You'll find this funny - Brian's wife calls me, seems they forgot to bring the phone number and address of the restaurant where the pig is to be dropped off. Took me a while to remember what the chef's name was (should have listed it as PIG instead of his name)  which I finally found. Called and no answer. Looked at our GPS and lo and behold the address has disappeared, just had 0 W. Paige St. Paige St was right, but had no idea where on it. So wife is checking out restaurants via the GPS on Paige and naturally nothing is ringing a bell with me. So we banked on W. Paige St., sure didn't take us long to realize there's absolutely NOTHING on W. Paige, so we go E. Paige, by this time wife has called several restaurants and no Steve Lee works as a chef at any of them. Stopped at the first BBQ place and talked to the woman working there. At first, she didn't know him until I said he worked as a chef at a restaurant on this street and you could see a light bulb lights up, 'Oh she says, Chef Steve, yeah, he's right up the road on the left near the old Wal-Mart (like I've been there many times in the old days)   Said he worked at the BrickYard - Turns out it was the BrickHouse   Pig and rabbits delivered for cooking tonight and I got a peek at the potatoe salad brainkinley's wife made (looks fabulous - can't wait until lunch tomorrow). 

Brian's family, wife and I ate at a Mexican restaurant for lunch, then they left to go get their boat from storage yard. We all finally got a slip at the Clarion. Brian's 15yr old (youngest) son did a great job of brething that big boat and that 115 Mercury can definitely push that puppy around easy - much easier than my 115 pushes my 20ft. But at least now I've got my motor adjusted (myself) so it'll change gear and won't die on me in the process , so I'm happy although it still takes a bit for it to warm up to run smoothly. Those 4 strokes (watching Brian's son) it fired right up, no time to warm up and he just goes about his merry way (now I'm really want a 4stroke sooner than later)

Prepping for some night time fishing, temp is only 92 but heat index makes it 102. At first I didn't think it was so bad, didn't take long helping another pontooner get his new boat (3rd time ever they launched) as he was having problems getting it started (and a real problem backing it to the launch ramp) but we just encouraged him that he'll get use to it and develop a technique for it. He did get it started finally after initially flooding the motor. By then I was totally soaked, it was time for some AC cool off time. Going to see if the guys want to join Brian and family at Colton Steakhouse & Grill this evening before we head out for some night fishing. We (as a collective) don't really have any real plans on what to do with the exception of the lunch gathering and photo stuff tomorrow between noon and 2pm (longer if needed). Well, time to check with the ramrod of this gathering (Brian of course) Actually we all know its the wives who are the brains of the various outfits (we just don't like to admit it)

Brian and I with our families headed out this morning to check out some potential fishing spots.

The Dive Shack with briankinley2004 (Brian) at the helm coming around my starboard side, his family isn't visible but they are in there.

View of us leaving the Clarion Resort on the Lake behind us.

Brian coming up behind me, I'm going slow.

Wife's camera hadn't warmed up sufficiently from the cold cold hotel room (the way we like it) when we took this picture of the Fisherman's Wharf which is across the bridge from the Clarion - Robert (bboater) and his group took almost 2 hours to get in to eat there because of a mix up - I'll let him tell that story.

Oh and this was the view we had of the gate to the launch ramp when we arrived Thursday evening, there wasn't hardly anyone there - Saturday was a whole different story.

View of us returning from our early mid morning Sat excursion checking out fishing holes, its time to pick up the pig as the chef called me and said it was now ready.

Robert (bboater) giving me a hand hanging the PontoonStuff banner inside the Holiday Inn Express Breakfast Room, its now time for the official gathering for consumption of THE PIG

THE PIG - however it seems the chef forgot to include the two rabbits we had with it, oh well, got his pan so guess were are even (maybe)

Brian's peeling back the tough skin to reveal the succulent meat. Oh and many many thanks to John (vondy) as here we were with a pig with no craving knifes , talk about being up the creek without a paddle, vondy only lived 2 miles away. So Brian and John commenced cutting out chunks of meat that filled at least 5 large platters, had to tell them to stop cutting and eat. Once they got started good they couldn't quit.    Oh and Brian's wife Charlene made the best beans w/sausage and potato salad ever. It was absolutely fabulous.  I've got a lot more pics on my cell phone camera, but here's what I got with my wife's camera, other pics will have to wait until Sunday night or Monday.

