Monthly Archives: December 2012

Empty Bowl: ‘012

Posted on December 29, 2012 by rivertoprambles

The year left behind is like a valley, or a bowl. As I look down on it from this rivertop height, I see that it is still and low, despite another snowfall in the air. A stream flows underneath the valley’s … Continue reading →

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Snow Walking

Posted on December 27, 2012 by rivertoprambles

It’s been a while since we’ve had good snow in these parts. Several inches had accumulated before Christmas Eve, and my son and I trekked then over the snowy hill to meet with family celebrants as we’ve done for many … Continue reading →

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Welcome Winter

Posted on December 22, 2012 by rivertoprambles

Once again, the world ended, this time on the Winter Solstice. The modern interpreters of the Mayan Calendar were right. Here in western New York the world went to sleep at night under stormy sky then woke up to the … Continue reading →

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December Rain

Posted on December 21, 2012 by rivertoprambles

The long awaited rains were falling. I was on the upper river at noon, in time for the rain to finally get serious. I waited in the car for five minutes to see if it would ease a little or if … Continue reading →

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Mourning River

Posted on December 16, 2012 by rivertoprambles

News of a massacre in a New England elementary school shocked many parts of the human world. As someone with about 15 years of teaching at the elementary and middle school levels, as one who’s participated in annual lock-down drills … Continue reading →

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Native Pine Tomorrow

Posted on December 13, 2012 by rivertoprambles

“For five Decembers I’ve been lured/ to the grove of evergreens/ sown too thickly in a careless/ planting by inhabitants before me…” White pine (Pinus strobus) is a native pine tree in this region, and these stately evergreens once commanded a position … Continue reading →

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Rivering (25 Years)

Posted on December 11, 2012 by rivertoprambles

It was time to celebrate a quarter-century of fishing and exploring northern Pennsylvania. I was standing in the Allegheny River trying to catch a trout. Okay, no party lights or booze, just me with a fly rod in the cold damp … Continue reading →

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The Stolen Hours

Posted on December 9, 2012 by rivertoprambles

It was another warm Saturday in December, and I felt like getting out to fish, for who knows, another casting opportunity might not come this month. Given the weather in upstate New York, one can never tell. Problem was, I … Continue reading →

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Limestone Cowboy

Posted on December 5, 2012 by rivertoprambles

I hadn’t fished Spring Creek (Caledonia, New York) for several years, so I jumped at an opportunity to revisit the limestone water on a warm day in early December. Unlike central and southern Pennsylvania, upstate New York has very few … Continue reading →

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Green Eggs and…

Posted on December 2, 2012 by rivertoprambles

The oncoming winter gave me a reprieve on Saturday and allowed me to go flyfishing on the upper Allegheny. The temperatures climbed into the thirties and the sun even shone for a while around midday. That’s when I stepped into … Continue reading →

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