reel
There is this chick I know…she can be a real pain in the ass about stuff sometimes. So one of those things is fishing. She likes to get a group of people and go out on this boat with a bunch other people for deep sea fishing. They call these boats “party boats”, but I am not sure that is an entirely accurate description. See…I gave in to the constant badgering and agreed to go on one of these adventures.
I was a bit concerned about getting sea sick, fortunately I didn’t get sea sick, but I didn’t make it through the day feeling fantastic. I am not sure exactly what the problem was, but I didn’t feel great. It could have been the lack of breakfast, the plastic burger for lunch…or just the bits of dead fish and octopus that we were hanging on the hooks… Despite not feeling great I did hook into a dragon fish. It was a weird looking fish, but it was not something you are allowed keep or maybe just don’t want keep, not sure either way it got tossed back.
Anyway, once I gave up on fishing, I started taking pictures. Sometimes I will see something and think to myself “that might make a neat pic”. Half the time I take the picture and maybe half of those pics actually turn out as something interesting. This picture is one of those pictures. I really liked how the light was hitting this reel so I snapped a few pictures of it.
And yeah…I don’t have any interest in “partying” on one of those boats again…
Thanks, Sean :)
Comment by Mustang Sally — June 21, 2007 @ 11:20 pm
If we had not been on that boat, I would not be halfway through Hammerhead Ranch Motel, Mickey wouldn’t have posted his sweet little SoaM to Jen and I, and we wouldn’t have this lovely reel picture to gaze upon today. We never would have known that the wrist bracelets DO prevent seasickness, and we would not have gotten to share our Anniversary dinner with such good people.
I think the key to life is to share in experiences, no matter how mundane, uncomfortable, or weird… The actual process of living it together with others… that’s somehow important.
Take this picture… (Hah! You did!). The reel is simply metal alloy, the rod is simply strained fiberglass, the handle is merely cork… These items were shoved into a holder on the railing of a fiberboat in the Atlantic. Could not be more mundane. But you look at the cork, and see the well worn grip, the hundreds of thousands of hours spent, gripped by hands both inexperienced and savvy, young and old, drunk and sober, their owners possibly eager to land something, ANYthing… Or perhaps secretly dreading that they will bring up something from the deep, it’s bladder swelling in protest of the sudden removal from its habitat, it’s blind eyes staring in horror at this sudden, painful, far-too-brightly-lit world.
So much raw emotion, avarice, fear, desire, respect, yearning, plotting, considering, boredom, elation, and despair… All in the worn handle of a fishing rod jammed jauntily in a hole on a railing of a boat, somewhere in the Atlantic.
I think it is a beautiful picture.
Comment by geoff — June 22, 2007 @ 12:47 am
No further comment needed after what Geoff just said.
Comment by Mickey — June 22, 2007 @ 8:42 am
What Mickey said.
Also, I am ready to go fishing again!
Comment by JackiOh — June 22, 2007 @ 9:17 am