BilletHead

A bit more, So after Latsch Island visit Scott said lets take a ride up the river on the Wisconson side towards Lake Pepin. Still Commercial fishermen netting the river up there. Some of you might have seen the series bottom feeders. Bottom Feeders - Scenes (outdoorchannel.com) We checked out a few shops and flea markets along the way looking for bargians . Ate at the Pickle factory with Lake Pepin out the window. Windy day and sailboats all over working the wind. Went up a long winding road up a bluff to a senic overlook. Shot a few mopre pictures. This bluff had a steep drop off and from many years of use the rocks were as slick as glass. Another shot of the two of us then we needed to get Scott in there too. I said you need to do a photo bomb. What he said . i explained the concept of the photo bomb. He pulled it off like a pro. We were laughing so hard as we hit the shutter release and the result was priceless! My face literally hurt from smiling all day so we then worked back to Winona. We dropped off Scott back at the Beach on Lotsch Island. There we all got our eyes full. Seemed like the Bikini hatch happened. Like we missed a hatch of nymphs out of the Mississippi river they appeared and crawled out of the water onto the beach. Scott explained the bunch come across the river from Winona to mingle and enjoy soaking up the sun plus other things they can get away with Speaking of off to the side of the beachgoers was another couple of ladies. I say ladies carefully because we were not sure what was going on over there. We were not going to go over and see although Scott being a bachelor probably should of. One was doing some posing and in her teeny weenie bikini. The other had a camera and was in one of those swimsuits that was like dental floss splitting her butt cheeks. The only other thing I will add is the camera was not aiming on a full body shot. This is all I am going to say about that. You never know what you are going to run upon in the great outdoors. Back across the river into Winona to another flea market. We parted ways and we retired to our room for the night. Next morning Scott bought us breakfast at the coffee shop and we visited with his group of friends. Then to Scotts house where he gifted Me a bucket of Hixton Quartzite for knapping which I will share with my buddy Brad. Pretty neat stuff! Whoo Hoo! Special gift. Yes a bucket of rock can make a guy happy. It is the simple things in life that should make us all happy, Hixton Silicified Sandstone / Quartzite (projectilepoints.net) Silver Mound - Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center | UW-La Crosse (uwlax.edu) Then off to one more antique/flea market where I scored on a BSR Dutch oven which has been fully restored and into @Hams hands yesterday morning. We bid a sad but happy farewell to Scott and took our time home. On that trip more vintage cast iron was found. What a trip!

Not yet!

Android for me and not seeing anymore than usual.

Picked a bunch of cherry tomatoes this morning and I mean a bunch. Hoping I would have enough for a new dish. Cherry tomato tart, Cherry Tomato Tart Recipe - How to Make a Tomato Tart | Hank Shaw (honest-food.net) Turns out I did. This would be something new as I have never made my own so a first was about to happen. Lots of the ingredients came from the garden like herbs and serrano peppers and the fat for the crust would be my rendered goose fat. I used one serrano pepper but think up to five would work as I seeded and deveined the one I used So here we have it ready for the oven I might add I got to use one of Pat's fire king dishes too, Out of the oven and cut ready to be served, Ladies and gents we have another keeper. No reason why a couple thin sliced heirloom full sized maters will work too.

Pretty neat! I see three also John. We found some stacks in the middle of our long walk up one of the creeks in Wisconsin. In a small shady spot. We sat down and took a break among them.

You forgot Purina trout chow. 😆

Proud to call you a friend buddy!

We have some guys on here that like those worms and do real well. I have caught hybrids on my big fly rod shuttle cock streamers. "Think Pink"

Pink hoppers was good to us in Wisconsin. Pink squirrel nymph is good too. We discovered pink many years ago in Montana. A hopper called a pink pookie. Named after a guys toy poodle. When the guy found out Pat was a breast cancer survivor he gave her one. That started our pink fly coming out party. Have not looked back since. When I tie fly's there has to be a pink version for Pat

@fshndoug will guide you but do not expect to sleep

Remind me to stay out of the chicken coop.

Not this time.

One more excerpt and I will be done, well I think I will be done

Exactly what I need for jig fest! This way I could complete with Duane and his special fuzzy hat. I wore it and it's magical 🤣.

