Another day on the Blue River.

Well the fishing continues. As well as the preparation for the Boulder Marathon. We received our medals and they are great. I also saw the awards that are being created for our winners. The barriers are reserved, the flags are ready, the expo is being sorted out, and volunteers are being recruited. Now we just plan for as much as we can.

Nobody else was allowed here today.

As for the fishing, I got skunked on some awesome looking private water. These were (in my mind) going to be big, dumb, and hungry fish. I guess nobody told them to be there. Then we fished the Big Thompson and I got some, but the biggest of the day took we down stream before spitting out my fly. Yesterday, we hit the Blue in Silverthorne for some afternoon action. Multiple times I had to check my fly to see if there was a hook attached because I missed so many.

The look of concentration.

Yesterday's best fish of the day nudged my fly with his nose the first time it passed by him. You rarely get another chance at the fish on the Blue River, but he took it the second time it drifted by. I was happy because I have been practicing tying these smallish (size 16) dries with Wulff like wings and I thought they would work well, and they did. It was a good fight and he was close enough for Moj to take pictures of him in the water. When he sensed the net nearby he took off downstream. I went sprinting after him not wanting to let him go. He somehow tied his line in a bow around a log and swam away with my kick ass new fly. I somehow contained the urge to snap my fly rod and settled on shouting expletives.  I will get a good one there one day. No more rookie mistakes!

Blue River again!

I have been reading Waiter Rant since I seem to be a disgruntled realistic restaurant employee and another server with a similar attitude loaned me the book. Now I am hooked on the blog as well. Turns out he is a waiter, dog owner, and blogger. Sounds god to me. The author is now a published writer and a decade older than me though.

Yesterday, we took Moj's mom to Breckenridge for the day. Of course the Blue was awesome to fish. All dries, all day. Tons of fish make me very happy. There is so much water here in Colorado and not enough time.

Cold Blue.

A year ago I was complaining about sand flies at Nelson Lakes. It was an early New Years' Eve. This year, I am excited to have launched TropoDesignz.com and have a job. We headed up to Vail last weekend to work at a snowshoe race which was a lot of fun. We stayed in Silverthorne the night before. Thanks to my last job, we have accumulated some points to give us some free nights at the Quality Inn. We fished Saturday afternoon. I think that it was 8 degrees. It was amazing to see the fish active and rising in that freezing water.

I was surprised to actually catch something on a size 24 fly. (It is about the size of the tip of a pen.) Sunday, we got up early and worked at the race. They don't go fast, but apparently, they have fun snowshoeing.
I am not a fan of resolutions, but every time that I bike or run, I remember how much I like it. Getting paid soon may allow me to join the recreation center near our house. Then I can swim as well. Maybe it is time to pick races for 2010?!
It turns out that Santa is a Persian woman in New York! We got a check that is specifically to be used for the purchase of a KitchenAid. I am excited. One year ago while living out of my backpack, I never would have thought that I would have a KitchenAid!
And if you didn't receive a Christmas card, here is what they looked like:

Snow and wings.

We went to Breckenridge today. The forecast was for blue skies so we brought our fishing equipment in case the snowboarding wasn't too great. Of course once we drove through Eisenhower Tunnel, it was snowing. Sweet! The snow got better as the day went on. Lando hung out in the car so every three runs we hurried back to check on him. He mostly slept and seemed a bit bothered that we dragged him out to pee and eat.

After a few hours, we decided to get some fishing in. There were some decent sized fish that we could see, but they weren't eating anything that we were throwing at them. We fished "the steps" of the Blue River near the elementary school. I couldn't feel my fingers so it made it difficult to tie flies on after a few minutes. Realizing later that I should have been using worms or egg patterns, I know I could have caught those fish!

