Coho Salmon - Racine Wisconsin

Foggy day fishing today in Racine Wisconsin.

This 6 lb - female Coho Salmon was caught at 4:55 AM.  No other fish were caught from any other fishermen on the shore the rest of the morning.  Well, my friends and I left around 10 AM, so perhaps there could have been another caught after that time, but I doubt it.  Most often fish are usually caught before 8 AM.

Fishing was tough today.  While the temperature was decent and not freezing me out there and the water was really calm, it was extremely foggy.  The fog horns were driving me crazy since I was within perhaps 15 feet of it.

After getting home, I vacuum-packed the fish and froze it.  I'll head back out there soon.  This is Salmon season, so I hope to get out as often as I can.

What I Used To Bring To A Wedding

 

I have been asked a number of times what I brought in my camera bags to a wedding.  Well, before I got smart and decided to downsize, I used to use a Pelican 1610 case (see bottom image taken with a point and shoot camera) which weighed about 65 lbs when fully loaded!

Check out my gear at the time... 3 camera bodies, a bunch of lenses, a couple of flashes and battery packs and other accessories!  There were two tiers of equipment in the case.  The top held lenses and flashes and the bottom held the cameras, more lenses and batteries!

I eventually moved to the Pelican 1510 case system which is sized to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane and what didn't fit in there, I carried on my body all day with a belt / shoulder harness system (click here to see the post with the belt system)

Lots of gear!

Griswold #5 Skillet

This Griswold #5 cast iron skillet was manufactured somewhere between 1920 and 1940.  Yes, it's between 74 and 94 years old!

The old skillets are far better than skillets made today because of their smooth cooking surface and lighter weight.  Today's skillets tend to be more textured due to the new "pre-seasoning" techniques needing that texture to allow the oils to adhere properly.

Portable Butane Burner with No Notch Lodge #6 Skillet

 

I was reading about a discussion concerning getting a portable butane burner for outdoor use... so I got one!

Went to our local Asian stores and purchased the burner for $16.99. Four canisters of butane fuel were on sale for $3.99 for four! Great deal!

I have a side burner on my propane gas grill, but it's a hassle dragging the grill outside (we keep it in our garage for storage), so setting up this small burner will be much more convenient. Sometimes, we like to cook outdoors rather than inside our home to keep the smell of frying out of the home. This is a good solution.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens and a Nikon SB-800 flash.

The cast iron skillet is an no notch Lodge #6 manufactured between 1910 and 1920!  It is somewhere from 94 to 104 years old!

We Will Never Forget

We Will NEVER Forget!

No Notch Lodge #6

This is a "no notch" Lodge #6 cast iron skillet.  It dates back to 1910-1920 making it 94 to 104 years old!

Not as "clean" looking as the Griswold #8 previously blogged, but considering its age, not bad.

I have two more antique skillets still coming in... a Lodge "3 notch" #4 (1940-1960) and also a Griswold #5 (1920-1940).

I will clean each skillet and season them again before using them.  But I think I'll just wait until all skillets have arrived and do them all at the same time.  Fun!

Griswold #8 Skillet

Breakfast... for lunch!

Three eggs, 2 pats of butter, chicken breast pieces and a slice of American Cheese (didn't have any shredded cheddar on hand). It was the BEST eggs I have ever had! And... totally non-stick too! That egg slid around that skillet like it was nothing!

Recently, I purchased a Griswold #8 cast iron skillet and I've been having fun with it! These eggs were the third meal I've cooked on the new skillet. Based on the trademark logo design of the skillet, this skillet is somewhere between 74 to 94 years old (1920 - 1940).  I purchased it on eBay (paid way too much for it, but I wanted a good one) and I cleaned it up using Easy-Off oven cleaner, 50% vinegar and 50% water to remove the rust, and a lot of elbow grease! The skillet was then seasoned with Crisco vegetable shortening.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens, Nikon SB-800 flash.