Fly Fish Chick

I am traveling to Mobile tomorrow and working on my packing list:

Now as yall know, I’ve had more than just a wee bit of bad luck with the weather getting in the way of recent winter redfishing attempts in Louisiana. But we are all set, once again, to fish in Hopedale this Sunday with Travis Holeman. Catching a Louisiana redfish has become a little bit like looking for the holy grail, but I am undeterred. Although one could argue I’ve lost all reasonable perspective on this topic. So I’m curious what you think…

Should I pack fishing clothes or church clothes for Sunday?

Either way I must remember to take my flash drive because it has my power point presentation on it. Anyone in the Mobile area is welcome to come see my slideshow at the Bay Area Fly Fishers monthly meeting – but no heckling. It is next Tuesday March 9th at 5:30pm at Dreamland BBQ.

Am I forgetting anything?

Well, Team Paddlefish participated in another 10K race this past weekend on Town Lake. You may recall we completed the first Town Lake race in gusting winds in 1 hour 36 minutes. This time we invited friends and family to cheer us on so we could beat our time, but more importantly, so we could pass the hat for our two charities: The International Rett Syndrome Foundation and Project Healing Waters.

A few days before the race I was interviewed by Bettie Cross for KEYE, our local CBS affiliate. A portion of the interview is available to view here.

Race day was magical on all fronts. Plenty of sunshine and our friends were out in full force. I had the chance to meet two Austin-area families that I befriended online whose daughters both live with Rett Syndrome. It was so fun to meet them in person!

Meanwhile Banning and I are getting to know more paddlers at these races and events – which means we are learning more and more from all these Safari veterans. Plus, our friends provided food and drinks and various items that we were able to sell for our charities. MANY THANKS goes to:

• Nueva Onda – the best breakfast taco in ATX — donated four dozen breakfast tacos
• My sweet friend Shawn who brought these adorable (and delicious!) paddlefish cookies
• My equally sweet friend Hillary brought water and coffee
• Ted Mendrick from Sportsmans Finest handmade fish refrigerator magnets that we sold
• Eric from Eric’s Hired Hands who was on hand to offer chair massage
• Kevin Hutchison was offering flycasting lessons and donated Team Paddlefish boat towels
• 1379 brought a big cheerleading contingency and surprised us with 1379 Team Paddlefish shirts; we have lots of kids sizes that we will be able to sell as well
• Fire In The Gut outfitted us in hats and most importantly these super high-tech performance shirts – I am practically living in these FITG shirts these days. Training, running, rowing machine, paddling, carpool. They are my new uniform, so I was very proud to debut the new FITG logo on the canoe. Pssst…check out who is on the homepage
• Tim Cole, who works with Costa del Mar, generously provided new shades and visors and shirts
• John Baltzell and all the volunteers organized The Town Lake Race Series and were very gracious to include our friends, charities and cheerleaders in Sunday’s race

Little Chick was a machine manning the Paddlefish Bazaar, and since it never crossed her mind to make change, we ended up with a whopping $225 for our charities! And all the cheering really made a difference because despite the fact that there was wind again, we managed to beat our previous time: Tosh clocked us finishing at 1 hour and 29 minutes.

Many Thanks to all who came out to wave the Team Paddlefish flag!! Onward to the Safari…

The Headhunters episode of ‘Adventure Guides’ airs this weekend on the Outdoor Channel with a brief fishing cameo from your truly.

Actually, it first aired this morning but I missed it because I was busy hoisting my canoe down to the water about to do an interview on Team Paddlefish for our local CBS affiliate. Can you believe I had my first ever television debut twice in one day? What are the odds?

No matter if you missed Adventure Guides this morning, because it airs again two more times this weekend on the Outdoor Channel. Here are few nuggets of info to keep in mind:

• If you have Direct TV, The Outdoor Channel is 606
• The episode airs FRIDAY Feb 26th at 11pm est / 10pm cst
• It airs again SATURDAY Feb 27th at 11.30am est / 10.30am cst
• My good buddy Mark Raisler of Headhunters in Craig MT is the total star of the episode along with the fish and the Missouri River itself. We had a good day on the water and caught a few nice fish so hopefully that’s fun to relive onscreen

That’s about it, friends. Set your TIVOs, pop some corn, and enjoy the show!

(Now I just have to find someplace with the Outdoor Channel to watch it.)

