Monthly Archives: January 2015

Waterdog (3)

Posted on January 31, 2015 by rivertoprambles

[The final installment of a mini-series that began on 1/24/15… In which motivations for this labor-intensive project are investigated and linked to a famous American novel…] On Saturday morning I greeted new arrivals to our staging area and proceeded to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A.B. Guthrie, environment, fracking, history, motivation, mountain men, remoteness, Scouts, small streams, The Big Sky, water dog, westward movement, wild | 11 Comments

Waterdog (2)

Posted on January 27, 2015 by rivertoprambles

[This is a continuation of the series that commenced on 1/24/15. A third and final post on the subject will follow soon…] I’d been keeping an eye on this headwater stream for nearly a decade, giving thought now and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brook trout, Genesee River, headwaters, hemlocks, landowners, nature, professionals, remediation, small streams, T-2, TU, volunteers, waterdog | 8 Comments

Waterdog (1)

Posted on January 24, 2015 by rivertoprambles

[“Waterdog” is a three-part narrative about a stream remediation project I initiated several years ago as a volunteer, along with the help of land owners, Trout Unlimited (TU) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Now, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brook trout, Genesee River headwaters, global warming, headwaters, hemlock, locust wood, nature, NYS DEC, small streams, stream remediation, TU, waterdog, watershed | 8 Comments

Rivertops and MLK,J

Posted on January 21, 2015 by rivertoprambles

I got a break from the weather; it was almost Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and I was going fishing. There was a connection here and I was going to find it. Most of us know something of Dr. King’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged big trout, birds, civil rights, climate change, Denton Hill, draft, fracking, freedom, Martin Luther King Jr., Ninemile Run, numbers, Potter County, Roger Chapman, Shakespeare, Spring Creek, Susquehannock Trail, Triple Divide | 8 Comments

Self-Portrait at Zero Degrees

Posted on January 17, 2015 by rivertoprambles

“They say the working class is dead, we’re all consumers now/ They say that we have moved ahead, we’re all just people now/ There’s people doing ‘frightfully well,’ there’s others on the shelf/ But never mind the second kind, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged age of self, art, capitalism, castles built on sand, music, nature, Robert Wyatt, self-portrait, selfie, socialism, wood, writing | 12 Comments

Winter Hike, a Witness on the Hill

Posted on January 13, 2015 by rivertoprambles

1. It’s too cold to fly fish. I’ll forget about the car. Turn off the computer, phone, and all blinking and beeping gadgets, and set sail for a hill walk in the neighborhood. I’ll dress well for the January snow and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beauty, centralization, country tales, coyote, deer, Greenwood, Muir, natural balance, natural history, naturalist, nature, technology, Thoreau, village, winter birds, winter hike | 8 Comments

The Wind, the Brook, and the Browns

Posted on January 6, 2015 by rivertoprambles

The weather had been warm and rainy, most of the streams and rivers in the area were high and muddy, but I knew the spring brook would be running clear. I drove to it in advance of a rapidly approaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fripp & Eno, meditation, midges, scuds, spring brook, spring creek flyfishing, Water, wild brown trout, wind, winter freeze | 22 Comments

Zen and the Art of New Year’s Fishing

Posted on January 3, 2015 by rivertoprambles

“It’s not a day for bamboo,” said Tim, as we loaded up our gear and shoved the graphite fly rods into the vehicle’s trunk. We were continuing our crazed tradition of fly-fishing on New Year’s Day, despite a forecast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bluebirds, enlightenment, Finger Lakes fishing, Holiday traditions, Jethro Tull, nature, New Year's Day, Seneca Lake, wineries, Zen | 11 Comments