Largent80 wrote:Guido exuding class.....go figure !!!!!!!

It was forced upon me at an early age, friend.

That was sooooo fine! Thank you, Brother Quido.

I would be 500lbs if I lived in LA.

SonicHawk wrote:I would be 500lbs if I lived in LA.

Me also and I'm a lot closer to that than you I'm wagering. Everything there looked good!

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 3/17/2014 - Erin go braless! ***

A happy belated St. Patrick's Day to all of you.



"What the hell," exclaimed Hawk Hat, "What is this wetness falling on me? I don't like it!"

"Get used to it, Hawk, it's called rain and it happens around here occasionally," I explained, "Just be happy you are here instead of Seattle."





Hawk Hat and Guido!

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 3/18/2014 - Wine run. ***

Well, we survived St. Patty's day, but wiped out all of Mrs. Guido's wine of choice. That meant that Hawk Hat and I had to go down to the cellar. But, if you are familiar with Louisiana you would know that cellars and basements are not very feasible because of the water table level. Where we went was actually to The Cellar, a very convenient and well stocked wine shop.



Hawk Hat and I were greeted by Mr. Ribbit who was trying to "hawk" his Who Dat chardonnay. Not Mrs. Guido's brand so we declined.



The Cellar is always in the spirit of the season ...



... and we can also find Louisiana themed stock ...



... or a wide variety of beers.



But, I really think Hawk Hat most enjoys the attention he gets from Candice at the counter.



Catching up with ...

Hawk Hat and Guido!

This is awesome guido! We should get you a Super Bowl Champions hat.

bigtrain21 wrote:This is awesome guido! We should get you a Super Bowl Champions hat.

Hawk Hat would get jealous ... as would all of my other Saints caps who have just now begun to tolerate Hawk Hat himself.

You're the boss! Division hat stays.

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 3/20/2014 - Happy Spring! ***

The first day of Spring and it was a beautiful day in the mid-70's here in Bossier.



Oh, by the way, Hawk Hat has plans to make it to CenturyLink. Stay tuned for the details.

See you tomorrow,

Hawk Hat and Guido!

Radish has encouraged me in my documenting of the journey of Hawk Hat. I have been looking forward to the upcoming entry for weeks for him. It is more than the Saints and the Seahawks. It is about making friends and communication through common experiences. Radish understands this journey even if others don't.

As I said, my prayers are with him and Mrs. Radish and even though I am only a priest in my avatar I'll do my best best to swing all the weight I can.

And I repeat, I love you friend!

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 3/22/2014 - Rocket Man at CenturyLink ***

Well, Hawk Hat has officially been to CenturyLink now. Of course, it is the CenturyLink in Bossier City, Louisiana.



Yes, Hawk Hat accompanied Mrs. Guido and myself to the second appearance by Sir Elton John at the CenturyLink Center. I was in attendance back in 2000 at his last show there, which was the first show ever in the arena. At that show we were well up in the stands. At this performance we were seated at floor level in row 12. The show kicked off at 8:00 PM and went without a break until after 11:00 and was incredible. He mentions the 2000 performance in this short minute and a half snippet leading into a song off the new album.



Sir Elton on the big screen ...



... and Hawk Hat in the crowd.



The two young ladies seated directly behind us both wanted to wear Hawk Hat for the obligatory portrait, but finally Haley and Holly decided they would both "wear" Hawk Hat at the same time.



I am attempting to upload a full video of Saturday Night's Alright.

Goodbye yellow brick road,

Hawk Hat and Guido!

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 3/22/2014 - Saturday Night's Alright ***

I think I have it ...




Goodbye yellow brick road,

Hawk Hat and Guido!

Hawk Hat rockin' out! Bons temp rouler!

LymonHawk wrote:Hawk Hat rockin' out! Bons temp rouler!

And just think, the Journey is only just beginning.

Of course the wife and I have had our own continuing journey the last few months. Brain surgery/heartbypass surgery in 4 months has been a bit of a challenge.

Seeing the area around Guido is a real privilege for we in the Northwest.

