Rally

[Bruce Moore]

For the last four days I have watched and read with great enjoyment and then concern the feedback from the 2004 rally and the proposed 2005 rally. First an observation about 2004, da##, I hate we couldn't make it. We did make the 2003 because we were close, 40 minutes, LOL. This year it wasn't a matter of distance, 500 miles, but more of Cathy starting a new job. I would have love to have

seen Neely, Staci, Greg, and everyone again. And also met Trep, Rich, etc. that made it to this year's. Wasn't meant to be. If the consensus is Ky Lake for 2005 we will bust our humps to be there. If it's anywhere south of Ohio we will do the same. Remember, it's not about the location, it's about the handshakes, the stories, the goofball moments, the gifts of friendship. Who cares where it happens, as long as it does. As with any large group of people, not everyone is going to agree with a decision. What makes this group different is the ability to compromise and enjoy. Having said all that, I vote for Ky Lake simply because it is centrally located in the eastern part of the country and affords a good opportunity for many to attend. If it's too far to travel, say I'm sorry, I can't make it. I would. As for all of the BS. Get over it! We are never all gonna agree. That's just the way us opinionated arses are.



We really missed seeing everybody and here is the thought for the year: Go fish, hug the family, hug the boat, hug the friends that buy gas for the boat, and thank whoever that you pray to for today.



Bruce and Cathy Moore

 

[Staci Matheis]

Da##it, Bruce..... We shoulda fished more while you were in Missouri!



You have no idea in the world what words like those mean to me..... Especially after the stuff we've had going down the last few days.....



Thank you and God Bless!

me!

 

[Pierre Voisine]

Why should we keep ME in central USA.....Canada wants see you too! I vote Bill (Champion) and Staci set up the next rally at lake of the woods.....biggest musky wins, now I've gotta go hunt for my bait.



Sorry for the twist...



Pierre

 

[Staci Matheis]

LOL, my Canadian Friend!



I have fished Lake of the Woods! From a canoe! I LOVE CANADIAN WATERS! You all know me by now - I just like to catch fish no matter what speciecs! Didn't cath no musky - but lots of northerns! Talk about neat! Have them follow a big spinnerbait all the way to the canoe and then, at the last minute, open up that toothy mouth and "Gulp!"



Sorry, Pierre..... Right now, my heart is in Kentucky!



me!



(When Canadians go to heaven.....

does St. Peter greet them with "Eh!"?)

 

[Larry Harp]

This whole discussion reminds me of the Aesop fable about the village that found a baby in the woods. Everyone in the village wanted to raise the child creating a huge disaggrement as to who would actually have custody. To settle the argument the people went to the wise old man in the village and ask for his wisdom and insight in who would be the best to raise the child. He thought for awhile and then suggested that they cut the baby up into indivudal pieces and each family take an arm or leg or something. Horrified, they all thought the old man had lost his mind and they went off and settled their dispute and decided to raise the child together.



Sooooo, I'm suggesting that on the same day we all go to our favorite lake near our home, take some pictures to post, and go home drink some beer and post a message about what a good time you had at the rally.



Harpo

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I ain't raisin' no more chilluns' LOL!!



TOXIC

 

[Rich D]

Does that mean we have to cut up Me!? Can't argue with a wise man, I guess.



Rich D

 

[Staci Matheis]

What was the old CW song about "I'm going to pieces....."? LOL!!

 

[Donald Fruge]

patsy kline?????



I fall to pieces....

 

[Staci Matheis]

So..... Neeley says I look like Sandra Dee.....

But can I sing like Patsy Kline?

ROFL!!

 

[Bob G.]

There have been about a ton of opinions concerning the rally for next year. I think there was only about 30 people at the 2004 rally out of 1757 members. There are a lot of inactive members and probably never even knew that there was a rally.



For those members who have no intention of going to the rally, whether near or far, your opinions about a rally location don't mean a lot. For those that would consider going, your opinion matters. It looks like people would consider having it elsewhere, but no one has stepped up to the plate. I am not willing to commit to hosting a rally. I would help someone if it was held locally.



Staci,



What is the latest date that you can commit to the Moors for next years rally? I suggest that we pick a date to allow anyone else to plan an alternative place. If there are no other serious plans in place by then, I suggest that it be held at the Moors on Kentucky Lake. Lodging, eating and fishing from one location makes the Moors an ideal place. Staci has done an excellent job hosting the rally. We do need to talk about a few things offline though!



I will probably be at next years rally if it is held at Kentucky Lake. I will not know until next year as my job requires me to travel, even though it is rare lately. Hopefully I can find someone to ride along so I can drive instead of flying. Flying is to much hassle when dragging fishing rods and gear around.



Ok..that's my official opinion about next years rally.



Bob G.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Bob -



(wow..... considering the last couple of days..... i hadn't expected you to post such a supportive note.....)



Thank You, Sir!



Before I answer in public, please call me.

Do you still have my #'s?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I don't know of many that can commit almost a year out. I know I won't make any reservations more than 30 days out. That is why I was trying to get a feel for the simple question of "Do the members most likely to go, want it to move?". Period......then we can worry about a location.



