Wednesday, Dec 1
Dan writes:
Another slow morning - I can’t find any fish that will bite in the morning. I think my fish will bite in the afternoon, after things warm up, but that may be too late if we’re weighing in at 2:00. I quit around noon today and spent the afternoon changing line and organizing my baits and my boat. Craig didn’t go out at all today - he’s committing to the fish he found while I was gone. After supper, at the partner pairings meeting I met up with Greg Toth. His advice was to forget about the bad fishing we had yesterday - that was the first day after a major cold front and fishing was tough for everyone. Things should get better now as time passes, and the bigger fish, as Craig has proved, are down south.
I drew a partner who is local to the area, and who claims to be catching good fish. Well, at least that gives me something to hope for, but as we all know when somebody tells me that, history has proved them wrong, in my case at least, 100 percent of the time. I suggested we flip a coin to see whose boat we go in. He said it was a sad thing when you’ve lived on this lake for 30 years, you’re a guide on this lake, and you can’t even ride in your own boat. I made him flip anyway. He lost. He was upset. We’re ridin’ in my boat, and we’ll go to his fish in the morning, and we’ll see what happens.
Annie writes:
This is the last day of practice Dan said I did not need to go. I had plenty to do at home. Everyone must think how much can you do? You would be surprised! We are trying to have our journal printed and we need to go through the whole journal and we need to reread and edit it to fit pamphlet form. We also have a digital camera and I have been uploading and categorizing about 100 new images, so hopefully we can get some new pictures posted here soon.
Tonight we had a cookout before the meeting, then it was off to town. It is fun to go to the meetings now because we know so many people. Three people came up to me and commented on how great our CITGO commercials came out. That is pretty cool when people you don’t even know recognize you out in public. I guess it is our 3 minutes of fame.
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Thursday, Dec 2
Dan writes:
B.A.S.S. Eastern Invitational - Day 1 of 3: It’s 28 degrees while we’re waiting for take-off, and because the boat sat in the water overnight it is covered in a heavy frost. You have to scrape through in order to see the gauges and the depthfinders. Bundled up against the cold, with the motorcycle helmet in place, we ran down the lake about 25 minutes to my partner’s fish. He was on spinnerbait fish yesterday, but the wind was blowing then, and today it is dead flat calm. Guess what - those fish wouldn’t bite. We then fished two of his brush piles, and guess what - those fish didn’t bite either. And these are the fish he was so excited about last night. Oh well. I’m sorry that his fish weren’t there, it would have made for a much better day, but at least I have been vindicated for having made the "local expert" flip for the boat last night.
We then started fishing my stuff down the lake, and that didn’t work either. I eventually put two keeper fish in the boat (and to be fair, one was off of my partner’s area), and late in the day we ran up to Madwind Creek (where I had caught those fish last week,) and my partner caught his only fish of the day there.
At the weigh-in we found that no one caught them good today. The cut to make a check (55th place) is about 6 lbs., and the leader has about 12. Obviously, every bite is going to count in this tournament.
I drew another local expert to fish with tomorrow, but this one I know. It is Trip Weldon, ex B.A.S.S. weighmaster. Trip was, before today perhaps, the favorite to win this tournament. Today though he caught five fish that weighed only 6 lbs. Still, I’m real excited to be fishing with him tomorrow, and I’ll gladly go in his boat, without even being asked. Both he and his partner weighed-in a limit today, which is a lot more than I can say about my fishing.
Annie writes:
I organized and cleaned out our truck today. We are using it for storage, as we have really come to accumulate lots of stuff. It is just big things, like empty suitcases, that we need to put in there.
Phyllis & I walked over to the weigh-in at 1:30. Dan came in with 2 fish - it was not what we had hoped for, but it was 2 fish and it puts him in the running. Ron did not have a great day either, he caught only 1, but Craig is in 23 place, with five fish that weighed 7 ½ lbs.