Headed back to Boulder, we wanted to get some buffalo wings. We called our favorite place The Lazy Dog to find out if their prices were comparable to Harpos. On the phone, LD told us that we could get their wings to go at happy hour prices. Awesome. So we called when we were closer to place our order. Now we were told that we would have to pay full price. WTF? So we showed up and explained that we were promised happy hour prices for to go wings. The manager said that the server was an idiot. I said that wasn't my problem, but I was promised some wings at happy hour prices, to go. She explained that they don't make any money on the actual wings and it is supposed to bring people in to drink. I sat at the bar and ordered some wings at happy hour prices. When they were delivered, I put them in a box and left. Maybe I am on my high horse, and please someone put me in my place, what should have happened? Email me if you don't want your answer published. The wings were delicious and we enjoyed them in our home.
Last week, we ate at Southern Sun to celebrate Mojdeh taking her LSAT. We called to ask if their patio was open (it was sunny, but had snowed earlier in the week and we wanted to bring Lando) and we were told that they could accommodate us. Upon arrival, a manager told us that the patio was closed for the winter and it was dangerous because of ice forming. However, because we were promised to be able to sit outside, he shoveled snow, wiped tables, and chipped away ice to let us sit outside. We will be back there!

Possibilities.

Well the car still isn't working, but we have bikes and Boulder's public transportation is fantastic. Maybe tomorrow it will be fixed. Our apartment is great and allows pets. I have been home a lot and thinking that I should get a dog. We went to the humane society... just to look. We looked and there was cute lab/retriever puppy that was on hold. The people never showed up that were supposed to take him today. So I put my name on the waiting list. I hope that I get a phone call tomorrow.

Maybe...

One of the ladies that lives down stairs (a little person) has two big dogs that are about as tall as she is. One chases a laser pointer and chews on trees. I thought it was funny and was asking her about her dogs. She quickly replied with "I like to take them to the dog park, but I got a DUI and can't drive anymore." I tried to keep the awkward silence to a minimum and luckily my neighbor came out to say hello. Maybe I should mention that my alcoholic neighbor likes to come over earlier Sunday mornings to explain that he has been drinking manmosas. That would be a mimosa with a shot of vodka in it. He works at a restaurant and is proud that he doesn't do drugs. So am I. Our neighbor cooks in a restaurant that we like and has promised to cook for us one night. As long as we bring some wine.

Driving is not the only option in Boulder.

So that is the most exciting news that I have. I am shredding tires on my trainer. We have a tv, but no stand to put it on. I will start working soon. I am excited for winter. And puppies!

Staying busy!

7 inches is better than 4.

 

My new guide.

Heading back to the river after the rain subsided Mojdeh caught a fish! We were on a roll. The next day (4th of July) we went downhill mountain biking at Keystone. I had 7 inches of travel in my fork Moj went for the safe option and has 4 inches of travel.

Nice view.

I didn't go very fast.

The video will be coming out soon. Well, whenever we get around to it. That night, we drove to Glenwood Springs and slept in the parking lot of a bike store. We watched the fireworks from the van. It was nice. The next morning, we got up and I rode my bike to Aspen. It is about 50 miles and all uphill. I hit a thunderstorm about 8 miles from town. I showed up to a bike store soaking wet and very glad that they were open on a Sunday.

My view headed to Aspen.

Everyone like to chat about Lance Armstrong as he trains there for a couple of weeks before this weeks TdF. In Aspen, we admired all the fancy cars and things that make Aspen a great place to just sit and watch. Then of course we headed to a fly fishing shop to get more flies and some advice. Guess what happened next.

 Moj gets another!

We were starting to feel like we knew what we were doing. That night we had a real dinner (in a restaurant) and went to sleep in the parking lot of Buttermilk Mountain. 4 nights without paying for accommodation and utilising our van was great. Not showering was gross. Oh well. We got up and left Aspen early heading back to Frisco to see if we could see a friend at Podium Sports. Not wanting to leave the mountains, we hit the Blue River in Breckenridge one more time.

Luck was on my side.

I nailed another Brook Trout (this one a little bigger than the last). I used a pink worm this time. It was my first time using a fake worm as a fly. The young kid that worked at the store in Breck gave me some great advice (and flies). Off to indoor soccer.