The pic above reveals my latest, and maybe greatest, new temptation. No, not a Honda S2000 sports car, one that tempts me to break every speed limit I can. No, just a regular and slow 4 cylinder Accord. But with a handicapped plate, one that allows the vehicle to park free at meters instead of paying a fee, to park close to stores instead of six miles away, and even to use high occupancy lanes when alone. So why the temptation? I’m not handicapped. Now, my wife has fibromyalgia and qualifies, but only when she’s in the vehicle. Frankly, I’d ...
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image by Easy and Elegant Life
Goodwill to All?
Filled with peace from a challenging worship service, having enjoyed an unusually small crowd at Trader Joe’s to pick up just three items, rejoicing in the onset of the Christmas season once Thanksgiving meals have been digested, heading home to watch my Rams on TV, in the fullness of time I needed to move over to the right side of the two lane road. A large dark SUV cruised half a car length...
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Tweak It a Lot
After enjoying our backyard waterfall for over a year, some serious tweaking came due. Despite our treating the water, the heat of summer caused a lot of algae to grow in the bottom of the pond, and quite a bit of debris had fallen in, like leaves and dust, slowing down the flow noticeably. And worst of all, when I constructed it, no rocks were placed around the sides of the pond, and the black liner showed. Not many Sierra streams reveal plastic lining. For the first step...
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A Man and His Razor
Most men shave most days, and it’s funny the bond you can build with an inanimate object. My face has developed a close friendship with a Gillette Mach 3 razor, ever since a friend, who worked for Gillette, gave me one 15 years ago. I now suspect he merely desired to induce me to buy Mach 3 blades. If so, he won—a lot went on my Costco credit card. That Gillette served me well and pleased me, until last July. On a motorcycle trip to Taos, my longtime friend and riding partner gave me a Schick Quattro, which amazed me at how smoothly it glided over my skin. It gave me a close shave with just one pass of the blade. But…
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Misery--A Choice?
In early October around mid afternoon, the F150 pulled into a campground on Rock Creek. Gear quickly shifted from the truck to the site, I used a flex hose to connect the propane tank to my camp stove, and headed down to the stream for some solo fishing. Not another fisherfolk in sight, and the trout bit eagerly. A great beginning, and I cleaned the two keepers. Time now for dinner, so I got the tamales and chili ready to heat, but the stove
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Tweak It a Bit
Last Saturday Sheila and I relaxed at our waterfall with some wine and cheese and chips to celebrate a new book contract. In the midst of kicking back, I had to rise. Some rocks in the fountain had been moved. Honest, none of you would likely have noticed, but I couldn’t miss the change. Likely from raccoons or coyotes or possums or neighboring cats coming by for a drink. The birds bathe there, but their weight wouldn’t move a rock. One shift caused the water...
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Know Your Target
The location of the above spot on Rock Creek will remain a secret. Well away from any campground or road. No recently stocked trout, so if you happen to find it, forget using Power Bait. Wild trout reign here; at a minimum, stockers have lived here long enough to get cagey. So walk softly, watch your shadows, and stalk the fish with worms. Night crawlers are best. Techniques that land trout in campgrounds with newly stocked trout won’t work here. Ya gotta know the habits and leeriness of your targeted trout. Sharing Jesus...
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Do It Right
Several months ago my sister began begging me to come up from Temecula in SoCal to Redding in NoCal to paint her house. Well, I delayed it, having a lot of our own projects. Sibling love finally won, and I blended in three days of fishing at Rock and Hat Creeks, both on the way. Their house had a nice wow factor, except for the painting. Blah tones of tan and brown and yes, a purplish hue on some. The plan: ...
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