I had been cooking a potroast all day in the crock pot, and we had Craig & David come over and eat with us tonight. Later I went to see Ron & Phyllis, and I showed them our CITGO commercials, which they loved. When I came back home Dan and I shut the TV off and spent some quality quiet time together.
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Friday, Dec 3
Dan writes:
B.A.S.S. Eastern Invitational - Day 2 of 3: It’s warmed up a little bit - to about 30 degrees this morning. Trip and I ran down the lake, and far up the creek to the shallow, stained water. Here we fished just 2 or 3 little areas, where active bass were grouped up and periodically herding baitfish up against the banks. All morning long we never fished water deeper than 3 feet, and Trip managed to catch a small limit while I boated only 2 fish.
It was still fairly early, the wind was blowing pretty good, and we both felt that we could catch bigger fish by throwing a spinnerbait out in the main lake. We left the shallow water and headed out deeper. Trip tried a few of his places, and I took him to some of mine, and we even threw the Carolina rig on places where Craig had had multiple bites just yesterday, but it was dead.
Back at the weigh-in my 2 fish weighed 1lb. 12oz., and Trip’s 5 weighed about 5 ½ lbs. Surprisingly, though we thought the wind should have made fishing better, the overall catch today went down even from yesterday’s low numbers. Craig caught only 2 fish today, after catching 7 or 8 yesterday, and he has dropped out of the money. After today the cut to get a check is 12lbs. even, the leader has 18 ½, and I have about 4. I probably need about 12lbs. tomorrow to get in the money - not an impossible task but I need to get bit.
I drew a partner for the last day who is doing the same as I - we’ve both caught 4 fish in 2 days. All of his fishing areas are up around Madwind Creek, so we are committing to spending the entire day tomorrow in that area. We flipped for the boat and I lost. It’s no big deal at this point, since my stuff is already packed from riding with Trip today.
Annie writes:
I woke up and worked on our journal to be put in print, and I tried to update our pictures on the computer. Dan is due in at 3:20. Phyllis and I walked to the weigh in again and at least we are getting some exercise. Dan came in with less weight than yesterday. It is not looking good. He was exhausted and we cooked in and had a very early night.
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Saturday, Dec 4
Dan writes:
B.A.S.S. Eastern Invitational - Final Day: The weather finally warmed up today, and it got up to the mid 70’s by afternoon. We were hoping that maybe this is what the fish had been waiting for, but we were wrong. My partner weighed-in two little fish at the end of the day, and I weighed-in none. I broke off two keepers in brush piles on the Carolina rig, and I lost a big fish flipping when he straightened out my hook, but once again it was just not meant to be.
Back at the weigh-in, unbelievably the weights just keep going down. The locals don’t know what to say about it up on stage; and even Trip, whose boat had caught 25 keepers over the last 2 days, could catch only 4 little fish today.
There was an interesting twist to the end of the weigh-in - when all the fishermen had finished weighing their fish, there ended up being a tie for first place. The weighmaster explained the rule - there must be a fish-off between these two anglers only. Since it was almost dark, he explained that they could run (which they did) back to their boats and fish for another 40 minutes. The weigh-in continued while the two were out fishing, with the presentation of awards to the other fishermen, and after 40 minutes they returned. Neither had caught anything, so the 2 man fish-off begins again at 6am tomorrow morning.
Annie writes:
I took Phyllis to return her rental car today and then we ran a few errands and went out for lunch. By the time we got back it was just about weigh in time. We let the dogs out for a bit and then walked over to the weigh in. Dan came in with no fish, I felt really bad for him. He was in the first flight today, so we came home and unpacked his equipment while the other guys were still weighing in. I took my laundry over and did that while we waited for the results. We loaded our boat on the trailer and then Dan got Ron’s boat out for him with the Bronco so Ron would not have to move his motohome. We cleaned up a bit and went out to dinner with Ron and Phyllis. At 8:00 when we got home Dan was exhausted so he went right to bed. I worked on things for a while and went in around 12:30am.
