Pond Boss Conference 3, from JHAP’s perspectiveI shall begin at the beginning as it seems like an appropriate place to start. I’ll break my conference coverage into several posts, roughly separated by subject matter.
Bob & Debbie Lusk graciously invited us to fly in to Dallas on Tuesday and spend the evening at the Lusk Lodge 2. Who could pass up such an invitation? Bob picked up JWHAP and I at the airport and took us to “Uncle Buck’s Restaurant” that is attached to the Bass Pro Shop in the Dallas area. We had a wonderful lunch with Bob (both the meal and the company) and then headed into the Bass Pro Shop. Bob wanted to pick up some tournament bags to hold the fish to be weighed in, and a few miscellaneous other items.
When we approached the checkout line we stopped at the magazine rack. We found Pond Boss Magazine and Bob picked one up and carried it to the cashier. When the cashier picked up the magazine Bob asked the clerk “Do you sell many of these magazines?” The cashier being rather uninterested replied “I don’t know, we sell a lot of magazines.” Bob then asked “How much is this magazine?” To which the clerk replied “$6.50.” Bob then said “Six and a half bucks! I hope it’s worth it” and Bob then turned and winked to Ricki and I. The clerk never noticed what was going on. I wanted to open the magazine to Bob’s photo inside the front cover and set in on the counter but decided that sometimes the best jokes are inside jokes.
We then headed on to Lusk Lodge 2. For those who have never been to Bob and Debbie’s home, let me just say that photos cannot do this home justice. It is absolutely beautiful!
This is a photo standing in the living room looking past the dinning room into the kitchen, we shared several meals with Bob and Debbie at this table and on the final evening (after the conference) were joined by Scott Tucker from Austrilia, who is a fascinating individual.
Our accommodations were upstairs in their daughter’s room. It is a very beautifully decorated room that has a door that opens and looks out over the kitchen area, a very cool feature! In fact if you look at the photo above you can see where the door opens, it is in the center of the above photo, at the top, where the iron railing is. This beautiful staircase shown below winds it’s way to the upstairs at the Lusk Lodge 2.
As many of you know we lost our beloved cat “Conan” a couple of years back. Ricki found Debbie’s cat “TJ” and instantly fell in love. “TJ” is very affectionate and I really enjoyed his company. Here’s Ricki and TJ…
Bob wanted to drive his “Manly Dodge Truck” to the conference and tow his shock boat. He asked us to drive Debbie’s Jeep to the conference. We filled both with conference supplies, and all of our luggage. It rained during the entire drive from Lusk Lodge 2 to Branson. It was a beautiful six and a half hour trip, the scenery along the way is breathtaking. Here’s a photo of us following Bob..
To conclude this part of the story let me just say this. Bob and Debbie Lusk are two incredible individuals. They welcomed us into their home and made us feel like part of the family. They have an abundance of love to share and they do so very willingly. We feel truly blessed to know them.
