Terry Beeson

MERRY CHRISTMAS YA'LL!!!!

Cho-ta... Cho-ta... CHO-ta... CHO-TA!!! All the way ba-by!!!!! And least we forget, Taney is not a runway, but a stage... with a brass pole... Merry Christmas all you Strippers!!!

OK... OK... OK... Leonard's head is big enough... Now you're making it swell up more... Yeah, Flex... the special coffee and the seahorses...

I LOVE my 870 Supermag Express... I also have a Mossberg 20 ga that kicks with 2 3/4s more than the 870 12 ga with 3 1/2s... Best gun for the money in my opinion.

Nope... going to Arkansas Saturday and Sunday... I'll be "home alone" on Monday... Well... I may be just alone and not home... and then if Leonard would drive me to RR, I wouldn't be alone!!!

Rich... Stop by BCO and get Michael and Jim to clue you in...

Hmmmm.... Hendrix? Stevie Ray? Naaahhh... I heard more Jeff Beck and Joe Satriani and just a tad of Uncle Ted... Good sound, Scheetz... Have a blast in KC...

Whew! Finally a bit of time to relax and rest before hitting the books and other "stuff"... The past couple of weeks have been tough and busy for me for sure. Between training in the new job, school, doctor visits, and trying to keep some sort of household going, I've had little time for emails and forums other than a few checks here and there. Work is going good. I will be "credentialed" as a trainer this week (if I don't fall apart before that.) Then, the week of the 10th, finals at OTC. So far I'm carrying a 4.0 this semester, but it's been tough maintaining that with my work schedule. The week of the 17th, I will begin training St John's folks full time. At least I won't have to worry about making it to class on time. Now, for the icing on the cake... We FINALLY got the doctors to take a closer look at my step-daughter's gall bladder. She is only 12, but Cindy and I were both convinced she had a bad gall bladder and are convinced this is one of the main causes of so many problems with her diabetes. The doctors all say she is too young for gall bladder problems. We have been in the ER and/or hospital on a regular basis and she has missed at least half of school this year. We've been able to "get by" with home-bounding her with a tutor to help catch her up and maintain. All of this because she has abdominal pain, begins throwing up, and her glucose levels go CRAZY!!! Then, a couple of weeks ago, we switched endocrynologists and between him and her pediatrician, they agreed to test her gall bladder. Well, guess what? My lovely wife with 15 years as an RN was RIGHT!!! Her gall bladder is not functioning. A 12 year old CAN have a bad gall bladder afterall! They are still not convinced this has anything to do with her blood sugar problems, BUT... She goes in to the hospital early Monday morning to have her gall bladder removed. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for a flawless sugery, a speedy rcovery, and that this WILL help with all the problems with the diabetes. In between my runnings, I'll try to let you know how things come out.

Welcome to the nuthouse... I mean... forum...

Welcome to the forum...

Naw, Phil... I say let him leave it on... Makes the picture a lot prettier with just the fish and without Leonard's mug...

THAT'S what it's all about, Ronnie... Way to go!!

QUOTE and meeting the real "Mr. Berry" (John's dad) and having a good laugh about that one... I'm jealous! QUOTE - Listening to Stubby Kyle tell stories in the parking lot for two hours until 3 am after a night of fishing... I'm NOT!!

A fishing buddy and I found a marijuana patch one time while fishing small Ozark streams for smallies... Funny thing... after we fished that stream, we stopped by the nearest store and bought 2 bags of Cheetos, a bag of Doritos, a box of Hostess cupcakes, and 4 candy bars...

Dave, The Branson-Springfield area is blessed with about as many clinics as there are used car lots and banks... Between Skaggs, Cox, and St John's, you have a plethora of GPs and specialists from which to choose. I'm partial to St John's only because they pay the bills around here and my insurance was with them when I moved here. I'm willing to bet you can find a GP/FM in Branson for your PCP as well as a cardio and OB/GYN. Between me, my wife, and kid, I've seen several of the docs at the St John's Super Clinic in Nixa and have been well pleased with all of them. Dr. Guy Miller is my PCP and he's pretty cool. He does not look like the typical MD and he has an earring... But then again, I have a hole in my left ear as well.

Stay calm... Take a deep breath... Keep your head down... Be the ball... Nice even stroke... If you miss, take it out on the bear... I think it's doctored, too, Phil... Real golfers would have finished the hole first...

Good 1/4 inch or so here in Nixa... Perfect snow... just enough to make things pretty, but nothing on the roads... Wish I was in the woods, though...

Matt, Have you posted the video on your site or youtube? That would be a good one to view... Looks like you guys had a blast...

I think of this time of year we should all consider what Thanksgiving is all about. I have so much to be thankful for... but the birth of Jailee Michelle - our first granddaughter stands out in that category right now. On a daily basis, I find things that should bring me to my knees in humble appreciation, but that I seem to take for granted instead... With that and this forum in mind, I have to say the highlights include quiet times on the water, tight lines, moonlight on Taney, watching other successful anglers, laughs in the parking lot, sunrise in Viola, AR, sharing a drink with friends, conversations with those I have learned from, pictures of big fish, youngsters, bears, and special places, sharing stories of all of these with friends - both online and in person, and any time I have been able to slice out of my life to get away from the things that keep me from spending time on the water, in the duck blind, or in the woods... And thanks for all of you for being a part of that...