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Sunday, Dec. 5
We had a list of things we had to do this morning before we could take off , so we were working real hard to get them done. The fresh water tank in the camper has a cracked seal which is now a constant drip, so Dan spent time trying to fix that. We don’t have the right sealant for it, so I filled up whatever containers I could find with fresh water, since we’re going to have to travel now with an empty water tank. We figured we could manage for a day or two like this.
When we were finally ready to go, Dan sat down to drive and... OH NOOOOOOOO!!!! The motorhome would not start! It seemed to be the same problem that we’ve had fixed twice now in the last 2 months. Ron & Phyllis were the only ones left at the campground, and Ron & Dan worked on it a while to diagnose the problem. They disconnected the fuel line between the tank and the engine, and had me crank the motor. Where there should have been a steady flow of fuel, there was none. Yup, it’s the fuel pump again, which is inside the gas tank, and which has cost almost $2,000 to have fixed twice now since September.
We can’t do anything else until tomorrow, and Ron & Phyllis had to head out so they left. We paid for another night of camping, and then just sat with our thoughts for the night. We just don’t get it. It’s one thing after another. If this is a sign, lots of little signs or one big sign, we must be dumb because we can not figure them out. All the other fishermen have left now, it’s starting to rain and the campground is deserted except for us and our broken down camper. We feel like we’ve been left behind.
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Monday, Dec 6
We got towed out at 11:30 this morning. It was another sad site. We ended up at an RV dealership about an hour away. They were all very nice and trying to be helpful, but we had a problem. As soon as they unhooked the motorhome from the wrecker, the motorhome started as soon as we turned the key. They worked on it for a few hours and at 5:00, before leaving for the night, they set us up on a nice campsite right there on their lot. They’ll look at it some more first thing in the morning.
Dan has an awful cold now, and I have a pinched nerve or something in my neck. We were in bed for the night at 6:15, tired, frustrated, and watching our money fly out of our hands every day with no results.
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Tuesday, Dec 7
First thing this morning the motorhome was in the shop. They tried and tried, but since the darned thing starts every time now they cannot diagnose the problem. Finally we all agreed we were wasting time and money, so we just packed up and headed back out on the highway. On the road, we decided to go as long as we could without shutting the engine off - we let it run during gas stops, at rest areas, and when we stopped for dinner. We’re trying at this point to make it down around Tampa, where there are lots of RV dealerships, and where maybe we can trade this sucker in before it breaks down again.
Wrong. We had gone just under 200 miles before it happened. At 5pm just outside Tallahassee, FL, the engine died yet again and we had to limp over onto the shoulder of the interstate. An all-too-familiar sight now is this camper stopped on the side of the road with Dan behind the wheel, head in his hands, and Annie trudging up beside it from the Bronco. Discouraged here would be an understatement. This is really taking a toll on us - mentally, financially and physically.
We got towed of the highway at about 7:00, and at about 9 we were dropped of at a garage and left for the night. It’s kind-of a rough looking area of Tallahassee, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to get a good night’s sleep.
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Wednesday, Dec 8
We hardly slept all night. There were police cars and fire trucks racing by, and the security alarm on the garage we were parked next to went off twice during the night. We don’t know why, and we were not going to get out and look, but we spent a lot of time looking out the window. Dan had parked the boat right underneath our bedroom window for the night, so if someone messed with that they were going to hear gunfire at close range.
The mechanics showed up at 7:30 and they got working on it immediately. Fortunately, this morning the engine wouldn’t start, and after a series of tests they figured that the problem was inside the fuel tank, either in the pump itself or the wiring going to it. In order to get to it though they needed to drop the fuel tank, and when they finally found a short circuit in the wiring they said we were lucky we did not have an explosion. We were on the road again at 4:30, happy to know that the problem had been found and fixed, but $1,200 poorer than we were 2 days ago.
This time we made it all the way to Tampa before stopping for the night. Though we think this latest problem may now be fixed, the fact remains that we’ve been left stranded on the side of the road 5 times now since May, so we are still planning to talk to some people tomorrow about trading this camper in.