So our fishing was done so if you are one of those people that do not like fishing related go away, don't even look, nothing to see here. Again lots of pictures. Some people on here really, really like pictures so here we go. So we head up to La Crosse and cross the Mississippi into Minnesota to the town of Winona. In Winona lives a long time friend of ours Scott. We met Scott at a knapp in at Fort Osage near Sibley many years ago. One of those people you instantly connect with. One of those friendly people from the area he lives in. He has been down here for a visit and it was time to see him. I am so glad we did. He was expecting us and we gave him a call. He answered and was at his favorite coffee shop down town. Got directions and found him standing out front looking down the road like a tree full of owls trying to find us in the traffic. We got parked and the reconnecting began. He is going to be mad because I will post pictures of him and he will be mad. He will be reading this so tell him hi. Friends like this don't come along too often we are blessed to know him. We sat down and got to meet his coffee shop daily friends. Good bunch of guys all with interesting stories. Felt like we made more friends there. A guy cannot have too many friends. Coffee, bagels and breakfast burritos were consumed. Scott says wat do you want to do? I said we plan on staying the day and night here it's up to you. Oh maybe we need to check out Latsch island. (links will be attached). Where we crossed a bridge to the island was a tour river boat, We were able to drive over a bridge to the island which is a park but not a normal park. There is a community of people living on the water in floating houses of all sorts. Boats of all kinds tied to these houses. The residents live in some of the housed year round and sleep in some of these enclosed boats. Some of the owners I would call eccentric. Yea that's a good term. Public beach there where we parked getting ready for a walk, Looking back towards Winona was the Joyce Hale pushing a barge. We walked down the unoccupied side of the island down a trail through the woods. Scott said there was a driftwood garden deal he had heard about down there. As we were going I said this is creepy are we supposed to be here? Oh Yea no problem . All kinds of stuff growing on this island in the middle of the big river. Amazed at the big patches of cardinal flower. We see it here at home sometimes a plant here or there but not anything like this. So towards the end of the island we were greeted with this sight. Driftwood stacked with flowers, vegetables and herbs growing all over. I'm not talking a small spot I'm talking a big spot. Then out popped a woman. We asked if we could look around, yes she said in a dialect from Europe. I asked where she was from. She said Belarus I said Russia and quickly she corrected me again saying Belarus. I asked if we could snap a picture and no look at my hair and I said well look at mine she said sorry as she had bad English. One of us asked is she had made the garden ans she responded no her daughter had but she was not awake. Sleeps during the day and does all the work at night. Scott later told us he heard the daughter was cute. He wants to go back to meet her working the night shift in the garden someday! More garden pictures, Now to the floating mini city. Note here Scott spent one summer on one of these houses! We have some neat ones and some real fixer uppers, Most folks were really friendly. Scott went out to visit. I asked can I take a picture? Lady said yes go right ahead. To the right of this picture out of view were more homemade watercraft. A guy was in what I call a western drifter. Turned up sides like you see in fast rivers think Oregon and Washington states. A guy was in the drifter which had a tarp over it. I asked if he had built it? Nope but the guy asleep in the floating home had. There was a mosquito net in it. Have you been sleeping on the boat? Yes visiting friends and here is where I sleep. We walk back up island to the higher class homes with electricity and TV antennas! Meter reading in high water times. In the last picture way down the bank if you look hard is a dome water home. This is where Scott spent one summer. Living in a Community of Floating Homes (bigrivermagazine.com)

Ok where was I ? Oh yea more fishing. Next day we worked up the Boeheim valley along the west branch of coon . Three nice accesses bottom, middle and high ones. We are early, always early and we got there and it was still darkish. Took our time getting ready waiting for it to get lighter. Finally decided to go upstream and walked down the bank taking a cast or two. Heard another vehicle pull up. Paid no attention to it then Pat said there is a guy coming our way. I looked and he had sandals on but lightweight fishing pants too. Said good morn as we did too. Introduced himself as the head guide from the Driftless angler and wanted to ask us a couple questions. Explained we were here first and wanted to know if we were going to fish downstream. I said just heading up now and had not decided what was next. He than said he would go somewhere else? I said what? He explained we were first and if we thought we might go the other way when done he would not try there. Hey man we are used to combat fishing where we are from and don't mind a bit. Said I'm not like that. He had two women he was guiding. I said take them fishing and catch a bunch. He thanked us and he got them going. I thought that was pretty neat. Will never forget that. So we headed up and good access. Caught a bunch again and went about a half mile. Taking less pictures along the way. Just fishing together. The lower sign, Pretty water. Found fish eggs twice. Everything wants these fish. Mink, coons, birds of prey. Nothing seen except the eggs left. Go figure? Even broke out some tiny dries and caught. As we drove out of there seen the young guide and his girls. Gave a honk and there was a big wave back at us. Messed around in a couple more places then done for the day. Next and last morning fishing found us back one more time at the brook trout stream. Did i tell you we had one morning of 48 degrees? Light jacket felt good. Caught a few more and moved on to another spot. This time found access on Spring Coulee. Dropped in and started fishing. Lots of different water there. It was full of fish and we could see them. High sun and fish were in the shade. We hit a place where it went into the timber. Shallow pools full of brown trout. Actually looked like the raceways at a trout park all pointing in one direction. One cast and all would spook looking like a ball of shad going in circles. Being this was our last day of fishing we walked forever until we found a no trespassing sign. Could not figure out which way it was supposed to be pointing. Headed up farther to the road where the creek made a turn and cut across a power line right of way. Took a long way back but blacktop better than fighting what we had come through. This place up in the driftless is neat. I urge you to try it. Had a great time. Were we finished and ready to come home? Nope some neat stuff ahead,

Seen a special on him the other day. Still singing some but goes into gasping at times trying to catch his breath. Snoop dog said Willie was the only one who could out smoke him. (weed)

No Ham did not try but will do warm water stuff next trip.

Well no and I didn't read the instructions when I built our son's first tricycle.

Heck we have been waiting for the invite to set on that new deck outback to make sure it is just not a photo shop work. Wait until it cools off please

Brought home a Case. One six pack went to a friend who watered garden and picked tomatoes. The rest Is mine,mine,mine spoken like a stingy little kid. Oh I would share with a visitor though.

If it wasn't for those bird's I would not be able to pick wild asparagus in the fence rows. Thanks for not being able to have a choice way back when.

I do

Yes and yes. Ya ya don't ya know.

Waiting until the refund until I share too much. The site that did the deal contacted me and asked why a no show. They now know the deal.