Early October of this year featured a five-day trip to Rock Creek, about 25 miles north of Bishop on 395. This celebrated a Riter centennial: Dad first traveled up here on a washboard dirt road in 1925, and he got me hooked on Sierra fishing, camping, and Fords. On the second day, my sis now living in Kentucky called, and the topic of trout came up. She declared she didn’t care for them, too many bones. Being trained in debate, and knowing the tastiness of trout, I used an old line, “Life is like eating fish: pick out and discard the bones, and enjoy the meat.”
She didn’t buy that, but…
Read MoreTrue confession time—not only am I a bit of a Christmas junkie, but this post is revised from earlier, because the concept haunts me. Our displays seem so bright and cheery and sanitary, but the first Christmas differed, and the difference impacts our following. So, let’s think about that first one.
His parents were alone, far from home and family, and likely delivered their firstborn…
Read MoreMy two years in Taos transformed my life—giving me challenges and encouragement to enter the ministry, making lifelong deep friends. Something about the plains yielding to the mountains, the striking crystal-clear blue sky, the blend of three cultures, and soul thrilling outdoor options. I suspected John Denver had been reading my mail in his line, “He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he’d never been before.” I came, I saw, I loved it, I knew it.
But when Rich and I rode into Taos last summer…
Read MoreUntil he moved away, Jim and I met regularly at the Swing Inn in Old Town Temecula. Breakfast and God talk and job and health issues and well, just life. Guy times. Good times. Once, Jim brought up a friend of his who had a marvelous job opportunity in another state, and every step seemed orchestrated by God. Prayer inundated it all. They asked for input from trusted friends. Too many coincidences to be coincidental. The job turned out to be the proverbial “died and gone to heaven” type. Until…
Within a few months, the job ended, bringing financial devastation. Jim wondered why? Where was God when he seemed so involved in the move?…
Read MoreI know just enough science to trouble me, yet not enough to create a profession. My high school chem and physics captivated me, and I even taught junior high science for two years. My Sierra trips awoke an interest in geology and astrophysics, enough to purchase a graduate level text, “Annals of the Former World.” Frequent visits to a dictionary help me understand it. Guess getting philosophical and theological were destined at French Camp on…
Read MoreThe pic comes from the movie A River Runs Through It, taken from Norman Maclean’s book, recounting the mostly true lives of a Presbyterian pastor in Missoula MT in the early 1900s and his two sons. Notice the beautiful writing in these early excerpts, but more so, notice how Maclean weaves his faith into all he does, including fly fishing.
“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing…
Read MoreWe all know to read the directions before we start any project that requires assembly…or chemicals, but many think we can do it own our own. Unsettling when we see leftover parts. But perhaps we need to extend the truism of “read the directions,” to “stay fresh with directions.” We learned that the hard way.
If you have stainless steel, as in a sink, BBQ grill, or others, we recommend “Bartender’s Friend,” designed to work on stainless, aluminum, and porcelain. It’s served us…
Read MoreSerendipity: the marvelous surprise of discovering something pleasant and unplanned. Our bike trip to Taos last summer met that standard. Rich and I picked out a date in our busy summers that worked, made reservations ahead, only to discover on our arrival that Fiestas de Taos was in full swing. Fiestas bring a festive tone, fun, and a lot of crowds. Surprisingly, we got a fine rate at the classic Sagebrush Inn, with a nice room. Even better, their restaurant featured music every evening.
On Friday we rode 25 miles to Penasco, and on our return…
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