Recent content by Jim in Anacortes

I made friends with a squirrel a couple of years ago. Peanuts with organic peanut butter. That was the key. I did not dump a bunch of food ...I made "Douglas" work for every peanut. I made him tightrope, jump and leap. A true circus. He'd eat from my hand but preferred the circus. I used a spoon...

Wow! A truly amazing photo. The complexity of the eye colors is astonishing., That being said, IMHO, that is a face only a mother could love.

"I told my girlfriend she drew her eyebrows too high. She seemed surprised."

"I have a lot of jokes about retired people, but none of them work."

"Thermacell devices are highly effective, scent-free, and DEET-free tools for hunters. They use heat-activated mats to create a 15-foot dome of protection against mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums." Folks, these things work. Hunters, that have to remain perfectly still, use these...

Sleep depravation is also a concern. No-one can sleep with a buzzing mosquito in their ear at night. After a good rain, anchored out off San Clemente Island, non of the crew escaped the mosquitos keeping us up all night. They say the ones that buzz don't bite, but one tiny insect can keep a...

Two years ago I had a bad case of "Skeeter Syndrome" ( that is an actual medical term). After driving home with several welts from Eastern WA, I googled it. It was no joke. I was actually sick. I went on a mission to compile a "war chest" for my next visit. Chemicals to spray on the inside of...

"skin so soft" was a thing back in the day.

Skeeter Syndrome is a real thing. Its can be quite serious. Especially when confronting mosquitos from a different geological area where you have no immunity to the venom. It is not uncommon for a bite to result in a large welt the size of a golfball. And the general well-being of a patient with...

It was like putting on body armor. Heavy duty sunscreen, then lots of 100% DEET completely saturating my hat, hair, clothes and skin. I knew how toxic DEET was but the fishing was worth the risk. But I was always aware that the DEET was poisoning me.

My experience with mosquitos ....100% DEET! Toxic as hell, but mosquitos are hell too. Rubbed it on my face, squirted it on my hat and shirt. After a good lather of sunscreen I'd slap on a good layer of 100% DEET on any exposed skin. In the Sierras, nothing less would do, and even then, at...

I used to visit places only accessible to 4WD. Hot springs in the Eastern Sierra, Old mines and Indian sites in the Anza Borrego desert, etc.. I did not use my vehicle as a toy to go "wheeling", I used it to explore areas beyond where a Honda Civic had to park. Not scary rocky roads, but sandy...

I'll chime in here. I would suggest that you seriously consider a 4WD option if you are looking into the "van life". It's extremely expensive, but in my experience, it opens up an entire world that you would not be able to access otherwise. Campgrounds are great but....confidently going out...

Not to derail this thread, but this time of year the air can be hot, but the water is still very cold. This is problematic. Baking in the sun and then plunging into very cold water can initiate an uncontrollable "gasp" for air. This is dangerous, especially with kids. That lake in late August...

20 foot seas, 40 knot winds on a broken down boat getting towed in from San Nicholas Island by a dilapidated pick up boat that was running out of fuel. We snapped several tow lines but finally made it back to Los Angeles harbor. It was truly terrifying. Then, a few hours later sitting at a bus...