Teach A Man To Fish.

 

 Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.  So goes the old Chinese proverb. It has more ramifications than just the literal sense.  However, in a very literal application, it has a profound influence.  I live in a part of the world that enjoys all the bounties that the sea has to offer.  A good portion of the population here enjoy the fruits of the harbor and the gulf.  Conversely, a great number of those folk who enjoy the fishing for sustenance and sport in my part of the world, owe their own abilities, at least in part to one local man.

     Fish'n Frank has been a local landmark in Charlotte County Florida for as far back as I can remember. To walk through the door at his bait and tackle shop on US 41, was to walk in the footsteps of thousands of anglers before you.  Indeed, the hardwood floors were so worn, that in places, there were grooves for pathways through the aisles of assorted rods, tackle, bait freezers and Polaroids of assorted anglers who had walked these halls before you that littered the store.  It was so crammed with assorted fishing trinkets that hung off the walls and from random hooks in the ceiling, that at times one felt compelled to duck their head for a fear of getting their hair snagged in a random piece of tackle that might be hanging from a fixed location. And there in the middle of it, at a chest high counter that was so aged, that most of the lacquer had worn completely off, was where you could usually find Frank dispensing some bit of assistance or random advice to an aspiring fisherman.

    It would be entirely safe to assume, that since Frank opened his shop in 1985, hundreds of thousands of people have passed through his doors seeking bait, lures, line, and especially random pieces of advice about where to catch the big one. This is where Frank always shined.  You could always count on Frank to know, not just where the fish were biting today, but why.  The ins and outs of tide movements, the location of the moon, rain fall, pollutants in the water source, and why hopping on your left leg while humming the Star Spangled Banner while you cast your line might beget more fish.  If there is a secret to it, Frank knows it.  And he was always willing to share it with his customers.   

    Early in the morning in late May, the local landmark that is Fish'n Frank's tackle shop burned entirely to the ground, along with everything that Frank and his crew and his family have worked to build.  Sure, it was modest, but it was his, neigh it was OURS!  Because Frank had one of the few places that a person could go, where he could learn how to fish.  If teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime, then indeed, it can be reasoned that Frank has gone far and above his responsibility as a member of a community to help feed countless people. And in a couple of hours, all of that he worked for was gone. For those of us who understand where the fish are biting, and why, and know how to tie the correct knot on our hooks and lures, and know which bait to use and why, NOW is the time to repay that debt to a man who taught us to feed ourselves. 

PHOTO By Matthew Butcosk Twisted Chassis Photography

    I am already astounded by the outreach from my community to get Frank back open as soon as possible.  But every bit we can do is going to help right now.  I don't have a lot to give, but I, like many, have a debt to this man.  I am asking my community now, to reach out, and repay a man who has helped us all to fish, eat and enjoy the wonderful bounty that Mother Nature has put here for us.


As of the writing of this blog, the best way to find out how to help is probably to visit the Facebook page dedicated to helping this Man.  You can find the link here:   Help Rebuild Fish'n Frank

The little Christmas bird.

    Once upon a time, there was a little bird. The bird had a survival instinct that demanded he fly south for the winter.  However, he had procrastinated and had not been able to start his journey until Christmas day, very late in the season for birds to migrate.  Because of this, about midway through his travel, he was overtaken by a bad winter storm.  The bitter cold of the raging storm was too much for the little bird.  Soon he was overtaken by the frigid temperatures and began to freeze.  The little bird landed in a small tree in hopes of finding warmth enough to face down Jack Frost, but in the middle of the night he lost his battle with the weather and froze solid and fell to the ground.

Our little bird was now cold, hungry, miserable and in a terrible spot.  The bird lay there, full of self loathing for quite some time, contemplating what were certain to be his final hours freezing to death.  After a while, a bear came along. The little bird was terrified.  Certainly this was to be his last hour.  Alas, the bear, indifferent and oblivious to our little friend, proceeded to seek out a place under tree to answer natures call. As if to add insult to injury, the bear vacated himself of an entire weeks worth of "recycled berries" that landed right on our little friend.  Then the bear wandered off into the woods to do what bears do.

Now our frozen friend lay there all cold and covered in poop, thought to himself: "I don't think life can get any worse than this".  But then something began  to happen.  See, the fresh poo was plenty warm.  The warmth slowly began to heat the bird.  Over a short time, the bird began to thaw out.  Slowly, the bird warmed up. Eventually he was able to stand up again and when he did, he began to move around in the poop relishing in the life giving warmth that it was providing.  So enamored became the bird with his new found luck that he began to splash around in the poop and sing.  The lovely harmony of the little bird singing caught the ears of a hungry bobcat nearby.  The bobcat ventured over to the poop, scooped the little bird out of the poo and ate him.

There are several lessons to be taken away from our little friends journey.  Number one: Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.  Number two: Just because someone shits on you, it does not always make them your enemy.  Number three: If someone helps get you out of shit, it does not always make them your friend.  And most importantly: No matter what kind of shit life throws at you, If you are warm and happy, Shut the hell up!

I have been considering this parable a bit these last few days.  Personally, life has been very cold and full of poop for me and my family in 2019.  I have been humbled by tragedy and forced to reflect on the most important thing in my life: The people that I love.  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I also want to urge everyone to take some time and embrace those closest to you.  Take some time and re-establish the bonds of loved ones and reflect on why they are important to you.  And despite today's lesson, it's probably okay to sing a few Christmas carols--- Just keep it down, you never know who is listening.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my Brother in Law Allen Wright.  

