Love small stuff... :-)

Chow!

Torqued out Truck...

2009-03-01T15:36:00.001-08:00

truck
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Here's a shot of a pimped out street truck I took last fall on Carling Avenue. Man, how many dollars are tied up in that unit, I wonder? :-)

Last two HotWheels...

2009-03-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

Are these the last two HW's?

Cougar Eliminator and GTO

Well, although I took these two awesome lookin' bad-boys home yesterday, I felt that they may very well be the last two Hotwheels I'll ever buy. :-( I LOVE the detail on both of these suckers and the paint jobs are fantastic, but, Yup, I think I've had enough. I have SO many hotwheels I don't know what to do with them. I've only purchased three or four others all last year so that too is a pretty good sign that my Hotwheels addiction, has finally burned itself out. ;-)

TootsieToys

On the other hand, I still have a passion for these harder to find little TootsieToys although they've now gone from being made in Chicago USA to like most everything else, made in China now.

These are all dusty and worn and stuff, but they still share a prime spot on one of my main display shelves. Anyone else out there have a few of these old Tootsies? :-)

Anyone wanna buy a whack of Hotwheels? :-)

lb

Japanese Knotweed...

2009-03-01T07:42:00.001-08:00

Japanese Knotweed
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

These plants taste a lot like Rhubarb and look somewhat like a kind of bamboo. They grow real fast and are best picked for eating, at This exact stage but two or three inches either way is still o.k. too. :-) I even chop 'em up fine and toss 'em in with other spring greens for a splendid wild salad...

Keep Your eyes peeled for these interesting now gone wild, edible plants of many urban hoods...

Wild Leeks...

2009-03-01T07:26:00.001-08:00

Wild Leeks
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Pretty soon the snow will be gone and I'll be able to hunt for these wonderful little Wild Leeks again. Lots of folks call these tasty plants "Ramps" and they even hold festivals in honor of 'em. :-)

It has been a Spring ritual with me for over thirty years now to seek Wild Leeks and Morel Mushrooms in a few of the Hard-woody areas that I've come to know over the decades. It won't be long now!

Do You do Leeks?

In The Clover...

2009-03-01T07:15:00.001-08:00

In The Clover
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Even though there is still lots of snow around, it won't be long before I'm lying in a field of Clover again...

Dogstooth Violet...

2009-03-01T06:59:00.001-08:00

Dogstooth Violet
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

A peek at what's to come soon out in the hardwoods, of a Trout Lily with it's long and lovely, dappled leaves and almost in bloom. Another hour or three of sunlight would do it...

Won't be long folks, hang in there...

My Amigo...

2009-02-27T16:14:00.001-08:00

My Amigo
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Did I ever show you my old, rock solid, Tesoro Amigo, Metal Detector? This bad boy has been my companion for over twenty years, and has hunted along side of many other makes and models.

I've uncovered a pile of treasure with this amazing electronic unit, even though it's not big, fancy, expensive nor complicated. If You'd like to get into Treasure Hunting in any of it's many flavors, check into this long standing company that really knows how to build great detectors.

Some of their newer models are about a third of the size of this guy and WAY lighter too. Tesoro is at the top of the heap, for me, for detectors, and always will be. Their PR is 5 star to boot... :-)

Cool Old Plugs

2009-02-27T15:54:00.001-08:00

Cool Old Plugs
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

A 6-pack of oldies... A Flap-Jack, a Fishcake, a Chugger, a River Runt, a Super Sonic and an old Bomber. Have You got any of these old plugs stashed away somewhere? I'd LOVE to hear about 'em. :-)

Urban Sit Spot...

2009-02-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

Through the eyes of an Urban Hermit...

Come and share a spot I found on the web, where everything is cool...

Urban Sit Spot: An Urban Hermit?

Do You have a spot to sit and observe and be part of yet? :-)

Cheers,

Gourmet nutrition with beans and rice by Richard Blunt Issue #115

2009-02-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight is...Nutrition City!

Do You want to get the top Nutrition into You, or what? Well then, hear this. It's plain and simple, again that's just the way I like it too. Beans and rice, feed millions and millions of people every day, all over the planet... I hope You are one of them. :-)

Here's a really good article I found over @ Backwoods Home dot com which, by the way, is an Excellent place to tour over to for anything with a Woodsy, flavor to it! :-) The author of this fine article, Richard Blunt, explains just about ALL You'll need to know to have Your body, charged with high-test Nutrition, and without spending a fortune. :-) Now that, is right up My alley. :-)

So go have a look see. And then you can go and Ramp Up Your Nutritional intake, when your finished reading this well written piece.

Gourmet Nutrition with Beans and Rice... by Richard Blunt, and Courtesy of Backwoods Home Magazine - Issue #115

My favorite rice is long grained, brown rice. It's still got the bran and all. I'll pass, on the highly polished and well talc'ed white crap, thank you very much. :-( Mixing Beans with Rice, is a Powerful combo of Nutritional goodies, that Your body will just soak right up and you can "almost" feel it giving You energy and stamina with every bowl. The simplest recipes work great with these two "Wonder foods" as well, so everyone can benefit!