I am thrilled to announce that Fire In The Gut Performance Shirts has officially agreed to sponsor Team Paddlefish. I have to say, I am excited about this on so many levels…

First and foremost I can’t wait to try these shirts. Tim Grizzell, founder of FITG, is a former Navy SEAL, athlete, husband, father of three, and inspirational entrepreneur. He designed these high-tech shirts “for the warrior athlete”. They are made from high-tech Cocona Fabrics which maximize a flash dry effect, regulating an athlete’s body temperature and…(attention all fishing guides and single moms on this next point)…and…means you don’t have to wash these shirts after you workout and sweat in them.

Oh, yeah. You heard me. Cha-ching! Finally, high-performance athletic clothing that caters to my innate sense of laziness.

GONE COCONUTS

I really haven’t thought so much about coconuts until I started training for this race, but now I feel like they are everywhere in my life. My nutrition consigliore, Melissa, has me making hemp smoothies with spinach, berries and coconut water. Apparently the health benefits of coconuts are unparalleled.

And now Tim has me wearing coconut shirts.

This special Cocona Fabric is created from heating coconut shells to extreme temperatures, thus creating gobs of miniscule carbon particles that are imbedded permanently into the fabric. Apparently coconut carbon is also used to treat and filter air, as well as used as medicine in Europe and to remove toxins from overdose victims in emergency situations. When it comes to shirts, these coconut carbon particles manage the flash-dry process.

BUDS

I had a lovely conversation with Tim this week as we confirmed the details of our partnership. A former Navy SEAL and avid kayak paddler, he was intrigued with the intensity and sheer challenge of the Texas Water Safari. He shared incredible stories of his bootcamp experience in BUDS – Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training. Tim was BUDS Class 188.

Apparently in BUDS you are paired with a swim buddy and must stay with that swim buddy constantly, often tied together and/or paddling around in a boat, involved in long race exercises. Tim described extreme physical tests and recalled the feeling of being wet and sandy for days on end.

Hmm, sounds like the Water Safari all right! I just hope some of Tim’s badassery rubs off on Team Paddlefish.

FIRE IN THE GUT

The “Fire In The Gut” award is presented to the graduating Navy SEAL who displays the best attitude in 26-weeks of BUDS training. Tim has founded his company on the principles of motivation, strong will, and determination. He is focused on quality products that are eco-friendly and believes in giving back with his corporate endeavors.

Whether paddling in a race or loading a driftboat on a trailer on a steamy summer night in Montana, if you’re intrigued with these shirts, click here to learn more and purchase online.

Most importantly, I’d like to encourage you to become a fan of FIRE IN THE GUT on Facebook. Tim is creating a positive online community where he shares motivational messages for the warrior athlete in all of us.

I am already learning so much from Tim. Not to mention, I feel like just a little bit of a badass now that I am formally associated with a Navy SEAL – a big-hearted Navy SEAL, granted – but a badass Navy SEAL nonetheless.

HOO YAH!! CHARLIE MIKE!!

Via FITG Facebook: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or a gazelle–when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” Sir Roger Bannister, 1st man to run a sub-4 minute mile

I think Mother Nature is sending me a message to take up sailing as a pastime — or perhaps flying a kite. At the very least I should get on board with a company that harvests wind for energy so I could make some money off of the increasingly evident fact that WIND seems to follow me everywhere I go.

I know, I know. Saltwater fishing guides don’t like their clients to complain about casting in the wind. Fair enough. But a strong gust of wind on a trout stream blows the hatch and my cast, not to mention puts the fish down. So even though it’s not cool to complain about the wind, I do.

Especially since I have apparently picked up another sport where wind is my nemesis: paddling.

Banning and I competed in our first paddling race this past weekend, a simple 6 mile course on Town Lake right here in downtown Austin. The race was loads of fun, super cool people, great scene. But the wind was howling.

There were three alumnimun canoes in our flight, and we had a handicapped start at 10:02 am. I practically used up all my energy paddling in place at the starting line with a fierce headwind blowing us backwards.

My superstar partner and river guide extraordinaire made the brilliant call that we should paddle all the way across to the other side to find some protection from the wind. I’m sure the other teams thought we were crazy – or assumed we were quitting—but when we took an edge of a lead, they followed us over to find some relief from the wind.

Once their flights started, the super sleek race boats got in the mix and overtook us. However we were neck-in-neck with another aluminum canoe right at the mid-point as we made the turn around a pylon, but on the way back they kept the lead all the way to the finish. We surfed back with a tailwind and finished in 1 hour and 36 minutes – just 4 minutes after the other aluminum. Overall out of 23 boats we finished 14th. Not bad!

