Awkward Anticipation

OUR TOURIST TOWN

Visitor Dependent

very real concerns

. . .  AND THEY SHALL COME ..... NPS / Neal Herbert

-------   

.. Already there are grumblings about the safety of the upcoming warm season amongst the retail community and, the possible impact of coronavirus, (SARS-CoV-2.)
.. There is an old Chinese proverb: “Discover a beautiful place, announce it to the world, the world arrives, and it is beautiful no more.” There is no question that Yellowstone National Park will feel the effects of the virus, (LINK.)
..  Right now the conversational focus is on visitation from China, yet, we receive visitors from around the world. And, even if, visits to the United States from China are now down slightly - they will pick up.

LINK

.. The concerns and conversations center around prevention  of the contagion spreading. The key in this little village is surface contamination, product contamination, personal space proximity, and other conventional concerns.
.. Although the virus will die quickly in dry environments outside of the host, (that's us,) our counter tops are full of moist hand prints. Restaurants and hotels have moist surfaces. Cans and packaging in grocery stores are handled in bunches, etc. There are simple ways to reduce the possibility of transmission.

SIMPLE PRACTICES

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 30 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

-----  

.. The CDC has an extensive list of potential pitfalls for folks: their recommendations are HERE.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.

• CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
• Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to  others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

.. We are comforted by our president's edict that every thing is under control, the pandemic won't spread here and, that it will go away quickly.

-----

.. Those of us that have visited Yellowstone National Park regularly have seen the impact of increased visitation and reduced staff and upkeep budgets.
..  The degraded visitor experience is now making inroads into the popular mindset of the general public. We would like to point out a couple of recent articles that illustrate the point:
>>  Parks seek ways to manage crowds, cars,
>>  A Sad Tale of Photographing in Yellowstone.

------- 

WALLPAPER: SWEEDISH MEATBALLS - FROM TURKEY (PROOF)

Week O' Warm

SPRING HOVERING

Winter Still Nigh

neighbors dance in streets 

WALLPAPER:  GETTING READY

-------  

PREDICTED ICY ROADS IN THE MORNING

.. Conditions are ripe for false hopes. Yet, we allow ourselves to be fooled. Daylight Saving Time is just two weeks away. And, as John Muir said; "Spring's work is going on with joyful enthusiasm."

.. Our head, in light of the calendar, says that  we need tie no more piles of flies.
.. We are busy putting off the onerous task of packing fly boxes for specific occasions. We are thinking deeply of cleaning and waxing the fly rods.
.. Our cogitations run toward washing and treating our fly lines, (we did it last fall but it can't hurt to make sure.) Of course the reels will need some attention as well!
.. We'll get it all done, right after the next winter blast blows through.
.. This is an iffy time of the year. We can fish early IF the runoff is not too early. We can scope out the park IF the runoff is on time. We can drive the trails IF the neighborhood melt is on time. We can pop a bear IF they come close enough. We can gather up bushels of hungry trout IF ice out is slow and steady.
.. For most of the neighborhood kids Spring is just a calendrical notation. They've been fishing pretty steady for the last few months anyway. We're truly pleased with the arrival. It means that our old legs have made it through the dark time. It means more mud and less ice. It means hopes and dreams that have been put off have one more chance to come to fruition. Hooray & Yippee Shit it's Spring.

-----  

.. We need to point out a nifty bit of reading that appeared over at Chi Wulff [LINK.]
.. We, in our stuffy habits, have  been selecting fly lines for fly rods based on anticipated conditions and situations for years.
.. Rod and line numbers, for us, have fallen by the wayside long years ago. If your gear is not working as you feel it should, something should be changed.

.. Many folks just go to the counter help and buy a whole new rig. Ahhhhhh, just what the industry wants. It's important to become intimate with your tools. Practice on the grass at the park. Take several reels and lines. Imagine the short stuff. Imagine the long shots. Practice, practice, practice.
.. We frequently fall back on double taper lines of various weights. Old fashioned indeed. Works wonders.
.. We carry bits and pieces of lead core to adjust for the situation. We've even been known to finagle a paper clip or two for fine adjustments.
.. Testicles from the lead finch are a last resort.  Well worth the read [LINK.]

------- 

WALLPAPER:  MEATBALLS

Spring Foolers

A PAIR TO DRAW TO

The Neighbors Know

simple basics

THE BIRD'S NEST MIDGE OR, THE FUZZY JOHN

------- 

.. With the warming daytime temperatures, (40°F upcoming soon,) the neighbors have added two simple flies to their arsenal for stabbing trout.