To Your Health,

LarryB

LarryB's Blog about ...Friends

2009-02-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

What do you need more, than a friend?

Thought you might enjoy this post from one of my other blogs over at LarryB's Blog about Friends where you'll learn a little more about my feelings towards friendships...

Big Bruce @ Hogg's Back Falls

Buddy Bruce & I were out tourin' the Mighty Hog's-back Falls and he didn't notice me taking this shot. It's one of the few I have of him. We will most definitely get more and better shots this up-coming year... :-)

Thanx for lookin' Y'all!

Lar

Fountain of Youth and Anti-Aging Remedies

2009-02-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my healthier way to live lifestyle thingy, here's another one of those powerful Health Foods that we ALL should be gettin' more of, into our bodies. ACV, or Apple Cider Vinegar, has been used for Many, many things, for a long, long time now and it's just as effective to-day as it was in your great, great grand dad's day... :-)

This well laid out and very informative website has an awesome list of Home Cure type remedies, foods and natural medicines and tells how to help YOU use them to Your advantage and better health. Enjoy!

Fountain of Youth and Anti-Aging Remedies

Yours in health,

lb

Hitchin' a ride...

2009-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Young experiences...

Just after turning the ripe old age of sixteen, I sort of planned a trip to a far off place. I would be hitch hiking my way across Canada, from my hometown in Sudbury, Ontario to Vancouver British Columbia. There would be no personal contacts along the way and no money to help me on route either. I was bound and determined to get there and back if things didn't work out well in Van. I had a fairly good background in Outdoorsy stuff so I figured I could camp out most of the time. Then again, I didn't even have a tent. You see, things weren't going so well at home, or so I felt anyway. I knew that I had to leave and it might as well not just be to the other side of town. I was turning into a man and I was set on proving it. My dad seemed to have no respect for me or even care about the stuff I was into. He was very old school and didn't believe kids knew anything. We were to be seen and not heard, in his books. :-(

Well I had a lot to say back then and that never held well with my dad, God bless his poor old soul! I had a pile of questions and he never had the answers. So to make a long story a little shorter, that got me into travel and independence mode. I wanted to see how I would do, alone and on my own. Looking back now, that was sure a tough way to get your start in life but we've gotta do what we gotta do, now don't we? Well, if you want to stay real that is and not become robotized and non-opinionated. ;-)

Hitch hiking is a whole different thing to anything else you know. Every single day is totally different, with different people, places and situations along with different scenery. Experiences start piling up and you become more at ease with yourself and your abilities to cope. There has been a lot of neat stuff written here on the web about hitch hiking and one could spend weeks reading tales of life and times on the road, supported by your thumb.

Here's a link to one such very Cool spot that will give you lots of insight into this method of gaining tons of life's experiences. Go take a peek and travel the roads for awhile with...Tom Thumb

From his website...

"Tom has been on the road since he was 18 pretty much nonstop and ended up in any number of adventures including hitchhiking to India, dancing with sufis on moonlight beaches in Goa, helping people get out of jail in Delhi, selling fake Rolex watches in Tokyo, living as a gringo in Brazil and a Goy in Israel, he's been robbed, laughed at, swindled, attacked, betrayed and exploited in over 40 countries around the world and recommends nothing so much as travel for building character"

I'll second Tom on that character building part too. ;-)

later,

The rebel...

2009-01-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

The Rebel in me, started a long, long time ago...

Chillin'

I only wish I could remember more things from my youth because Many of the things I loved and was very interested in then, are things that I am still very interested in to-day! Lots of these things, are the things that formed me into who I am right now. For instance, there is a very powerful streak of real Rebel, in this snug 140 pound physique of mine. Back in the early days of Public school even, I was Not into B-ball, or football, hockey, soccer, badminton, tennis, or most of the other sport stuff that most of the other kids were into. Oh sure, I tried them out, but No way did they hold this kid's interest. I was more into being say, a little different than trying to copy everyone else, like everyone else was.

I can still remember sitting on the black metal pipe railing that bordered the front yard of Collage Street Public School, under the limbs and in the shade of a massive Maple. I remember just enjoying the green of the grass under my feet and the fresh clean breeze blowing softly through this old tree's leaves. The Dandelions growing here and there on the lawn also caught my eye and inspired me to look into plant life in the school library. A little Cabbage Butterfly got me curious about the life and times of those delicate little critters. Yes sir, It seemed that Nature in her Many, Many forms, just peaked my need for exploration and investigation and tweaked my powers of observation. And just may have turned me into a budding semi-poet too, boo boo. :-)

Walking to and from school was probably the main thing for me to look forward to in my day back then. For you see, then the Adventure would begin! What would I discover this day? Who would I see? Which new streets could I explore on the way home, without being too late, so as not to stress out my poor ol' mum too much. :-) Then there were the different back alleys between back yards of private homes and they were cool too, for providing interesting diversions to a young and open mind. I even got to know various types of dogs and garden plants because of it. ;-) Side streets, the railroad round-house, a creek a few blocks out of my way, and then there was always the very steep Regent Street hill and a whole lot of other interesting places, that all had their way with me back then.

