8-28-04 Chuck & I with the biggest "keeper" of the day, a 17lb salmon that we both take credit for!! I had already reeled in one that Chuck says is bigger than this one that wasn't a keeper.....it wore me out!! I had told them I was done, Chuck could bring in the rest of them!! I was kicked back in a chair watching Chuck reel one in when another rod starting dancing and I was the only one who could grab it......talk about misery, I could tell it was another big one and was struggling to reel it in so when Chuck was finished with the one he had on I handed the rod to him and let him bring it in. What a fight these things put up!!! 

8-28-04 Back at the dock descaleing and gutting the salmon. We caught both Coho and Chinook.....don't ask me which is which!! Our freezer is full of Salmon and we don't have any company coming that we know of.....could it be you????? 

Vern works with Chuck & he and his wife Jean invited us out in there boat "Wager" fishing for Salmon in the Pacific out of Newport Oregon. It was my first time to meet them and they were so gracious, letting us reel in most of the fish. We went out about 15 miles and once we got out over the reef they wanted to fish Jean drove the boat most of the time and Vern helped us get the fish in!! The limit is 2 salmon/person and we caught our limit of keepers plus a bunch that we had to turn loose. The water was a bit rough and Chuck and I were turning green for awhile but once the fish started biting we forgot about being sick!! 

Beth ordering lunch at our favorite vendor a family from Uzbekistan, Vancouver's farmer's market 8-21-04 

Don & Beth at Mt St Helens 8-20-04 

Me with Kristen and Jonathan at Coldwater Lake, Mt St Helens 8-20-04 

Our Current visitors!!
Jonathan, Don, Beth & Kristen Medly at Johnston's Ridge Mt St Helens 8-20-04

the bat..........gone forever!!! 

FIND THE BAT!!! 

Find the bat!!!

Last Friday I finally got the ugly bat tattoo on my arm covered up and as you can see from the pictures,Erika, at Slave to the Needle in Seattle did a fantastic job!!!
I still can't believe it's gone!!

My sister-in-law Cindi had these questions for me about it and I thought I would post them and my answers in case others were wondering the same thing. If you have any other questions or thoughts leave me a message in the comment section and I'll do my best to answer!!

a) why did you get the bat in the first place....what did it symbolize to you 20 years ago and how has that changed....


A: while wasted at a friends house in Houston listening to a record of Ozzy and staring intently at the album cover as only a super stoned person can do. I decided that I MUST have the bat from the cover and of course my equally stoned friends thought that was a great idea and drove me straight to the tattoo parlor!! I had drawn a copy of the bat and told the artist the colors I wanted and proceeded to sit there and stare profoundly at the wall as once again only a super stoned person can do(don't remember what I was taking at the time but it was good stuff!! ha ha) and didn't pay one lick of attention to what the tattoo artist was doing. I was upset when he was done because he took quite a few liberty's....changed the bat...the colors everything..........but I was stuck with it!!! At the time it symbolized that Ozzy ruled...over time it symbolized the impetuousness and stupidity of one on drugs!!

b) what is the symbolism to you of what you put in its stead

B: I wanted something to express my faith but not be in your face about it and did a pretty extensive study this past year on "early" Christian symbolism. Cover-ups aren't that easy to do and so it had to be something that would provide suitable material....thus the Phoenix, which was used by early Christians to represent "new life", I had flames added instead of the tail of the bird to represent the refining fire of the Holy Spirit...........but the biggest thing it means to me is that THE BAT IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha