Need a good book

[Buddy]

I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in the
habit of reading at night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my zeal
for fishing in a constant rain wears thin. I found Colin Fletcher's "The
Thousand Mile Summer" on my bookshelf and realized I'd never read it, so
it's on my list at less than 5 ounces. Also found two unread Harry
Middleton books ("The Earth is Enough" and "The Bright Country") but frankly
was not that fond of "On the Spine of Time." Favorites from the past
include "Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee and "A Fly Fisherman's Blue
Ridge" by Christopher Camuto, and over twenty-five years ago I remember
staying up late one night on a backpacking trip reading one Robert Service
poem after another.

I'd like an engaging outdoors tale, at least plausibly non-fiction and
including hook-and-bullet press if well written, with a carefully measured
infusion of philosophy that may challenge my own. Anthologies are good.
Nothing scary: when I'm camping alone I hear enough going bump in the night
without any encouragement. Of course, it needs to be available in a
lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?

Buddy

[graycat]

I just got through re-reading "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon. It
is very well written. I am not a voracious reader, but this book really
speaks to me. Check it out. Let me know what you think.


"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
> celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in
> the habit of reading at night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my
> zeal for fishing in a constant rain wears thin. I found Colin Fletcher's
> "The Thousand Mile Summer" on my bookshelf and realized I'd never read it,
> so it's on my list at less than 5 ounces. Also found two unread Harry
> Middleton books ("The Earth is Enough" and "The Bright Country") but
> frankly was not that fond of "On the Spine of Time." Favorites from the
> past include "Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee and "A Fly
> Fisherman's Blue Ridge" by Christopher Camuto, and over twenty-five years
> ago I remember staying up late one night on a backpacking trip reading one
> Robert Service poem after another.
>
> I'd like an engaging outdoors tale, at least plausibly non-fiction and
> including hook-and-bullet press if well written, with a carefully measured
> infusion of philosophy that may challenge my own. Anthologies are good.
> Nothing scary: when I'm camping alone I hear enough going bump in the
> night without any encouragement. Of course, it needs to be available in a
> lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?
>
> Buddy
>

[Ken Fortenberry]

Buddy wrote:
> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
> celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: ...

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig.

--
Ken Fortenberry

[GaryM]

"Buddy" > wrote in
:

> Of course, it needs to be available in a
> lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?
>

I am just finishing up "Young Men and Fire" by Norman MacLean. Based on
a true story of 13 Smokejumpers who perished in the Mann Gulch fire in
1949. An incredibly well written account that is hard to put down.

[Big Dale]

Ken mentioned a good one. Also, just about anything by John Gierach in
paperback. One of my favorites is Trout Bum. And another that has
nothing to do with the outdoors is Semi-Tough by Dan Jenkins. You may
attract some strange critters due to all your laughing from this last
one. Both of these are available at just about any Half Price Books
store.

Big Dale

[Conan The Librarian]

Buddy wrote:

> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
> celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book:

I don't know if it's available in paperback, but I just finished
Thomas McGuane's _The Longest Silence_. It's a collection of fishing
stories from all over the world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. His
writing style is nice; introspective without being maudlin and
descriptive without being forced.

Speaking of Middleton, :-) FWIW, I agree with you on him. I got
_On the Spine of Time_ after my trip to NC, and while it's fun to read
about places you have visited, I can barely stomach his writing style.
He seems to be intent on packing in as much overwrought imagery per
square inch of page as possible.

Robert Traver is another one who would be nice for some light
reading after a day on the water. His _Trout Magic_ and _Trout Madness_
are both nice. (They are available in paperback.)