In grade five, I started taking overland "short-cuts" home, which were up, across and then over wide stretches of black, moon-like old rock, so as to avoid the city streets and to practice also, my ever growing cross-country directional skills. I hardly ever found any other footprints up there, even when I came upon shallow depressions in the rocks that had filled with fine wind blown sand. I loved that! It made me feel like a real explorer, like in the olden days. Yup, it really tickled my fancy to think that I was perhaps the first one there, to set foot in that 100 foot sand-trap in the middle of now-where's-ville...

I enjoyed, as you can see, even at that early age, being an individual and more inclined to lead, than follow. Well, except for the fact that I was the Super Shy guy back then and not at all outgoing when around a bunch of others. :-(

Yup, I fought with that very constricting big mental problemo for years. Fortunately for me, or not, depending on how You look at things, I failed grade 10 @ Sheridan Technical School and in repeating it, I became friends with a fellow classmate who just happened to be one of the cooler boys in the place. He was a year and a half older than me and pretty outspoken and quite mechanical. He was a "take charge" kinda guy, if you know what I mean. Being a pretty fast learner, at things I was interested in, it really didn't take long before ol' Wally could see that and took me under his wing to help me get over this "stage fright" or whatever it was called, that I had been so afflicted with all my life so far.

Well, to make a long story a bit shorter, it wouldn't surprise me at all if my ol' mentor Wally is out there somewhere to-day, giving seminars and courses and teaching really shy folks how to get over it and start living. He was That good at what he did for me. :-) Well, his teachings have carried through for more than 40 years and I hardly ever experience any bouts of shyness anymore, because of his skills.

This taught me that we Can indeed overcome nearly ANYTHING! When you Believe that, things start workin' out better for you.

How about You fair reader? Are You to-day who you started out being when you were a child? Have You kept some of your early interests and Loves, over the years? Or are you totally different now and can't even remember where most of this stuff started anymore?

As I said earlier, I LOVE going back to some of those early days in the "life & times" of one budding larrybass, semi-famous web communicator, and feeling good about sticking with what I've LOVED all these years...

On a little different note... If you've never read any of Richard Bach's books, you owe it to yourself or your mate, to check this little Treasure out. I've carried this softcover in my saddlebags on my Yammy Twin, way back in the early 80's and it's provided MUCH Inspiration over the thousands of miles we've traveled together.

...my second favorite Handbook...

...Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

For YOU To-day a Special Merry Christmas!

Click to Send this E-Card to Your friends too...

All the best...
LarryB

Twist Me, go ahead...

2008-12-23T20:32:00.001-08:00

Twist Me
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

This belt buckle has been one of my prized fishing possessions along with my official B.A.S.S. buckle which I will Pentax soon and download in here too.
lb

Big Jim Fishing card

2008-12-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

Big Jim Fishing card
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

You know you're starting to get famous when your face appears on a Sports Card, like Big Jim's here...

My MA Hero..

2008-12-23T15:50:00.001-08:00

One Of My Heros
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

This man has probably contributed more useful MA teachings to more people than anyone before him or after him. He was just getting started, when he died. I was sad for a long time after that...

Here's a Great link to almost All you ever wanted to know concerning this amazing young man, who shook the world. This is a Fantastic Lens built by a Very talented writer/researcher and you'll be glad to have found it, if you're into Bruce Lee! :-)

Bruce Lee's Bio...

KiHi,

lb

Westboro In November

2008-12-23T15:42:00.001-08:00

Westboro In November
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

...a view of the Champlain Bridge from the Westboro shoreline of the Ottawa River, in November...

Wildleeks...

2008-12-23T15:35:00.001-08:00

More Wildleeks
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

A sure sign of spring are these Wild Leeks. They are fond of hardwood forest edges and usually grow in fair sized colonies. I've eaten these fresh every spring for over thirty years without fail and I hope to be doing so for thirty more...

Heddon Deep Six

2008-12-23T15:24:00.001-08:00

Heddon Deep Six
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

To start the Sweet lure re-cap section of 2008 photos, here's one that's deep sixed a number of Walleyes and Bass in it's day. This is a Heddon lure that didn't last all that long for whatever company reasons. That's a Pity!

This deep digging, floater diver, has been personally customized somewhat, with the addition of "GID" paint, sparkly clear-coat on the back and stick on power eyes. In it's present state, it slays Walleyes like there was no tomorrow...

A re-cap of my 2008 subject matter...

2008-12-23T15:16:00.001-08:00

Wild Asperagus
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

It's the end of the year and almost Christmas, so I'm doing sort of a re-cap in here to-day, of stuff I've shot during 2008. Some of these pics have appeared on my various blogs before and some are seen for the first time, here to-day.

I plan on doing WAY more Photographing this coming year with both of my main cameras. I Love sharing what I see out there with y'all and I truly hope You enjoy having a look at it too...

