Looks like it is a monthly blog

Greetings, take me to your leader. (fly fishing humor) OK, I know I promised to post more often, but sometimes it just doesn't strike me. I notice the last post was June 19, today is July 19, I apparently have the monthly muse.

The past month has been fun, hardly seems like a month has passed! I mentioned previously that we found a great Vet for Koda. He seems to think so too, brought him in and he walked right up to the door! Then in, sniffed around and sat to wait his turn. We may have to move here for this Vet.

Finally found some potted basil for Jolene at the local florist. Very nice lady, she pulled the last three basil plants out of 3 herb pots (containing a garden of herbs) and re-potted for me. We may have to move here for service like this.

As you can see by my picture the fly fishing bug has hit me, why else would I be dressed so goofy. The typical wind pants and shirt are really comfortable! The waders are fun to be able to walk that deep into a river without getting wet. The fish catching is a bonus.

This past week I rode my motorcycle up to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for four days of fly fishing instruction. What a great time. You know the old small world thing, well, one of the guys in the class was raised in the next town over from us back in RI. He and I graduated the same year from high school. We were probably at the same football game on opposite sides of the field. (our schools were in same division) We both left RI about the same time for the military, (different branches), and neither live in RI any longer. Had some fun talking about things there. Del's, Newport Creamery, chowder the right way etc...

During the fly fishing course, we learned all sorts of new things. How to read the stream, looking at the edges, or changes in the appearance of the water. Indicators of current, eddys etc. Places where a fish would wait for prey. Prey being a floating caddis or a swimming nymph. How to cast to get your fly just upstream, letting it float down to the fish. How to attempt to outsmart a fish with a brain the size of a pea. I think hey may use all of their brain, we only use a small percentage of ours.

After 2 days of practice casting we were finally deemed ready for water and hooks. Off to the Soda Butte, and casting, wading, casting, finding edges, cut banks, casting, drifting. Just no fish. After talking with others on the stream we found that they had no luck either, the fish just weren't rising. Oh well, that's fishing.

Later we headed to the Lamar River, for the 'Magic Hour'. Couple of the other guys an I headed to here we were sent. Quite a walk, but magical place. Still no fish, but just being there, looking around, working on getting the cast to where we wanted it. Didn't work on the fish, but it was Magic nonetheless.

Last day of the class we went out to the Slough Creek. (pronounce it Slue Crick) We finally got things to crick, I mean click! Up and down the creek fish on! I caught a nice cutthroat trout. Others in the class caught their share as well, a cutbow, a rainbow, a brook. Nice way to graduate!

After returning to the Ranch Rhea presented us with our certificates and a talisman for our fly gear. Rhea has fished all over the world and when in these exotic locations she collects a small remembrance in the form of stones, and rocks. I received a beautiful piece of obsidian collected on a river in California near the Oregon line. Appropriately it looks wet. (wet stone, get it?)

Well, my class was done, and time to get back to Old Faithful. Repack the bike for the journey and ride the 70+ miles. (all IN the park).

One last little bit. As I have mentioned, the wildlife is wild here. On the way I found a small gang of elk ladies relaxing comfortably in a meadow, just watching the traffic go by.

That's all for now. I PROMISE I'll try to make it less than a month.