Pleasure Island Online

by Christine Mayo

Captain Rick Bennett, owner and operator of Rod-Man Fishing Charters, takes pride in his fishing.Captain Rick provides the best equipment, including his own Rod-Man custom made fishing rods, tackle bait and ice. You need bring only the excitement, and your food and drink. A family atmosphere is maintained and children are welcome. All fishing is with light tackle so you can “fight the fish, not the tackle.”

Whether you are a fishing novice or seasoned angler, Captain Rick will use his extensive skills to enhance your fishing adventure. The boat is located at Wrightsville Beach, at Seapath Yacht Club, one of the finest on the coast. You will find the experience to be first class in every way.

Captain Rick has been building custom fishing rods since 1984 and is a member of RodCrafters of America! He has built every rod type from fly rods to ultra-lite spinning rods to bluewater marlin rod. His custom rod is designed for an individual, considering his physical dimensions, type of fishing, reel and line choices and any cosmetic preferences.

Captain Rick also holds his Rod-Man Annual Fishing School each year. Topics include inshore/near shore fishing Rod-Man Style, fishing techniques, how to throw cast net, rigging, must know knots. surf fishing techniques and much, much more! I can tell you from personal experience the school is very interactive, and the speakers are quite knowledgeable.

Captain Rick Bennett has 50 + years of fishing experience and has created a strong demand for his charter services, custom fishing rods, and seminar instruction. Rod-Man Charters offers saltwater fishing at its finest! Visit Rod-Man Charter

And don’t forget to check out The Gill Wetter Online, get your bragging rights!

  

by Suzanne VanDeGrift

Still life photography is a great way to hone your photography skills and develop some new techniques. Since there’s no movement involved, you don’t have to rush your shot. Research the best location for lighting, which is one of the key elements in getting a good still life image, along with good balance and framing.

We’re surrounded by a wealth of good (and some not so good) still life photographs. The supermarket shelves are lined with magazines that are full of still-lifes. That monthly magazine with the luscious recipe followed by the picture that convinces you that you just have to make that dish. Or, the flower arranging article that gives beginning to end instructions with the “end” showing a beautiful floral arrangement. Look at as many different still-lifes as you can find. Study them. See what makes them work, or what you might change about them. Then, grab your camera bag and get ready to make your own creations.

Gather some of your beautiful treasures and begin putting them together in ways that is pleasing to your eye. A good still-life can take a lot of time to set up so don’t be in a hurry. Take your time and enjoy the process. Use colors that work together, along with shapes and lines that create your desired result. Look through your camera lens from different angles and adjust the collection until you have the image you’re looking for, then start photographing.

Don’t clutter the picture. Keep the background plain. You can get this affect by using a product called seamless, which is a professional backdrop paper or by using a simple piece of fabric in a color which compliments the still-life you are going to set up. If you’re taking your still-life outdoors, consider nature”s backdrops. Pack your favorite camera bag and head out to the local marina. A beautiful sailboat captured against a clear blue sky produces an impressive still-life image.

Whenever possible, natural light is preferred over the camera flash. The goal is normally to achieve a feeling of tranquility and peaceful beauty. This can be difficult to accomplish with the glaring light that comes from the built-in camera flash. If you’re photographing indoors, you can position your items to take advantage of the soft light streaming in a window, which will create some awesome shading. You could also use lamps or recessed lighting to provide your atmosphere.

If you started out shooting your still-lifes using the traditional fruits, vegetables and flowers, once you feel comfortable, start being a little more daring. Gather items that make a statement about you. If you love to fish, put together a still-life of fishing poles, lures, and an old creel. If you love photography, set up your camera bag with some accessories and a couple favorite pictures you’ve taken. Let your imagination work for you. Consider doing some still-lifes in black and white for a dramatic affect. Experiment and enjoy!
About the Author
Suzanne VanDeGrift has developed this article for M-ROCK.COM, manufacturer of highly functional camera bags with an incredible array of user-friendly features.

  

by ROBIN OBRIEN

One of my earliest childhood memories is learning to knit from my grandmother. Being one of four girls in my family of six children, I was the only who took any interest in it. To do this day, I believe my grandmother and I had a special connection because of our common love of knitting. My grandmother was a gifted knitter. She was also a very talented at crochet, needlework and was a part-time seamstress. My earliest and most vivid memories of her was when she was doing some sort of needlework. Not only was she a brilliant practitioner of knitting but she was also a great teacher. She possessed what any good teacher has: patience. I am left handed and she was right. How she kept calm, when thinking backwards and trying to teach a child, I’ll never know.

I was about eight years old when she taught me the basic chain stitch. During that summer I crocheted a chain that went around the entire outside of my house two times! It was quite the talk of the neighborhood. My mother helped me measure it, though I can’t remember how long it was exactly.

I soon progressed to knitting. My most prized possession is my grandmother’s collection of needles all wrapped up in a silk needle holder. It was originally given to her by my grandfather as a birthday present. My mother gave them to me some years ago - after my grandfather’s death - almost twenty years after the death of my grandmother.

My passion for it lasted into my early twenties but marriage and the early years of raising my own children put a moratorium on it. However, I never gave up needle work entirely, and found myself learning new skills like cross stitching, quilt making and rug hooking.

Then a friend introduced me to hand dyed yarns. I just loved the texture and color of these yarns and I soon began knitting again. I made everything, from scarves and sweaters to felted purses and hats. I now knit constantly, making clothing for friends and family.

It was at the time I rediscovered knitting that my father became very ill. My mother was a keen practitioner during my childhood and I suggested that she take it up again. I thought it would help her to find peace while sitting with my father in the hospital for months. She also discovered the joy of working with hand dyed yarn from companies like Twisted Sisters Yarn and Rio De La Plata Yarn.

I’m sure my father found peace in my mother sitting quietly knitting while he lay there in that hospital bed. I still remember that final day with the family all around his bedside, waiting for him to pass. Waiting for his passing, my mother and I pulled out our needles and yarn and managed to found solace in doing this familiar activity during such a sad time in our lives!

Every Friday night my mother now comes over to my house for supper. She always brings her wool and needles with and we do our projects together. For the most part we sit there in silence, though we are somehow connected - like two balls of wool.

She says that I’m plain nuts when it comes to knitting; she laughs when we take my children to the movies and I have to sit under a dim light so I can do my knitting through the movie!

I’m so happy to have this craft back in my life - it’s like a reunion of long lost friends. It brings me such tranquility and calm in this busy world I find myself in. Just as I felt I had a special bond with my grandmother through knitting, I feel I have a stronger bond with my mother because of our love of it. I’m pleased to say that my daughter and one of my sons have even learned.

Follow the links for more information about hand dyed yarn like K1C2 Yarn as well as other beautiful yarns like Sirdar Yarn