To start off this 2008 re-cap, asparagus doesn't come any fresher or healthier than this wild stuff here... :-)

Hot Wheels Hot Rod

2008-12-23T15:03:00.001-08:00

Hot Wheels Hot Rod
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

This one of the first Hotwheels cars that got me into collecting them. I've always loved Rods and the freedom and power they represent to me. I used to have a flea market stall and sold this particular car at least a dozen times, for between $2 and $5 to happy customers.

Do You do HotWheels? :-)

Crocuses awakening...

2008-12-23T14:39:00.001-08:00

Crocuses awakening...
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

This is the first actual flower spotted while there was still snow on the ground. These Crocuses are some tough little dudes...

Bloodroot

2008-12-23T14:35:00.001-08:00

Bloodroot
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

What follows is a group of photos taken through the course of the year with my little point and shoot Pentax. All are stored over at Flickr and can be viewed anytime but these are a few I've selected for this particular blog. A kind of re-cap of what I've been shooting in 2008...

This is one of my very favorite Wild plants. The root, as the name implies, will "bleed" a reddish juice, when broken. My children and I used to paint our faces with these bloody roots, when in the bush in the spring.\, as part of our Spring Rituals...

Waterfalls in Orleans

2008-12-23T14:23:00.001-08:00

Waterfalls in Orleans
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Not too far away and not Niagara to be sure, but beautiful none the less.

First snow fall - 2008

2008-12-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

First snow fall - 2008
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Well without a doubt, the SNOW season is now officially upon us. Up here in Ottawa, I've had to add two extra layers of clothing to what I was wearing only a month or so ago. The woods take on an even quieter, more peaceful feeling, for my semi-taxed brain, surrounded by the Great Northern White! :-)

This past week I've had to walk to and from work, due to the bus strike. What a bunch of rotten selfish dorks they all turn out to be. Especially the brain-dead union spokesman I heard on the radio. Man, this is killing everything, and yet NOTHING is being done. How much more do us poorish folks have to suffer? How many more of us have to lose our friggin' jobs because we can't get to work? What is wrong with this picture? Jees, what is right about it?

Hope y'all plan to do a little dirt time, or should I say, snow time, over the Christmas season. The bush is a great place to explore in the winter and you don't usually have to go very far to find some adventure of your own...
Cheers!
lb

Avril Lavigne New Photoshoot: Canon

2008-12-20T07:36:00.001-08:00

Avril Lavigne New Photoshoot: Canon
Originally uploaded by brunochip

Here's a Beautiful shot of my woman photographer hero, Avril herself. Canon is one Lucky outfit to have discovered this amazing young Canadian woman!

This is not quite my "normal" type of post on these blogs of mine, but I do Love to share other Very Talented People (VTP) that I highly respect, with others, who visit any of my stuff. Besides, if you want to get more young people into the fine art of Photography, THIS is The Way to do it! :-)

Cheers!
lb

Picasa Pictures on the web...

2008-12-13T10:03:00.001-08:00

Did I ever mention Picasaweb to You? I know I spoke of it on one of my blogs, just not sure which one. Anyway, it's well worth repeating here. Picasa, by Google is another awesome place to store, arrange and work on Your photos, for FREE, online. I've been VERY happy with the results I've seen and experienced so far and it gets better as I learn my way around there more too. :-)

So, here's the link for You to see how they are laid out etc.

My Picasa Pics...

There is a decent selection of some of my work over there in a few categories and it's set-up quite presentably in my estimation as well. Go have a look-see and let me know what You think of it. Also, if You have a lot of photo's stored on Your computer, you just may want to consider opening up an account with Picasa too, so you can free up a bunch of space on Your hard drive...

Later,

lb

Grandpa's Cool ol' Tackle...

2008-12-13T09:57:00.001-08:00

Grandpa's Cool ol' Tackle...
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Just to stay on the Old Tackle tour for a bit longer, here's an old casting combo that lots of our own Grand dads and Great Grand dads used back in the old days of the 20'th century...

Fishing Survivors

2008-12-11T06:40:00.001-08:00

Fishing Survivors
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

A few more cool oldie goldie artificial fishing lures, posing here on an old bird house, for Your viewing pleasure...Do You have any of these?
lb

Tiny Jigs

2008-12-11T05:31:00.001-08:00

Tiny Jigs
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

This is a picture to show you some of the tiny stuff that I use to lure fish to my hand, no matter where I go. If you don't use jigs in Your fishing, you are really doing yourself an injustice! I've maintained for over three decades, that jigs ARE the deadliest, all species lures, a body can use! Bar none! :-)

Get jiggy with it...

lb

Dardevle Spinner

2008-12-10T16:16:00.001-08:00

Dardevle Spinner
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Here's a look at an old Dardevle, No-Tangle Spinner. This lure came with an off-set wire shaft, which caused the lure to run, keel-like through the water. This slight innovation of course, prevented any line twist which plagued all other straight shaft spinners of the day...

My December projects...

2008-12-07T06:01:00.001-08:00

December stuff - working on collectibles...

Heavy Metals

Modern Gear

a Live antique in the wild

Totums

Silver Dude...

Star Wars Stuff...

Spidey

Meeeoowww...