Chuck Vance

[jimbo]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
> celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in
> the habit of reading at night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my
> zeal for fishing in a constant rain wears thin. I found Colin Fletcher's
> "The Thousand Mile Summer" on my bookshelf and realized I'd never read it,
> so it's on my list at less than 5 ounces. Also found two unread Harry
> Middleton books ("The Earth is Enough" and "The Bright Country") but
> frankly was not that fond of "On the Spine of Time." Favorites from the
> past include "Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee and "A Fly
> Fisherman's Blue Ridge" by Christopher Camuto, and over twenty-five years
> ago I remember staying up late one night on a backpacking trip reading one
> Robert Service poem after another.
>
> I'd like an engaging outdoors tale, at least plausibly non-fiction and
> including hook-and-bullet press if well written, with a carefully measured
> infusion of philosophy that may challenge my own. Anthologies are good.
> Nothing scary: when I'm camping alone I hear enough going bump in the
> night without any encouragement. Of course, it needs to be available in a
> lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?
>
> Buddy

"Travers Corners" by Scott Waldie. Stories of a small fictional Montana town
and the characters therein. The first of three books about the town, all
good reading. Moderate fly-fishing focus (main character is a fly fishing
guide). Well written - you'll be searching the map for Travers Corners and
Carrie Creek by the end of the book.

Also, "A Good Life Wasted" by Dave Ames. For 20 years or so Dave has been a
fly fishing guide in Montana and these are stories of his experiences.

Hope these help.

Jim Ray
>
>

[Wolfgang]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> ...I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in the habit of reading at night,
> and could need to hole up in the tent if my zeal for fishing in a constant
> rain wears thin.....

"The Immense Journey" by Loren Eisley.

As a rule, I don't re-read books. I've read this one four or five times
over the last thirty years or so. It's a treat every time....nothing better
for in tune reading in camp. There are millions of used paperback copies in
second hand bookstores. I believe it's still in print if you want a new
one.

Google can tell you a lot more about the book than I can.

Wolfgang

[Conan The Librarian]

jimbo wrote:

> Also, "A Good Life Wasted" by Dave Ames. For 20 years or so Dave has been a
> fly fishing guide in Montana and these are stories of his experiences.

Good call, Jim. I had forgotten about that one. It reads almost
like a novel; it's hard to tell what's fact or fiction.


Chuck Vance

[Flysmallie]

"The River Why" by David James Duncan. It is fiction but it's a very good read.

Ronnie.

"Buddy" wrote in message
...
I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in
the habit of reading at night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my
zeal for fishing in a constant rain wears thin. I found Colin Fletcher's
"The Thousand Mile Summer" on my bookshelf and realized I'd never read it,
so it's on my list at less than 5 ounces. Also found two unread Harry
Middleton books ("The Earth is Enough" and "The Bright Country") but
frankly was not that fond of "On the Spine of Time." Favorites from the
past include "Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee and "A Fly
Fisherman's Blue Ridge" by Christopher Camuto, and over twenty-five years
ago I remember staying up late one night on a backpacking trip reading one
Robert Service poem after another.

I'd like an engaging outdoors tale, at least plausibly non-fiction and
including hook-and-bullet press if well written, with a carefully measured
infusion of philosophy that may challenge my own. Anthologies are good.
Nothing scary: when I'm camping alone I hear enough going bump in the
night without any encouragement. Of course, it needs to be available in a
lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?

Buddy
[/QUOTE]

[Brent Wagner]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
> celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in
> the habit of reading at night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my
> zeal for fishing in a constant rain wears thin. I found Colin Fletcher's
> "The Thousand Mile Summer" on my bookshelf and realized I'd never read it,
> so it's on my list at less than 5 ounces. Also found two unread Harry
> Middleton books ("The Earth is Enough" and "The Bright Country") but
> frankly was not that fond of "On the Spine of Time." Favorites from the
> past include "Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee and "A Fly
> Fisherman's Blue Ridge" by Christopher Camuto, and over twenty-five years
> ago I remember staying up late one night on a backpacking trip reading one
> Robert Service poem after another.
>
> I'd like an engaging outdoors tale, at least plausibly non-fiction and
> including hook-and-bullet press if well written, with a carefully measured
> infusion of philosophy that may challenge my own. Anthologies are good.
> Nothing scary: when I'm camping alone I hear enough going bump in the
> night without any encouragement. Of course, it needs to be available in a
> lightweight paperback. Any suggestions?
>
> Buddy
>

"Fly-Fishing the 41st, From Connecticut to Mongolia and Home again: a
fishermans's Odyssey" by John Prosek is the best fishing book I have read in
quite some time

Brent

[Don Phillipson]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...

