Vanny Fishes SRJC

I took a welding class at the local J.C.
I learned the following:
1. Old dogs can learn new tricks if they have the pity of a good teacher.
2. Its good to have a friend in class.
3. College girls are still beautiful.
4. Unrelated to #3., I still like to play with fire.




1.

2003 revisited

Vanny Fishes West Marin

Present site of the Holy Grate.
Some pics of my commute to Lucas Valley Road.

Vanny fishes the city 2

Some pictures of the "Gala Opening":


http://www.mesart.com/reflections.of.bay.shtml

Holy Found

We did it! It all went pretty smooth. The most difficult parts were finding the Pizza place the night before and, locating the grate on the river bank. It had been nearly 6 months since I had seen it and things changed - mostly in my mind but partly on the bank. Everyone played a vital role. Thanks to NJ for his incredible navigational skills in getting the truck to the Pizza place, Will and Lawson were expert co-pilots on the barge keeping it in the current and riding it through the rapids in the 48 degree water. The middle tube popped as soon as we loaded the grate on - Tate's enthusiastic and persistent energy were of importance as he took charge of pumping the leaky tube as he was riding the grate barge.
Friendship, family, the Milky Way and spawning salmon - holy found.
Thanks to all those that lent support in the forms of energy, moral support and creative interest. This would include:
Laurie, Jackie, W.M.'Bear' Vogel, Tate, Will, NJ and that guy on the bank that wanted to know what the hell we were doing.



1. The location2. Breakfast at base camp3. Ready up


4. The Trek






5.False Grate found





6. True Grate Revealed



7. The Doctor's Disclaimer8. Launch!9. Yeahooooo


10. Loaded !!!!













To see map of the trail we followed view complete Blog @ "Travels with Vanny" go to :
http://fishemail.blogspot.com/

In Search of the Holy Grate

Lawson, Tate, Will, N.J.:
Here are some maps and pictures of the upcoming riparian adventure. On the map shown here, the red dot indicates base camp,green dot is where the unclaimed masterpiece lays and blue line is our proposed route (see pic).
We will meet Friday night 9/12 at the Pizza place in Browns Valley on E21 of off Hwy 20 between Grass Valley and Marysville. That night we will camp along the river ( see red dot). You will need pretty good hiking shows that you don't mind getting wet.
The objective is to hike up the river Saturday and float down ( barge like) the big piece of metal shown in the picture to my vehicle. My vehicle will be parked somewhere near the red dot. I have some inner tubes and rope I think will work. I think I have thought of most everything but something unexpected is bound to happen. Ideas and 'comments from the peanut gallery' are always taken into consideration. Your help and enthusiasm are essential and greatly appreciated.






To view complete Blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to :
http://fishemail.blogspot.com/

Vanny Fishes the City

1. The view from Divisadero








2. Five cents a minute








3. Some ladies hanging around the gallery.







4. The view from the gallery.











5. View of G.G. Bridge.














6. Headed home.












To view complete Blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to :
http://fishemail.blogspot.com/

Art Q correction

Date is 9/19. I just put in 9/12 to throw off the feds and the papparazzi

Art Quest 2

Lawson, Tate, Will, N.J.:
Here are some maps and pictures of the upcoming riparian adventure. On the map shown here, the red dot indicates base camp,green dot is where the unclaimed masterpiece lays and blue line is our proposed route (see pic).
We will meet Friday night 9/12 at the Pizza place in Browns Valley on E21 of off Hwy 20 between Grass Valley and Marysville. That night we will camp along the river ( see red dot). You will need pretty good hiking shows that you don't mind getting wet.
The objective is to hike up the river Saturday and float down ( barge like) the big piece of metal shown in the picture to my vehicle. My vehicle will be parked somewhere near the red dot. I have some inner tubes and rope I think will work. I think I have thought of most everything but something unexpected is bound to happen. Ideas and 'comments from the peanut gallery' are always taken into consideration. Your help and enthusiasm are essential and greatly appreciated.






