Photo by Stan Rolfsrud

Today's lunch

While he was grilling sesame blue fin outside last night, Hai had tomato sauce bubbling on the stove inside, reducing some vine ripened tomatoes into a complex sauce. He eventually added Bonitos ( I think) and today they made a wonderful lunch spooned from a pot (Ca Chien Sot Chua Ngot?) that tasted like a thick-cut tender pork chop. No fish taste -- just firm filets swimming in a lovely red base. Sorry about the paper plate, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. There's a yellowtail steak in the fridge to grill tonight. We'll use a proper dinner plate.

Dinner last night

Hai may not care to eat fish, but he sure knows how to cook them.
Last night we chose the finest cut from Sunday's catch, a bluefin tuna. Hai found a new recipe involving sesame seeds, olive oil, mustard, sauce and such and created a heavenly result, not unlike a filet mignon, textured but so much more tender.
Stan was his willing guinea pig and retired to his Hotel California last night with a very satisfied, contented sensation.
Today? Yellowtail.

Fish not immediately eaten are preserved for freezing in an airtight vacuum bag.
Once the air is removed by this device, it seals the bag.

Victory at sea

Ryan and Hai display the yellow-fin moments after taking it from the mouth of a sea lion. See the tooth marks
on the tail? A deckhand adds his jubilation from the bow.

Fish On! Hai had the biggest and most fish on the boat yesterday. We're
fishing off the coast of Mexico. Hai is my longtime friend and fishing host
who still calls me "boss" after working together for 20 years.

Hai, with a little help from a deckhand, won a tussle with a sea lion yesterday, to land this 25 lb yellowtail tuna. At $15 a pound in the fresh-caught case at Costco, Hai didn’t want to lose. He fought the yellowtail to the edge of the boat, when a massive sea lion snatched the prize. Zing! Hai’s reel spun madly as the giant dove to the depths, contesting Hai for the fish. No matter. Ryan, a deckhand who knows just how to deal with this the sort of thing, sprang into action, taking Hai’s rod, mounting the bow, and waiting for the sea lion to surface and take a breath. The sea lion, a mammal, eventually did. At just the right moment, Ryan yanked the line hard and the fish flew from the mouth. Moments later, the fish was gaffed and on board, bearing tooth marks from the struggle.
Hai and Stan also caught two nice blue-fins, some bonitos and another yellowtail.

Two nice bluefin tuna. Too heavy to lift. Good to eat.

By Dawn's Early Light. . .

Full of anticipation of a big day of ocean fishing, boats moved out of San Diego harbor early this morning. Stan joined Hai on the "Liberty" for a day of adventure and high spirits.

Signs of the Season

They de-iced our plane this morning.
Our boarding was delayed momentarily when an LA lad refused to pay $65 extra for his oversized luggage. He had no money. He attempted to solve the problem by bolting for the jetway. They slammed the door and police were called. It was actually kind of humorous and also sad. What was his plan if he made it on to the plane? Fly it himself?
Sanity was restored for the time being. Once we got on board and the door sealed, a family discovered that not all members were present. Two were still in an MSP lavatory, a telephone contact revealed. The captain didn't want to unseal the door, of course. So the remaining family members were put on a later flight.
Going to LaLa land. Uff Da.
It's sunny and warm at Hotel California though.

Snow fall today

Snowflakes this afternoon, California sunshine tomorrow. Just in time for his November get-a-way, snow fell out our window off Stewart Avenue in St. Paul. Flight out is tomorrow morning at 5:15 a.m. for a deep sea fishing trip off the Baja coast. Hai is arranging everything and promises to take care of Stan for as long as it takes to catch something big; Andrew is dropping Stan off at MSP at 4 a.m. (How long is this stroke excuse going to be milked? It's being squeezed dry.)

Save one for Stan, Hai!

Stan's heading to Hotel California to spend some time with Hai Dang in November. Hai has been  deep sea fishing off the coast of Mexico pulling in big ones. He caught his first dorado today. We hope there are many more to take when Stan gets there. You'll see it here first, of course. Dorado is Portuguese for mahi-mahi. Mahi means "strong" in Hawaiian. The fish is being held up by a deckhand, Hai is apparently exhausted from reeling him in.

Fun run

Shepard Road runs right past our place, giving us a good vantage point for the run of the day. Saturday morning they blocked the street for a huge turnout, despite the 33 degree weather.

We don’t know who they are, where they come from, how far they are going or why they are wearing the ridiculous costumes, but eventually they all went home and they reopened the street. They looked like they had lots of fun and observers spent their time shouting and ringing bells to encourage the runners, prompting one runner to shout the classic Christopher Walken line, “We need more cowbell!”