Got You Over a Barrel
Despite my reputation in some quarters as a curmudgeon, I really like giving gifts. Not a sweater or a gift card or some crap like that, but something that I expect to be meaningful to the recipient. I’m sure there have been a few misses along the way, but on the whole I think that Hanna and I do a pretty good job.
One of our favorites in recent years was a wedding gift to our friends Aaron and Kristine Rygas. We’d met them in person for the first time at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, and we’d been back with them on several occasions. They must’ve liked it down there, because they chose to get married in Mazatlan and then honeymoon at the lake.
On Etsy (no, I don’t hide my passion for surfing this endless rabbit hole), I found the LakeboundShop. They make a variety of items involving lake maps, including metal signs, wood signs and various prints and apparel, but the thing that caught my attention were her rustic barrel ends. Her catalog included plenty of well-known tournament lakes, including Cherokee, Norman, Bull Shoals, Lake of the Ozarks, Guntersville and many more, but not surprisingly they hadn’t expanded into Mexico.
Fortunately, I had a map, and after an inquiry they agreed to take a shot at it. The work was impeccable and I hoped that Aaron and Kristine enjoyed it more than another gravy boat or toaster – although we all joked that in addition to marking the spot of the lodge, we should also point out where Aaron lost his phone and the fish of a lifetime. Tough crowd, but even with the occasional ride on the struggle bus, we know that the good Mexico memories outweigh the bad ones.