I can make it happen anywhere but does the membership want it moved? Not even asking anyone to step up to organize.



My opinion is that no one can commit this far out....so, no one is going to say yea, or nea to moving it. For example, I weigh in and say "move it" then I can't make it to the rally.....how much of a putz do I look like then? It is also hard to commit to an unknown place.



How about this.....How many will positively go to the Rally at the Moors with the dates given? Who will commit to that date and place?



TOXIC

 

[Richard Ehlers (SevenPin)]

Need to talk to the rest of the family but a week's vacation on Kentucky Lake sounds good. Not sure if I want to start off the vacation or finish it with the Rally ;-). We've been looking for a fishing / other type of vacation near us since I have the tracker. It's only 300 miles from us, so it's a good possibility. If no one else in my group wants to go, I'll go alone (been there, done that before but up in Alpena, Michigan and Cornucopia, Wisconsin).

 

[Staci Matheis]

OK..... To answer your questions.....



I talked to Shirley at the rally. I had asked, if we came back, how would either of the last two weeks in April be - they were booked. They had the weekend of the 13th (?) open - but then we stand a chance of no bite again. They had only one weekend in May open - starting Thursday the 5th. The rest of the year - basically forget about it.



I knew this group..... I knew that it was likely I would be the only one to volunteer to take the lead...... I took a step ahead..... I asked Shirley to hold 20 rooms and 5 cabins for us..... She is.



If you're planning on just going by yourself or with your family to a prime fishing/vacation area, you can wait until a month out and still find a single room or cabin.



If you're planning for a group the size we had this year or like I hope to bring in next year..... You'd better plan a year in advance - or more.



Those who care to can start making reservations now.

Shirley will NOT be asking for a deposit.

She won't have exact prices until this Fall.

She does not expect any significant increase.

Those with reservations will be billed for their deposit in September.

Deposits due in October or November.

If you decide you don't want the room - cancel then.



For those who want to wait..... She will eventually have to errode some of the rooms she is holding for us. You'll be taking your chances.



Shirley is wonderful to us..... Ask Ken Neeley..... Nothing left anywhere a week out when he called..... She bypassed several others on the waiting list to get him his cottage...... Go to their website and take a look at cottage #14! It's gorgeous! That is what she gave to him - at a price that he was going to pay for a cottage 1/4 the size down the street! (See the link below and click on the "360 Tour" of the cottage.)



I am also going to try my best to get us a "Special Guest"..... A real Pro..... Don't know if I'll succeed or not..... But that takes time..... And must be done way in advance.....



There are lots of plans running through my head..... I want you folks to have more fishin' fun than you've ever had in your lives! I want to put together something that you'll talk about for a long time to come!



But I need your help.....

Starting with your "Go ahead".....



me!
http://www.moorsresort.com/cottages/cot14.htm

 

[Al Greco]

Staci, My bro and I will be there as long as nothing life altering happens.

 

[Donald Fruge]

The reason I did not attend this year is due to the trip I have planned to lake fork. The same reason I am not camped out at the world's largest tailgate party this weekend "TALLADEGA!". I just couldn't swing two long weekends that close together and I missed my trip to fork last year.



However, the date change to the beginning of May will eliminate me for next years rally. My work keeps me busy the first two weeks of each month. Busy to point that I cannot take time off.



Rally on,

Wolf

 

[Greg Meyer]

Well my 2 cents are spent this way... Because I fish about 15-20 walleye tournaments as part of a two man team, the tournamnet committments must come first. This year I just could not swing it since it was an important series opener... (we finished 6th and cashed a check, so again I got paid to fish... this is a great country). But, if I am open I am at the Rally...



Now, as to where... I try not to be very selfish and consider others as well as myslf in decisions that affect more than just me... But, on this one I am going to be pretty partisan and selfish... I want it at the Moors... My 18yr old daughter is attending Southern Illinois University... about an hour or so away... (BTW, Dad is very proud of tha fact that she has been a dancer since the age of 2 and just this last week won a spot on SIU's Dance Team in open competition, one of only a handful of Freshmen to get a spot) It will afford her mother and I a wonderful weekend visit with her. And, my daughter loves to fish, is very competitive, and loves bass fishing like I love Walleyes...



So, I am strongly in favor of the Moors for that selfish reason... Now, everybody else, should consider that it is a prime location and very reasonably priced resort with excellent facilities, they treat us like royalty, and I don't think you will find a better place... maybe equal (and I doubt that) but not better... The Lodge with the Great Room is as nice as it gets for our group stuff. It is convenient to get to since it is close to major interstate roads... The only negative... It is a dry county... But, we can work around that...

 

[Staci Matheis]

burp!

 

[Staci Matheis]

Greg.....



30 years ago, I had a friend who went to SIU - Carbondale as an Opera Singer. Immediately afterward, he found a leading position with the San Francisco Opera Company. Not only was he talented, but the school has an exceptional reputation in the performing arts!



Congratulations to your daughter!

 

[Buzz Bouvier]

ME, try this URL on your PC, I don't know if it will work, it's a piece from my son's choir at the UA. He audtioned his freshman year and has sang all four years. I still don't understand it.