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 4/18/2014 - Suck da heads! ***

Long time, no see. Hawk Hat has returned from his sabbatical and is looking forward to the warm weather of Louisiana. One of the things that begin taking place in the month of April is season for crawfish, also known as mudbugs around here. Other areas of the country they may be referred to as crayfish or crawdads.

Things are running about two to three weeks late this year because of the colder than usual winter in the state. The crawfish took much longer to come out and start feeding and growing to catchable size. But, the time has finally arrived. Hawk Hat and I headed to our local Walmart, which has begun distributing fresh live farm raised crawfish ... only in Louisiana. We were not expecting many people at our gathering so we only got one bag. This is the common way that crawfish are acquired down here, unless you catch them yourself. They come in bags between 30 and 38 pounds.



I first rinse them repeatedly for a couple of hours or more until the water is fairly clear of mud. Then I pour them into a wash tub so that they can await their time in the pot. I let Hawk Hat hang out with them for a bit. One of them took an interest in Mount Hawk Hat and begun the long journey to the top ...



... and the crusty crustacean finally approached the summit ...



... and once reaching the peak the clawed climber rested momentarily following the treacherous ordeal ...



... and then, in a moment of triumph, celebrated with a raised claw!



Soon thereafter we ate his ass, or more precisely, his tail. He may have even been included in this small early batch which accompanied the lemons, red potatoes, garlic heads, jalepenos and onions.



If not in that earlier batch, perhaps he met his demise in the batch soon after containing the mushrooms and the corn on the cob.



Or maybe he was part of one of the last five or six batches which are always the best with all of the earlier batches having further seasoned the cooking water with the flavorful essence from their bodies. Note the color of the water. The deep red comes from an abundance of cayenne pepper. The pot contains several cups of the pure ground spice. Also note the resting place for Hawk Hat. This is known as a cajun crawfish paddle and is an absolute must. You use it to stir the bugs while cooking. You use it to remove the top of the pot which is dangerously hot. You can also use it to break up clumped ice, fish out bags of cooking potatoes, etc.



Of course, Hawk Hat has yet to get used to the heat, whether it be the weather or the food, quite yet, so I let him cool off a bit.



Soon thereafter the cooler filled with so much beer that Hawk Hat had no further chance for that place of relief.

It was soon after this point that I misplaced my phone used in this documentation until the following morning. Sorry. But I am sure we will have more chances to follow-up, including instructions on "sucking da' head".

Y'all have a Happy Easter!

Hawk Hat and Guido!

Have a joyous Easter yourself Guido! That looks sooo good! Darn it!

"Suck da head, squeeze the tail."

The Radiators

LymonHawk wrote:"Suck da head, squeeze the tail."

The Radiators

That, of course, is the gist of it. Although, there are a couple of different methods in sucking da head.

Just completely loving this as usual. Thanks for the trip about the crawfish, it gives this northwest salmon/trout guy a chance to see the south.

Big fan of the little guy from England, his music is terrific. Caught part of that concert on Dish recently. Oh, and you forgot to mention Crocodile Rock.

See the Cardiologist Wednesday for the first of the serious tests. Then the big guy himself, the surgeon on Thursday. So hopefully by Thursday afternoon I should know if I'm going to live or not.

Man the changes they have made in my medication and now finally letting me know why. All things change after heart type surgery.

The diabetes camp losing their their quest to make me check blood 4 times a day and take insulin. I told them I was sure I was fine the way things were before surgery but they were oh so sure,(bastards). This is a group that you are guilty until you can prove you're innocent.

Well 3 weeks of monitoring blood sugar twice a day various times have proven I was right and they and their needles need to return to the back ground. Plus I've lost weight beyond what they wanted too and plan to continue. After all since I'm getting extra time due to this surgery I need to fully enjoy it.

Keep it coming Quido, we speak of you often here.

The Radish wrote:Just completely loving this as usual. Thanks for the trip about the crawfish, it gives this northwest salmon/trout guy a chance to see the south.

Big fan of the little guy from England, his music is terrific. Caught part of that concert on Dish recently. Oh, and you forgot to mention Crocodile Rock.

See the Cardiologist Wednesday for the first of the serious tests. Then the big guy himself, the surgeon on Thursday. So hopefully by Thursday afternoon I should know if I'm going to live or not.

