T-Ball Players Are…
serious,…
focused,…
determined…
and disciplined…
…sometimes. Seriously, congratulations to these 2010 t-ball league champions!
Thank you coaches, for having the patience to work so well with an age group with a short attention span. Thank you parents, for the sacrifices you made so your children could learn the game and play as a team. Thank you sponsors, for making the league possible with your financing.
All photographs and text are Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. They are not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
“Watch this…”
This photograph is Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. It is not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
Venomous Garter Snake
This Eastern subspecies seems right at home in our backyard. We didn’t know Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis was venomous until we read this.
The photograph and text are Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. They are not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
PA Voters Guides
Please vote in the primary election on May 18. Here are some sources of information to help you make an informed decision.
It’s Not My Fault!
Dear Barbara:
Sweetheart, I’m writing this note to tell you how very sorry I am that the lawn wasn’t mowed and looking nice for the weekend. Honest, I intended to get the yard into great shape on Friday. It’s not my fault!
Here’s what happened. You know that online outdoors forum with so many interesting photos and discussions at HuntingPA.com? Well this guy with the screen name, okinpa, talked me into stocking trout in Powells and Armstrong Creeks on Friday. Wouldn’t you know it, we picked one of the last stops of the day to wait for the stocking truck. So we told hunting and fishing stories until the truck finally showed up at 2:58. You thought I was a fanatic about hunting and fishing. Ha! I bet this guy gets in even more trouble with his wife than I do with you!
Anyway, they told me I had to run over 100 yards as fast as possible with a bucket of trout, to a place where they couldn’t drive the truck. After that I was totally exhausted, and there was no chance of being able to do lawn work.
Let me tell you, this guy is so persuasive, before I knew what happened he talked me into going to the Wiconisco Creek, near Millersburg, to fish for trout in the evening. The guy is a bad influence. So you really should blame him—not me!
Love,
David
p.s. Here are some photos of the rascal.
At first we only caught fallfish. I tried to convince him that this one would make excellent fillets. You can tell by the devilish smile that he wasn’t buying it. But I know his curiosity will get the best of him, and he’ll eventually try one when nobody’s looking.
As the sun got lower in the sky, the brown trout finally came out to play. You-know-who landed two, but I got skunked.
The troublemaker kept working his minnow rig along the opposite shore late into the evening, despite my pleas to call it a night.
Note: Don’t take this post too seriously, as it contains a heavy dose of artistic license. Barbara wasn’t mad and okinpa is not a bad influence. If anything, it was the other way around.
Have fun,
David
p.s. Seriously, okinpa, thanks for sharing a great day in the great outdoors!
All photographs and text are Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. They are not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
Photo Tip: Catchlights
Catchlights are important when creating appealing portraits. In the absence of a strong light source, simply capturing detail in the eyes can also make a big difference. Of course, good-looking subjects go a long way too.
Take a look at this handsome mug, for example. The sparkles in those big, dark eyes really connect with the viewer. Its personality left a lot to be desired though.
This angry crayfish clamped down on a nightcrawler that was intended for a trout in Powells Creek, near Halifax.
The photograph and text are Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. They are not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
You Never Know
Our fishing foursome was late for Saturday’s opening of PA’s trout season. Due to a morning commitment, it was after 2:00 when we parked near our first choice out of several places under consideration. Surprisingly, the pool we wanted to fish was available, although a large group of anglers was nearby. I advised the grandsons that we shouldn’t expect to catch a lot of fish. Most likely, any trout that hadn’t been caught were not very hungry. Surely the people who were fishing downstream already tried our spot.
After 1-1/2 hours, the boys had three trout on stringers. Their patience was waning and it was time for Barbara to take them home anyway. I stayed, in an attempt to add a couple trout of my own, so we’d have enough for a meal. After several casts, I was losing confidence in worms. So when my line tore on a snag, I decided to try my favorite Mepps spinner. Two casts later…
… I had a fight on my hands. After several runs downstream and across the creek, the 4-lb. line held and the heavy rainbow was finally getting tired. Just when I thought it was ready to give up, it saw the net and made one more run to the other side. Then it was out of gas and my big net made the landing easy. It immediately started thrashing, and the spinner popped out of its mouth. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. Someone else wasn’t as lucky.
Dark line was hanging out of its mouth with a small treble hook stuck in its tongue. Look familiar, anyone? The hook came out easily without any bleeding, so this lunker went back to fight another day.
My brother, Alan, has become my personal trophy photographer. Thanks for these images of a trout I’ll never forget. We did our best to get an accurate measurement without hurting the fish, and came up with 22-1/4″. Although it wasn’t my longest trout, it was by far the heaviest. Just look at that girth.
This one didn’t have spectacular colors. Instead, it was bright silver, with a hint of pink on its cheeks and sides, and more spots toward the tail. What a great fish! Now we still don’t have enough trout for a meal. I guess I’ll have to force myself to go fishing again. Oh well.
All photographs and text are Copyright © 2010 David Deppen, all rights reserved. They are not in the public domain and may not be copied, used for derivative works, or used in emails, websites, blogs, or any other media, or for any other purpose, without explicit advance permission from David Deppen. Please use links to website pages if you wish to share content with others.