Left to right, best as I know it - Robert with his back to us (bboater), Brian (briankinley2004 facing us with hat on), oh my wife (Sherri) far back left, then to right and front of Brian is Robert's son (sorry, didn't get the name), to the right of Robert's son in front is his wife (again, didn't get the name), to the rear of the room you can barely make out is Brian's wife Charlene, to the right of her is their son Tyler (18yr old), in front again to right of Robert's son's wife is John's (vondy) 7 yr old boy (can't remember his name), then I think that's Robert's (bboater) wife Denise.

Ok front row, left to right, Brian's (briankinley2004) son Tyler, then his wife Charlene, then youngest son Spencer (15) then my wife Sherri (countrygirl on the forums), in the back row you can now see Robert (bboater) his son and son's wife, with Brian now with his back to us.

John (vondy) left front, his 2 yr old son Lou, then 7yr old son (don't remember the name) and vondy's wife (sorry, don't remember hearing the name) and lady with her back to us is Robert's wife Denise with the rest of bboater's crew back left.   Ok, time to hit the sack and I'll finish this story tomorrow night as big travel day tomorrow and its already almost midnight now.

Wow, sounds like you all had a great time,  whish I was there!! six am and 113 degrees in Baghdad. how about having a get together in Florida we boat almost all year long, alot of pontooners can get out of the snow this winter. Have  a safe trip back from the get together.

HOOAH!!

Andy

I am totally exhausted from the 8.5hr drive home. I woke up at 4:30 am (after going to bed just after midnight) and couldn't get back to sleep. Here's the story that'll get a laugh or two. (pics tomorrow night, I'm too tired tonight). We went out (we as in Wife and I, Brian (briankinley2004) and his family, John (vondy) and his family and Robert (bboater) and his wife joined soon afterwards in some cove John knew so his kids could swim. Brian's wife and his son Tyler then joined the swim and so did Robert and his wife Denise. Oh and I think (now) I finally got the kids names right for vondy, its Conner (age 7) and Luke (not Lou age 2) and his wife Linsey, (not sure of correct spelling).   Well it was soon getting dark and Robert had to get going as he didn't have any nav lights working (we suspect bad switch since he couldn't find a problem with the wiring but its blowing the fuse). vondy and his family head home and I'm following Brian's group and I can go more than 5 mph (more on that later or see my rebuild thread). So we're tooling along and I'm not paying much attention to my GPS and I can't see the fuel gauge (light wasn't working otherwise I'd probably panic way before then)  and Brian and them are almost out of sight, when they suddenly turn around and head the opposite direction - didn't know why  but I kept going (should have enlarged the GPS map that would have been a hint), so I call his wife on the cell phone, seems we made a wrong turn. Ok, so I turn around  and now checking out the larger map of where I need to go, since they are no long in sight. Brian calls me from the hotel and I'm still about a mile out, eta another half hr at my present rate. All of a sudden I'm losing power. Get off the phone with Brian, and we go another 5 minutes but at half power and suspecting the worst of the motor has come, it goes dead. Didn't have a light (its in the truck) so I used the light from the GPS unit to light up the gauge and its showing empty. Well that can't be right because I put 6 gals in it before we left the dock and we've only gone 5 miles tops. Now the misquitoes have realized they now have fresh meat that can't escape and we are in a swarm. I call Brian back - HELP I'm dead in the water. Seemed like an hour (probably 10 minutes) and they come back to tow me back in. So wife and I had time to reflect on a few things while we waited and get towed in. Course the funniest thing was when Brian's youngest son Spencer (who got on our boat to help tie for the tow) asks 'Does the trolling motor work?'  DUHH slapping myself against the head, never even crossed our minds at the time, as it might have taken a while we could have made the half mile back to the docks eventually .  

Next morning, we get gas for the boat (that was the problem) and it takes me a half hour or more to get it cranked, it has never, ever been this hard to crank before and I had it primed good. Problem was I didn't know (and couldn't tell) it was flooded, but finally figured it out, raise the motor some, and brought the idle control down to half position, finally fires up. Ok, now we are ready to get the trailer out. But ALL the boat trailers are blocked in my other cars because there wasn't enough parking spaces. Finally got a hand from another pontooner who had the same problem, but I found a way to get the trailer out, by hand so we each did the same way out through one little spot just big enough to brush back a tree without scraping the car who's owner didn't want to get up at 9am to move it. Keep in mind we were ready to go by 8. We finally leave around 10 am. What a LONG day but we did get to see Robert and his wife Denise before we left and by then too Brian and his brood were up and at em.