Man the changes they have made in my medication and now finally letting me know why. All things change after heart type surgery.

The diabetes camp losing their their quest to make me check blood 4 times a day and take insulin. I told them I was sure I was fine the way things were before surgery but they were oh so sure,(bastards). This is a group that you are guilty until you can prove you're innocent.

Well 3 weeks of monitoring blood sugar twice a day various times have proven I was right and they and their needles need to return to the back ground. Plus I've lost weight beyond what they wanted too and plan to continue. After all since I'm getting extra time due to this surgery I need to fully enjoy it.

Keep it coming Quido, we speak of you often here.

We will keep it coming, my brother. And, yes, Crocodile Rock was the bitch. My old ass was right out there singing the "nnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! na na na na naaaaa!!" louder than any of those 40 year old kids around me.

Hawk and I want you to take care of yourself and I want you to know that "I love you, man."

I really gotta try crawfish one day, fuh reelz.

Stupid side story from when you first talked about what other people in different areas call em. First time I ever knew of their existence my grandma called em crawdads lol, they were in this creek we used to swim in down in Arizona. I dunno if crawdads is lingo used in Arizona, or if it's used in West Virginia where she's originally from (my moms from WV too).

What magic is it that allows Guido to get the cutest gals within 10 rows to model HH?

The Radish wrote:What magic is it that allows Guido to get the cutest gals within 10 rows to model HH?

I ooze with charm.

The Radish wrote:What magic is it that allows Guido to get the cutest gals within 10 rows to model HH?

Cute chicks dig the Seahawks.

Throwdown wrote:I really gotta try crawfish one day, fuh reelz.

Stupid side story from when you first talked about what other people in different areas call em. First time I ever knew of their existence my grandma called em crawdads lol, they were in this creek we used to swim in down in Arizona. I dunno if crawdads is lingo used in Arizona, or if it's used in West Virginia where she's originally from (my moms from WV too).

Crawdad is most likely from WV as they are primarily called crayfish in the north and northeastern parts of the country. They are known as crawfish in the south and southeastern areas. Crawdads are the norm in the areas in between and in the midwest. Select pockets of Louisiana call them mudbugs as commonly as crawfish. Anywhere far west is a mish-mash, probably because of the more transient nature.

This thread just gets better and better!

Throwdown wrote:I really gotta try crawfish one day, fuh reelz.

Stupid side story from when you first talked about what other people in different areas call em. First time I ever knew of their existence my grandma called em crawdads lol, they were in this creek we used to swim in down in Arizona. I dunno if crawdads is lingo used in Arizona, or if it's used in West Virginia where she's originally from (my moms from WV too).

You really ought to. Crawfish are delicious, and they're not terribly pricey compared to a lot of other seafood.

Best is if you can catch them yourself. I've caught plenty in a bunch of places out west - WA, ID, CA, MT. I've had exceptional success catching them in the little mountain lakes around Tahoe in California, and along the banks of the Missouri River in Montana, by the Three Forks area. Anywhere you find a shallow, rocky coastline to a river or lake though, you'll find crawfish, and probably enough to cook up a mess if you're diligent enough. The areas with baseball-to-volleyball-sized rocks are the best. Turn the rocks over and grab 'em fast. You'll get good enough with practice to fill a good sized pail. Nothing better than a huge mess of freshly caught boiled crawfish when you're out camping by the lake.

Otherwise you can find them in any place that has a decently large fish market. I know the Korean H-Mart supermarkets in the Seattle area carry them frozen on a regular basis, but watch the packed-on date as they can get old. The big Filipino supermarket down in South Center probably does too. IKEA carries them some of the time, especially during and around the Swedish festival where they have the big crawfish feed. They're more expensive there, though, and not always available.

And now I feel like cooking up another big mess of crawfish.

When I was growing up in Hermiston, Or. we had a creek running through a huge vacant field that most everyone used for a dump. (of course its full of apartments now)

2 things it grew was really big dump rats and crawfish. We kids caught the crawfish at first for the hell of it until someone in the trailer park where we lived told us they were good to eat. We brought him some and he put his cooking where his mouth was and I remember them being very good.

