DIFFERENT STROKES
Not Soup To Nuts
but cheese to ice to flies
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| NOT A CORK BUT, A $500.00 ROUND OF BLUE STILTON CHEESE |
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.. The growing midwinter madness is becoming very apparent in our little village. It's a time when diversions reach proportions seldom seen in rational humans.
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| RICH FOLKS VISIT YELLOWSTOME |
.. Dog sled teams are running the trails and their enthusiastic yapping punctuates both day and night.
.. The very wealthy and very affluent visitors with large amounts of discretionary cash have reserved their guided visit to Yellowstone National Park.
.. At over $125.00/day/each person, (not counting food, lodging, souvenirs, or a night out with the family,) the park becomes an elitist retreat during the snow season.
.. On the other hand, our frozen reservoir is now populated with little clusters of dark specks. No, not penguins, but ice fishers: normal folks enjoying the outdoors and the bounty of introduced fish. There are tracks and trails frozen in the surface from snomachines on their errant travels. There are bits of humpy color that delineate shelters of all kinds: - tents to tarps to shanty's.
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| JIGGLE A STIFFY |
.. Two glorious rounds of Blue Stilton Cheese have arrived in our village. Wonderfully ripe and smelly as all get out, they are - yum! These will be shared at secret locations, augmented by sauteed pears, apples, walnuts, and shortbread - some Vintage Port and Tawny Port bottles have also made their appearance.
..This is the time of year when the rich folks pretend to be normal. The poor folks pretend to be rich. The average folks go about their business working hard and servicing both groups.
.. Ice hole fishing has been very good this year on Hebgen Reservoir. It has drawn quite a few of the neighbors. Even, it has indeed, sucked in a pile of normally sane fishers of the fly. Giant Whitefish are the prize. They smoke nicely and supplement the standard winter fare of canned fruits and vegetables.
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| HAPPY AND HEADED FOR HOME |
.. Much of the ice hole fishing is targeted at finding good places for the upcoming Cabela's NAIFC Tournament. This years event takes place next weekend.
.. In addition to the standard rigs that include meal worms, maggots, and hamburger bits, there is one fly making a good showing on the frozen lake = chartreuse green stiff hackle flies have brought to hand some real trophies.
.. These flies are fished by the true experts. They demand a skilled hand to impart the enticing action required to stab a 22" Brown Trout in the lip.
.. Over the past few years the response to this tournament has been so overwhelming that there is a limit of 150 teams this year. In addition to the nationally sponsored teams, each pub is sponsoring a couple of teams. Some restaurants and motels are sponsoring teams. Interestingly there are no church-sponsored teams.
.. At this writing, (like right now,) there are a handful of spots still open for the $14,000.00 to $21,000.00 pay out anticipated for this year's tourney.
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| KIDS OF ALL AGES ATTEND THE FREE ACTIVITIES |
.. Of course it's not enough to have just an ice fishing tournement on the weekend. The West Yellowstone Fun Run for sled dogs is also on tap. Check the Official Fun Run Page for details. National and International teams are entered and the local pubs, restaurants, motels, and no churches are sponsoring our neighborhood teams as well.
.. Throughout the weekend will also be activities for the very popular KIDS 'N' SNOW events. There are ice hole seminars for the kids and free fishing gear as well.
.. Bring the youngsters and enjoy all the happenings: ice fishing, sled dog rides, ice skating, snow sledding, etc. Attendance and observation is free for all ages and all events - including the churches.
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| WALLPAPER (LOAF #9): FARMHOUSE RUSTIC WHITE |