Baseball used to be the known as America’s National Game – replaced, sadly for many reasons, by the dominating colossus of the National Football League. But for many decades, baseball was The Game with hot summer days spent on dusty local fields, and with warm summer nights spent at a…

Orvis, as they did last year, launched its Moment of Chill for holiday season. These are short videos that can lift one’s emotions with a trip into nature with no commentary and only a restful musical score. In an always stressful holiday season, this year compounded many times over by…

While the resolution of the 2020 election works its way through appeals, denials and temper tantrums, the transition continues to the eventual inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20th, 2021. Depending on their political affiliation, if any, people are ecstatic, angry, or indifferent – and yes, there are many of…

Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, has written much better than I did on the subject of my last post. His is a jeremiad about the corporate state and the risks it poses to life on Earth and our continuance as a civil society. You can read his post from…

“On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” – H.L. Mencken The next “election for America’s soul” is taking place in two weeks on November 3rd, through whenever…

Orvis has an update on the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska. Pebble Mine would threaten Bristol Bay and its world-leading sockeye salmon run. With Trump facing less than 100 days before the election and possible (but not certain) end of his term, it’s clear the administration will do everything it…

Yesterday, we saw a truck similar to the one shown above when we passed through Belfair, Washington; the truck we encountered had two American flags.  We were returning from a day trip to Twanoh State Park where we had taken our dogs for some exercise and for us to get…

Yesterday, Terri and I went north about five miles to Olalla for a couple of hours of fly fishing. Down the stairs near Al’s Market (now closed – hopefully only temporarily) and then along the beach. We hoped to catch the outgoing tide so we arrived near the lower high…

Marabou is a feather used in fly-tying. Primarily used as wings or tails – and around here it’s the most common tail for saltwater streamers , its soft consistency gives it lifelike movement when the fly is retrieved through the water. Marabou originally came from an African stork of the…

Reading an essay by Tom McGuane is always a pleasure. This one, from The Longest Silence (published 2001), is about how people choose fly rods. What should seem to be a logical process mostly isn’t. EVERY FLY FISHERMAN has an unreasoning view of fly rods; and I am no different….