The big time dump rats? The older kids let us go hunting them at night now and then. Put a flashlight on the barrel of a .22 rifle and would frequently get 6-8 a night. Didn't eat those tho. lol


Guido, wife and I were talking yesterday about what a hoot it would be to come down your way with the trailer and visit. But agreed after seeing the surgeon Thursday that I wouldn't be able to pull enough tension on our trailer bars to go anywhere this year. We have an electric jack on the hitch but still have to pull pretty good tension to set the bars to make the rig ride level. They tell my my chest probably won't be up to that kind of pulling till next year sometime. Doctor figures between that and set up I'd be back in the hospital repairing my breastbone and after seeing my brother in law go through that 3 times I'm not interested.

It has been a while, but I just might need to take y'all crawfishin' the right way. I am sure my dad had a mess of nets in his shed. I am going to have to get together with my new nephew-in-law and catch some bugs.

I have a few nets. The dam outside of mt home idaho is called Strike Dam. I have seen some of them crayfish/crawdads
there that were easily 5 inches long. They were attacking a dead carp that had its skin on and was whole. They were
having issues getting in to the good parts. I heard about crayfish up in Montana near the border where I had family
that we would visit once in a while. There is a crawdad place on the snake river that serves a meal and a half during
the season. There is also a place on the Snake River that people net them and take them downtown to the local market
and sell to the locals. I want to do that this year.....go buy some fresh. Only about 90 miles one way but have friends to
visit there too. As usual, great posting Guido.
Radish, take care of ya self sir.

Seahawkfan80 wrote:I have a few nets. The dam outside of mt home idaho is called Strike Dam. I have seen some of them crayfish/crawdads
there that were easily 5 inches long. They were attacking a dead carp that had its skin on and was whole. They were
having issues getting in to the good parts. I heard about crayfish up in Montana near the border where I had family
that we would visit once in a while. There is a crawdad place on the snake river that serves a meal and a half during
the season. There is also a place on the Snake River that people net them and take them downtown to the local market
and sell to the locals. I want to do that this year.....go buy some fresh. Only about 90 miles one way but have friends to
visit there too. As usual, great posting Guido.
Radish, take care of ya self sir.

Parts of fish carcass are always the best crawfish bait. Chicken carcass or parts will work, as well. Crawfish nets are square flat nets with a metal frame that can be easily picked up out of the water with a long pole. You simply tie or safety pin a part of carcass to the center of the net and place the baited net out into the shallow water. If you have around twenty nets you can fish non-stop. After placing your last net you immediately go to the first and quickly pull it from the water. There can be as many as five or six crawfish on the net. Replace and move to the next. If you have found a good spot you can easily get 25-30 pounds in a couple of hours.

AsylumGuido wrote:

Seahawkfan80 wrote:I have a few nets. The dam outside of mt home idaho is called Strike Dam. I have seen some of them crayfish/crawdads
there that were easily 5 inches long. They were attacking a dead carp that had its skin on and was whole. They were
having issues getting in to the good parts. I heard about crayfish up in Montana near the border where I had family
that we would visit once in a while. There is a crawdad place on the snake river that serves a meal and a half during
the season. There is also a place on the Snake River that people net them and take them downtown to the local market
and sell to the locals. I want to do that this year.....go buy some fresh. Only about 90 miles one way but have friends to
visit there too. As usual, great posting Guido.
Radish, take care of ya self sir.

Parts of fish carcass are always the best crawfish bait. Chicken carcass or parts will work, as well. Crawfish nets are square flat nets with a metal frame that can be easily picked up out of the water with a long pole. You simply tie or safety pin a part of carcass to the center of the net and place the baited net out into the shallow water. If you have around twenty nets you can fish non-stop. After placing your last net you immediately go to the first and quickly pull it from the water. There can be as many as five or six crawfish on the net. Replace and move to the next. If you have found a good spot you can easily get 25-30 pounds in a couple of hours.

