Another good day with browns on the Elk

 James caught several under the bridge

Partridge and Orange dropper

Black Leach lead fly

I caught several doubles…fun

May 29, 2012

About 10 years ago I started to collect paperclips.  I’ve found them in some of the strangest places one could imagine – anywhere from parking lots to interstate bridges.

I finally stopped really looking for them because it dawned on me that I was looking down everywhere I went and people probably thought I was weirder than I actually am.  I kept them though, and they remind me of the differences in people (I’ll explain that sometime).

But I still find paperclips on occasion, they just seem to yell at me from the ground, or cast a twinkle of light that catches my eye.  And I can’t stand it until I reach down and pick it up.

Paperclips were the farthest thing from my mind yesterday as we went to the zoo with the grandkids.  But sure enough just as we started in the gate…

 

Years ago I wrote an essay about paperclips.  I liked it and one of the daughters liked it…but other than that I suppose folks didn’t have the same weird sense of humor that I must have.

Anyway, enough about paperclips, as we begin this time after Easter called “Ordinary Time,”  let our days be anything but ordinary.  Look for the out-of-the ordinary ways that give opportunities to live the excitement of following Jesus.

As followers of Christ we are called out of the ordinary to help bring about God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven…there’s nothing ordinary about that.

Peace

Jim

May 28, 2012

A day at the zoo…

Tiger at the zoo…

I’d hate to have to sleep like this…

Piper and Millie

Anna, Navy, Anndee, Jedidiah…

And Katie…

And it’s not everyday that you can go to the zoo in the summer time with Santa Claus !

Merry Christmas!  (a little early)

A good day…

May 27, 2012

A good day at church today, lunch, a nap, playing with grandgirls and boy, made a fly or two, walked three miles…not bad.  Tomorrow we head out to the zoo with daughters and grandkids, ought to be a fun (interesting) day.  I like to watch the little ones experience the animals.

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow.

Peace

Jim

Cure for the bad air quality

A good day fishing.

I caught 5 or 6 doubles.  All on Partridge and Orange and Jims ‘no nothin’ fly.

Today was one of those fishing days that doesn’t come along very often.  We caught so many Brook Trout that we got tired of catching them.  I stopped counting at 30.  Mostly small but a few keepers (we didn’t keep any).

We kept watching a muskrat ferrying limbs and leaves from across the river to his home under that log to the right of the picture.  The leaves in the middle of the picture are being pushed along.

May 18, 2012

I saw on channel five news website this morning that the first air quality alert for this year has been issued.  So I began to think about what I could do about that.  And I came up with a solution.  Go Fishing.

Instead of contributing to the nasty ozone levels, I think this afternoon I’ll go breathe in some of this air.

Peace

Jim

May 8, 2012

Back from vacation and it seems like we were gone forever.  I suppose that means that the time off accomplished some good for my mental state.

I found another batch of baby birds to watch, they built a nest in this old post that is about three inches inside diameter.  Don’t know what kind of bird this is but it’s very small.

When you look down the hole in the pipe this is what you see.

Since the I.D. of the pipe is three inches imagine how small the birds are.

Just some random pictures from the weekend.

Jedidiah chasing the turkey with his Incredible Hulk gloves.

There is beauty all around us no matter where we live.  The beauty one place offers, another place offers its own unique version of beauty.  I suppose the reason is that we serve a creating God whose mercies are new and fresh every morning.  I like that about God.

Peace

Jim

May 2, 2012

Fishing in the Smokies is a lot of fun with a lot of neat scenery…and for me a lot of frustration and no fish.  I tried a lot of flies and I even tried to sneak up on them.

 

This was by far the best catch of the day, any day actually

Peace

Jim

April 30, 2012

Started out the day driving from Cherokee NC over the mountain toward Gatlinburg.  We stopped at the Chimney Tops picnic area to hop the rocks in the stream.  I decided to fish some…didn’t catch anything but it was fun.

Lunch by the Little River

Smoky Mountain clear water stream fishing is a lot different than what I’m used to…hopefully I can figure this out before we leave.

Tomorrow I’ll try a different stream and first find out what the locals are catching fish with.

Peace

Jim

Let the vacation begin!

Started a week of vacation today.  We left after church and headed East not knowing where we would land for the night (Our goal for Monday is Gatlinburg but we don’t check in until 4:00 p.m).

We drove to Chattanooga and had lunch at Cracker Barrel – sunrise sampler with eggs over medium – and then went East to the Cherokee National Forest and the Ocoee River.

Stopped for a picture along the Ocoee River

Then on into North Carolina.  Finally decided to head toward Cherokee for the night.  We pulled in to the hotel that Deb called ahead for at about 7:15 p.m.

It’s on to Gatlinburg tomorrow and hopefully finding a good place to fish in the park.  I’ve wanted to trout fish here all my life (and I mean since I was a kid many years ago) but never took up trout fishing until the last three years.  So hopefully I’ll have some pictures to post in a day or two depending on when I get to fish.

Until tomorrow…Peace

Jim