I must say I really enjoyed this race, even with the pounding wind batting me about like an evil cat with a ratty little play-toy. It was hard paddling into those gusts! But it’s one more step on this journey toward the Water Safari in June. And now we have a benchmark time that we need to beat in the February Town Lake 6-mile race. With regular training I am confident we will improve our time at the next trial…assuming the wind cuts us a little slack.

In the meantime, MANY THANKS to the race organizers, the other teams who participated, and our Team Paddlefish cheerleaders!! Go Team Paddlefish Go!!

Time to get back in the canoe. With less than five months to train for the Texas Water Safari, I am definitely starting to feel the pressure. I’m gathering up all my cold weather fishing gear/clothing to resume paddle training this week. I’m not going to look like a professional paddler, that’s for certain, but I can’t justify spending an extra buck on fancy paddling clothes if I can make my fishing gear work. We shall see.

I may not be an expert paddler, but there’s one thing I know something of, and that’s music. And rivers. So in an effort to get my corpulent yuletide fanny off the couch and back on the treadmill, I’ve created a whopper of a playlist with great songs about RIVERS.

I have to imagine a few of you could chime in on this topic. So tell me, my huckleberry friend, what is your favorite river song?

In the meantime, enjoy the flow of these selections…

If the shoes fits…say thank you. Especially when it’s a gift from a virtual-stranger-turned-dear-friend from way across the country.

I am blown away by the generosity of spirit that I have experienced on my journey to train for the Texas Water Safari. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I am thrilled to take a little time to say ‘Thank You’ to a few people who have stepped up to help get this odyssey underway. I urge you to click through and support these Paddlefish supporters if you have the opportunity. If for no other reason, they’ve got soul.

So let’s get started. Many thanks to…

Bill Farnum and the NIKE Livestrong Team for sending running shoes and training sweatshirts, both of which have already proved invaluable. Yes, I am actually running which is no small task for me. I’d rather do about a thousand other things, but I am getting moving thanks to my new kicks! And the sweatshirt is perfect for paddling on chilly mornings.

Chaco Footwear provided gift certificates for training shoes. I’ve already been sporting the Paradox multisport which is ideal for carrying a canoe through the mud, then letting my feet dry while paddling for two-to-three hours.

Of course it’s not all about shoes. I owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to Melissa, a sports nutritionist in Boulder Colorado who has literally changed my life. An FFC blog reader, she was inspired by our adventure and has donated time, money, and professional counseling to our cause. She has already spent hours with me, helping to do the cleanse, helping me lose weight (7 pounds so far!), sending me care packages. Her homemade trail mix will blow your mind and saved me from dipping into Little Chick’s Halloween candy. Melissa and her husband are even working on getting gear donated for Team Paddlefish. I am truly blown away by her spirit of caring and her energy to make a difference. Someday Melissa and I will meet in person, because I know we have forged a friendship that will last a lifetime. I am grateful to her every day (even when I slip away to Mobile and eat ribs and oysters and fall off the food plan for a day or so!)

Melissa has a wonderful blog called Gluten Free For Good which has excellent recipes, info and pictures. Thank you, Melissa, I love you to pieces!

A very special thank you to friends, family and FFC readers who have opened their wallets and donated to our charities, Rett Syndrome and Project Healing Waters. It’s all I can do not to tear up every time I see a new contribution. Thank you!

Of course I must give special mention to our first two sponsors, the first companies to step up to the plate and partner with Team Paddlefish…cheers to Ruta Maya Organic Coffee (available at Costco in-store and online) and 1379 Kids. Don’ forget….both of these sponsors have great items for Christmas gifts.

Special thanks to Craig with YT Lawncare, Pavillion Pilates, and FFC blog reader Tom Birdwell in Pensacola.

I am so grateful to Rancey, Ella, The Texas Rett Club, and the IRSF for inspiring and educating me.

And a big gigantic thank you to Little Chick, my loudest and most enthusiastic cheerleader.

I am humbled by all of this support. I wish I could say the work is done, but truthfully we are just getting going. Pennies add to dollars and every cheerleader makes it more fun. Are you interested in helping Team Paddlefish and our charities? If so, here are some easy ways to wave the flag:

1. Become a fan of Team Paddlefish on Facebook. Every time someone joins, it is a huge morale boost for us!
2. Donate to Team Paddlefish to help underwrite race costs by clicking here and using DONATE button in bottom right corner
3. Donate directly to our charities and receive a receipt for tax purposes
4. Spread the word. Email this post and our facebook page to others who might want to follow the story
5. Hug your family and friends and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Eat well, stay warm and indulge in the magic of the holidays.