Our area is not that predominant. I would have to wait over night to get a decent haul. I have the lil round
ones that have center holes. I did use the wrong bait tho. THANK YOU. Our laws here only allow for 3 or 4
with a base license. I would need a special license for more and not sure whether it is worth it due to location
where I live compared to the river. I used to have a spot for channel catty but they have made it more user
friendly....so that is not happinin. But there is this one spot that I noticed and I will have the capability for some
overnighter activity. Either quick setup tent or Pkup and camper. Oh...and I just remembered...Would frostbite
chickenparts defrosted work for bait??? I happen to have some that I did not re-vacuum pack and it probably is
not good for human consumption...(I shall leave my thought there). They sell some crab traps here for some
reason. It is Oregon about 20 miles away, maybe that is the reason. The coast is 8 hrs away tho. ??? Thanks again.

Seahawkfan80 wrote:
Our area is not that predominant. I would have to wait over night to get a decent haul. I have the lil round
ones that have center holes. I did use the wrong bait tho. THANK YOU. Our laws here only allow for 3 or 4
with a base license. I would need a special license for more and not sure whether it is worth it due to location
where I live compared to the river. I used to have a spot for channel catty but they have made it more user
friendly....so that is not happinin. But there is this one spot that I noticed and I will have the capability for some
overnighter activity. Either quick setup tent or Pkup and camper. Oh...and I just remembered...Would frostbite
chickenparts defrosted work for bait??? I happen to have some that I did not re-vacuum pack and it probably is
not good for human consumption...(I shall leave my thought there). They sell some crab traps here for some
reason. It is Oregon about 20 miles away, maybe that is the reason. The coast is 8 hrs away tho. ??? Thanks again.

You might want to do a little research. From what I gather, nonnative crawfish do not fall under the fisheries rules in Washington. No license is required and there are no limits on weight and possibly no limit on actual crawfish nets (noncommercial crawfishing allows up to 35 nets in Louisiana). The regulations pertain to the native Signal Crayfish only. Apparently Pine Lake in Sammamish has both species.

Idaho. Crayfish do not have a specific possession limit, however you can only have up to 5 traps at one time without obtaining a commercial fishing license and trap ..etc etc etc.

Every time we have a big get together, I'm the resident crawfish cook. Had some this past Saturday and it was delicious. After boiling, I like to toss in a spicy garlic butter sauce

*** Continuing Journeys of Hawk Hat - 4/30/2014 - Muddy Waters Gig ***

Last night Hawk Hat and I traveled a few miles north up Highway 3 toward Benton to catch Cameron's latest gig at a place called Muddy Waters Sports Bar. Hawk had an enjoyable evening as the upcoming pictures will attest.



Besides spending a bit of time on the stage ...



... Hawk had the opportunity to meet a genuine lifelong 12th, Sean, that had relocated from the Seattle area.



He also hung out behind the bar, above the kitchen ...



Besides the music and good drinks, Hawk Hat spent some time with one of the bartenders, Brittney.





Yup. Hawk Hat was really on a roll last night.



And last, but definitely not least, Hawk Hat and Bethani wanted to send their best wishes to our good friend, Radish. You get better, buddy!



Until the next time,

Hawk Hat and Guido!

Oh my God, I had to report to the hospital and get a new download after seeing Bethani.

I thought Brittney was really fine but Bethani is on fire. My heart won't get back to normal beat until about noon Saturday.

Damn!

2nd that Damn!

Guido is all 'bout that action , boss.

Methinks they approve, Hawk Hat.

AsylumGuido wrote:Methinks they approve, Hawk Hat.

GA, Hawk Hat is having as much fun as I had in 20's. Keep em coming.

Hawk Hat love Cajun Style

Hawk Hat seems to have quite the travel budget. I hope Hawk Hat allows you to travel along Guido.

Gratz on the travel log, enjoyed the whole thread.

HH and I love the feedback. It helps make the Journey worthwhile.

Salute. Dear Lord son, if I had access to a "wingman" like hawk hat back in the day, I would have been unstoppable. Hats off sir.

This is great Guido, the stuff of forum legends really.

I don't post a ton but I read often and I appreciate the effort to take a story and make it your own. Great job.

This thread should be a hall of fame nominee !
Frickin awesome.