…bring it on!!!
RCR---<’///>ß-<’///>ß-<’///><
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Announcing The Line Up For Group Three!!
Over thirty (yikes!) in number and consisting of the largest group ever in Extravaganza history, Da Threes are on deck to bless this wonderful Treasure State beginning with their advanced party tomorrow.
Coming in early to attend the Montana Matters concert featuring Jack Hanna and our own Troubadour Shane Clouse at the Flathead Lake Lodge (near Kalispell, MT, gang) are veteran Extravaganzers Napa Supervisor Bill “Incumbent” Dodd and his long time trouble making sidekick ferrous metal expert Jim “I’m Trouble” Hendrickson (the latter now accompanied by girlfriend Maria King and the former to be joined Sunday with the main crew by wife Mary—both appropriately named to provide redemption to this hard-hitting duo!!) by my son Tyler “Lefty” Clausen as well as by returning (from Virginia) veteran Ed “The Stick” Flynn (in tow with his fiancée rookie Stacie King), tagging along with whom will be rookie Napa realtor “The Donald” Buresh. All will be bussed to the concert courtesy of traditional Extravaganza courier Beach Transportation under the helm of Commander Cliff (who took such good Missouri care of us last year).
The regular cast of Three characters will arrive this Sunday, with long-time veteran Napa contractor “Napa Mark” Grassi headlining the team, equally in stride with whom will be (a) equally long-in-the-tooth E Napa medalist veteran Demetry “The Ghost” Kondrasheff (who migrates from his traditional Group One to Da Threes this year) and (b) my traditional Group Three horseshoe partner Scott “Crack” McAdams—so named for reasons that still are displayed in a photo that festoons Headquarters’ living room year round—no small honor (or crack!).. Pleasantly, Houston commercial realtor par excellence Martin “Madman” O’Malley rejoins us this year, this time with his wife Cynthia at his side, and convert-from-Group One (wise choice, Chris!) Chris “Babe” Richards also returns from Grass Valley for her second Extravaganza.
Loping in from Shreveport, LA is a new comer to the Extravaganza, Dick “Andros” Seale—no new comer to fishing, however, as last year we fished the Bahamas together (hence one of his two names—the other one not fit for public consumption) who also has a second home here in MT near Sealy Lake--and flying in on the UAL nonstop from SFO are John “Make My” O’Dea and his son Joe “Make Mine Too” who hope to beat Bay Area high-end co-rookie landscaper Tom “Tom” Brumfield who is driving towards us via Sun Valley, Idaho, where he will join up with veteran Napa Mark.
This year the Threes will be joined by a gaggle of Montanans, including Helenites Mike Dixon and Jeff Georgia, Montana Wildlife Federation board member Joe “The Jet” Perry (no, not the Niner great!) with his wife Debby, and, get this, no less than MWF president himself Tim ”Four More Years” Aldrich, his beautiful wife Carol, who will be accompanied by their Asian-resident daughter and two wonderful grandkids. And, speaking of grandkids, my three wonderful offspring, Evan, “Niner Noah” and Foxy will be accompanied by my eldest son Brian and his five star wife Erin, as well as, post concert, by my daughter Trina “Boots” Clausen. On Day One all three of my children and the two grandsons will be fishing together en masse (actually in three boats) with Mascot Ma’am as their accompaniment—a first!!
Now is that a gaggle of Threes, or what?!?
Bring it on Threes as we are prepped and ready for your wonderful presence!!
Best to all from the scene of it all,
Rock Creek Ron
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A Wild, Wild Two Finish!!
Pictured above, 10 year (count ‘em!) veteran Extravaganza guide Chris “Broke Down” Stroup looks over the Twos at their final boat report—a report that set records for many, many reasons, not the least of which was the full circle metamorphosis of this veteran guide from one of our truly hard-ass Year One guides to now, well, the puddle that Lori “The Fawn” Ware and “Shanna Banana” Rodgers (pictured above in the last of these pics for related but not relevant to this subject matters…but, yes, Montana matters!) left Broke Down in after three consecutive days of fishing with him…as I told BD’s wife Lori who was also present for the boat reports, five hours of counseling has been given to her hubby to (partially) atone for the E-12 damage.