Finally, thank you for reading FFC! Thank you for subscribing, thank you for commenting, thank you for your camaraderie. I am more grateful than you will ever know. Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Three years ago we wandered across the street from Little Chick’s school into a children’s athletic store called 1379. Almost immediately I found everything I needed for our trip to Montana, namely some Patagonia pants that fit her perfectly and were ideal for the boat – not too cool, not too warm, deflect a little water, we both agreed on the color.

I had no idea the love affair that was born in the moment of that transaction. The monumental power of those pants was lost on me until later.

Little Chick loved these pants. She wore them all summer and even managed to squeeeeze into them the next year as well. Those pants have logged more days on the Missouri River than many guides’ pants – and we all know those have seen a few back-to-back trips without a dip in the laundry. She wouldn’t wear shorts, she wouldn’t wear other pants, nothing else would do. These were her lucky fishing pants. She was wearing them on the Blackfoot when she caught her first fish on a fly all on her own.

So of course we were already fans of 1379 for bringing the beloved Patagonia fishing pants into our lives. But now we have even more cause to be grateful:

1379 has just become a Team Paddlefish Sponsor!

[cue the streamers and the horns]

Banning and I are so excited to have them on board. Lindsey & Mike, the couple that own 1379, have a bustling family and started the kidswear athletic boutique because they know “kids like to be out and about more if they are wearing comfortable and durable clothing and shoes.” Not to mention, Mike and Lindsey are both lifelong athletes themselves. Lindsey was a volleyball star at Notre Dame (she was #13) where Mike started as offensive lineman (# 79) for four years before heading to the NFL for a nine-year professional football career.

Whoa. That is some serious athletic mojo backing Team Paddlefish. I feel feel stronger and faster already.

We are incredibly lucky to have their support and urge you to take a moment to check out their online store, blog, and slideshow. The more I learn about their mission to create a “store focused on active kids”, the more I am inspired. I know this FFC crowd agrees, kids need to spend more time active and outdoors. Remember this post from the FFC archives about children and their decline in outdoor activities?

So wave the flag for the good guys who have stepped up to the plate, not just for Team Paddlefish, but for kids and families and the community. Three cheers for 1379.

When I was in the fourth grade my family moved from Dallas to London where I attended an American school. My teacher was named Sheila Ihde and I absolutely worshipped her. Previously she taught for many years at St Albans, the prestigious boys school in Washington DC, so I think she was tickled to have girls as students and I was quite the teacher’s pet.

Elementary school teachers are supposed to be well-rounded and fairly democratic in their passion for various subjects, but let’s face it, every teacher has a certain bent and Ihde’s was writing. Apparently I showed some promise early in the year as she was very bullish about my writing skills. She’d rave and coo and spend extra time editing my little red composition books which I would fill with as many words as I possibly could, utterly convinced more was better.

One day Ms Ihde announced that there was going to be a creative writing contest. Students were to submit a Halloween-themed short story and the BBC was going to select the two best writing samples to be read on BBC radio on Halloween.

I won.

Technically some other kid “tied” with me as his story would be read on the radio as well, but in my mind, I won. It was most exciting thing that ever happened to me.  I was a writer. A real live writer. Broadcast all across Britain, perhaps even to Buckingham Palace. I had visions of Queen Elizabeth inviting me to tea, desperate for me to sign a copy of my short story.

I knew in the 4th grade I wanted to grow up and become a writer. Yet I cringe at how many years (decades even) I spent not pursuing that passion. It makes me sentimental considering Little Chick is now in the 4th grade. Does she have ideas that are shaping her adult soul as we speak?

I can’t even recall what my 4th grade winning story was about. I remember my parents laughing about it a lot, saying it had a very “O’Henry” ending. Maybe I killed everyone off? I don’t think it ended pleasantly. Foreshadowing the future doom and gloom and romantically depressed tales I would output years later in college.

I did study Creative Writing for four years at Carolina. Despite studying under the best of the best, Southern writer Doris Betts who absolutely hung the moon as far as I was concerned, I still managed to get off track from my writing immediately after graduation. I found corporate life and marriage and motherhood and writing went by the wayside.

But over the past few years I have slowly been chipping my way back to my old childhood dream. I started a blog, having zero idea what a blog even was. Tom Chandler from The Trout Underground found it and encouraged me to start a fishing blog. I resisted for a bit but he was enthusiastic and I was feeling somewhat fearless so lo and behold this site was born.