That was really funny about the rabbits, almost as funny as Sherri and I was on our way to Malvern yesterday to return his big pan (he did give me the option to do or not do it), but Brian's son didn't close the tailgate real good. So after we dumped the remains of the pig, I put the pan in the back of the truck and off we go to the car wash figuring on washing the bed of the truck out (to remove the grease from earlier when we picked it up), whoops no pan, it got slung out somewhere, ok so we don't have to go to Malvern now .

I want to thank Charlene (Brian's wife) for the BEST sausage and beans and the best potato salad I've ever had. Didn't get a chance for any of the cakes she made or the dip or anything else for that matter as I stuffed myself on the hog, potato salad  and beans. Thanks to Brian for the pig (and the magic rabbits he pulled outta his uuuuhhh hat)  along with his family (thanks Spencer for all your help), to vondy and his beautiful family (sorry about the horn fracus)  as it was really fun watching the 2 yr old and to Rober and his wife. It was a ball, just wished we had more of it. There will be tons more pics and probably a few more stories. Our night fishing only ended up with just Brian, Me and Spencer. Brian caught the only fish (small yellow bass or some call bar fish).

Ok, going to post the pics off my camera phone so I can edit/add to from work as I get time.

My family and I had a great time this weekend.  Thanks to all who made this get together possible.  All the food and company was very enjoyable.  I know I had the easy part with not having to travel and all.  Hopefully some of you will make it back around this way in the future.  If so let me know and maybe we can get together again.  Maybe my family and I can make it to one of the other get togethers.

Charles, you almost got the names right.  My wife is Lindsey, (7) year old is Mason, and the (2) year old is Luke.  You did better than I could have done.  I am terroble with names.

Sgt. Andy (hooah), I'd be glad to come somewhere near ya, that might be a call for North Florida region (say near Pensacola). I think hauling the toon more than 4-5 hours is gonna be a once a year thing , it wears me out.

Charles, a pig roast is also called a COCHON DE LAIT by the cajuns..  Here is a link that tells you about it:

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/cochon-de-lait.html

My woodworkers guild has a COCHON DE LAIT each spring, although I missed it.    Here is a link to one of those:

http://www.harlandjohnson.com/woodworking/newsletter0804/

Keep that Slap Yo' Mama spice handy!

OK here are my pics as taken by the deck boss

This one is Charles and Sherri sailing away

Sunset on Lake Hamilton

***resized to 800x600 even though I couldn't get it clearer***

Yep, Woody is in Covington, La, but his boat is in Texas!  And, as Charles has discovered, long tows get old very quickly so I doubt it is coming back soon.  LOL  We have a lakehouse at Cedar Creek Lake, which is SE of Dallas, and hope to retire over there in a very few years.  Glad you enjoyed the woodworker link.  We do make toys from time to time and I'm now helping cut out wood boat hulls now. At the Madisonville Wooden Boat Show in October we give away about 1200 to the  many kids that line up.  The kids design them from an assortment of parts and we put them together.  We have more fun than the kids, or course! Checkout this link:

http://www.harlandjohnson.com/woodworking/newsletter0811/

Now that's pretty cool , so are you in one of those pics?  You will be at the LA get-together then right? Even though you won't have a boat with you (like me). I might get on somebodys pontoon, wife won't just for a short ride. I'd be more at the festivities then actually on a boat. Probably fish the canals and maybe go down to the bay to fish at some point (fishing license was $20 a day for out of state saltwater, gets steep)  but if I could catch a couple reds or a few flounder, it'd be worth it although I could probably just buy them from the market cheaper  (but not as fun). Woody, good job, love seeing the kids eyes light up

Nah, I'm not in the pics from last year.  My wife's daughter got married in California the same day and, the way she explained it to me, I had much rather be in CA, so I was.   But I do plan to be in this years pics!  The kids are great and we all have fun.  The guys (ok, old men) do the boat building, the wives do the sailmaking, and the kids do the helm work. Come on down and join us!

I'm looking forward to the outing here in LA next year, whether I have my boat back here or not.  I'm sure we will all have lots of fun. My deputy director here at work is a great cajun chef that loves cooking for large groups, maybe we can get him down if the Houma folks don't have something else arranged. No one will go away hungry (and it sounds like my Arkansas kin folk sent you home the same way!)

Woody

What kind of work do you do???

Sounds like a great get together, Mr. Dobbs I hope that forgetting about the trolling motor option /AKA the big tow adventure had nothing to do with the cold one you had for me. LOL.

HOOAH

ANDY