There are a heck of a lot more collectibles here that I have to work on and Now is my time to start doin' that...

lb

P.S. If you like bush-crafting stuff, you'll want to explore this website...
Bushcraft Living... It's a real Good'un! :-)

Cool old stuff...

2008-11-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

Oldy Goldy's...

Well like I've mentioned before, I collect all manner of interesting things. This old badge I believe, came off of a hat and stayed buried in the ground until me and my trusty ol' Amigo came along and rescued it from it's dark and cold tomb. I LOVE the patina on this beautiful hunk of heavy metal too!

Army Badge

This aluminum bird band came off a real waterfowl's leg and somehow turned up at a yard sale, where I snapped it up for a mere fifty cents. :-)

Bird band

I was just wondering if anyone out there in the web-world can help me identify these two neat ol' pieces. I would Love to have a little more data on either of them, if You can help at all... :-)

Later,

lb

Odds and ends...

2008-11-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

So to-day's pictures are from my Odds and Ends file. They don't really fit into any other folder so they add to the variety of subjects and light situations I shoot, in this one. Hope ya like 'em. :-)

old pottery chard...

Martial Arts Collectibles

Old Enfield Motorcycle

Wild Food Books

BridgeWalkers...

and last but not least...

My Old Webpages...

HOT off the presses...

I just finished publishing a new Lens over at Squidoo to do with Eating Healthy. We are what we eat, so go have a gander at my take on Nutritional foods and how to eat healthier...

Eating Healthy

Cheers!

Really good author

2008-11-08T20:32:00.001-08:00

Lots of good articles here...

Tall Ship

2008-11-08T06:24:00.001-08:00

Tall Ship
Originally uploaded by phototreasures

I'm so excited after seeing my best friend's Photostream, over @ Flickr this morning! I had mentioned how Cool it was to have a Free account over there, a few times before and that some of his pics would interest a lot of fellow Photogs.

Well, Phototreasures is Hooked-up to the Mighty Flickr now and I wanted to share this great shot with You, my Blog readers. No doubt there will be more of his work in here in future installments.

A bonus of all this, is that this man's wife is No stranger to a camera either and I'm sure a few examples of her talented work will show up in their Flickr Photostream too. :-)

I saw this particular Tall Ship here in Ottawa, just above Dow's Lake on the Rideau Canal system, earlier in the year, but this great picture adds the spirit of sailing and or flying, compared to the scene I had observed up here. Love it!

LarryB

Google Love - or, Getting Googled?

2008-11-06T06:58:00.001-08:00

GoogleLove2
Originally uploaded by lensmasterlarry

No big deal or anything but I just thought I'd share this little intro piece to "Getting Googled" with y'all to-day. Sticking with the basics, with almost anything in life even, can and usually does, lead to success...

I've been a self-taught web guy from day one, which was over a decade ago now and I kept my learning curve to my comfort speed too. Now, it's WAY faster and Way easier to get some Google love and I'm going to start sharing more of that type of info with You, in here, my blog readers as we go along...

This hyper-link will take you to my little Lens over @ Squidoo, that has to do with getting some of this Google Love, which I'm yakin' about here. :-)

Google Love

Get Googled!

LarryB

LarryBass' Blog

Around the Valley...

2008-10-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

From water to wild foods...

Mississippi boat ramp...

Ashton Ontario

Stone People

Wild Grapes

It feels so good to be out in this fine October weather enjoying the sights and sounds...

lb

Mid-October pics...

2008-10-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

...an October Birthday stroll...

Some late bloomers...

Happy Birthday Cap...

A Coupe in the fall...

October Yellows

So yup, I'm another year older, again. :-( There are still so many things I need to do and I've been trying to do more than I perhaps should, but hey, we only live once!
Just being Outdoors, still turns my crank, after all these years, I'm proud to say. Now days, it's neat that I can also share some of what I see and feel out there, with y'all, in here! :-) That puts a smile on my face, more than most of the stuff I do anymore...

Rock Art, ROCKS!

later,

lb

EDC Key Ring Style...

2008-10-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

EDCKeyRing
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Although my Keyring has been known to change or update roughly once a month, it has stayed pretty steady in the last three months now. Here's a "Pentaxed" ( My terminology ) record of what this little Every Day Carry, unit, looks like to-day. It's almost as if You were right Here with Me, checkin' it out, eh? That Micro spanner has been with me for about a decade now and has come in quite handy a number of times, so it stays no matter what...

Here's a link to the E.D.C. Forums where they will Floor You with all the stuff that people Love to carry, Everyday! It's an Awesome place to visit so don't pass up their Kool EDC Forum unless you Don't dig Cool Stuff, that is...

What 's on Your Key ring, my fair readers? Please feel free to share Your Goodies in here with others who like Gadgets and Gizmo's and stuff. Don't be shy now, hear? :-)

yer web friend,

LarryB

Get bloggin' y'all

Some October Pictures...

2008-10-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Took a little walk after work to-day down by the North/South Rail line and there 10 minutes later, I spotted what I thought was some fairly nice Photographic material. So, I of course recorded a few of the Sights I saw down there and Here they are, for You, starting with this seemingly Flaming Sumac... :-)

Scarlet Sumac

Hey, GrassHopper!

