Monday Morning Coffee March 21

Aaaawwhhhhgggghhhhuh!  Is that even a sound?  because I just made it.  Yawn, stretch, scratch, repeat.... coffee is almost done.  Man does that smell good.  Did I tell you how good this french press stuff is?  I start each day weeping with joy.  Here, have a cup.  You might as well take a seat while you're at it, I've got a couple of things to go over.

First, I've been writing, editing and posting at a torrid pace and having a blast doing it.  I've done this for a reason- I have a day job and my busy season is coming. So, while I'm going to strive to keep the quality high (is the quality high?) the pace will of necessity slow.  I have some fun projects for this blog coming up and hope to expand what I do, but the lights have to stay on as well.

Congratulations to Owl Jones on winning yesterdays giveaway- a granite pedestal base for your fly tying vise from The Granite Fly.  For those of you who didn't win- buy one if you're able.  Andy is a a good guy and deserves your support, and my base has really made that big of a difference in my tying experience.  'Nuff said.

I've decided the fly giveaways are going to be a regular thing- I'll run one at least every other Wednesday starting this week.  Tell your friends.  I'm going to give away a mixed steelhead bag this week since it's still steelhead season, but look for soft hackles, skunks, streamers, and maybe even some warm water/bass/carp bugs.  I'll try to perfect some hexes in time for the hex hatch.

I've added a couple of new links and would like to highlight those briefly.  I met Mike Davis of Life on the Fly Outfitters at the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo.
I had been on his website before, but it was really nice to meet such an enthusiastic and nice young guy.  You can tell he really loves his work and cares about his business.  If you've ever dreamed of taking that trip to Chile, the Amazon, or even the American West, go check out his website and dream some more.  Or better still, book a trip.  I'm going to get Mike up here to Trout Country soon and show him we have a destination of note right here.  He says he's going to get me out to Wisconsin's driftless area, so I'll have to tie up some cheese ball imitations for that.  That's a Cheesehead joke if you didn't catch it.  Come on Wisconsin, let's rumble.

Next, I've added a link to the music website electronssmashprotons.  Music for me is an integral part of fly fishing, and it takes a great variety to cover all the nuances and moods.  I NEVER take my ipod on the river- sacrilege- but I do a lot of driving to get to streams and my music sets the ambiance. electronssmashprotons is the work of one of my best friends, it is all instrumental except for some spoken word, and is what I would call "intelligent" post prog rock, and ranges from hauntingly beautiful cello themed pieces, to artfully done progressive work.  His songs typically start with bold percussion and build sonic layers into a soundscape that works the imagination and emotions.  If you need some music to read this blog by, open a tab, get a song going, and come back here and read a post.  If you like the notion of supporting indie rock artists here's your chance- ESP is the kind of artist you should be supporting, the kind made possible by the internet era- the same thing that has made Fontinalis Rising possible.  My personal favorite piece is "Good Morning Winter".  Share and enjoy!

Blog Love- did I steal that phrase from Troutrageous!?  Probably, but it works so well.  This goes out to Ben Smith of Arizona Wanderings.

 I really love his blog for a variety of reasons, starting with his banner- it has a look that says  Old Arizona, like so many of those dessicated signs you find on the back roads out there.  Secondly, I love the Grand Canyon state, even though the Grand Canyon is the one place I haven't been.  Now that my family and friends are leaving the great AZ, I'm hoping that by reading Ben's blog I'll be able to keep in touch with a very special place.  Ben's writing is excellent, his posts and reports are spot-on, and Ben, like me, loves the San Juan River.  What I love about Arizona, and AZ Wanderings, is that no one thinks of it as a fly fishing destination.  I hope this stays true, as every time I go I find new amazing water that doesn't seem to have anyone on it.


I'll have to do an actual fishing post soon.