Memory Lane

Late last week I left the river feeling a little frustrated. Truth be told, I walked into the river feeling that way, and my performance during the evening spinner fall didn't do anything to alleviate my dissatisfaction with the day. The hike back to the car left me tired and in an especially sour mood.

As I stripped off my waders and stowed my rod, I was greeted by a familiar voice. My good friend, Frank Sheldon, owns a home near the river, and he came over to say hello when he recognized my car. We spent thirty or forty minutes catching up on the months since we had last seen each other. Friendly banter soon turned to reminiscence of our time together working for the Orvis company in Manchester, Vermont. As I left for the long drive home, Frank promised to email me with some pictures he found that capture some of our time there.  

I thought I'd share with my readers, this little trip down memory lane.

From left to right we have Bill Cairns (former major league pitcher, piscatorial curmudgeon, and founder of the Orvis Fly Fishing School), Shawn Brillon (former fishing manager at Orvis' flagship store, currently one of the product developers for Orvis corporate), Thomas Ames (fly fishing writer and resident bug guru).

Greg Schlotter (son of George Schlotter who owned The Angler's Nook, a Battenkill fly shop of some repute) and Charlie Hisey (the current Orvis bamboo rod builder, possibly Orvis' best ever bamboo rod builder)

That tall, gruesome guy giving a fly tying class is me. The young woman to my left was far and away one of the most talented students I ever had the good fortune of teaching. She watched me perform a single whip-finish, and had the process perfected on her first attempt.

This is how we handled the diseased hatchery-fish that expired on the bottom of the pond.

Now if only I could find those pictures from Christmas Eve of 2005. I played the role of Santa Claus at the store, and spent the day dressed as Saint Nick while casting a fly out on the Orvis ponds ... caught fish too.