Light As Air...

I'll be out there tomorrow again, on my two wheeled mountain pony, Pentaxing (my own new terminology)a few more places and things, seeing as my body definitely feels younger to-day, after my ride! :-) So stay tuned...

Your blogger bud,

lb

October Asters

Collecting stuff...

2008-10-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

Collectibles...

There are so many things to collect these days, it just boggles the mind. This picture shows a few of the neat little treasures that I have picked up in my travels over the years. Quite a bit of variety in there too, like from soup to nuts. :-) As they say, Variety is The Spice of Life!

Here's a few more little goodies I love. Notice the old Fishing Lures in there too? :-)

More Cool Stuff

Here's a link to my little Cool Old Stuff Lens @ Squidoo dot com. Leave a comment there if you'd like to. I LOVE getting them. :-)

later,

lb

Fig Eater Beetle, By John4kc @ Flickr

2008-10-04T07:36:00.001-07:00

Fig Eater Beetle
Originally uploaded by john4kc

I want y'all to see this pic of a VERY colorful beetle, taken by my fellow Flickr lover John. I've got sort of similar shots of a similar beetle but this one is better than any of the ones I took, so I wanted y'all to see how it's done the right way. Thanx John for sharing your fine work here with my blog readers!

LarryB

Flickr

2008-10-04T07:18:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Old is Cool...

2008-09-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the older, cooler cars? They had so much more style and beautiful design built into them, than the boring new stuff they make these days.

Here's a back end look at some awesome rides that used to run the streets, back in the day. Get a load of those beautiful lines and form and coolness...

See what I mean?

later,

lb

Killer Micro-Crank, in Action again...

2008-09-14T09:52:00.001-07:00

Canoeing 020
Originally uploaded by outsides4me

Well finally, I'm afraid the Secret is out boys! This teenie, tiny, wee Rebel micro-plug, is just too Hot to keep under wraps any longer!

I've been using mine faithfully for six years now and all I can say is, It's Awesome! Hunt a couple of these Micro-plugs down to-day, and catch fish tomorrow!

This excellent picture of a sweet little Bassy, wearing a "Wog-stash", was digitally captured by my friend Outsides4me, over @ Flickr! If you can zoom the photo, sure enough, you'll see that deadly little Tadfry, stuck right there on the Bassy's lip.

Buddy calls this little Rebel plug, the Pollywog and he catches a lot of fish on his too. Go have a look at this man's Photostream over @ Flicker. You can use the link right there, just below his great Bassin' Picture.

Don't you just Love those small waters and the easy style of Fishing, that goes with them? Oh ya, and ya gotta LOVE Killer lures too!

Keep that pole bent there now friend,

LarryB

Tolstoy, the Great!

2008-09-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Leo Tolstoy? In a nutshell, I'd say he was a very unique man, seeking a world free of misery. He was not afraid of adversity and what others thought of him. I just recently learned of this awesome man and only wish that I had heard of him before the Internet was invented. He gave it all up for the simple life, kinda like a brother of Henry David Thoreau...

If you want some profound reading, way different from what you are accustomed to, visit this link and be prepared to be awed by this guy!

Leo Tolstoy

My personal Thank You, goes out to Leo Finegold, the creator of this cool website, for putting this powerful information out there on the web, for ALL to benefit from. A job well done, Sir!

Oh ya, if this whets your appetite, you can also Google Tolstoy, to learn more about this amazing human being, who unfortunately died, way back in 1910 at the age of 82, way before folks like you and me were even thought of...

Later y'all!

Freshwater fish ID shots...

2008-07-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

More fish ID shots...

Top pic is of a Black Crappie - caught in the Mighty Rideau River.

Black Crappie

Next we have a young buck, Large Mouth Bass, also caught in the Rideau River, on a small jig.

young Large Mouth Bass

and last for to-day but most certainly not the least, is a Small Jawed Bass or Smallie, as most of us like to call 'em...Probably my favorite fish to pursue...

Small-jaws

There will be other fish ID shots in here soon.

Keep that pole bent now...

lb

Technorati blog link...

2008-07-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's another link to my blogs, through a kool outfit by the name of Technorati ...

Technorati Profile

If you have never been there before, check 'em out if you've got a few minutes to spare... :-)

Passion...

2008-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

How would you define passion? Perhaps you'd say it is a love for something? Or maybe you'd say it's really strong feelings for a certain thing or things in your life? I find it hard to put to words, but sometimes, when I'm standing out there, in the rain, casting a lure to some unknown target, I get to feel some of the passion about fishing, that I have. The rain not only does NOT bother me, but seems to amplify the whole experience of matching my equipment and my skills to the fishes natural instints to survive. The rain, dimpling the surface of the lake or river adds another element to my senses as the drops dance and play across the surface, moving this way and that, depending on the wind direction and intensity...

As I paddled the last few yards to the shore, on another occasion, it could not have been more than three or four minutes, before I was enveloped in the approaching darkness. That made me realize that if I had been even ten minutes more, out on the lake, I may NOT have found my way back to the car at all that evening. Sometimes timing is Everything. My passion for being out there on the water, had almost raptured me that time. It almost had me under it's control. The lure of the wilderness, I think it might be called...

