Hank

Our boys were with us when crossed the Continental Divide for the first time last week. We really enjoyed the trip up the Old Fall River Road while in RMNP. If you have a chance to get out there, take the trip up this gravel track. The views are spectacular, and you can have lunch at 11,000+ ft, or just pick some grass.

Hope this wont be Hank's last time up there. We'd love to go back in a few years.

Bessingers... the whole story

I was reminded today of a great article from 2001 in the NYT. Thanks to Karl Z for turning me on to this story a while back. The Bessinger family has a long history of BBQ in the South, and this is worth the read if you're a fan of all things porky.

Customer Service

I lost an old friend two weeks ago. It was sad, but he went out fighting the good fight. I will miss him.
I'm speaking of course of the fly rod I broke while casting on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, GA. Yeah, put up the Kleenex.

The point of writing this is to let anyone interested know that Orivs, although they have gotten a reputation of being more of a clothing company lately, still stands by their fly rods with a 100% guarantee. My old (circa 1999) Trident TL 906-2 broke under strain while I was hauling a back-cast a couple of weekends ago. The rod disintegrated at the ferrule, and I knew it was probably beyond repair. Hopeful for the best, I sent it off to Orvis in VT for inspection.

The call came in from customer service this AM, and they have decided that the rod is beyond repair. They are replacing it with a NEW T3. I'm pumped. They even let me pick a different configuration on the replacement rod, one that will actually work better than the old TL.

Orvis stands by their rods, and I will continue to be a happy customer for years.

It's important to note: their rod policy has changed recently to a 25-year guarantee instead of a lifetime guarantee. That's still pretty stand-up. 25 yrs is a lifetime in rod years (excluding bamboo of course)

Imitation of Life

Roswell GA has great community art programs. Several times a year, the city parks and rec department offers classes at all times of the day on a variety of subjects. The instructor I ended up with the first time my wife forced me to get out and try a class was Maureen Engle. She is a fantastic painting teacher for all skill levels.

I'm addicted to Maureen's "Palette Knife Acrylics" class and have taken it three years in a row now. We just wrapped up the course for the Spring 2010 session, and there is a free student show at the Roswell Visual Arts Center from late May through early July.

Many of the current students have art posted there, so you should go take a peek if you're in the area.

Here's my favorite work from this year, an acrylic of a juvenile brown trout in a mountain stream.
Makes me want to go fishing or at least go take some more photos.

If your community offers public classes through the city, county, or university nearby, I urge you to take advantage. You just might find that you love to create!

Little ones mean big ones

Erik Masefield and I floated from Abbott's Bridge to Medlock Bridge durin gthe nice low water period yesterday and caught 20 fish, of these 16 were wild browns. Our river is supporting a fine population of S. trutta and their numbers seem to be growing.

 I applaud Chris Martin for originating the study which will possibly grant the Chattahoochee a higher priority with regard to protection against sedimentation. It's working, keep it up. If it can be tagged as primary trout water, we'll all be better off down the road.

Mmmmmm

"Mmmm! I can't wait to take this sharp knife and fork and dig into this plate of... WAIT A MINUTE!!" "That's PORK! - That's ME!"

I chuckle every time I see the Slopes logo. The image may be cannibalistic, but they do cook a fine ham. The sauce is yummy too.
Check em out next time you're in metro Atlanta and are craving a not-so-messy BBQ sandwich.

Eight years ago today...

Scotty and I were married. We're still best friends. I wouldn't change a minute of the past and I look forward to every second of the future. She's a brave soul, a beautiful wife, a fantastic debate partner and a great mother to our children.

Happy Anniversary.

Love you babe,

T