Syns, Twins and Fins

Emma is studying in Paris this school year, so I figured there was no better time to visit her in her element. Melanie had already been in Paris for two weeks, and we all met up in Rome to kick off the trip. Emma’s French boyfriend, Hugo, joined us there as well.

Rome was absolutely incredible. Around every corner were ruins dating back 2,000 years—it felt like walking through a living museum. The food was memorable, especially the pasta. One of the most awe-inspiring moments was visiting St. Peter’s Basilica. I’ve never seen a church of that scale and beauty before—it truly took my breath away.

After four packed days of sightseeing (and lots of walking), we flew to Paris for the second leg of the trip. I hadn’t been there in nine years, so it was wonderful to see the city again. I love French food, so of course, I made sure to have escargot and foie gras every day.

Spending eight days with Emma was incredibly heartwarming. She’s grown into such a beautiful, mature young woman—truly the kind of daughter parents dream of. Getting to know Hugo better was also a joy; he’s kind, warm, and a great match for her.

Of course, no trip is perfect. My phone was stolen on the Metro, and United Airlines canceled my return flight at the last minute. I had planned to come home with three days to spare before returning to work—to shake off the jet lag—but that didn’t happen. I eventually made it back early Saturday morning, which gave me only a day and a half to recover. Definitely not enough time. Monday and Tuesday at work were rough, but I pushed through.

The hardest part of the trip? Saying goodbye to Emma. But as hard as it was to leave, we came back feeling even more proud and grateful. We are truly blessed.

This was a beautiful milestone in Michael’s journey toward becoming a dentist. It’s hard to believe how quickly his first year of dental school has passed. He’s not just keeping up—he’s truly thriving. In fact, he’s doing so well that the faculty asked him to tutor first-year students in hands-on operative work. Watching him grow into this role has been nothing short of inspiring. Michael invited his close friends Carson Solano and Ali Fritz.

Back when I was in dental school, we didn’t have a White Coat Ceremony. I recently learned that the tradition started in 1993 at a school on the East Coast—just a few years after I graduated in 1990. For me, getting accepted and eventually graduating were the big milestones. But I have to admit, walking with Michael across that stage in his white coat stirred something deep in me.

We’ve always been proud of him—but this moment, this ceremony, made it all feel real in a different way. Our hearts were full watching our number one son take this step toward his future.

Matthew received an invitation from Papa John to fish the Rio Marié—a truly generous offer, considering it’s typically a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The fishing there is so extraordinary that Papa John has returned multiple times.

This year, Mike Michelak arranged the trip a week earlier than the usual season opener, aiming to encounter large, untouched fish. Unfortunately, the conditions weren’t ideal—cooler temperatures made the fish less active.

Despite the challenges, Matthew managed to land a few impressive double-digit fish, though some in the group weren’t as fortunate and struggled to get into them.

Even with the less-than-ideal fishing, Matthew valued the experience and thoroughly enjoyed his time with Papa John.

Below are bonus fish when Matthew came back from Brazil. Decent fishing. Emma Joined us for a couple outings.

A 5 night stay in Yaletown Vancouver was exactly what this soul needed for decompression. It’s been over a year since my last vacation so this one couldn’t come soon enough. Our family of 5 were joined by the boys’ girlfriends (Riley and Ella) and Emma’s boyfriend Hugo. The 8 of us stayed in a wonderful Yaletown Airbnb, located within walking distance to just about everywhere in downtown Vancouver. It was close to French bakeries, delicious restaurants, a hole in the wall Bagel Shop (the best we’ve ever had), the Skytrain, grocery market and feet away from a 7/11.

Our first meal after we arrived was a lunch at Marugame Udon (a place we’ve enjoyed a few times in Hawaii). Great lunch and they served freshly cooked spot prawns. Delicious. Great way to start our culinary adventure.

Monday was our food tour. Scotch eggs, Porchetta sandwich at Meat and Bread, Mink chocolate and Miku’s famous aburi sushi. Everything was so good! Dinner was at Sequel. This might have been the best dinner we had in Vancouver.

Tuesday we embarked on a bicycle tour of the city. It was a different way to experience the city and it was enjoyed by all. Dinner at Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant.

Wednesday took us to Mission BC for dinosaurs. The last time we fished there, the boys landed a large sturgeon and we wanted to go to shore to take a picture with it. The guide said the water levels were too high and that it would not be possible. This year our guide accommodated our wish and we got some great pics from shore. What an exhilarating experience to hold a 7 foot dino in its environment.  Dinner was at Kamei Royale.

Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Hotel was the main attraction for the Thursday. The “tea room” was a beautiful indoor “garden”. A wonderful selection of sweet and savory treats were devoured by all. Dinner was at Tableau.