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Thursday, Dec 9
(Florida) We slept at a Flying J truck stop last night and woke up this morning at 6:30. Time to go shopping for a new house. We cleaned up and got our tanks emptied and then we were off to Lazy Days in Tampa. Lazy Days is the biggest RV dealership in the world. We got there so early that the salesmen were still in their morning meeting, so we went to the lounge area and had a complimentary breakfast. So far so good!
Through the day we must have gone through 50 motorhomes. They served us lunch, and by 6pm we were not done looking so we camped in their parking lot overnight. Dan has a cold he can not seem to get rid of so it was good that we did not have to drive.
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Friday, Dec 10
(Florida) We were back in Lazy Days by 9:30, looking at a few more coaches. We really did not find the motorhome we are looking for there. We left, went to a few other places, and ended up at Buddy Gregg Motorhomes. They had something they wanted to show us, but it was in the paint shop. We decided to stay the night and see it in the morning, so we do not have to make another trip here next week. They put us up in a campground right across the street. We have not been "hooked up" at a campground for a almost a week, instead we were "dry camping" and it is taking a toll on us. We are exhausted and tired of driving in separate vehicles. We cooked out on the grill and had a very nice, much deserved evening together.
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Saturday, Dec 11
(Florida) We were at Buddy Greggs at 8:30 and went to see this other motorhome. Dan loved it and I did not. This is such a big decision, we are not just buying a leisure camper, this is our house. With Dan’s father passing away and fishing going the way it is, we have decided to not get a house and upgrade our motorhome instead. This means that we do not see us living in a house for a while, which is something we both decided and agreed to. Although, we also agree that our new "house" motorhome is such a big step that we both have to love it, and we just have not found the right one yet. We looked all day again and were getting very frustrated so we just said, lets forget it and go see Mom. We can not and should not shop when we are not into it, so lets let it rest a little while. We got to Vero Beach around 6:00pm and parked the camper and boat at the fire station just down the road for the night. We grabbed some clothes and went to see mom, had dinner, and slept over. It is wonderful to be here with her.
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Sunday, Dec 12
(Florida) We left at 9:00 am, got the motorhome and boat and found a campground not to far away. We reserved it for the week, basically just to park on since we are staying at Mom’s house. We packed our bags and moved into Moms by 11:30am. Mom said she felt like a real Christmas tree this year and so we went out to buy one together. We picked out the first tree we saw, got some lunch, came home and set it up. We got out a lot of other Christmas decorations and set them up, we put light on a couple of trees in the back, and started getting into the Christmas spirit. With the irritations we have been having it was very nice to be together doing something special. Aunt Patti (Mom’s sister) came over for a quick visit and by 9:30 we were in bed.
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Monday, Dec 13
(Florida) We left at 9:30am for Disney World with Mom and Aunt Patti. We dropped Cooper off at an animal motel for the night. We took two cars because we are going to look at more motorhomes on the way home. We arrived at Disney at about 12:00, had lunch and checked into our condo. We then split up, Mom hung out in the condo while Dan, Aunt Patti and I went to Epcot. We met Mom at 5:00pm at MGM and went to see the Christmas lights, which I recommend to everyone, they were beautiful. We went out to eat at The Brown Derby and then went to the boardwalk on our way home. We were so tired from all the walking we had done which helped us to sleep great.
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Tuesday, Dec 14
(Florida) We woke up early and the women went to breakfast while Dan did some work. He still has his cold and is not feeling to well. After breakfast we packed up and went our separate ways. This was a very difficult trip for all of us, but especially Mom. This was Dad’s favorite place to go, they have a condo here and went just about as much as Mickey Mouse, I think. Dad was always our tour guide, he knew exactly where to go, how to get there and what order to go in.
We went to a couple of other motorhome dealers and still came up empty handed. It was a long ride back to Mom’s house. We met her at a restaurant for dinner and headed back to her house for the night.
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Wednesday, Dec 15
(Florida) Dan spent the day at home on the internet trying to find out about more motorhomes and where they are located. We now have people from as far as Arizona calling us daily to try and help locate the right one.