And thanks to yall, this place has some life to it! It’s been a treat and a gas to share stories about fishing and other non-fishing adventures as they unfold. Which is why I am particularly excited to share a bit of news with each of you. (This is way better than the BBC radio.)

Tosh Brown of Departure Publishing has decided to publish a book of mine. It’s official, he just announced it yesterday. He wants me to document my year of training and preparation for the Texas Water Safari in a funny, raw, genuinely-me sort of way. So it’s happening. I’ve already submitted 15 chapters and the editing process has begun.

Of course I have no idea how the story is going to end until we actually get the race behind us but hopefully we will fare better than the characters in my BBC short story.

I wouldn’t have had that opportunity in 4th grade without Sheila Ihde cheering me on. Similarly I wouldn’t have this opportunity with Departure Publishing without each of you cheering me on….tuning in, leaving comments, laughing along at the stories I share on this site. I am so grateful and hope I can make you proud with this next adventure!

Onward…

If you’ve noticed the crickets chirping alone in here over the past week or so, I do apologize. But I have been uber-super-swamped pushing things forward for Team Paddlefish and our daunting quest to complete The Texas Water Safari. I have lots to report, but mostly want to shine a spotlight on two generous partners who have taken great strides to help Team Paddlefish and our charities.

I’d like to take some time to thank and laud John Bugge and Ruta Maya Organic Coffee.

There is so much to do in getting ready for the Safari, but first and foremost is clearly getting The Canoe. Many people associated with the race urged us to speak with safari veteran John Bugge and dutifully, we did.

John Bugge has raced in the Safari a staggering thirty-three times. This past year he finished eighth overall. Mindboggling! Banning and I loaded Little Chick in the back of the truck and ventured down to Bugge’s ranch in Luling a week or so ago, because Bugge rents canoes that are custom-rigged specifically for the Water Safari.

In our on-going effort to be frugal and direct as much money as possible to our charities, the price for a Bugge rented canoe was very attractive. On top of which, he discounted the lease price as a contribution to Team Paddlefish.

What a hero! He also spent about two hours talking to us about the race, sharing valuable information about how to succeed in the Safari. He talked about nutrition and staying hydrated. Talked about how to read the river and pick seams. He taught us about paddle strokes and paddling in sync and how to leverage everything the canoe could do in terms of turning and running trim. He spoke of the course and helped us prioritize which sections of the river to practice first and how to approach the smaller races in the spring.

Words cannot express our gratitude. Humbly, we would like to extend a huge heartfelt Thank You to John Bugge, a true ambassador of the Texas Water Safari.

Just one glitch. We still need some money in the Team Paddlefish account so when Bugge goes to cash that check…it clears!

As of this morning, with great fanfare (cue the trumpets and the drumroll) I am delighted to announce we have our first official corporate partner: Ruta Maya Organic Coffee. I am thrilled about this partnership for multiple reasons. First, it gets us in the clear with Bugge so the canoe we brought back to Austin won’t get repoed. But this partnership is much much more than that. It’s a truly good fit.

A mission-driven company located right here in Austin, Ruta Maya imports 100 percent organic Arabica coffee beans shade-grown by cooperatives of farmers in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. Founded on the simple premise of creating a marketplace of superior products produced in Latin American countries and to return to the producers of those products a fair portion of profits generated. Ruta Maya Coffee is handpicked and delivered fresh daily so we are all actually a part of this sustainable development project.

Plus, at the coffeeshop which is near my house they have live music and some bellydancing classes I want to try.

So why not support those who have stepped up to the plate to support Team Paddlefish and Rett Syndrome and Project Healing Waters. If you’re going to sip some coffee, why not try a cup with soul? Ruta Maya is available online as well as at HEB and Costco. I say run don’t walk and buy some beans from the good guys.

It’s such a good match: Ruta Maya – The Official Coffee of Team Paddlefish. I love the organic theme since I have been eating strictly organic, whole foods in an effort to get fit for the race. Banning loves that critical cup of joe to get him going for early training sessions. Like Team Paddlefish, Ruta Maya is grassroots at heart while shooting for the stars and I truly believe now that we’ve partnered with Ruta Maya our canoe is going to be muy, muy espresso.

John Bugge believes in us. Ruta Maya believes in us. With these incredible partners waving the flag on our behalf, we are already a few strokes closer to the finish line.

And so……it’s time to name the canoe! Anyone have any ideas?