The boys and I had to revisit Fanny Bay Oyster House after dinner. Their Sunseeker Oysters were the bomb!

And so another vacation in the books. This was the first time we had a group of 8. I initially thought getting reservations for that many everynight may be difficult. No issues at all. Our Airbnb was perfect for the group. We all hung out in the main living room/dining room and watched Love Island most nights….well, the kids watched, I went to bed.

The consensus from the gang for this trip was a 10/10. I agree. It’s heartwarming for me to have all the kids together with their significant others. I work and save for times like this. I’m already looking forward to next years adventure, wherever that may be.

It’s July already! Crazy. We were able to get some fishing in here and there throughout the first half of the year.

This past winter, the high water wreaked havoc to my closest launch ramp (Woodson Bridge). Tore it up pretty good. It took many months to get the ramp operational again but the parking area is still a mess. Our backyard also experienced the highest water level

Screenshot

Oroville Lake fished very well all winter and spring. It was good to take out my old friend Ray Narbaitz to the Lake. At 85 years old, he is still going strong and his love for the sport is still unmatched. My FIL joined us on one of the trips and he too is going strong at 80 years old. Both of them work out multiple times a week and show no signs of slowing down.

Wes and I made the 17 hour round trip drive to the fabled Wildhorse Lake north of Elko NV. That fishery is still one of the best, if not the best in the west. The quality of trout still amazes me. This year we caught rainbow trout, smallmouth bass and a good size Tiger trout. First one for me, check that one off my list. We stayed a couple nights at Amy’s Resort in her rental RV and then the last night at the rented cabins in the State Park. Both places have their pros and cons. I would have no problem with either one in the future. Dinners at Amy’s are a must! Great burgers and salads.

My good friend Kenny told me about some rising “trout/steelhead” on the Feather River in the evenings and early mornings. I think that was the tip of the year for me! I fished the mornings and evenings multiple times in 4 week span and landed fish on caddis dries every session. The fish are finicky and it’s pretty technical. However the good news is the fishing is from the bank, no waders required and I can driver right up the the river. It’s only 30 minutes from home so it’s not that far for some good Montana like dry fly fishing.

Watch out for rattle snakes and turtles crossing the road:)) The turtle is happy in his new home.

Matthew and I fished a couple hours on the Sacramento River during the striper run. Very good fishing for a quickie trip.

Matthew is still making some great meals for me.He has a flair for presentation. The pics you see that look good are his meals and the ones that don’t look good are mine :))

The holidays went by too fast, but it sure was great having the kids around for so long.

Got a little fishing and golf in when the weather cooperated. A trip to Luk Lake with Matthew, striper fishing with Michael in the river and Lake Oroville bass with a nice trout surprise.

Wes invited me to fish the Napa River with him. Really good fishing for striped bass and a bonus salmon on fly.

The boys make a trek to visit Emma at LSU and their GF’s joined them. It was a rainy weekend but they still had a fun time.

Muffinator and I took a quick trip to Plano TX for a class and Emma flew from BTR to join us. Great food and lots of shopping.

Next up Thanksgiving. Prepared the turkey sous vide this year. It was very tender and juicy but took 24 hours to cook. We were joined by Emma’s boyfriend Hugo, Uncle Jon and our niece Elyse.

Our office Christmas party was different this year. We all decided to do a pajama party and get take out “build your own” tacos. Fun night at my Office Manager’s metal shop.

The boys turned 23 in December and they were joined by a couple of their good buddies (Carson and Josh) and their girl fiends (Riley and Ella).

Emma flew back to LSU after Christmas break and a week later celebrated her 20th birthday. Baby girl is not longer a teenager. Wow!

Some misc pics from this Fall.

Matthew has been making a lot of dinners and these are some of his creations. Delicious meals!

Braised Pork Belly over rice.

Braised beef ribs with red wine reduction

Hong Kong Style fried noodles with scallop and shrimp and ginger beef.

Caviar with blinis, hash brown and home made potato chips

Sous Vide Prime rib for Christmas dinner.

Curry chicken thighs

Fresh stone crab and spot prawns.

We started the year with some local fishing and trout fishing in the mountains. Luk Lake, the River, Oroville lake etc. Oroville Lake was fishing great in the spring.

The boys graduated from college this year. Michael from NAU Honors College and Matthew from CalPoly SLO. Matthew will apply for dental in June of next year and Michael starts school at California Northstate School of Dentistry this year.

Mid June we made our return trip to Singapore. The last time we were there was March of 2020 and in the middle of our vacation, our government shut down the USA and we were on the last flight home via Manila. This time, we cut it short on our own accord because Michael had to start Dental school almost immediately after our return, so he wanted a few days of “rest” before going to school.

