ness

Great report, Al -- thanks for sharing it with us. Some of my best trips are the ones like that -- no plan, no schedule, chicken fried steak.

If anybody's interested in some information, NOAA's website here has a bunch of good stuff.

Hey Gavin, I'm curious -- were you able to keep the temperature low enough for cold smoking with your offset smoker? If so, how?

Welcome Slam. Eureka Springs is a great place to land, and if you like fishing there's a ton of opportunities within a short drive. Where do you hail from?

Geez TC! Way to clutter up the forum with actual first-hand knowledge and supporting documentation.

"Fettuccine, linguine, martini, bikini!" Man, Vince was a hoot. Too bad he got into trouble. I think 'Smiling Bob' is in the clear, but the Enzyte guys are all in jail.

Bill -- thanks for that insight. I found it interesting. We haven't been to Big Cedar in a number of years, and wasn't aware they had done the condo/timeshare thing.

Good luck with the new venture, Brian!

Wooly buggers and Cracklebacks are both good flies to start on. Minimum of cheap ingredients, only a few steps, and include some good basic techniques like working with marabou, palmering hackle. Don't know what stonefly you're looking to tie, but they usually have lead wrapped under black dubbing with a couple goose biots for a tail and maybe some rubber legs tied in. Again, pretty good pattern for starters. As for scissors, I've used the Wiss Quick Clips for years. I buy them off of Amazon about a half-dozen at a time. If I can scare up an extra pair, I'll mail them to you.

Check yer PM

Those are sweet. Sure wish the still did it that way. I've got a bunch of old duck stamps somewhere. Makes me wanna go dig them out and see what I've got.

Nicely done Brian.

Call this number: (417) 847-4956 and ask for Tim. (Tim's Flyshop in Cassville). He's got a good selection of stuff, he'll steer you the right direction, good prices and service, and no BS. Well, maybe a little BS, but it's the good kind. I've got a Cabela's 15 minutes from my house, and I've shopped all over the web. But, last time I bought a couple reels I went through Tim. Good deal, quick shipping, good guy. What more could you ask for?

+1

Although my mental image of Jack Ryan wasn't Harrison Ford, he did a great job with those movies: Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger. I really can't identify any differences between the books and the movies off the top of my head, but I thought they were all great. Alec Baldwin makes a better Jack Donaghy than a Jack Ryan.

...and not just for the series. The additional info on the DVD set is great too. Interviews with a lot of the guys, including Winters.

Yeah, it's written on his stationary with his name at the top, signature at the bottom. He wrote a mini-history lesson on the family who shared our last name.

Looks like a good time with a bunch of good guys. Sorry I missed it this year, kinda.

Sorry to hear that. He was an extraordinary guy, but I think a pretty humble one too. In the interviews I saw, he was always quick to acknowledge the others. We'd all do well to consider what people like him endured on behalf of a greater cause.

In the 'spy' genre, I read a lot of Robert Ludlum's stuff. Ken Follett too. Just reread Eye of the Needle by him. Really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth (though, not spy stuff). I've got Key to Rebecca in the queue. Read most all the early Clancy/Jack Ryan stuff. Good, but I moved on. Started into the Sacketts and got maybe halfway. The plots just seemed too contrived and some of them leaned so heavily on an unbelievable set of circumstances that I was having trouble 'believing'. I've read some of his other stuff and like it pretty well -- like his short stories series. I've got an interesting letter from L'Amour to my dad, who had written him asking about the source of a character who shares our last name. Read a couple oldies but goodies in 2010: Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Travers (of Trout Magic, etc.), To Kill a Mockingbird and In Cold Blood. Picked up An Irish Country Doctor on a whim, and really enjoyed it. Reading another in that series right now.

Sorry folks -- I'm gonna drop out. Give any flies tied for me to a worthy cause.

There's a little more informative article than the first one I saw. It's almost like...I dunno...more facts are becoming available and this isn't such a big deal. Hmmm.

Lindsay Lohan was released from the Betty Ford Clinic today, much to the surprise of this Hollywood sanitation worker.

I hang mine by the straps on a couple nails, and pitch them in the bag when I'm ready to go.

For what ever reason, we just didn't see much Virgil Ward at our house, but I sure do remember seeing Harold Ensley a lot. It was a local KC show, and we'd see that fancy red and white station wagon with his name on the side occasionally. Remember seeing him at the sports shows in the 70's. I have a vague recollection of Paul Dallas. I remember he was down on Table Rock when we were there once, and the whole place was buzzing about it. Lots of snickers and whispering among the adults. My parents would never talk about it though.