Author: TomR
Government Shutdown, And Other Empty Language
I’ve made reference to George Carlin in a number of my posts. I consider him to be one of the top two standup comedians of all time (the other is Richard Pryor). But more than a simply a comedian, George…
The Economics of Commercial Fly Tying
I’ve started to dip my toe in the waters of fly tying. I take my first class at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop on January 4th. I think it is going to be fun to learn tying and it will…
Gink and Gasoline on the New Orvis Marketing
Gink and Gasoline has a new post reflecting on the ways Orvis is changing the way it markets itself. Orvis understands it has an image problem – derided by a good number of critics for many years a “lifestyle company”…
Winter Solstice 2013
Winter arrived this morning at 9:11 A.M., Pacific Standard Time. This afternoon sunset was at 4:22 P.M. With sunrise at 7:55 A.M., we had a total of 8 hours, 27 minutes of sunlight in our shortest day of the year…
November Elegy: Thanksgiving 2013
November is a time of mixed emotions, and this year never more so. November is when, particularly after the switch from Daylight Savings Time, the sun disappears for more than 14 hours each day in the Pacific Northwest. The hours…
Salem Oregon’s Last Fly Fishing Store to Close
Creekside Flyfishing is the last fly fishing store in Salem, Oregon. It has announced it will close its doors on November 30th. The reasons are the same as many other fly shops: the rise of internet sales and the crash…
The Rake Replaces the Rod This Weekend
November is typically the month of wind and rain in Puget Sound. This year is no exception. We had the first winter storm come in over night and into the morning hours. People in a number of areas across the…
Sling Packs
The fly fishing vest has been the garment that for decades marked someone as a fly fisher. Originally made of cotton canvas, the short-waisted vest with its many pockets was as distinctive as the fly rod and reel. Over time,…
On the Beach: The Fukushima 21st Century Version
One of my favorite movies is On the Beach. Released in 1959, it is a post-apocalyptic story of a group of people in Australia waiting for a radiation cloud to spread over them after a nuclear war in the northern hemisphere….