If passion to you is expressed in say, a love for another person of the opposite sex, then perhaps you think that marriage is the top of the ladder and you will always have your passion if there is that ring on your finger? Well, let me just say that I believe there is more to passion, than that! I have officially been married twice in my life, so I know a little about love and caring and thinking about someone else besides yourself. Problem is, things change. If you or those around you don't change, you get left behind or dropped out, presumably.

As far as I can remember, I've never been afraid to walk the other path. In fact, I've made it a habit to make my own decisions, from a very early age in life. Good or bad, they are mine and mine alone. Sometimes, they are influenced by others, and don't work out as well, usually, for me. I chose the Art of Intelligent Fishing over lots of other things, many, many years ago, as my main passion. Then, eight years later, I got hooked on Photography and how it applied to my Outdoorsy adventures. Both of those passions were there before, during and after both wives. A real passion, will do that, you know, don't ya? It will outlive everything else. Not only that, but if fed properly, that passion can take you anywhere you want to go. Anywhere.

It doesn't have to be something big either, for you to be passionate about it. It could be stamps, or buttons, maybe matchbooks, or swizzle sticks, coins, dice, Hotwheels, Matchbox toys, Barbies, old lures, ball caps, or hundreds and hundreds of other neat things in our lives. The thing of it is, to develop a deep longing to know all about that thing(s) and to keep digging into the what's and the where-fores of said items. This inquizzativness (new word) is in almost EVERY child as a natural thing. A desire to learn, to know, and to understand.

It is almost as natural as breathing to those young minds. Therein lies the rub. As we age, we loose that interest in things around us and in so doing, lose our interst in life. That, I would say, is just about the opposite of passion. :-( That's going out, talk, givin' up talk, and not my kinda conversation...

So my friends, to-day's wee lesson is about EXPLORING your passions. Getting young minded again, I like to call it. Try to see stuff through the eyes of a kid. Sure, it won't be easy at first, but hey, hang in there sport, you can do it! It's the best lesson I've ever learned, and I've learned a few to be sure.

If you have kids, or grandkids, or nephews or neices or cousins kids, try and hang with them more often. Don't be there to supervise. Be there to learn. Let them know you want to have fun too. That will show you what they enjoy. Then, you can ensure that you will be looked upon as a friend to SHARE with again. We all want friends. Young and old alike. Even that, that SHARING, in itself, is a VERY wonderful feeling, which many these days have forgotten it seems...

For those who are there...

If you already have a passion right now, for something in particular, then PLEASE, do something more about it to-day, to take it to the next level or two. Develop it even deeper, to-day, fair reader. Perhaps, as I and thousands of others have done here, YOU could share YOUR passion with us, in here on a Squidoo Lens of your very own too... :-)

We're all in this together so let's share the PASSION...

yer bud,

LarryB

Yellow Perch

2008-06-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Perch
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

The first in a series of Fish ID shots. This is so that everyone is familiar with which fish I'm referring to in my writings and photos...

Live from the Rideau waterway a specimen known to almost everyone, the Yellow Perch...

LB just Fishin'...

2008-06-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

LB just Fishin'...
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Here's a picture of yours truly getting in a little R&R down at the local lake. Thank the LORD that it's not too far from home and I can bike down there in less than an hour. It's a great place for me to test out my lure modifications and gear carrying arrangements too. :-) This year was the first year in over 25, that I have NOT been out fishing before Easter. This is officially the latest I have ever started a new fishing season. Just goes to show you how busy life can get, I guess. Then too, I could have made it to the river way earlier and more often if I had a car. Hmmm. Well, at least the bike is sort of keeping me in O.K. shape and ya gotta like that!

later,

lb

Rattlin' Bassies...

2008-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

Wanna Rattle some Bassies?

Rattle Me up...

This crank is a real killer, especially if Bluegills live in the waters you fish. Great as a search bait when the water temps get into the high 50's and low 60's! You can hear this lure coming from at least 25 feet away, when you're reelin' it in. How far can the Bass hear it then?

As a bonus, this lures does a decent job of pluckin' Walleyes off the bottom in chunky rock areas too, when you yo-yo it in front of them a foot or so off the lake floor.

Neat little collectibles...

2008-05-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Cool Crocs, by Kinder...

A sweet pair of Firebirds...

Humpty Dumpty, before his fall. Humpty is a Red Rose Tea freebie that many folks collected back in the day, to try and get the whole set... Some of these old Wade figurines are going for a pretty penny out there these days. If you have any, you may want to check into their values. Try eBay for starters, to get an idea of what yours could be worth.

A lovely "Merc" dime, 40's vintage...Real Silver. Real history. Real value. :-)

As you may have noticed, small and cool little nifty items, are my choice for things to collect, as you can see by these sample shots.

I have a few more neat little goodies that I will depict in here a little later. Anyone else out there collect some of this neat stuff?

A different perspective...

2008-05-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

One of Ottawa's oldest bridges...

