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Spaulding Smails

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Posts posted by Spaulding Smails

  1. 15 hours ago, TexasHooch said:

    I caught a 10 inch Pumpkin Seed this week. Small for a fish in the grand scheme of things, but likely as close as I'm ever going to get to a state record for anything.

    Here it is next to what I would normally describe as a big one:

    image.png.1ea01c73e856eba8d593672533909917.png

    That thing is HUGE!  Where did you catch it?

    I caught this 10.75" Bluegill in Onion Creek a few years back.  Hit a 5" Senko.  I couldn't believe it.  State record is 12.5".  I thought the same thing.  Probably closest I'd ever get to a state record.  

    FullSizeRender.jpeg

    • Hook 'Em 1
  2. 19 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

     

     

    Lake Medina was 94' low as of yesterday (2.2% of capacity), and up about 3' since yesterday.  It's a much smaller lake (250K acre feet capacity) with a much, much smaller watershed.  I've heard stories that the surveyors in the early 20th century overestimated the watershed by almost 200%, thinking that portions north of the lake flowed to the Medina when they actually flowed to the Guadalupe.

    Looks like the Medina River peaked at about 3,000 cf/s yesterday and has already receded to 200 cf/s.  They'll get a little bump from this, but I'm guessing it'll be no more than 10' total unless more rain falls this week.  

    My aunt and uncle have lived there for almost 30 years, and my parents lived there until about 10 years ago.  As the oldest reservoir in Texas, it certainly wasn't built for recreation, but it's one of the prettiest lakes in Texas when it has water.  Lots of animosity amongst those that live on the lake towards the inefficient management of water by the Medina Irrigation Company and SAWS.  My folks sold when the lake was almost full, thank goodness.  For perspective, they lived on a cove about a mile from the dam.  That cove was about 30' deep when full.  The lowest I ever saw it was maybe 40' from full when they lived there.  I can't even fathom 94' feet low.  

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  3. 3 hours ago, dieucla98 said:

    Sounds like driver was working just fine so why change the head? Go get fitted for the appropriate shaft using that head and end up with a better setup for half the price of a new driver (and that's for a solid mid to upper level shaft). 

    Half thinking of doing that.  Have never done a fitting, so going to give it a try, but bringing the head and may just go with a new shaft.  Stay tuned...

  4. 7 minutes ago, hookem2010 said:

    Tiles are 1/4". At the hardware store I only ever see the diamond-edged hole saw bits, which is what I thought I need to go with. Is that correct? And the mounts you linked look pretty much like the ones that came with the shelves.

    Yeah.  Most of them are hole saw style, even for small diameters like what you're doing.  It may be worth a trip to a tile supply store to get a good bit or two.  Some of the cheap ones you find on Amazon and Home Depot / Lowes get dull very quickly.  

    • Hook 'Em 1
  5. On 7/17/2024 at 3:02 PM, YGIFS said:

    Oh shit, I think I had some of those vehicles around 3rd grade (that truck and a jeep).  I remember the bad guys were called VENOM, because apparently the name COBRA was already taken.  

    Was MASK the toy line that had that mountain they could drive into and close off to still look like a mountain and if the bad guys showed up, you could hit a little button and a huge boulder came rolling down to crush them? 

    Damn!  I hadn't thought about MASK in ages.  Loved the cartoon too.  That theme song still hits hard.  

    https://youtu.be/o2Z1yLO9C-Q?si=UbsNy1pLCK7q1PDQ

    • Like 1
  6. 2 hours ago, hookem2010 said:

    I brought this up briefly earlier, but does anyone have experience hanging floating shelves on a porcelain tile backsplash? I also only have one stud available so would need to use some anchors. The more I research this project, the more confident I feel that I will fuck it up.

