Distant Uncle Walt W. once said: 

“Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour. Right now!” Our Doodle-Dog Dazy captures this quote perfectly... I think she's a "Life Coach!" 

A TightLine Thing: Dazy Doesn't Miss Minutes

She lives the TightLine Montra!  Never overthinking. Dazy sunbathes like she’s on an all‑inclusive USS Sassy cruise! She does not miss minutes... she greets me after fifteen minutes like I’ve returned from officiating a week-long level 6 tournament in Laredo with Mrs. T.

Dazy nappin on the USS Sassy

She doesn’t save the good stuff for later.

She naps when she wants to.

She doesn’t wait for the “right time” to be happy.

                                            Dazy letting us know - this is the catfish spot!

     

Captains - Rick and Little Wilder at the helm!

Meanwhile, we TightLine Catfisherman rush, worry, and promise ourselves we’ll finally relax when life “calms down.” Spoiler: the waves keep coming!

Dazy walks the same block every day and still finds adventure. She doesn’t need a better me (thank goodness), a better yard, or anything better. She’s all‑in on the TightLine life she                                      already has.                                 

                                                    

                                                 Just along for the adventure 

Maybe that’s the lesson.

Maybe nothing needs upgrading.

Maisie and Dazy

One day she won’t be waiting at the door. But the memories will be, and they’ll still be teaching the same thing she’s been trying to show me all along:

Enjoy your life now.

Because the clock isn’t waiting.

And honestly, the more I watch Dazy, the more convinced I am that she’s the smartest one on the boat.

“There’s no such thing as too much catfish… only too few friends to feed.”

That quote came from one of the volunteers, and it was especially true this week.

We had the honor of serving TightLine Catfish to our friends at Church Under the Bridge, and it was one of those mornings that remind you why our TightLine ministry exists in the first place. Our Family showed up. Friends showed up. Folks grabbed NEW monogrammed aprons provided by my friend Bill, stirred pots, carried trays, and jumped in wherever hands were needed.

And then the line started forming...

Before we knew it, we’d served close to 150 plates, that's 150 stories, 150 smiles, 150 reminders that a simple TightLine catfish meal can do more than fill a stomach. It can lift a spirit. It can slow someone’s day down just long enough for them to feel seen. It can turn a huge parking lot under I35 and 4th Str in Waco, Texas, into a place of fellowship.

We came to serve, but, as always, we left blessed.

Because that’s the TightLine way:
Feed people. Love people. Show up.
And trust that God will take a plate of catfish and turn it into something bigger than food.

Special Thanks to: John, Donna, Liz, Kyle, Megan, Bill, Sherly, Cindy, Wilder, LitWilder, Kamron, Canden, JJ, Elaine (great beans!), and of course - Co-Captain Rick and daBoss - Leni!

TEXAS PARASPORTS GAMES - San Antonio

This is a quick shout-out to the PARA Games Athletes, volunteer Tennis Officials, Ball People, and our Adapted Leader!

Para Games of Texas! You could feel it the moment you stepped onto the Morgans Wonderland tennis courts. Perfect weather - cloudy and breezy from time to time. The sound of wheels cutting across the tennis court surface.

Volunteers came to serve. Simple as that. Barry and Becki W., Mary R., Sheryl S., Rose L., Ruth S., and San Antonio's Cornerstone High School team! They weren’t chasing applause. They were giving their time to athletes who give everything they have to this sport. It’s important to note that this kind of service sits at the center of TightLine. Showing up. Lifting others. Doing the work that lets someone else shine.

Cindy and my granddaughter - Charli! 

A BIG shout‑out to Cindy Benzon (some say shes my sister from another set of parents). Not sure about that because her organizational skills are top-notch. Mine - not-so-much! She has a way of turning chaos into order - especially when im involved. Adapted players across America LOVE HER and her dedication!!! 

My cousin Albert E used to say, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” This weekend, all of our Volunteers lived that out.

And the athletes. Watching any level of WheelChair or ParaStanding player, and you’ll see determination in motion. Our standing adaptive players fight through long points with balance and joy. Competing for the love of the game and MANY friendship connections.

This event was a snapshot of what TightLine believes in. Service. Dignity. Fellowship. My mom and dad taught (my sister Kim and i) early to remember that we’re called to give back. To listen. To be present. To be of value.

To ALL of the volunteers (including my 'Official' Friends), THANK YOU!
To the athletes, we’re ALWAYS better for having watched you play.
And to Cindy, thank you for steering the ship.

See you at the next one, Special Olympics Melissa TX May 1-2 ... COME VOLUNTEER!!!!!!  

ANOTHER TENNIS STORY ON THE TIGHTLINE CATFISHING ADVENTURE SITE!!!!

(To my loyal "catfish only" crowd, give me a minute while I sneak in a little TX tennis passion.)

We just wrapped four days of TAPPS State Tennis Championships, and I’m convinced Texas and TAPPS grows some of the highest‑character kids on the planet (all 650+ of them)!!!

ALL LEVELS:
From the kid who’s still learning that "love" doesn’t mean a hug…
to the one who walks on court like their Baylor scholarship is pending approval. We have some REALLY awesome players and ALL of them are INCREDIBLE PEOPLE!!!

