Resolved...

Another turn of the wheel, another trip around the sun.  Another cake with candles, another year with the girl of my dreams.  And another year older.  A few weeks ago, I woke up-early-in a cold sweat, and realized that I was staring right down the barrel at the big 6-oh.  The years fly by, and in spite of my best efforts to stay athletic and healthy and relevant, old age is sneaking up.  Sixty sounds OLD.  God only knows how much longer I have to flit around this big blue ball, and it seems to me that 2012, while a fabulous year for family and career-was almost a complete bust when it comes to fishing.  I have not ventured out since JUNE!!! That's right-JUNE!!!!  Perhaps I can remedy that in 2013.

Big news in my family-and it pertains to fishing, sort of.  My baby boy Hunter is moving to Denver this week.  Hard for me to believe that my blue-eyed, bouncing blonde baby boy, the last of my four, is man enough to move to another state.   It might as well be another world.  He will be following his dream, studying acting and film at the Colorado Film Institute.  Pretty sure this missus and I will find time for a few junkets up there.  Maybe this June, I'll be sharing some trout water with Hunt. 

If I have one item at the top of my bucket list, it would be a late fall trip to the Devil's River.  This needs to happen soon, while I'm still fit enough to take the abuse.  So, this year's guided extravaganza will probably be a brief junket to visit the Devil. 

After fishing twice with Chris Shafer on the Brazos, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll do that again.  And, I am now convinced that a fourteen foot jon boat is the absolute perfect vessel
for flyfishing.  I plan on treating myself to a new one for my birthday on 1/17, and outfitting it with seats, a trolling motor, a front mounted depth finder, and  an anchor system.  I've already got a trailer, but will upgrade to sixteen inch wheels and new tires.  This should be ideal for the tiny lakes that I frequent in North Texas as well as the upper and lower Brazos. 

I had originally pencilled in a return visit to Alaska this year, but that's going to have to wait 'til next year.  2014 is a pink year, anyway, and the pinks were amazing fun on Montana Creek.  Next year, we are going to stay at a bed and breakfast in Talkeetna.   Mid-July of this year will bring another giant family excursion to Disney World.  Maybe I can squeeze in an Indian River adventure during that time period-maybe a tarpon????

As some of you know, running has become a passion for me in my old age. Science shows that daily running can add up to twelve years of meaningful, healthy life to the average American male.  Don't know about you, but I can surely put another twelve years to good use.  Tam and I are going to do the Disney "Wine and Dine" Half Marathon next fall, and my running resolution is to average eighteen miles a week this year.  Looking at last year's log, I trudged just under 700 miles for 2012.  That's down a bit from 2011, a bit under fourteen per week. I need to remedy that disparity.  I did too many two mile jaunts in 2012-they need to be at least four miles.  I started out with a five miler today.  Also, I need to do one long run per month-at least eight, maybe ten.  Life is too precious to waste-I need as much as I can get!

Once again, I was too slow on the draw to get into the Steve Hollinshed Blue Damsel excursion to fish the skwala hatch in early April on Montana's blue ribbon streams.  They do have some openings in April, but that coincides with the Green-to-Green 10k Run in Houston, and I have committed to run that with my wife and girls.  It's a hoot of a run on Earth Day.  The World's Fastest 90 year old guy runs  that race-about ten minutes faster than I can!!!  Maybe I can hook up with Steve and Keith and the whole blue damsel crew in 2014.  And-believe it or don't, I have never fished Texoma with Steve.  He is the absolute master of this amazing fishery-I should take advantage of that.

So what do I expect to accomplish in 2013?  How about a few days, self guided, on the Brazos below PK, and again below Whitney.  Surely I can find the time for that this spring.  How about a few days in the blue ribbon fisheries of the Gunnison area?  How about a trip or two per month on the local mini-lakes, like Loy and Waterloo?   How about a trip with Steve on Texoma?  How about round three with Chris in the arms of God?  We never have hit it just right. How about a couple of days on the Eisenhower arm of Texoma in May-by myself?  And, if it ever rains again, how about a float down the might Red to Carpenter's Bluff?  Don't forget little daytrips to the beautiful Blue and the amazing Lower Mountain Fork. ( If you go, stop for fried shrimp at the Valero station in Fort Towson)

So-there you have it.  Fifty-seven in the books, about to embark on lucky number fifty-eight.  May 2013 bring you luck, and life, and love, and joy.  My prayer is, that for you and for me, this is the best year ever. Peace out.