    I've got some experience there.  It can be done, but i's gonna be tough.  We've had luck with these for heavy applications, but have only used them in drywall.  I don't see why they wouldn't work through tile.  How thick are the tiles?

    https://www.wingits.com/products/master-anchor-super-duty-fastener-with-offset-faceplate/

    You'll need to use a diamond-tipped drill bit and go very slow with a pilot hole.  And, don't over-tighten the anchor.  Get it just snug enough where the bracket won't move, but if you tighten it too much, you can crack the porcelain.  Use a good floating shelf bracket like the one below and try to do an anchor ever 6" OC, and you should be fine.

    https://www.ultrashelf.com/collections/floating-shelf-brackets

    • Hook 'Em 2
  7. Last few rounds, I really felt like I'd lost my driver.  I had been really focused on shortening my backswing and finishing through the ball.  I was hitting fairways pretty consistently with decent distance for me (250-270).  The last several rounds, I'd noticed probably 10-20 yds less distance on damn near every drive and my shot dispersion was all over the place.  Well, this time, it was probably the arrow and not the Indian.

    Last Thursday evening, about mid-way through the round, I teed off.  Decent drive.  Nice little draw.  Good trajectory.  The ball went 180 yds.  I was perplexed.  Two holes later, pulled out the driver again.  The club head felt like it twisted when it made contact and the ball shot left.  Not a push or a slice.  Just shot dead left OB.  I hit the ground of the tee box in frustration (more than a tap but much less than a slam), and the shaft busted.  Head went bouncing up in the air.  We were all in disbelief.  Best I can figure, the shaft had some damage to it the last several rounds and finally broke.  Anyone have that happen before?

    Now, the real question is which new driver (and maybe a 3W) do I put in the bag?  Got a fitting set up for early next week.  

    image.thumb.jpeg.9779e9c82f319b529bdac770ab7d3f3b.jpeg

  8. On 7/7/2024 at 4:27 PM, MissingInAction said:

    Bursitis in my left elbow. A heating pad seems to help but I don't have full range of motion.

    Any ideas?

     

    I had issues with this two years ago.  Ended up getting a cortisone shot which helped immensely.  The doc had me use these as well.  Made a huge difference.  Haven't had any issues sense.  I still keep one in the console of my truck and try to use it a few times a week while driving. 

    image.thumb.png.827438a370259e3027b17ce55c59ac72.png

    • Hook 'Em 2
  9. 4 hours ago, futureman said:

    well I don’t get it.  I’ve driven straight through three deer in the hill country going ~60mph and no damage to speak of.  f150.

    Exactly what @SquishMitten said.  Wrong place.  Wrong time.  Wrong point of impact.  Heck, just this past winter, my wife backed into my truck (same truck) with her Expedition.  Hit the steel Ranch Hand bumper right in the corner.  Barely a scratch to my bumper.  $4,500 worth of damage to her bumper and lift gate and.  That was going <10 mph.  But, it affected several different pieces of body paneling and creased them enough where they had to be replaced.  Shit's expensive.  And my wife sucks at driving.

  10. 16 hours ago, futureman said:

    $5k in damage from a turkey?  what kind of vehicle was this?

    F350.  It wasn't a love-tap.  It was 80 mph smack-dab in the middle of the bumper / grille without even thinking about slowing down.  

  11. 16 hours ago, nnm said:

     

    We were up in Telluride the day they closed the mountain for Covid in 2020.  Stayed a day in town after it closed, then did a cannonball run back to Central Texas that Monday.  My employees were freaking out, and I needed to hop on a few calls and write some emails, so I switched and let my wife drive when we got to Albuquerque.  I'm in the passenger seat when we're about 30 miles north of Roswell on 285.  Flat.  Wide-open.  Not a tree in sight.  No other cars on the road.  I glance up from my computer and see a lone tom turkey in the median coming into our lane about a quarter mile ahead.  Surely my wife sees it.  I wait a few seconds, then start hollering her name.  Evidently, she was in a daze.  She smoked that 20-lb butterball doing 80.  Literally had a good 15 seconds to slow down, change lanes, something.  Nope.  He started to try to fly right before she hit him.  Toasted the bumper, the grille and banged up the radiator.  Had to limp home adding coolant every 100 miles or so.  About $5K worth of damage, but it least it gave me a reason to upgrade to a brush guard bumper.  Glad we weren't in a sedan, but damn those turkeys can do some damage.  She still hasn't lived that one down.  