First, as to the most serious of matters, the monikers of Steve “Montana Owes Me: Smith and John “Show Me” Comyns tempted the fates and humor of Mother Nature on Day Three when they approached the mid-section of the Blackfoot River under storm-brewing skies. Well, Steve is still “owed” but John was sure “showed” when, shortly after putting in the water a massive and violent thunderstorm swept upstream (with them in its midst), creating wind devils on the parking lots and most amazingly a water spout of over 50’ in height coupled by 50-60 mph driven torrential rains...convincing them (properly) to get off the water pronto and head back into Missoula to (a) dry out—no rain suit had they…tut, tut, tut!...and (b) become the vey first to arrive at Hooter’s after having a “boat lunch” at the Iron Horse Restaurant in town, all of which earned them honorary Yellow Hats for having survived the Extravaganza’s first water spout ever, as shown above après fishing.
Secondly, no sooner had the water spout been dealt with that Heidi “Tape Measure” Caldwell reported on the early day goings on in their bedroom. It seems that hubby Scott “Stretch” Caldwell had taken out one of his E-12 measuring tapes and, a natural, was “measuring things” in his room. More information than was needed to know at the time but, in honor of her boastful report , as pictorially shown separately on Der Blog, “Tape Measure” was awarded the first ever Monica Lewinski Circle C Cigar Award for making sure that “Stretch” lived up to his likewise new manly name. Again, more information than was needed, but, between the Water spout Duo and Monica, it sure took up the first half hour of the Tattoos’ final day’s boat report even before the word “fish” had been mentioned! In further pre-fish retort, “Montana Owes Me” stated that, due to the paucity of fish that his boat ever saw, he found that E-12 tape of his “the most worthless pocket tape” ever—but, with new instruction, perhaps this debonair bachelor would find better uses when he returns to his Orinda abode!
Secondly, as to fish, and in demonstration of just how volatile and varied Montana’s micro climates are, others on the same Blackfoot river as “Show Me” reaped a bounty The Rodgers Three (boats) had a(nother) great Blackfoot day—just a few miles above the fate of the cpa two—with Mz. Lori and Shanna Banana treating their Broke Down guide to over 30 hooked fish, including a 18” Lori bulltrout and Shanna doing the grand slam (again!) and their guide fessing up that his three days with this laughing duo was “his greatest time guiding on the river” (showing that the proffered five hours of post Two therapy will be both used and well deserved!) and with their second boat also boasting 30 boated fish, the largest being a 18” rainbow, and their third boat bringing in over 15 fish including the Yellow Hat award winning fish of the day, a 22” brown landed by papa Tim “Squawfish” Rodgers, although they saw their share of intermittent nasty weather inclusive of downed trees in the river. Big sticks Al “Good Earth” Baylacq and Zane(y) Wiley Coyote also had a big, 30 fish Blackfoot day.
The crews on the Bitterroot fared equally well in between thunder heads, downpours and downed trees as well. Witness Doug “Popeye” Hamilton and Brian “Deerslayer” epic day of 17, 18 , 19 and Popeye’s 20 1/2 “ rainbow under the guidance of our Double Up Outfitter John “Great But Propaneless” Gould; the Ciatti boat duo also spanked them on the Root with dry fly action boating between them over 30 fish, as did the SS Robertson/Hurd who reported as their big haul Chris’ 23” brown (stick, that is), as did (a) the now X rated and (in)famous Caldwell husband-wife duo who reported that the longest measured fish of their day was the 31” rainbow that adorned their king sized Bunk House bed, and (b) the Miller-Pantaleo drifters who dry fly fished all day reaping at least on 18” rainbow (Tony “The Chin” reporting that while he had had no prior fishing experience in Montana he had had “the time of his life” while fishing with us).
All in all the Twos beat the Ones with more 20 inchers posted to the Twenty Inch board (7 vs. 5)and topped everyone in all of the previous nine Extravaganzas with the most wild of wild weather—more than 30 degree difference between Day Two and Day Three. Capping the wild event off was the presentation to Walsh Vineyards Management of resolutions of thanks from the Montana Wildlife Federation’s board of directors for sponsoring, year after year, the Montana Matters Napa Concert (mark your calendar for Nov 3rd, 2012 for the Fourth annual such event) and, as shown above, awarding WVM a numbered copy of the Montana Matters signature poster “The Return of the Monarch”, the original of which will be auctioned off in Kalispell in tomorrow night’s Montana Matters Jack Hanna concert in Kalispell—the opening bid is already posted at $3,000 Squawfish—that original sure would look good in (y)our Blackfoot House!!
So ends the E-12 journey of the Tattoos…showing that, indeed, all is well that ends well!!
Best to all from the scene of it all and in preparation for Dem Threes!!
Rock Creek Ron
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Biggest (tab) in 3.5 years for the waitress
new heights!!
RCR
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