It was a memorable trip. We invited Michael’s girlfriend Riley and it was her first time overseas. It was great to see her enjoy the food and culture like we did.

Summer went by very fast with multiple 100 degree days. That shut down most of the fishing for us all summer. However, golf took over and we played 3-4 times a week all summer.

Grandma (my mother) turned 90 in September. Almost all the grandkids made it except for 3. Emma was one of them, she was still in school at LSU.

I was invited again by Jeff Sasaki to fish with him and Mike Costello in the Delta. I’m always grateful to get an invite. We fished out of Rio Vista and headed all the way to Benicia. It was a long run and the fish did not show themselves much. We were skunked for a few hours before we started getting a some here and there. We were on our way back to the boat ramp when Mike said he wanted to fish one more spot. It was already past the quitting time but since it was a tough day, he gave us the extra time for one more spot. Well, it paid off. Immediately Jeff hooked up and shortly after, I hooked up. Doubles! We landed our fish, followed by smiles all around then hightailed it back to the dock. Jeff’s fish was 19 3/4 and mine was 13 pounds.

DCIM100GOPROGOPR0492.JPG

DCIM100GOPROGOPR0494.JPG

We are looking forward to another holiday season. Striper fishing should get turn on and all the kids will be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Food Porn since the last post.

Matthew made some exquisite meals at home for me.

It sure seems like the years go by so fast. I’d like it to fly by so I can retire but once I retire, I want it to slow way down. Is that asking too much?:))

The boys celebrated their 22nd birthday in December. They are seniors in college and will be graduating this May and June. Wow, 4 years of college almost in the books. Emma’s birthday is coming up but since she’ll be back to school at LSU, we celebrated before she left.

Michael applied to dental school and is waiting for replies. Matthew will apply June 1st. We are crossing our fingers.

In October Pop B(aka Benson, aka Mojo) and I took a road trip to a lake in Nevada that I have wanted to fish for years. It’s an 8 hour drive from Chico but it was worth it. The fish are thick and healthy and in abundance. However, we were told it’s usually better! We will go back in the spring hopefully.

I’ve fished Luk lake 3 times since the beginning of December and that lake does not disappoint. Really good trout and bass fishing only 35 minutes away. Nice close place to decompress from a stressful week at the office. Michael fished with me last week. He was surprised at the number of fish we landed for the 3 hours we were there.

Melanie and her good friend Patsy took a trip to Morocco on October and they enjoyed it. Four weeks after that trip, she was off to Paris with another friend. Three weeks after that trip, she was off to Paris again with Emma. Lots of miles added to her frequent flyer program!

Papa John had a good trip to the jungle again. Big exotic fish is the name of his game and he is great at it!

We took a quick trip to Santa Barbara and Matthew down from SLO to meet us for dinner. The fresh sea urchin was amazing!

Of course, eating well is a Syn trait during the holidays…

Chilean sea bass with mango salsa

Seared Fois Gras

Sous Vide tri-tip

Spot prawns 3 ways and blue crab claws

Toro, sake and snow crab claws

Korean BBQ with A5 wagyu and filet mignon

BBQ rib cap

Last winter we were thinking about where to go for our summer vacation. I’ve never really had a desire to go to Japan but while looking at airfare to South East Asia with a layover in Narita, I figured heck, why don’t we just stay in Japan. The airfare was less and the flight was quite a few hours shorter. We were worried about the language barrier and for good reason. While we were there, we encountered very few people that spoke english. The experience and amazing food made up for that but Japan probably won’t be on our list to revisit for awhile.

A city and food tour consumed our first 2 days. We spent a couple days shopping and sightseeing on our own and the last full day was spent at Disneyland. We will not go back to Tokyo in the future, other than spend day to experience DisneySea.

The food in Tokyo was very good. Our tour guide took us to lunch at a wagyu Korean BBQ restaurant and there was good food at the Tokyo fish market.

On the morning of day 6, we travelled via Shinkansen to Osaka. When we arrived at Shin-Osaka Station a little over 2 hours later, we took a taxi to our AirBnB. We were all very hungry at that time and we stumbled upon a sushi restaurant in the middle of Kuromon Market.

It was at this point, our food experience went to the next level…well, many levels! We ordered uni, yellowfin toro and amaebi. We’ve never tasted quality and freshness like that before. Of all the restaurants in Osaka, we returned to that restaurant 3 more times. And all three times it did not disappoint. Our last meal before heading to the airport for home was sushi at this place.