Buzz
http://www.arts.arizona.edu/choral/sounds/2001FC.htm

 

[Terry Hutchison]

Staci, I cast my vote for KY. Lake. My son and I were actually at the lake the Thursday and Friday of the rally but since we both had to be back in Bowling Green Friday afternoon we didn't participate in the rally. We actually drove up to the Moors on Thursday when the wind blew us off the lake. Seems like a nice place. Didn't see anyone I recognized so we just cruised through. One thing about KY Lake, as you found out, is that people have been coming there every spring for years and they make their reservations a year or more ahead. I've done the same thing at Sportsman's on Jonathan Creek-Make next year's reservations while I am there.

Like most others I can't commit this early but I will try to be there. Thanks for your efforts, Hutch

 

[Staci Matheis]

Buzz -



I don't want to try the link from work..... But I'll try it tonight from home. Schubert went out to you today at noon! He ain't nuthin' like Johnny Cash (I also have one of his CD's) but if you don't like the sound, maybe your son will!



Hutch -



Ain't you a bit old to be out "cruisin'"! LOL!!

 

[Greg Meyer]

Staci...



My 5'4" 90lb dancer is majoring in Biology and Chemistry... She wants to follow Dad into Law Enforcement... So, she will be studying Forensic Anthropology!!!! A real career in CSI is her goal... Has been since way before TV made it popular... Go figure...

 

[Staci Matheis]

Vegas or Miami? LOL!!

 

[Greg Meyer]

Ahhh she has her sights set on the FBI...

 

[Staci Matheis]

What was his name..... Efram Zimblast, Jr. or sumpting?

 

[Douglas Ward]

"(When Canadians go to heaven.....

does St. Peter greet them with "Eh!"?)"



Another stero typical a$$hole

 

[Staci Matheis]

Geez, Douglas..... What's the chip on your shoulder?

 

[Douglas Ward]

ME! - No chip on my shoulder mate - it just gets old that one likes to stero type about Canadians. Now if one could really want to stero type - naw I think I will let that go

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

John Candy became famous for his "Eh's" when he was with, I believe, Second City Comedy.. Many other comedians followed suit with what was an old joke to begin with. Not just about Canada however, but Wisconsin and even North Dakota as shown in the movie Fargo. It's comedy, a joke, and I don't believe derogatory in any way. Having said that, I'm not Canadian so I guess I don't understand or feel the same way Douglas does. People living in the south have always had others make fun at their speach patterns and accents (Y'all) and I have heard a plethora of jokes concerning "Balmer" for Baltimore and "Murlan" for Maryland.

BUT, I am getting tired of the nastiness I am seeing on this board. If you feel offended by something someone says, why not e-mail backdoor and express your feelings to iron it out before publicly a**holing, m.f.'ing, s.o.b.'ing a fellow member?

Seems like a good idea to me. We ought to try it.



Bill

 

[Terry Hutchison]

Staci, You're only as old as you act and sometimes I act plum childish.

This board is starting to look like a lawn & garden tractor board I used to go to. You can't ask the simplest question or make the most innocent comment without getting a smarta$$ remark back or offending someone. It's a blasted garden tractor forum for heaven's sake! Lighten up! Like Bill says above, I take a lot of abuse for saying "y'all" and "I'm fixin' to" but I don't mind, it's the way I speak. I joke with my yankee friends all the time about their need to learn to speak American. So far it hasn't come to gunplay. Hutch

 

[Staci Matheis]

Douglas, I don't know how often you come to the board, but Pierre is the only Canadian here (of several) that I joke that way with. He knows that I mean absolutely no harm and that I say it with a warm smile on my face!



Now, if you don't mind, I've got to go do up my beehive, put on the glittery eyeshadow, chiffon ball gown and spike heels so I can go grocery shopping!



me!

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

God, I hate that Beehive! And please don't wear your N.T.O.W.S. jacket over the ball gown. It really ruins the look.



Bill



p.s.



"God" - no offense to non-believers

"hate" - not literal. I don't hate anything

"beehive" - did NOT mean Utah'ans

"ball gown" - absolutely no sexual innuendo

 

[Staci Matheis]

OK..... But only if you don't wear the pink fedora and emerald boots!

 

[Greg Meyer]

Staci,



You can't wear pink chiffon in the boat... you know how bad mono line is... tangles with everything..and with chiffon it is positively deadly... I can see the Obit... Staci Mathies, late of Glen Carbon was tragically strangled to death by a deadly windblown combinatuion of Chiffon and Trilene... Despite heroic efforts, her fishing companion was unable to extricate her from the XT (Trilene from Berkley...fish the finest...fish Berkley) and windblon chiffon... Donations may be made to the "Keep Gilbertsville Kentuck Dry Foundation..."



Pheeshin...is dangerous....



Hutch... the finest people I know and most of my lifelong friends are "fixin to meet me for fishing... so y'all have fun now..."

 

[Staci Matheis]

You've got a point, Greg.....

I'll do the leopard print, nauga-hide mini skirt!

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

No, No, No, No, No,! It's an emerald fedora and pink boots...



Bill