CONTENTS OF WATERFOWLING DELMARVA

Hi Folks, .... Remember that these letters are just personal and have been written for your enjoyment. .... Donald

Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997

Hi Folks,

Well, I know that I haven't written lately, but I just been staying in the house trying to get over being sick. March is not my favorite month. I just can't fine anyone who would like to go trapping and I am just not able to go by myself. Did have help with finishing up with wood duck houses and a couple coverts so they nest. Will let you know as they start using the nests.

I have been working on my web pages and guess the one for 1996-97 hunting season is done. Maybe it will brighten up someone's day and help till the season opens again. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Same applies over at My Homepage .

I put a couple new images up also.

I have played around with an idea for a game that might be fun. I will let you know as soon as I get a some of it up on the web.

Weather is cold and wind is blowing, but the flowers have held up good and the guys that are drift netting behind the house are catching perch, heron and some rock. Will be nice to see it warm up again. It doesn't look like it will this week, but it can't be long now.

I will set up a new list to send this daily deeds email and if you don't want to be on it just say so. Would be nice to hear from you and what you are doing. Will try to write tomorrow. Donald

Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997

Hi Folks,

Well, I finally got out of the house (hate March). Went oystering yesterday down to Fishing Bay. The ride to the spot were I found the oysters was across the marsh and the ducks were everywhere.

Have been feeling yucky, but feel better after being out on the Bay. Hope the winds stop blowing and it warms up a little more. Can't wait to go down to the camper at Virginia. Fish will be in within a couple weeks.

Still pissed with my friend that shot himself. Miss him so bad. Need to fine someone else to go fishing with. Want to go? Caught lots of little crabs while catching the oystering and with the warm winter I expect a good crabbing season. Can't wait.

Will write when I can. Donald

Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997

Hi Folks,

Well, I made the first trip to Chincoteague and our camper. Spend two days trying to get things set for the summer. Wish I had taken my fishing pole cause they were catching some tog along the rocks, but if I had we wouldn't have got the work that needed to be done, done.

I have decide to take the bigger boat down to Chincoteague for the summer. That way I will save the slip rent and I just need someone with me when I use it, and always have someone when I go down. I will just use the small boat around here, I can handle that by myself.

With the warm winter it looks like a great summer for fishing and crabbing and claming and everything that the wife and I like to do. Even the playpen in the back of the camper looks better hehehe. Hay, I'm old not dead.

Still have to put none slip paint on the deck, charge the batteries and the boat will be ready to go down. We gave the microwave that was at the camper to our daughter when hers died, and have decided to buy a hot plate instead of replacing it. That way I can steam crabs and clams and oysters ect easier. Well, goto go. Will write when I do something. Donald

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997

Hi Folks,

Happy Easter! Just ate all I could hold at my daughters house (Dawn shenton@shore.intercom.net). Three families there and a madhouse with all the kids, but a great time. Weather was in the 70's with the sun a shining. Middle daughter (Tricia blakeman@shore.intercom.net} husband just bought a little goat and had it on a lease. It was putting all the kids and they had a ball with it while they tried to fine eggs in the yard. Wish my oldest daughter (Doris ayuh@pivot.net} could have been here from Maine.

Tomorrow is the last day of oystering and I am hoping to go. If the wind blows I will work on the boat so its ready to go to Chincoteague. Reading Doug's letter sure makes me wish that I lived where there were not so many people, but than I would have to give up my tidal waters and I am sure I would miss that. Nice letter Doug, keep them coming.

Will write when I do something. Write when you can. Donald

 Hi Folks.
Well, Bobby and I had five turtles this morning. 72lbs. So far we have not made gas and bait money, it's just been to cool at night. We are seeing and enjoying more and more baby ducks and geese. It's always nice to get out even if we don't make any money.

 I know that I have not been very good about writing lately, but its been cool and that's been keeping me inside. I got a new machine also and have been working to get it setup the way I want it, It's a P166, 33300 modem, 16mem, 1.5 meg hard drive, sound blaster, and lots of other stuff. Course it's a tower so that I can keep it upgraded.

 Well, enough for now. Write when you can. I will write when I do something. donald

Well, two rainy days in a row and the most exciting thing about them was
my venison stew. haha.  Really, let me tell you how to make a venison
stew really good and really fast and really simple.  The night before,
just take about three lbs of frozen venison hunks and put them in the
crock pot.  Let it cook overnight.  In the morning turn it to low and
about an hour or so before you are going to serve it, open a can of
stew, 'most any brand will do'.  You know the kind that would be great
stew if there were only some meat in it!  Your venison,  their stew,
great,  you know really good,  really fast and really simple.  My way of
cooking.

