My Valentine

I'll wind you up and pull you in,

to my blackened web that's filled with sin.
your blood will drip, cold and red
until you breath that one last breath.
let me take you for that ride,
that will free you of your mind.
let me be your compromise,
that will leave you senseless,
with nowhere to hide.
I'll twist your world 

to be warped like mine
then I'll call you my valentine. 

Love on the "Fly"

My love and I met in Colorado, both of us in the tech industry and a love for the outdoors. We traveled for a bit then moved, settling down in San Antonio, TX where we got married. That was 10 years ago. It has definitely been an adventure, with three boys now ages 9, 6, and 2 it seems that those 10 years have flown by. We rarely get time alone, better yet time to get out and do something without at least one of the kiddos. So it was a great welcomed surprise when my hubby asked what I wanted to do and suggested a kayak/fly fishing trip down the San Marcos.

We had both been out on the kayak a total of one time after purchasing it as our anniversary gift to each other. Having never kayaked before, the decision was based on a yearly competition that we participate in..but that's for a later post. Kevin found a place that rents kayaks and we set the date.

As we dropped the kids off and tore out of town for our day of adventure I was a bit nervous. What if I tipped my kayak and looked like an idiot - yes I still care about these things. We arrived at the kayak shop after about an hour, picked up my kayak and we were taxied to the drop off point where we would begin our paddle. Fly rods on our backs and kayaks in hand we entered the cool water (

temperature around 72° F and at about 155 cfs minimum)

 and I could already feel the energy around me. We began our float  slowly, wanting to take in the scenery and get some fishing in. As I sat in my kayak and situated myself, fly rod, fly box, and paddle we went downstream a bit and found a nice spot to fish. The trees danced around us in the breeze and the water swirled over the rocks with just enough of a current to push me backwards, then sideways, and slowly evolved into turning full circles.. let's just say it took a few for us to get the hang of handling both the paddling and the fishing. Once we did it was a magical trip. Being able to see parts of the river that are private, the birds cheerfully singing in the trees, ring tailed squirrels playing tag as they run from limb to limb, the fish that seemed to tease with a flash and hide under the shadow of the rocks. To just close my eyes and feel the life around me, the fresh smell of natures aroma that quickens my soul, it was amazing and I instantly fell in love with kayaking. We took our time for most of the trip then realized we had about an hour left to get back to the pick up point, and we still had a LONG way to go. so we started paddling fiercely which was a whole new level of excitement.


There are several areas on the San Marcos that require portage around dams. The video below shows the dam we had to port. You can see to the left of the dam there is a concrete wall, you tie your rope to the kayak and drop it down that wall then walk around to pick it up and put-in. We were definitely not prepared for the amount of strength it took to lower the kayaks down, in fact after attempting it we decided Kevin would lower them and I would help guide from below.

The rest of the paddle from this point forward was steady and fast and we quickly fell into a rhythmic pattern. The current was just enough to be fun - but not too overwhelming.  Also, I have to say that besides snapping my fly rod in 2 (sorry honey) and my sweet hubby giving me his to finish the day with, this was the most perfect way to spend our anniversary!!

Very small fish I caught 

Duck!

Scouts

Successful people go the extra mile. They may not always enjoy it, they may get tired and worn out. They don't let that stop them, they get up again..again..and again. They do their best, try their hardest even when circumstances are stacked against them. This is what I try to instill in the boys in our scout den...and now starting with the new tiger cubs that I will be leading this year.

Nerdy? Some may say that..but I say way cool!! These boys are taught life, social, leadership skills, work ethic. They are taught to serve their community, help their neighbors and others in need, AND they get to do fun stuff like high adventure camps. One in particular that my son has his heart set on is http://www.bsaseabase.org/, with scuba diving, ship sailing, bahamas adventure, coral reef sailing and sea exploring.

I know I'm sounding like a recruiter now - I'm not. I am definitely a supporter, I think it is a great program - especially when the parents get involved. If you have a little guy you may want to consider it. What better way to get some personal time with him and have an impression on him before he decides friends are more fun--you know that day is coming ;)

Fly Tying

Kevin and I decided to start tying our own flies and see if it is something we wanted to do as a hobby together. I have to admit I am very amazed that he likes it as much as he does - I really thought he would try it and say it was boring. He has been doing a few every night since he started, and has taught the kids to fly wooly buggers - they are loving it too! before I know it we should have a nice stash of dry and wet flies for both salt and fresh water.

Our first flies have been Wooly Buggers - I a number of other crafts so this one came very easy for me, my first 2 Flies I tied last night are below. Things to remember when tying - Don't let go of the materials...tail feathers, chenille, etc. whatever it is before getting it securely wrapped down. This seems like a no brainer right? I got all the way to the end and had to completely redo my second one as I didn't have one of the feathers tied down enough and it loosened and twisted out. So far...loving it... 

Lunch meeting today

I'll be meeting someone for lunch today, mostly to catch up..talk work, and build a relationship. Looking forward to it- especially since we are going to be having Turkish Cuisine *licks lips* Yum! It's a rare occasion for me, typically people pick chain restaurants. This is the part of my job that I absolutely LOVE!

San Antonio Tech Conference

I attended the San Antonio Tech Conference - aka Data Connectors - this last week. Was a fairly good time, I was able to see some local folks I haven't seen in a while. Sat through some vendor presentations. I was expecting it to be a bit larger for some reason. I met some gentlemen from TopLayer...ok right now you are probably thinking the same thing I thought when I spoke with them. Who the heck is TopLayer?? Especially when I found out they make an IPS appliance/software and have been around for some time now! letmesee..Juniper Networks, TippingPoint, Fortinet, ...and some others come to mind..but never have I immediately thought TopLayer.

They have recently been acquired by Corero. From what I can tell Corero purchases various security solutions companies to provide a combined solution for their clients. Anyways since being acquired TopLayer is now being marketed quite a bit more so I'm sure you will be seeing a lot more of them! 

A place to call my own

A place to share my thoughts, hobbies, life, loves, annoyances, work stuff etc..