The Prince of Wales Bridge that crosses the Ottawa River, down on Black or Nepean Bay, just above the E.B.Eddy plant.

Seems that the graffiti guys have discovered this cool old structure and are turning it into an art gallery of sorts. The old sign on the top says it's called or made by Superstructure in 1879.

What to collect?

2008-05-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Some of the stuff I have collected over the last three or four decades...

A Pen-Gun and a lock-back for the deep woods walkers out there...

A better Mouse trap? Plastic is tougher and longer lasting than wood, to a certain degree, but may also smell like plastic to the critters your tryin' to catch. Did I mention that this is one of those neat "humane" type mouse traps? Nobody gets hurt here, they just get what we call a "locational overhaul". :-)

A few Compasses...the last thing you want to be in the woods, is LOST! Better too many compasses than not enough, my daddy always used to say. :-)

Rapped & Ready...One of my customized Rapala's along with his 30 year old SAK buddy...

One of my favorite Cameras is this trusty Sony Mavica, that uses standard computer disks instead of film. Anyone with a computer can view this disk, with no need for cables, or USB ports or nothing else. This machine does very good close-up work and zooms to 14x for those cropped shots I love too... I love this slick Photographic Wizard!

Thanx again goes, to my best bud, Big Bruce M. for enriching my life through his generosity of such a fine piece of high-quality equipment. Thanx Bruce!

More stuff later,

Lar

2008-05-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tweakin' your lures...

2008-05-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

High-Viz Vamp...

Hail to Heddon...

This venerable ol' puppy has lured it's fair share of fish to net, and it could easily do it again. Well, that's if I ever decided to get it wet again. :-)

It's pretty well retired now, but, I'm takin' offers. ;-)

Very Customized Vamp...

Yup, this is a genuine larryb Customized Heddon Wood Vamp, you're lookin' at here fellow fishermen and fisherwomen... :-)

She's not too pretty perhaps, unless you mean deadly? This cool old "chopped" Heddon Vamp, is that! Pretty Deadly! The reflective strip on the back makes this lure Very easy to spot with Polaroid shades on. The tail spinner sends out a whole different set of vibes, something totally Uncommon in the plug or crank-bait world!

The ugly red scrawl on the metal lip was applied quite quickly on the lake with a waterproof marker I had in my box, to add the look of perhaps bleeding gills, to this killer plug. The next cast produced a twelve pound Musky, so I never did get to finish the red paint job. :-)

The eyes as you can see, are of the stick-on type in a highly reflective finish, to draw a predator's focus to the head of this bait, where the single, razor sharp treble hook, awaits.

There is also a little GID or glow-in-the-dark paint, applied to the top tail part and two stripes along the lower belly for fish lookin' up at this awesome lure. In the water, this thing swims like NO other lure in any of my tackle boxes and when I finesse it slowly and purposefully around good looking structure, it produces quality fish!

As I mentioned above, this old Heddon wood Vamp is Not pretty perhaps but certainly quite skillfully customized to the Max and REAL Productive to boot...

Do you have any custom stuff ya wanna show the folks here? Well jeepers then, don't be shy. Just send a link to it in the comments box on this page and we'll get 'er showcased for you... :-)

larryb

2008-05-16T20:33:00.001-07:00

Rough tweaks on plugs...

2008-05-16T20:21:00.001-07:00

Making something better, is a thing I like to try to do with lots of stuff. That includes the world of Artificial Lures too. I call it, "Tweaking" or just, tweakin' when I'm talkin' to my buds... Experimenting with the balance, visibility, depth, sounds and movements of a fishing lure is challenging, yet VERY rewarding. Not being afraid to ruin a lure, has turned out some real winners for this ol' fishin' boy from the Great White North. :-)

The Rapala lends itself beautifully to little tweaks. It has a live-fish, type wabble and wiggle to it that is enhanced with your own twitches and pulls and pauses. The spots make him look like some of the perch in some of the waters I have fished before. That adds to his realism when in the neighborhood of a Walleye or Bass or Northern even...

Ripplin' Redfins are great right out of the box but I like foolin' with my stuff. So, I added and subtracted from this boy until he came out lookin' like this, complete with original paint chips and a lead belly weight attached... Not too pretty, BUT pretty Deadly in the drink!

Originals - by larrybourgeois

Tweaked Plugs...

2008-05-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

TweakedPlugs
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Although considered crude by most standards, these lures have been tweaked with love and attention to details...

The Rap features a ultra-reflective wedge shaped piece of tape that helps me to see it in the water at deeper and farther distances. This in itself is one of the little "secrets" which I've been keeping to myself and just a few fishin' buddys over the years. So, grab it here if it's the first time you've seen the idea. :-)

The Ripplin' Redfin has had his belly hook removed and replaced with a clamp-on bigish round split-shot , creating a very neat suspending action when at rest in the water column. Super for slow twitchin'!

lb

Japanese Knotweed

2008-05-16T07:24:00.001-07:00

JapaneseKnotweed
Originally uploaded by larrybourgeois

Harvesting time at this patch of JK, I'd say! Mmmmm...