OK... I'm not a photo bug by any stretch, but should not the White Balance setting be changed for indoor shots vs. outdoor shots? I know I brighten my photos when taking them indoors and sometimes forego the flash at all relying on natural light if there is enough. I would agree on going to Lawrence or other photo shop - just like going to BCO vs. WalMart or the big log cabin on Campbell looking for fly gear. At Lawrence or BCO you have someone there who knows what they are talking about in what they sell...

Michael, You better have me come by and do a quality control check on the duck stew prior to serving it to the general public. I'd hate for you to get embarrassed over a bad batch. If it's not up to par, I'll bring it home with me and make sure it is taken care of properly... Hey... It's the least I can do for ya, Bud...

1. I do not understand the facination with sitting in front of a TV or at an event and watching guys drive cars around a track for 3-4 hours... Stomp the gas - turn left - stomp the gas - turn left... 2. I often wonder why a person will devote so much of his time and attention (not to mention money) to a game with the only purpose being that of knocking down as many guys on the other team as possible and trying to get a "pumpkin" to one end of a big pasture... (Shades of Andy Griffith...) 3. And who in his right mind would consider jumping out of a perfectly good airplane fun? But then again... 1. Who wouldn't enjoy getting up at 4 am, driving to a ramp, taking a 2 mile boat ride in 20 degree weather, stand waist deep in flooded timber, and wait for a flock of green heads and suzys to cup their wings 40-50 feet overhead? 2. How can someone NOT want to climb 15-20 feet up a ladder and sit for hours covered in camo in anticipation of a trophy buck passing within range of his bow or rifle? 3. What type of person finds no facination with tying feather and fur to a hook and creating beautiful loops of fly line while standing in the middle of a stream hoping that a fish will sip that fly and give them the thrill of a bent rod and screaming reel? That boils down to differences in personalities... and it makes the world go 'round... But... My facination with fly fishing? I have fished since I was old enough to hold a rod in my hands. I have gone from cane pole, worms, and bobbers, to Eagle Claw rods with Zebco 33 reels, to Lucky 13s, Rebel minnows, spin tackle, bait casting tackle, $30,000 bass rigs, Carolina rigs, tournaments, etc. etc.... After several years, I found the lure of roaring around a lake in a bass boat and the competative nature of that type of fishing to be very unrewarding. Then I was introduced to fly fishing.... and it has become my therapy. Sitting in front of a vise trying to make my flies look like Davy Wotton's or John Berry's is a challenge. Mine may not come out that good, but they will catch fish. And the time I spent tying them was not spent worrying about bills, employment, a 12 year old diabetic, or countless other problems that keep me up at night. Standing knee deep in the middle of Taneycomo hoping what those that have given me casting pointers and lessons will manifest itself in a decent cast, then waiting in anticipation of a trout sipping the soft hackle I tied last night into his mouth has a calming effect that fights off depression, anxiety, stress, and countless other things that may reduce my mental health. Then there are the people I have met in the fly fishing world. The diversity of personalities, not to mention the diversity of how they express their affection for the sport of fly fishing. Fly tying, casting, rod building, bamboo rod building, drawing, painting, photography, teaching, sharing, joking, laughing, story-telling, cooking, eating, drinking... - Casting lessons into the wee hours of the morning behind the Ramada Inn in Mountain Home, AR... - Meeting guys from OAF on New Year's Day and sharing seahorses, chicken, and other great food along with good conversation in freezing, windy weather... - Having Dave Whitlock give me a personal lesson on what is wrong with my casting stroke... - Burning a stogie with Davy Wotton and discussing what flies I should be tying to fish the Bull Shoals tailwaters in a couple of weeks... - Watching John Berry tie a Green Butt for me and meeting the real "Mr. Berry" (John's dad) and having a good laugh about that one... - Hanging out at Backcountry Outfitters just to give Michael a hard time about trying out items their then going somewhere else to buy... (even though I wind up buying from BCO...) - Having Harry Boyd encourage me to try out one of his bamboo rods in the parking lot knowing there was no way I could afford it...and THEN pricing it... and finding out just how much money I had in my hands waving it in the parking lot. - Feeling the tug of a huge Brown sipping that streamer I tied the weekend before and then watching him make one big jump in the moonlight of a Missouri sky at midnight. Then letting out a half groan, half laugh when the 28 incher spits that fly back at me... - Listening to Stubby Kyle tell stories in the parking lot for two hours until 3 am after a night of fishing... - Watching Al Crise give three kids he just introduced to fly casting each a totem blessed by his wife and explaining where the totems (river rocks) came from, what the blessing meant, and that he wished them luck in their fly fishing future... - Helping a 12 year old girl who had never fly fished before catch 16-19 inch trout... Then helping her sister land a 26 inch rainbow "hawg"... Then getting to watch both of them with mud on their jeans and fish slime on their shirts and great big smiles on their faces while having their pictures taken with their catches... - Talking to John Wilson and Joe Humphreys in the parking lot about Joe's quest for the elusive 20 lb. Brown trout. And the list goes on and on... And you ask what is the big attraction?

Yeah... I'll bring the big Dodge and take a load for ya, Michael... as long as there is a pair of XXL Simms Guide waders in the load... Of course, the big Dodge can only turn left at Campbell... and like a stubborn horse, won't stop until he gets to Nixa... OK... OK... OK... I'm thinkin' of several of us (yes... ME included...) helping Michael move... Scenes from The Three Stooges movies keep coming to mind...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you as well... And what is this "football" of which you speak? I agree, Ducky... Blastin' greenheads and a Suzy or two is WAY better...

WHOA!!! Nice buck, Thom!!!