MADISON CLARET

.. These patterns take advantage of the increasing vittles available to our finny friends. On bright quiet days in early afternoon the midges come out to play. Their  larva float at the surface for a little while. This makes them easy pickings for trout; especially in still water.
.. Of course fishers with surface inclinations just drop the 'Bird's Nest Midge', (Fuzzy John,) in amongst them and haul away.
.. For those fishers with a more questionable continuance the 'Madison Claret' is the pattern of choice. 
.. The deep red of the dry-tied fly changes both it's hue and chroma when wet. This pattern is fished slowly in the shoreline seams near bottom. Consensus is that it imitates freshly dropped eggs. Just could be!

-----

.. We confess to being out in the tame areas on only a couple of times in the last few weeks. Old legs and frozen guides are an obstacle that is a new bit of frustration for us.

------- 

WALLPAPER:  COOKED AND ICED AND READY TO DIP

A Winter's Delight

LOCAL IS BEST

New London, CT

open 5 PM 'til close

WELL WORTH THE TIME - GOOD RECIPE AND INFORMATION

------- 

.. When the kids down the block go on a tear they wander through the interwebs with gay abandon. They bumped into this site and we were cajoled into watching it. Quite a mesmerizing bit of entertainment.
.. It brings to mind a phrase that may be full of more truth than meets the gray matter! "Never trust a skinny cook."
.. We're pleased to mention COOKING WITH THE BLUES. Below is a bit of kitchen entertainment that we watched a couple of times: in the dark of a winter's day. Just can't tie flies for more than 4 hours at a time. Ran into a slow spot in the book So. . . . . . .

FOLLOW THE RECIPE:

WATCH THE MEASUREMENTS

..

-----  

SKITTERING MIDGE

.. We're having "See Saw Weather:" thirty below at night and, melty in the day. It's about right for this time of year. The snowfall is dwindling to flurries out of clear skies. The morning fog is a result of the air warmed by wood stoves and the wonderfully aromatic aromas of carcinogenic smoke.
.. The neighbor kids woke us up in the dark of the morning and demanded coffee. We did stumble through it and were regaled with tidbits of of tales of big fish Between The Lakes - and at the boat ramp at the head of Quake Lake. No snakes yet as the fish are still moving upstream toward the dam.
.. We yawned and propped open the eyelids - THEN -  back to the sack. It had cooled off. Damn!

------- 

WALLPAPER:  CLAM CHOWDER

More Fly Fun

SPIFFY DIFFY

A Suite Of Plastic

makflies at it again

THREADLESS  ??

-------  

.. The neighbor kids have embarked on a quest for the perfect modern fly. Of course they have become great fans of makflies [LINK.]
.. We've not delved into this morass of synthetic magic yet. Hell, we've got trunks full of bird feathers and critter fur dating from the Herter's era. Maybe some day?
.. Here's a couple of the neighborhood favorites:

..

..

_______ 

.

WALLPAPER:  HOMEMADE VEGETABLE SOUP

Keep Informed

GRAB ONE

Follow The Crowd

it's the other crowd

IT'S NOT SCHEDULED

--------

-----

.. Come join the weirdness. SNOW UKE FESTIVAL is upon us! So There!

------- 

WALLPAPER:  FRIES AND CRISPY SHRIMP

Gettin' There

SNOWPACK IS HEALTHY

Still Just A Bit Low

anxiety relief

-------  

.. Playing catch up produces some level of anxiety for fly folks when watching our snowpack. Our anxiety level is fairly low - for the moment.

GET YOURS NOW

.. We're having another tropical interlude. Day time highs are hovering around the melt point and, night time temperatures are not far below zero.
.. Our village is bustling and the ice fishers are arriving in significant numbers. Skiers come and go. They cluster around the weekend as do the sledheads. Grocery shopping is best accomplished on Sunday during church. Otherwise traffic jams in the aisles provoke multi-lingual confrontations.

-----

.. On a different note the high school kids are still sporting short pants. Day walks to the museums and zoo happen periodically. There are a few shops open and anticipation is running high for the big happenings this weekend.
.. Ukuleles are beginning to show up and they cause a stir in this winter playground.