Tomorrow I am going to fix roast wild duck.  It's supposed to blow NE at
15 to 25 and clear off.

I baited up the trot line, but it looks like it will be Thursday before
we can get out.

Write if you get a chance.  donald

Well, yesterday I caught a half bushel of blue claw crabs and came
home.  Steamed and ate my fill.  Picked the rest, about a pound and a
half.  Was going to go fishing with Roland, but it was just blowing to
hard and two cold '60'sF'.  We hope to get to go in the morning.  Had to
go down to the Little Choptank River, just in from the Chesapeake Bay,
just inside Tailors Island at what is called the Broads.  Water temp is
still only about 66F and the crabs were in about two feet of water.  Not
the best, but at least crabs.  Even the commercial crabbers can't catch
a bushel.

Roland and I will go down to Fishing Bay tomorrow.   Going out to the
mouth of Island Creek and hope to catch some hardheads "croakers".

This morning, Pat and I when and picked 10 quarts of strawberries.  Had
crab cakes and strawberry
shortcake for supper.  Man you should have been there.  Looks like it
will finally warm up this coming week.  Hope so.  Will let you know if
we catch any fish.  Write if you can. donald.

Well, the fishing trip was a cold one, but we still caught a few croakers
and then finishing up with white perch so that Roland had enough for he
and his wife and his father-in-law.  About 20 fish in all.  Temps in the
60'sF and the wind blowing out of the ENE.  Roland and I both said we
knew that we were fishing when it is damn near impossible to catch
anything.   I think when the wind is out of the East they strick there
heads in the sand or something, they just disappear.

Fixed venison stew for supper and of course had strawberries.  Don't
know how long it will take for us to get your fill.  Plan on picking 10
quarts in the morning to freeze.  Then, Pat and I hope to go after white
perch over on the Big Choptank River, above the Bridge next to a sandbar
in Goose Creek.  Almost always a good stop.  Will let you know what
happens.  Donald

Pat an I when for 10 quarts of strawberries this morning and got them in
the freezer.  Then rode into to Cambridge to get her a stripped bass
"rock" stamp, just in case we did catch a big stripper.  The season is
in where we when to fish for the white perch.  I left the ramp and when
to Goose Creek to a sand bar that is sometimes good.  Nothing.  So we
when out to the edge of the channel on Dixon Oyster bar.  Nothing.
Next was an old off shore duck blind.  Found'em.  Around the poles and
under the blind, we began catching white perch.  Pat was a little
uneasy, cause there was a Osprey nest on the blind and there were two
young birds, fully feathered and very vocal.  Moma, dove at us a couple
times, but then when over to a tree perch.

With light tackle, Pat got a hold of and landed a five pound cannel
catfish.  It wet her down good and I through for sure that it would
break the line, but she got him.  We gave the young Osprey about a dozen
little perch, which they seemed delighted with and finally shut up.  We
kept ten perch and the cat.  Headed home.

Needless to say we had fish for supper.  O Yea, strawberries also.  You
should have been there.  Know wonder I am so damn fat. hehehe.

Pats working tonight.  Don't know just what tomorrow holds.  Some busy
work that needs to be done, but maybe I can get away in the evening.
Sunset on hot evenings is one of my favorite times.  Write if you know
how.  Talk to you tomorrow if I can.  Donald

Pat and I when down to Chincoteague Thursday afternoon.  Great afternoon
just enjoying each others company..  Went clamming Friday morning.   Got
overboard long enough to get a mess to eat, but it was just to cold in
the water to be fun. Water Temp 66F.  Air about 70F.  Just too cold for
this old guy.  Think Pat would have stayed.

Home Friday night and clam fitters for supper till we couldn't move.
>From shell to fitter in just minutes, sure makes them good.  Have about
two dozen small ones for steaming later this evening.