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    • Like 1
    • Haha 2
  12. I got a few from my days in sales and national accounts...

    When I first started in the equipment business in the mid 90s, we had a several locations around Houston.  Pre caller ID, so lots of light-hearted prank calls between branches, especially when someone new was doing inside sales.  We had this cocky dude at my branch that everyone fucked with.  His name was Rod, and he called himself "Tripod Rod".  The calls were relentless.  One day, a female called Rod and said, "I need a vibrator.  I need the biggest one you have.  The longest shaft and the biggest head."  He replied, "I bet you do, sweetheart!  Why don't you tell me where you are, and I'll come give it to you myself!"  Well..... this one wasn't a prank call.  It was the purchasing agent for a big concrete contractor that was our largest customer in Houston.  They had a big stem wall they were pouring at a job around the corner, and she needed a large concrete vibrator.  Oops.  We almost lost the account because of the incident.  He had to personally write an apology letter to her, and our President had to get involved to smooth things over.  Needless to say the prank calls came to an abrupt halt after that.  

    When I was in sales management, I hired a new sales rep in Houston.  Good dude.  Family guy.  We had our reps work for about 6 months before sending them to a two week training in Denver.  They'd work Monday - Saturday, then an off day Sunday to enjoy the town, then another week of training before flying home.  I get a call the Monday after the off day from the trainer in Denver.  Dude was a no-show the training.  Nobody could find him.  Phone was going straight to VM.  Evidently, he and another rep went and found a couple of hookers Saturday night.  He woke up in extreme guilt Sunday morning, and decided to hop on a plane back to Houston to confess to his wife.  He knew he was canned, so he dropped off his truck and computer at the local branch Sunday night.  Lost his job and his wife thanks to that decision. 

    When I was in national accounts, we had a huge annual customer event in New Orleans.  Our biggest customers from all over the country came in for a convention plus some activities, etc.  I took some folks out to a nice dinner at K-Pauls, had a few drinks, and was back at the Royal Sonesta by midnight.  The next morning, I got up early to go for a run.  I'm walking into the lobby about 6 AM, and I see one of our key account managers stumbling into the lobby wearing a silver sequin dress.  Which wasn't the same slacks and dress shirt HE was wearing the night before (NTTAWWT).  He was beyond incoherent.  I got him up to his room and called his boss.  We had to take him to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.  He had no clue how or why he ended up in a dress.  Still a mystery to this day.  

    Got acquired about a year before I left my company.  We had the first big national kickoff meeting in San Antonio.  First day is normal business stuff.  CEO spoke.  COO spoke.  Senior VP of Sales spoke.  The usual high level stuff.  That night, we had a cocktail hour.  VP of National Accounts gets absolutely shitfaced.  Takes his cronies out to the titter.  Evidently, they rolled in around 4 AM.  The next morning, we have breakfast, and then our national accounts breakout meeting.  VP of National Accounts is first to speak.  Doesn't miss a beat.  I'm sitting towards the back on the aisle.  When he walks by after speaking, he puts his hand on my shoulder, leans in, still with vodka on his breath and says in my ear, "anybody can do it sober" and walks out of the room.

    This kind of stuff is so fun when you're in sales.  Not so much when you're in management / operations and have to deal with the repercussions.  

    • Hook 'Em 9
  13. 9 hours ago, markstanco said:

    I drag my parking lot (about 3 acres of gravel/dirt) after a few heavy rains, and was looking at one of these:

    https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tarter-45-ft-land-grader-100-series-(black)-lg1145bl

    Anybody have one or similar?  My box blade gets "full" and heavy, I was thinking this may be an option.  

    Definitely the land plane for that application.  if the majority of the material is in the right spot, they're much easier to fine grade with.  What size is your tractor?  Agree with @davidg that a dealer is most likely going to have good input and potentially more options.  

