Fishing Santa Monica............

A Mid Summer's Eve.......

Summer 2006 and my thoughts turn to hot summer nights in Manila.

The following story is true but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

[b]Rum, coke and matches......[/b]

Many years ago, on a hot summer night. We were downing Tanduay brand rum and cokes behind a neighbor's giant mango tree. Suffice it to say, we were not of drinking age then. We had bought the booze in those flat bottles, pint size I think they were and as goes with juvy drinking, we were smoking cigarettes too. What goes with cigarettes? Matches!

At the point where reason suffers and stupid human tricks reign (this comes after the 4th pint amongst 5 juvy's), one of my bud's started playing with an empty bottle of rum. Rum, as you may know, is one of the most volatile hard liquors. Highly flamable. He had lit the open end of an empty rum bottle and "Wooooooooshhhhh!" A long blue flame akin to the exhuast of an F16 fighter came out from the bottle accompanied by a reasonably loud whistling sound. KEEEEEEWL! we chorused.

"Let me try one!", says Rolando. And so he did. This time, the woosh was louder and the bottle actually moved a few inches.

Five young men were slowly nodding to themselves fully satisfied with their evening. Drunk, stoked and amused.

As there were more bottles to set aflame, we proceeded. "My turn!" said Elijude. He laid a bottle on the hardpack ground next to the small wooden stool he was sitting on. Got a match, struck, and put the flame to the mouth of the open bottle. Again a 6 inch long blue flame went woooshing out. Woooooooooooossssshhhhhhhhh! It probably lasted 3 or 4 seconds. Let me remind you that we have been drinking for a while. Elijude's reflexes were not to sharp at this point. Nor was his mind. When he lit the bottle, he had forgotten to pull his hand away from flame. Wooooosssshh! Willey E. Coyote could not have had as blank a stare on his face when Elijude realize that his thumbnail had melted and he had third degree burns on his thumb and three other fingers.

We were quite sober when Elijude got discharged from the ER.

Gangsta Fly Fishing! LA style:)