Granny headed to Maine Saturday morning.  I had a crabbing party to take
for a friend.  Crabbing party turned into HELL.  I had told all involved
that due to the cool spring the crabs were not at all plentiful and that
we would catch two or three down a line.  Told them if we worked at it
we could catch a half bushel in a couple hours.  Guess no-one was
listening, cause after five runs of the line and about two dozen crabs
caught, "they missed a lot", they were ready to quit.  On the way in
they wanted to stop and see if they could buy a bushel from one of the
commercial crabbers.  I told them that the commercial guys were still
getting about $75.00 dollars a bushel.  When I pulled along side and
asked if he would sell a bushel, he told them he only had about 3/4 a
bushel and they could have them if they wanted for $50.00 dollars.  My
Man (asshole) says he would pay $35.00.  To which the commercial guy
says ' you're kidding'  --   'asshole says know he's not kidding'  --
commercial guys tells him just were he can go 'very plainly'.  Thank God
he was not someone that I knew.  Next I got MY money for taking them,
got back to the dock and told them not to think that I would ever take
them crabbing again no matter who's friends they were.  Bad scene --
over with forever.

O Yea, in their confusion they didn't take the couple dozen crabs, so
I bought them home and steamed them.  We had caught three doublers, so I
have the peelers in a bucket hoping they will molt.

This morning, Sunday,  I took Pat and my daughter Dawn, to the Salisbury
airport and they are on there way to Nashville for the week.  Hope next
Sunday when they get back doesn't seem like a long time.  Lots to do so
I don't think it will.  Hoping to go soft crabbing later this evening as
long as the weather allows.  Will write and let you know.  Write if you
can.  Donald

O Yea, I did take the time (to much) to figure out how to put a slide show on my homepage, so take time to check it out. Steal the html if you want to use it. Well, gotto got crabbing. Talk to you later. Write if you know how. Donald. 

Yea!, I'm still alive.  Just busy as hell doing nothing.  Hot here.
Temps in the high 90's and low 100's.  Crabs and fish love it and their
seems to be more and more all the time.  The crabs will grow so fast in
this heat that they will have nothing to eat put themselves.  Nature
takes care of things like over population.  I want to go crabbing this
evening, but if it gets into the 100's , yesterday was 103, I will just
have to wait.  We used to be able to go at night, but the DNR stopped
that, but I don't want to get started on them.  Not good to hate
something like that.

Don't know what to tell you, except that I am having fun and enjoying
life.  We go to Maine the 27th of July.  Pick up Mom-in-law.

Going to try to hook this machine up to 56K  X2 tech today.  Don't know
if the telephone lines will take it or not, put it's worth a try.  Can't
wait to hook to the net at that speed.  I will have to take a speed
reading course hehehe.  Talk to you later.  Write if you can.  Donald

--

Well, the heat wave is over for now.  It has the water temps high and
the crabs are growing just as fast as they can find something to eat.
Went crabbing in the Big Choptank this evening and caught some of the
biggest of the year.  Most six inches from point to point and fat.  Just
beautiful crabs.  Wish you were here to enjoy them with me.

Fishing is also great and even better if you can be there for sunset.
Do, love my sunsets on the water!  Have one more week before we head to
Maine.  Sure have enjoyed the quiet.

We have a sweet corn field across the road and ate the first of it
tonight.  Will enjoy it till they pick it now.  Guessing that will be in
about a week.  Plenty of cucumbers, tomatoes, and they have begun
digging potatoes, all of which are laying in the fields waiting to be
had if you get there before the framers ploy them under and plant late
soybeans.  Just to many good things to eat this time of the year.  Write
if you get the chance.  Donald

Tue, 05 Aug 1997 13:24:30 -0700 Hi Folks, Well, I got back from Maine OK. Long trip. Will paste letter that I wrote before I left, case you didn't see it on the scroll on my homepage. http://www.intercom.net/user/ppeds/index.html

Hi Folks, ......... Please just get rid of the java window if it came up in Netscape. .......... Donald here just letting you know that the fishing and crabbing on the Eastern Shore is great and getting better with each summer day. .......... Of course you know that I am always working on my web pages, so keep checking back. .......... Leave for Maine this weekend .......... Will be back next weekend WITH MOTHER-IN-LAW! .......... HELP! .......... Just kidding. ......... Will write again when I get back .......... Write if you can. ......... Donald

Yes, Granny is BACK!!! Enought said!!! Long ride.

Went crabbing yesterday. The crabs are biggest and best I have seen in years. Going fishing, down at Fishing Bay this evening. Will let you know how I do. Write if you can. donald

-- From Delmarva

--

This page hosted by Created by Donald Hughes

CONTENTS OF WATERFOWLING DELMARVA

Sign Guestbook Veiw Guestbook