    • Like 1
  14. 4 hours ago, Dahobbs said:

     

    I would think that size of home is on the cusp of needing a larger generator for true full home backup depending on appliances (e.g., electric or gas furnace, stove, oven, etc) and things like a pool or electric vehicle(s). If you're actually looking, I'd recommend doing an analysis of your actual normal electrical load before choosing a generator. 

    You're exactly right in all aspects of load.  26-KW is the largest air cooled model Generac makes and is typically what we sell for most 2,500 - 4,500 SF homes.  Huge price jump with liquid cooled to get a larger unit.  But, they'll run continuously for a much longer duration and can handle a full load without interruption for a significant duration without shutting down non-critical circuits.  

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  15. 18 hours ago, Damor said:

    This is way out of character for me as a psychotic vacation pre-planner, but I ended up with some time off and wanted to do something with my yahoo teenagers.  I've never been saltwater fly fishing, and have never been to the Keys.  Been perusing this thread and the site (BTW, fuck you KKL for making Key Largo search worthless), and looks like Islamorada might be our speed.

    I saw the rec for Bud N' Marys, is that the go-to?  It looks like several of their skiff guides will take three fishermen, but I'm not sure how well that works with fly fishing.  Any thoughts on particular trips?  I guess it's probably too ambitious for n00bs (and impatient teenagers) to chase bonefish on the flats, although I'd be just as happy standing out there casting all day myself.

    Any thoughts on places to stay, getting there, etc.?  Is this a reasonable last-minute idea (as in next week), or would it be better to push it to my time off in August (and then go psycho planning every detail)?

    Thirding what @Pescado_Rojo and @troph said.  I'm not a fly fisherman, but we did a run down to the Keys a few years ago.  Fished conventional on a little skiff with a guide named Barry Hoffman.  Does mostly fly fishing.  He was fantastic.  I'd agree that the fishing in the Keys during the summer isn't ideal.  We went in late June.  Caught a mixed bag, but had to fish hard to have any luck and threw in the towel at 1 PM.  Super hot, not a breath of wind and the water temp was 90+.

    I don't think he's a fly fisherman, but if you go to South Padre, I've fished with Ernest Cisneros out of Port Isabel.  Great guide and definitely put us on the reds wade fishing.  I think he's semi-retired now, but his son is guiding.

    I'll also throw this out there as well... had an awesome experience with a guide named Tommy Derringer out of St Augustine, FL.  Again, we fished conventional out of his big boat, but he runs a Maverick HPX 18 skiff for fly fishermen.  He's a great guide and an awesome photographer.  St Augustine is a bad ass little town with tons of history and solid night life.  

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  16. 2 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

    Floater near the mouth. The money wasn’t even the driver at the time, although the wife wouldn’t have been happy. They were 35-50k forever, and I just assumed it wouldn’t make a jump like that. Boss’ SIL bought into one last year, 225k.    Too much for me for something you can’t insure that gets damaged that much. 

    I knew there had been a jump, but I had no idea that much.  I was thinking $100K.  Agree 100% on your stance.  Especially for a floater.

  17. 22 hours ago, Mez2 said:

    Follow up from earlier post, we're in Dripping Springs this weekend at Field of Dreams. For those who've been, any insight or things to be aware of so I can pass onto my parents? 

    We've played at the on in League City multiple times, I assume it's like that? Seating, shading, etc?

    I live 5 minutes from there.  And spent more than my fair share at Field of Screams watching baseball.  The first game we played out there after the "renovations", a kid playing CF collided with the stone block outfield wall and broke his arm.  

    Everything above is correct.  Bring chairs and bring shade.  No batting cages.  Fields are right on top of each other and not much room in the middle.  Backstops are super close, so not much scoring on passed balls.  

    Two decent restaurants 5 minutes west.  Boil Shack is a fun hang and kids can run around in the back area.  Typical fried / boiled shrimp, fish, etc.  El Rey #2 is in the little strip center next to the gas station in Henly.  Decent Mexican food.  Otherwise, Dripping for food options.  

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