I had a great day with Mom & Aunt Patti. We left here at 9:45 and drove to West Palm Beach. We went to the Ritz Carlton (ooh, la la) for lunch where we met Alice (Mom’s stepmother) and Joni (Alice’s niece) for lunch. We were celebrating Alice’s 98th Birthday which is Friday. She is such a ticket, I hope I am as energetic as her at her age. Heck, I hope I live to be that age. We had a fabulous time. On the way home we went to Worth Avenue, which is the Rodeo Drive of Palm Beach. I could easily live there. We walked around and shopped a bit. Then we took the scenic road home. I saw the homes of Donald Trump, and Estee’ Lauder. Quite a fun filled day! We came home around 6:00 and were exhausted, then ordered pizza and just lounged around for the night.
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Thursday, Dec 16
(Florida) Dan and Mom had some business to do today and I had a long list of things for myself, so I left around 10:30 and began my day of errands. It was just things that finally had to be done like dry cleaning, hair cut, have my nails done, etc. I did a little Christmas shopping also. Dan worked in the house all day hanging wreaths for Mom, working on the computer, etc. I arrived home at 5:00 as I knew we had a 6:00 dinner reservation at the beach club. We went to eat with Mom, Patti, and Nodi (Mom’s friend) . There was supposed to be a space shuttle launch at 9:15 tonight and you can see them very clearly from the beach at the club. Dan and I were going, but it got postponed. Instead we went to try and get copies of Christmas pictures we want to send out in Christmas cards. No, we have not done that yet. With the motorhome problems and being on the road we did not have time.
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Friday, Dec 17
(Florida) We did some Christmas shopping today and pretty much only have odds and ends left to get. We had dinner in and at 7:30 we went to the beach club to watch the space shuttle launch. It was right on time, and was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen. We saw the big fire glow at ignition, saw the take-off and even saw the separation in the air. It was fascinating, moving, and made me cry. There were a lot of people on the beach and everyone was clapping and cheering. It was the last launch of the millennium.
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December 18-23
(Florida) We took a day this week and made a long drive, to go see another motorhome, 120 miles away. Once again though it was just not the right one, so we don’t think we’re going to buy it, at least not before Christmas. Mostly though we spent the week trying to get everything done before the kids arrive on the 24th. We finished shopping finally, and we bought Mom a computer (her first) for Christmas. Dan worked on it and set it all set up so that she can just turn it on Christmas day and it will be ready to go. I am so glad we are here with Dan’s Mom and getting to spend so much time with her.
Also this week Dan did a lot of business work. He spent 4-6 hours each day locked up in the motorhome, working on our web site. There are quite a few changes and new additions now, so you need to go and check it out. Remember, it’s www.DanielKeyes.com.
Finally, we want to wish all our readers and their families a wonderful holiday season, and say thank you for all your letters, and for your continued support.
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December 24-30
(Florida) We had a very good Christmas week. The kids flew in the 24th and we had a wonderful 6 days with them. We did so much in the short time they were here. Christmas was quite different as it was our first without Dan’s dad. It was very difficult for Mom, as well as the rest of us. Our family, along with Dan’s two brothers and their families chipped in and bought a computer for her. Dan , I and the kids have spent the week giving her private computer lessons. She is really enjoying the email so far, which is the main reason for getting it, and it will be wonderful and a new way for her to keep in touch with family and friends.
The kids flew home on the 30th,and it was so hard to say goodbye, as it always is. Thank goodness for email and the telephone.
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Friday, Dec 31
(Florida) Mom had a busy day planned for us. Dan’s family use to live in Rhode Island, and 5 couples from Rhode Island, along with Aunt Patti, were coming over for a big New Year’s Eve party. We spent the day setting up and getting party platters in order. The party started around 6:00 and we had a great time. At midnight we were on the beach with champagne watching a beautiful fireworks display. It is going to be a wonderful year with great things happening. I can just feel it!!!
Link to:
January 2000
December 1999