where we were wading
Photo by J. Harrington
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It felt great to be back in the water, watching for rises, seeing the wildflowers and pollinators along the bank, being careful to avoid the wild parsnip. We may need to reconsider having foregone the PT exercises for our right shoulder. Standing in a stream, waving a stick, as John Gierach writes, requires a certain amount of physical and mental coordination and stamina. We need to stop making excuses and get back to getting out more. We will admit to cheating by carrying our cell phone in our fly vest. That's what let us take the pictures you can see today. We didn't use it to call anyone, honest. Don't report us to the ghost of John Volker [aka Robert Traver].
butterfly on Joe Pye weed
Photo by J. Harrington
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Testament of a Fisherman
By John Voelker
“I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful,
and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the
television commercials, cocktail parties and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world
where most men spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of
delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or
impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect
that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don’t want to waste the trip; because
mercifully there are no telephones on fishing waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without
loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup tastes better out there; because maybe someday I will
catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I
suspect that so many other concerns of men are equally unimportant — and not nearly so much fun”
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Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.
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