------- 

WALLPAPER:  PREP THEM SHRIMP

Under The Radar

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

Expanding Powers

endemic with all of us

IT'S NOT ABOUT PARTISAN POLITICS !!

------- 

.. One of the blessings of our short winter days and, long winter nights, (aside from fly tying time,) is the down time for reading.
.. We read. Many folks don't read. We venture the opinion that most folks don't have a rigorous reading regime. We can only speak in an informed manner about our little village and our neighbors. Our library receives 500% more books checked out in the summer. These are visitors !
.. On the whole we are a FAT, IGNORANT AND, HAPPY national population. It's a comfortable place to be. We get to fish, sled, travel, camp, hike, etc. We have the opportunity to read books. We seldom do.

IT'S ABOUT THEM

.. We just finished a re-read of The Imperial Presidency, by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (Link 1, Link 2.) It reinforced our foggy but real conviction that something is and, has been, amiss about the drift of our governmental system.
.. Aside from the political party polarization, which comes and goes, there has been a recent trend toward increased and unchecked presidential powers.
.. From Ike to Trump, (save perhaps Carter,) charismatic and egocentric individuals have convinced the American public to elect them.
.. We, our self, survived for over 25 years before we even entertained the thought that there was a trend toward an imperial presidency. We did note that many politicians and presidents acted in imperious ways. From local city councils and library boards to the very top there seemed to be something about the arrogance of both elected officials and their supporting bureaucrats.

IT'S ABOUT US

.. As all of us build our lives we jettison bits and pieces of less than comfortable aspects. These bits are usually the parts that allow for continuous intellectual growth. The parts we keep to ourselves are economic, emotional, leisurely, and other soothing aspects that we incorporate from our individual and cultural milieu.
.. Ours is not a culture that values self examination. It is not a culture that looks inward at so many levels. We devour escapist passions: fishing, skiing, hunting, surfing, lounging, swimming, sports gawking, boating, texting, golfing, bowling, sex, cooking, gluttony, etc.
.. We eschew self examination, cultural scrutiny, social analysis, governmental surveillance, or anything that could interrupt our comfort. This has allowed those with a comfort zone that demands power, dominance, luxuriance addictions, unfettered freedom of action, larceny, to range freely in our society. From the scourge of juvenile delinquency to the horror of gang violence to the freewheeling and unfettered rampage of governmental personages there is an absolute lack of citizen involvement at any meaningful level.

THE RESULTS OF IMPERIUM

.. Voting two hours once a year or four hours every four years is a guarantee of poor government. Griping, whining, praising, cheering during the rest of the time hardly qualifies as participant democracy. This lazy form of democracy allows the erosion of accountability for our politicians.
.. This is a cultural trait of our society. It was a cultural trait of Rome, Athens, Sparta, Egypt, mid century Germany, mid century China, mid century Russia, and so many others.
.. This is not a partisan issue. You can pick your devil. We would suggest that it is a worthwhile use of our enormous "leisure time" to investigate this trend and explore our personal commitment to involvement.

RESOURCES

>> Unconstitutional Power,
>> Imperial Obama #1,
>> Imperial Obama #2,
>> Imperial Bush #1,
>> Imperial Bush #2,
>> Surprised by The Imperial Presidency,
>> Imperial Trump #1,
>> Imperial Trump #2,
>> Imperial Trump #3,
>> Progress Texas,
>> Ukraine On Fire.

-----  

..  Well it's another "Melt Day." And, it follows a minor dump of about 6" it also precedes an anticipated dump of 12".
.. We're pleased with the high country accumulation and a little wary of the mid altitude melting.
.. After some shoveling of the white stuff we're off to the gossip rounds. The town is about full and, sled heads are busy in the mountains and, skiers are ripping up the trails and, turons are riding giant couches to Old Faithful.
.. There's vittles to prepare, (praise the freezer.) There's indoor chores, (ugh,) needing done. And then, flip a coin and decide between a book or some flies to tie.

-------  

WALLPAPER:  GOLDEN WHITE LOAF

.

Pick A Season

WELL, HERE WE ARE

It's February Second

it was 37 degrees yesterday

A VERY GENTLE WINTER . . . SO FAR

-------  

.. Black ice mornings. High country snow pack slowly building. Rivers running off. Folks walking around town. Sunshine periodically. Cloud layer thin. Fog in the morning. So much fun.

-----  

..

-------

WALLPAPER:  RIB AND BEANS