We stayed very close to Dotonbori and wandered in frequently for snacks and dessert, which also did not disappoint. One online reviewer wrote. “Dotonbori is like the San Antonio River Walk on steroids”. He is absolutely correct.

We all enjoyed the trip very much and it was great to experience a completely different culture and feel of an Asian country. We have been to South East Asian countries and Hong Kong, but Japan has a very different “feel” to it. It may be the language barrier. I enjoyed visiting the markets the most. It was remarkable to see all the fresh seafoods and meats available for bargain prices.

A few days after returning from Osaka, Melanie and Emma began their 3 day drive to Baton Rouge. They left Weds. morning and arrived Friday evening. I flew out to meet them Friday evening.  We checked out the city and campus a bit on Saturday then moved her into her dorm on Sunday. The heat was pretty grueling but just about everyplace indoors there cranks up the A/C.

I had not been back to LA since the boys and I fished the marsh 5 years ago. A couple of our favorite local dishes are charbroiled oysters and crab fingers. I did find both in BTR and they were excellent. In my opinion, Dragos oysters were better than Acme’s. Both were still great.

Saying goodbye to our youngest child was so hard. But, as the saying goes, “If you raised them right, they’ll be ready to leave”.

Michael will head back to school on Tuesday and Matthew leaves mid September. After that, we will be empty nesting. How the years fly by when your having fun. What an incredible journey so far.

The first time I fished Baja California was in the mid 80’s.  Loreto was a small fishing village back then and was just starting to get popular with fly anglers. I have been back there a few times and have seen it grow and become more popular. I have wanted the boys to experience the famed pull and aerobatics of the dorado so we booked a trip there pre Covid but decided to cancel due to a certain angler that frequents the place. Our fly fishing club in Chico has been going multiple times a year to a place called La Ventana. I have heard their stories and have seen their pictures for years. This year I could not wait any longer so the boys and I, Meng and Jerry, booked with Palapas Ventana. Our main contact was Fabi. She manages the “resort” and was very helpful in answering all the questions we had.

The accommodations were good and the A/C was cold. That part was important! I would have rated this trip one of the best all around trips I’ve ever been on except we were very disappointed with the food. We all love Mexican food so it would not have been difficult to please us. I would say it was mediocre at best. The main issue was they overcooked all the fish they served. We were expecting maybe a shrimp dinner one night or maybe a lobster ( we would have paid extra if we were asked) but we had no such delicacies. We did have the kitchen prepare our catch for fresh mahi sashimi every night for appetizers and that basically made our dinners better.

Meng and Jerry fished with a couple of really good guides. The boys and I had “novice” guide the first day and then a really good guide the next 2 days, then a not so good guide the 4th day and then back to the really good guide the last day. The good news is, the fishing was so red hot that we caught plenty of dorado even with the bad guides. If the fishing was tough, the two not so good guides might have struggled.

Now…to the fishing. Did I mention the fishing was red hot? It was the best dorado fishing we’ve ever experienced. The sheer numbers of fish and their willingness to eat our offerings were mind boggling. After the morning session of non stop dorado action, we would change it up and go look for roosters. We found roosters everyday but the really big ones eluded us. Even with live bait.

The fishing was good from the get go and by the morning of the last day, I had thought there’s really no way it could get any better. Boy was I wrong. That morning was the calmest of the week and the dorado where on the chew big time. There was almost no need to throw sardinas at them. They were eating any fly thrown at them and with a vengeance. We had 3 rods bent in our boat just about all morning. The average fish was also larger which made for a spectacular way to end our trip.

Some of the used flies we salvaged

During the final dorado mayhem, Michael had a tangle in his line after he cast. He only saw a needle fish around his offering so he continued to detangle his line when all of a sudden a big dorado grabbed the bait and jerked the rod and reel out of his hand and overboard. We were all stunned as we watched the reel scoot away just under the surface. I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again but we’ll have something to talk about for years LOL!

If I were to rate this trip just on the fishing, it would easily be a 10. Outstanding fishing for 5 days straight with great weather is rare. I would say fishing the Sapsuk for silvers was the same scenario. Outstanding fishing with great weather all week is unheard of on the Aleutian Peninsula. Hope my luck continues.

Getting the Syns together along with my brother from another mother (Jerry) was a highlight of the trip. We are not getting any younger and I hope we stay healthy enough to do trips like this many times. Lots of memories made.

Back to fishing the lakes and rivers around here….which seems anticlimactic.

THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR NEXT TIME:

40# or more leader

Extra SS swivels

Stronger SS snaps

Extra Band Aids and medical tape.

Stouter travel rods

More plastic/rubber baits.

Longer connection time during layover (no customs in SJD)

Soft sided ice chest for fish (Yeti Panga 50 or 75 is good)