Summertime

Hi All, Some catching up to do. Jane and I spent a great week on Cape Cod and got to visit with family from Michigan and Boston. It rained a little but we managed to get in three rounds of golf and two beach days. All in all it was a really fun trip. On the way home to Vermont Jane and I stopped in Plymouth where Jane got to fly a helicopter. She had a twenty minute flight and she actually took control of the chopper and flew it around. She is pumped now and wants to get her licsense. Sunday we are leaving for Ellenville ,NY in the adirondack mountains where we will be attending the Wizard program put on by Peak Potentials. It will be a truly awesome week , we will also be seeing some friends we made from last years Warrior camp. This was a life transforming program. I am sure the wizard camp will be just as cool. I am also signed up to sky dive again. OH Yea! Peace for now CatmanDon

skydiving experience

I had an amazing experience on my first jump. We jumped at an altitude of 13500 ft. On a clear day you can see Boston at that height. What a tremendous adrenalin high when you are freefalling toward the ground. When the chute opens it is so peaceful and serene. It is like nothing I have ever felt before. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes to land and the landing is like going down a slide when you were a kid. I have signed up to go again. Check out the photos at http://www.facebook.com/home.php Peace and have a great summer. We are going to Cape Cod on Thursday for the week to vacation with family and play some golf. Don

Piranha Marketing Nashville trip

Hi everyone, Jane and I just returned from Nashville,Tenn. It was a trip sponsered by Piranha Marketing. The first day we were guests at the NASCAR racetrack where we watched the races. At the end of the night they held a raffle and the winners got to do four laps in a race car. Well, don't you know, Jane won and took the ride of her life She was very excited because she had always dreamt of being a race car driver and it gave her a taste of the thrill. The next day we went to the Dri-Eaz facility and spent the day in different discussions and seminars about water damage restoration and equipment. This was a very first class company. I can personally attest to the quality of Dri-Eaz products. In the last 22 years I have purchased many pieces of equipment from them and almost all of them are still in service. On day two we were guests of Baker/Curb racing. We went through thier facility where they fabricate race cars for thier team from the ground up. Gary Baker spoke to the group about the marketing aspects of racing and the philosophy that drives the program. It was worth the price of admission by itself. We toured Nashville that night . We went to BB Kings for dinner and Tootsies for the show. The CMA awards are going on this week-end and the town was crazy with country music fans. Jane and I took a bus tour on Wed and went to the Rymen auditorium and the Country Music Hall Of Fame. We were hustled inside a club on Honky Tonk Row by a young singer's grandfather. The singers name is Arron Kelly. He is a remarkable talent and you should keep an eye out for his rising star. Another memorable experience was walking through the Gaylord hotel. It is the largest covered hotel complex east of the Mississippi river. I believe it is about 60 acres. It has fabulous botantical gardens and waterfalls. Lunch at the Cascade resturant was great. We then went over to Bass Pro Shops main store and that to was was a lot of fun. Nashville was a great trip and I want to thank Joe Polish, Lisa Wagner and David Brinkley from Piranha Marketing for always delivering way more than expected. Also a very big thank you to Victoria who was a delight.

Back from St. Martin

Hi everyone, Well we had a great time in St. Martin as we were able to spend three weeks there this time. We will try to shoot for the same or more next year. It is truly an island paradise. I got so many large snook, the largest was fourteen pounds that I was giving them to the resort guests and staff. They are a great eating fish. I also landed three tarpon in the 20-25 lb range and lost at least 7 more. We have videos which I'll post a link to. The food was awesome and the beach at Mullet Bay was spectacular. The water was crystal clear and the snorkeling was very cool. We even saw an octopus. They have some of the best ribs I have ever eaten at Daleo's beach bar and the staff were very friendly. Jane painted a lot while we were there and she now has her work in a gallery in Phillipsburg. She is an international artist. The local economy is hurting because of the recession so there are great deals to be had in jewelry and electronics. There are no social programs in place on the Dutch side so the people that aren't making money are not doing well. The French side has a lot of social programs and they don't have it half as tough. Well it is back to reality and work until our next trip in about three weeks . We are going to Nashville for a short business trip. The weather here is 66 degrees and cloudy. AH! New England. Until later peace and may God spare your life. CatmanDon

Piranha marketing and St Martin

Hi all, Jane and I are off to St Martin on Friday. We will be missing all our friends from Piranha in Arizona this week because of the scheduling conflict. It seems it happens every year. Jane's birthday is April 25th and we will be celebrating it on the island again. This is her favorite place and I am quite fond of it to. I get up at first light every day and put towels on our beach lounge chairs, then I go fishing for snook or tarpon until about 8:30 or 9. I then take a short walk to the french bakery and get great croissants and go back and have coffee and breakfast with my beautiful wife. We then get ready to go to the beach , either the one at the resort or one of the many great beaches on the island. Nights begin at the tiki bar happy hour where drinks are two for one from 4 to 6 and then we have dinner at one of the outstanding resturants or eat in. We may go to one of the many casinos at night or just walk on the beach. It really is a magical place and time. Do I miss seeing our friends from Piranha? Sure I do, but I cannot pass up this adventure. Maybe next year Joe Polish will have his meeting in St Martin. LOL Peace CatmanDon

deep sea fishing trip

Hi all, Myself and five other people went deep sea fishing out of Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. We had a great day. The sea was calm and we went about 20 miles out and fished in 200 to 290 ft of water. We caught cod and haddock. Between the six of us we brought home over 100 lbs of filets. It was an awesome trip. I gave away some fish to friends and they were very happy. The website for the charter is http://www.hamptonbeachcharters.com/ground.html check them out. Our captain was Nate and he is only 23 yrs old but very knowledgeable and a very capable captain. Thats it for now. Peace CatmanDon

LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE IT IS YOUR LAST

Hi all, A good friend of mine died Saturday while reading a bedtime story to his 8 yr old daughter. A massive heart attack was the culprit. He was only 52 yrs old and left behind three young children and a beautiful wife. He also did not have any life insurance and that is most disturbing. Everyone thinks it is to expensive until you need it. My heart goes out to the family. The man had touched so many lives in our small community and he will be dearly missed. So, live every day like it is your last, tell the people you are close to that you love them often. Mend the fences now before it is to late and plan for the unknown by protecting your families future should anything happen. Stay healthy and do a yearly physical. If you don't take time for preventative maintenance now you will have plenty of time when you are incapacitated with illness. Make the wise choice. Peace for now. CatmanDon