Computer

After I got home, I went downstairs to turn on my computer and . . . nothing! I had been having problems for the last month with the darn thing and had it in the shop to remove some viruses, but now it seems to be doa! I don't need this right now!

Canada pt 2

Thursday
Got up and flew to Fletcher. Beautiful day to fly. Watched a number of float planes take off and land, got some pretty good pictures. Caught a total of 107 fish, I caught only 30 and was clearly low man on totem pole. Flight back was equally beautiful. Got a picture of Culloden lake from the air, we will see if I can identify it when I can rename pictures.  Once again I find something about the iPad that I cannot stand. 

Not going out fishing this afternoon which is fine with me.  Going to work on sermon for the 28th and the next sermon series. 

Completed a rough draft of the sermon.  Probably going to wait and finish it when I get home and after I hear what Nathan has to say this Sunday.  

Friday
Planned to go to South Scott Lake this morning.  Storms all night, lots of lightning and a little rain, but I never heard thunder.  The sky was full of lightning!

Windy in the morning, but we decided to head to South Scott.  We got 3/4 of the way there when we remembered that we forgot the gas for the boat engine, so we had to turn around and get it.  Had to add gas to the plane as well.  Headed back to South Scott and got tied up to the shore.  Jimmy and I got the boat that is stashed at the lake into the water and emptied the plane of all our gear.  Unfortunately we were unable to start the boat motor, so after about 1/2 hour we headed back to Lac Lu.

Jim and I went out fishing for fish to bring home.  I caught 6 (4 keepers) and Jim caught 5 (2 keepers).  We fished until about 1:30 and headed in for lunch.

This afternoon we will need to take the plane to Redit where it is stored for the winter.  Before we could do that, Jimmy and I flew to Kenora to fill the plane up with fuel.  It is really windy and he had to fight the wind in turning the plane.  We had a hard time getting back to the dock when we returned to Lac Lu.  Jim and I will drive to Redit while Jimmy flies the plane, we will meet him where the plane is being left for the winter.

Saturday
Left Lac Lu at 6:45 am to begin the journey home. According to the weather reports we might be in for a bumpy ride home. Should be home around noonish.  

Flight was good until we got about 15 minutes from home. Jimmy is a great pilot and did a great job getting us around a very large and potentially dangerous storm. 

Got home about 1 pm. It is good to be home!

Canada 2011

Monday
Jim picked me up about 5:15 am and we headed out to Griffith Airport to meet Jimmy.

Lots of low clouds initially, got some great sunrise pictures and pictures of the full moon.  We flew up the lake but it was too cloudy to really get pictures of Chicago.

Very uneventful flight, actually made it about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

After  stopping to get groceries, airplane gas and bait we headed out to the cottage.

Got to Lac Lu, and went fishing for our dinner.
Fishing was slow and I went a long time without catching anything, eventually Jim caught enough for dinner.  I caught:
2 walleye
3 northern pike
1 croppy
Took a couple of pictures, but nothing spectacular

Tuesday
In the morning we headed out to Fletcher, about 50 miles north of Lac Lu by airplane.  Very low ceiling, lots of clouds at about 2,000 feet.  We arrived and headed out with 4 or five dozen minnows with the goal of catching 100 walleye.

We were catching them like crazy, but after having been out for less than an hour we got soaked by a huge thunderstorm.  We headed for shelter to ride it out.
After it was over we got back to work.  Within 2 1/2 hours we were out of minnows, and had caught 105 walleyes.  What was weird is that we did not catch anything else.  I caught 35 Walleye.

We headed back to Lac Lu, while we were over Minaki, it started to rain, and there were very dark clouds in front of us.  We landed a few minutes later at Lac Lu and it started to really rain.  As we pulled up to the dock, it came down in a torrent.  It would have been a disaster if we had been just a little slower (we would have had to land on a different lake and wait out the storm).  The storm lasted about an hour.

Later that evening (at about 4:00 pm) Jim and I went out to fish on Lac Lu.  We should have stayed home!  I caught 1 northern, and didn't have many bites.

Had a delicious spaghetti dinner and Jimmy had even baked a birthday cake for me.  I would have liked to have been home, but it was a very touching gesture.

Wednesday
We were supposed to go to south scott, but way too windy
Went to Culloden instead.  We took big boat to Bennett's because it was so rough.

With such rough conditions, it was not surprising, but the fishing was real slow.  I managed to catch 4 walleye and 2 Northern.  We got enough to bring back for a fish dinner tomorrow night.

Went back via Kenora to get more bait and Jim decided to get the oil changed in the van
we ate lunch at crappy chinese place while oil was being changed.  Got bait and gas and headed back to the cottage.

When we got to bennett's we saw one of the workers bringing a boat up out of the water and realized that it was the big boat.  About 30 minutes earlier, the boat had swamped and flipped over from the heavy wave action.  We had to borrow a boat so that we could get out to the cottage.  They are going to try to dry it out and get the motor running again.  

It is still very windy at 4:30, so we are not going to go out and fish Lac Lu tonight.  Instead, once the waves settle down Jimmy and I are going to take the borrowed boat back and try to get online.

Catching Up

I have been very neglectful of my blog lately. I am about 5 books behind that I will try to post over the next week or so.

Last year, Lindsey and I completed the Indianapolis Half Marathon. I had set a goal of completing the 13.1 miles in 3hours 15 minutes (or 15 minute miles). Somehow, we managed to complete the course in a 14:24 mile pace. Since then, I got the crazy idea that I wanted to complete a full marathon. Nancy has done something like ten marathons (including 2 Boston Marathons), so I thought it would be cool to join that club.

On Saturday, September 3, Lindsey and I plan on completing the Marquette Marathon. Nancy was supposed to run the race, but she is laid up with an injury and probably will be relegated to cheering us on.

I thought the preparation for the half marathon was difficult, but this has been unreal. Getting ready is all consuming! Everyday I am out pounding the pavement trying to make sure that I am ready. My feet are covered in blisters! But I am feeling pretty good about my chances of competing the course in under 6 1/2 hours. The farthest I have gone is 18 miles, and shortly after doing that came down with sever bronchitis, but I am back on the pavement and hope to do 12-18 miles either tomorrow or Friday depending on which day looks better as far as the heat is concerned. I did 10 miles yesterday.

Regardless of whether I finish the race or not, the preparation has helped get me in the best shape that I have been in in 25 years. It feels good to be able to walk 5 miles and not even be tired. The biggest concern is my feet -- I hope that they can hold out.

Beyond Belief

I have read close to a dozen of New York Times best selling author John Maxwell's books, listened to numerous of his cd's, and have had the opportunity to hear him on two different occasions. His latest book, BEYOND TALENT: Become Someone Who Gets Extraordinary Results, is typical of his books that encourage you to grow beyond the limitations that we often create.

Maxwell suggests that talent is simply the starting point, not the final destination, and offers suggestions on how we can move beyond our talents. Maxwell's style is to use stories of people and let them illustrate how we can grow beyond our talents.

The major themes of the book include:
Belief lifts your talent.
Initiative activates your talent.
Focus directs your talent.
Preparation positions your talent.
Practice sharpens your talent.
Perseverance sustains your talent.
Character protects your talent. . . . and more!

Maxwell wants to remind us that it is our choices that make all the difference, not the talent that we start with.

Maxwell's books are never deep, but they do offer lots of interesting advice to help us grow. If you are looking for a how to manual, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for inspiration to help you on your journey to become all that you can be, there will be many nuggets of wisdom that you can glean from this quick read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”