   

Kudos to our outstanding Officials who fielded questions like:
“Wait… we play to 4 points but also 7 points but also 10 points?”
“Do I switch sides now? How about now? Now?”
“What is a match tiebreaker?”
and the classic…
“When will the courts be dry?” (asked approximately every 14 seconds while it was STILL raining).

  
THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HELPED PUSHED WATER (Parents, Players, Coaches, TAPPS Staff!

YES, we had multiple rain delays, restarts, wet courts, impromtu squeegee training sessions, and more problem‑solving than my brother Les Bessellieu covering 10 courts with a dying walkie‑talkie and many very confident coaches. And through it all, the officials stayed steady, calm, patient, and somehow still laughed at mine and Ed Price’s stories, most of which Audie has heard more times than he’ll admit.

Somewhere in the middle of all that motion, kids sprinting, parents pacing, nervous coaches, tennis officials sweating through their polos, a TightLine truth floated to the surface while I was sitting at the tournament desk talking with my little brother Bryan Bunselmeyer (Director/GURU of TAPPS).
The same truth I’ve learned a hundred times sitting in the boat waiting on a catfish that refuses to be rushed:

It’s not a race.
You are not ahead.
You are not behind.
You are here.
ENJOY what God has given you.

And that’s the part most people miss:

The kids who lost early but learned something important.
The officials who squeegeed so many times their smartwatches thought they were training for a marathon.
The parent who finally unclenched after a third‑set tiebreak that aged them a few years.
The freshman getting their first taste of TAPPS State Tennis, eyes as big as the huge TAPPS inflatable tennis ball.

And the seniors… And the seniors… the ones I’ve watched grow up… taking that last walk off a TAPPS court, trying to keep it together while the rest of us quietly feel the weight of it.

And of course - the coach who realized the moment mattered more than the medal (Delaney).

                                       

Nobody was ahead.
Nobody was behind.
We were all just here, in the middle of a great TAPPS Tennis Championship that was messy, meaningful, unpredictable, and absolutely worth it… the kind of moment you know God’s fingerprints are all over.

Just like TightLine Catfishing:
You can’t rush the bite.
You can’t force the moment.
You just show up, stay patient, and let the good stuff happen when it’s ready.

So wherever you are today, on a court, golf course, on a dock, walking the dog, or just catching your breath after a long week:

You’re here.
Enjoy it.
Make the most of it.

That’s TightLine.

     
 

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

From time to time, we love to mix in Tennis with our TightLine Catfishing stories...

here's an "OFFICIAL" one 

TightLine Tennis: The Tennis Lesson

Jane Hammond served for decades as one of the very best tennis officials in Texas, and she’s still going strong, watching tennis every single day. This quick story is about Jane and Rick, and the day Rick decided to settle an old tennis argument, the only civilized way two TightLine people can: on a tennis court, with Dazy and Lake Belton behind them.

I stood at the net as a Roving Umpire, while Dazy patrolled the sidelines like a real Wimbledon Official.

Knowing what Rick was thinking, I shared this thought with them before the match, I quoted something Leni's distant Greek cousin, Aristotle, might have said: “It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Jane nodded.
“Good. Rick, entertain the thought you can beat me,” she said, bouncing the ball like Djokovic before the serve. “Don’t accept it!”

Rick grinned like a man who’d already accepted it anyhow.

Jane served her classic slices, low, deliberate, TightLine‑style, the kind of serve that doesn’t look dangerous until it lands exactly where she planned!

AND OF COURSE - Rick called it "Out!"

I overruled, giving a quick hand signal - calling it in.
Dazy gave Rick the sideways ears-up “you deserved that” stare.

Rick sighed.
“I entertained the thought I won that point,” he said. “Turns out enlightenment is painful.”

He looked at me, then at Jane, and made a good suggestion...
“So… catfishing anyone?”

Jane bounced her ball on the court.
“ONLY after class is dismissed, young man...”

Later that day... 

Co-Captain Rick discovered that a good TightLine catfish catch is better than a tennis beating any day! 

BONUS PICTURES

Here are some special pictures of our Texas award-winning official and the favorite of thousands of tennis players across Texas and the U.S., our friend and family member, Jane Hammond.

Jane is peeking in on me at the tournament desk, making sure I don’t stick Rick on Court 9 again - if you've been to the Charlie McCleary Tennis Center, it's the one held together by hope, duct tape, and prayer.

Jane and Mrs. Vera Lee, one made the calls, the other made the Tennis Center run. 

Together, they kept that tennis center tighter than a TightLine knot.

 

Leni and Jane, incredible ladies, steady hands, wise voices, and two blessings on this Easter I don’t take lightly.

Andre Agassi met greatness that day... and so did Jane!

Special times with the people I love.

2009 USTA/Texas Official of the Year.

Seems like yesterday. No one has touched more players, parents, and officials with more grace and devotion. She’s far more than an umpire; she’s a Texas tennis ambassador through and through. And yes… she’s even got bragging rights over Rick. 

That's "Officially" TightLine certified