To view complete Blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to :
http://fishemail.blogspot.com/

Art Quest 1

The Yuba River, like all of the rivers that flow into the Sacramento ( except the McCloud ) has been torn up by the mining companies. Originally these companies sought gold but more lately the the gravel is mined for the production of cement. With the operating criteria of "production" and "cost effectiveness" much of the equipment is left in the river when it is no longer serviceable. This industrial material gets washed and beaten over the years as the river integrates it into the riparian habitat. Big 3" steel cables buried menacingly in gravel bars and huge spikes driven into great granite boulders attest to the ferocity of mankind. Likewise the degraded condition of these artifacts leaves no doubt to the superior power of time and nature. I have long been fascinated by these pieces of metal for the stories they hinted at. Recently I have begun to see them as more than just snags and stumbling blocks. The pictures in this post illustrate my first retrieval of one of these contextually rich and physically interesting pieces of metal. The one shown in these pictures has been twisted by a great force, whether it be man or nature, is the stuff of speculation. As an artist I see the form as an expression of violent power and the challenge for me is in the presentation. There is another, more intact, with just the sign of many years of oxidation; I plans to collect in September.
see Art Quest 2

To view complete Blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to :
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Sonoma Coast in August

Pictures are of: Mouth of Russian River, Mahamudra Center in Point Arena, View of Ocean from Center, Kempo, Gualala River at HWY 1 bridge.

Going to the Republican Convention (revisited)

Yes, its true! I have been invited to go to St. Paul for the the Republican Convention. Unfortunately, they will only let met get within 10 blocks of the Xcel Convention Center.
Though I will not be personally going, my work will be on display at the nearby AZ Gallery, 308 Prince Street St. Paul, MN.
View Larger Map">
I created this piece in 2003, during the build-up to the Iraq War. It is a portrait of my T.V. the day after President Bush's State of the Union Address. In this speech, the President delivered the infamous "16 Words". My painting depicts Ari Fleisher at the White House press conference.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/ap_on_go_co/iraq_cia
Peace

To view complete Blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to :
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Bluebacks

Earlier post from C.V.:

I just stumbled across the first definition I have ever seen of "bluebacks"

"Then someone made a comment that the fish was a blueback. In this neck-of-the-woods, a blueback refers to a steelhead that has a bluish back, as opposed to its typical mint-green back. A blueback's scales actually sparkle like blue sapphires when the sun strikes it a certain way – no exaggeration!

In steelhead nomenclature, bluebacks signify the end of the run, which normally occurs sometime in late February or March, the bluebacks usually running less than 10 pounds. But this fish, being as large as it was immediately brought back memories of the beginning of last year's run, which started out with a lot of large bluebacks as well."

Complete Story:

http://www.currypilot.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=16347

Our rivers are up around here, nothing crazy like up north; but enough to make for some excitement! Hope all is well - Chris

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To see complete blog or subscribe to "Travels with Vanny" go to:
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Word from the Deshutes

Hi Jim,

It was a lot of fun. There were quite a few 6-8 lb. natives in the
river and I managed to hook one about a mile below the Rattlesnake Rapid
on the west bank. It's a wonderful stretch of the river because you can
wade easily quite far into the river on the basalt. It's about an
hour or more walk from the car so that weeds those without heart. I
almost skipped the spot to continue working down to the woman I was fishing
with that evening. But it looked fishy - an apparently deep slot a
short distance downstream from a rock. I had barely been in the water; on the first cast fish on... Sure enough the Freight Train... I did not take
a picture, because I sort of man handled the fish and wanted to release
safely. I did take pictures of the river and a couple of other items I
found on the trip (see attached). The only drawback to the lower
river is the pretty high number of fishers - many gear fisherman - as well
as fly fishers most of whom had spey rods.
Two public comments:
1. If you see someone fishing ask if you can "step in" either above or below
them depending on whether they are steelhead or trout fishing with a
fly. For steelhead fishing you step in above the person already fishing;
for trout the opposite applies. All bets are off with gear fishers,
although the ones we encountered were amiable enough.
2. I'm never skunked "catching" all the debris people lose or leave
behind in rivers. This year alone I've found a nice cutting tool (I'll send a picture over the weekend) and those pliers (the "keepers") not to mention all the line, leader and monofilament.Imagine if every fisher just picked up one item they could easily carry...

Tight Lines,
Susan S.