We miss you and wish you were here bro. 

Packing heat in the friendly skies.

      So, you are fixing to travel sometime in the near future.  I can tell you that I travel a lot.  I detest airlines. I hate airports.  I loathe going through the dehumanizing security bullshit lines.  But these are the days in which we live, and if you need to travel, you have to go through the rapey process without complaining.  But along the way, I have picked up a couple of neat tricks, and I wanted to share them with my friends here.

You think they would buy you a drink first.

     If you have ever had an airline lose your luggage, you will understand what a terrible exercise in frustration that little event is.  The same goes for having your luggage rifled through by the seedy baggage handlers at the airport.  As most of you probably know by now, I travel extensively for work.  Sometimes it’s driving, sometimes it’s flying.  Over time, I have discovered a pretty simple process for the flying part of it that will get you V.I.P. treatment with the airlines.  That secret: Bring a gun to the airport with you.

      “V.I.P. treatment Indeed!” was what just went through your mind.  All the lovely thoughts of TSA agents tackling you and groping your nether regions and such.  But hear me out, because if you do this correctly, that’s not how it works at all.  Believe it or not, traveling with a firearm is not only entirely legal, but it happens all the time.  The trick is that you have to do it by TSA guidelines.  When you do that, you suddenly take on a whole new status when you fly.

     Let me start off by explaining the rules. Your firearm has to be unloaded.  It has to be separated from the ammunition. Any ammunition can be stowed in the same case as the firearm but it should be packaged in the original package you purchased it in.  The firearm needs to be in a hard sided gun case that has a working lock on it.  If it’s a handgun, it needs to be stored safely in your CHECKED baggage.  (I know it’s probably a no-brainer, but NOT in your carry on) Those are the basic ground rules.  Now let me take you through what is going to happen when you show up at the airport packing heat.

Typical hard sided case.

     I’m sure everyone is familiar with the serpentine line of muggles waiting to check their baggage at the airline counter.  You, my friend do not wait in that line now.  Nope, you go straight to the Special Services/ VIP member line.  That’s where they want you to check in.  There is usually almost no one waiting in that line, therefore faster service.  When you approach the counter, politely inform the attendant that you need to check a firearm.  Loudly screaming “I HAVE A GUN” is incorrect, just keep that in mind. You will then be asked to open your bag so that the attendant can confirm that you have packaged your firearm correctly.  You will sign a small piece of paper confirming that it’s your firearm. You close your bag, and now the luggage check process continues as normal.

NOT where you check in.

     Except, once you let go of your bag, the process is anything but normal.  Because from the moment you let go of your suitcase, until the moment you get it back, there are eyes on it.  No one steals it, it don’t get lost and no one ever rifles through your crap and steals your favorite underwear.  And when you land at your destination, you don’t go over to the carousel to wait for your damaged suitcase to come spinning out with all the others.  You head straight to the airlines luggage service counter.  That’s where you will find a very helpful attendant who is in custody of your bag.  They will check your ID and hand you your luggage and off you go.

You are done with this crap too.

     The reason for the pomp should be obvious, but I will lay it bare for you.  No airline wants to randomly start losing firearms that they have been charged with maintaining. It becomes a huge deal when a firearm gets lost at an airport.  The FBI is called in and things grind to a halt.  No one wants to be responsible for that.  As such, airlines take every precaution to make sure that bags with firearms stay with their owners. They want you reunited at your destination and out of their hair as soon as possible. You suddenly become a VIP- or at least your bag does.

     The next obvious thing on your mind is that for whatever reason, you can’t, or don’t want to travel with a firearm.  Understood, and I got you covered too.  “Firearm parts” are treated in exactly the same manner by the airlines.  So, if you don’t want to be responsible for having a gun in your bag, you can simply go through the same process, but instead of placing a gun in your locking case, put an empty magazine in it.  The empty mag qualifies as a “gun part”.  Lock the case and proceed as instructed.  Your bag will arrive safely with you, and you are not responsible for taking care of a functional firearm when you reach your destination.  If some of my friends don’t own firearms and don’t want to, you can purchase a used pistol magazine and a locking gun case at most pawn shops for about 25 bucks.

     If you think there HAS to be a drawback, I will admit that there are 2.  First, you can not change flights.  If you notice an earlier connecting flight at your hub, too bad.  The airline will not let you switch because of the possibility of separating you from your luggage-see above.  The second, smaller one is that you can not check in electronically on your phone.  You have to make an appearance at the check in counter, but you were going to do that anyway, so it becomes pretty null when you think about it.

     Just a couple of other insights I will offer up to help you make it through your flight.  Those folks walking the aisles in the plane are not bartenders.  Their job is your safety.  Keep that in mind when you address them.  Those people also absolutely can, and do take tips.  And lastly, those people do indeed have the authority to upgrade or change your seat at their discretion. I’m sure my readers here can do some quick math with those insights.  Just remember, If you want to try this, be sure to check all the rules at the TSA website and make sure that you are doing things by the book.  Happy flying and happy shooting.

TSA Rules for traveling with Firearms.