Early August saw my son in law David and two grandsons Josh and Gavin and me heading to the Sierras for some stream trout fishing. We use the classic Sierra stream rig: a limber fly rod with automatic fly reel and 4 lb. monofilament with nightcrawlers, or grasshoppers—when we can catch them. That set up allows us to reach all of a stream, with brush and trees at the water’s edge, without spooking the wild trout. The key is…
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Old Cats and New Tricks
We hear it a lot, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” A more serious form, “People just don’t change.” A bit sceptical. But perhaps, if an independent, self-willed, and amoral stray cat can change, then dogs have hope. Maybe even people.We already had…
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image from tripadvisor.com
See the Big Picture
That pic doesn’t look like much of a goal—the Motel 6 in Dillon MT. The spacious but sparse room had a good bed and an acceptable shower. But it had a larger meaning: I challenged myself and pushed my limits, and survived. Earlier we explored my Iron Butt attempt to ride over 1,000 miles on a bike in one day at age 70 (May 18 and June 15) but let’s keep a wise perspective and learn…
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Breakfast on Rock Creek
A Tale of Two Conversations
Needing regular mountain fixes, I headed up to my beloved Rock Creek: a narrow canyon thrusting into the heart of the Sierras, a nice stream tumbling down the lowest points, the dry land covered with Ponderosa Pines and aspens and meadows and enlivened with blue jays seeking handouts. The pic above shows my breakfast, where our story begins. I had just finished fajitas and eggs and bacon for breakfast and brought out my tablet to work on some poems, Unconventional posts and a book proposal when…
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Cedar City Restaurant
Find Your Limits
About a month ago, an “Unconventional” post examined our need to challenge ourselves, using the slogan, “If you don’t push your limits, you’ll never learn the true extent of your abilities and motivations and faith.” I firmly believe that, and encourage all to wisely and strategically push the possible. But that coin has a reverse side. Only when we push our limits can we learn them. Othewise, we guess, we act in fear or foolishness. And wise folks…
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image from zazzle.com
No Whining
I understand how many Christians have genuine concerns for our changing culture, where we’ve abandoned the Judeo/Christian ethic. I share that. But perhaps we should tweak our attitudes in how we respond. A friend on FB recently mentioned a post on spiritual matters that was deleted by the FB “Powers That Be.” A flood…
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Go Slow
Remember the title a few weeks ago for a post “Start Hard?” Now it’s “Go Slow.” This apparent contradiction doesn’t necessarily express early onset dementia, but reflects the complexity and paradoxes of life. In setting up the coffee pot for the next AM, I fill the pot and pour it into the reservoir. I’ve learned to start the flow slowly, but once established, I can gush it in, like the pic. Without spilling. But starting fast would…
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Try the Unexpected
We purchased this Hoover vacuum over 25 years back, when just about all our floors had carpeting. So it got a lot of use, with only a few minor repairs. One of those occurred last week, when the rubber drive belt connecting the shaft to the roller shredded itself. Wearing an N95 COVID mask, I picked up a new belt at a local store, and utterly failed to get the new one on. Before, I’d slide out the roller, put the belt on it, then use a screwdriver to pull the belt onto the shaft. Well, either the rubber is more stiff than before, or my hand strength isn’t quite what it was. Assume…
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