> To celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book:

Poetry gives you more mental bulk in fewer pages.
For a multi-day trip, try long works like Tennyson's
Idylls of the King (Arthurian tales:) but you must
know you enjoy a poet before packing him.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

[William Claspy]

On 8/29/05 8:33 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" > wrote:


> Robert Traver is another one who would be nice for some light
> reading after a day on the water. His _Trout Magic_ and _Trout Madness_
> are both nice. (They are available in paperback.)

And speaking of Traver, Chuck, I hear there are still openings for the Save
A Trout, Eat a Pasty Clave next month...

Word is we're gonna fish 'til we see ol' Death himself barreling down M-28
on the back of a logging truck.

:-)

B

(And color me strange, but I've always liked to take along something other
than outdoor writing when I'm outdoors.)

[Conan The Librarian]

William Claspy wrote:

> And speaking of Traver, Chuck, I hear there are still openings for the Save
> A Trout, Eat a Pasty Clave next month...

I would love to crash that party, Bill, but SWMBO'ette #2 is
starting college this month, so while the heart may be willing, the bank
account is suffering.

> Word is we're gonna fish 'til we see ol' Death himself barreling down M-28
> on the back of a logging truck.
>
> :-)

Hmmm ... throw in some 'shine (or single malt ... or is that
redundant?) and that sounds more like those NC claves. ;-)

> B
>
> (And color me strange, but I've always liked to take along something other
> than outdoor writing when I'm outdoors.)

Yep, you're strange. :-) I dunno ... for me it just seems natural
to read something related to fly fishing when I'm on a trip. And if I
don't have anything new, I'll get out Datus Proper's _What The Trout
Said_ again and look at the pictures. ;-)


Chuck Vance

[Wolfgang]

"William Claspy" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/29/05 8:33 AM, in article , "Conan The
> Librarian" > wrote:
>
>
>> Robert Traver is another one who would be nice for some light
>> reading after a day on the water. His _Trout Magic_ and _Trout Madness_
>> are both nice. (They are available in paperback.)
>
> And speaking of Traver, Chuck, I hear there are still openings for the
> Save
> A Trout, Eat a Pasty Clave next month...

Hell yes, our dance cards ain't nearly full!

> Word is we're gonna fish 'til we see ol' Death himself barreling down M-28
> on the back of a logging truck.

Which, as you probably recall, is exactly what happened to Steamboat
Bill.......um.......among many others.

Wolfgang

[Joe McIntosh]

>
> "Buddy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> ...I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in the habit of reading at
>> night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my zeal for fishing in a
>> constant rain wears thin.....
>
>
>For light weight camping what type of light do you use for reading?? I
>tried holding a flashlight in my mouth but had problem sipping on my
>manhatrten
Joe

[Buddy]

"graycat" > wrote in message
...
>I just got through re-reading "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon.
>It is very well written. I am not a voracious reader, but this book really
>speaks to me. Check it out. Let me know what you think.
>
At some point during most of Dad's visits, he looks at two walls in my
office that are mostly filled with books from floor to ceiling until he
finds the copy of "Blue Highways" that he gave me after he finished it, then
asks if I've read it yet. I tried once but found it very dark and profane.
Maybe I'll try it again...

[Buddy]

"GaryM" > wrote ...
>
> I am just finishing up "Young Men and Fire" by Norman MacLean. Based on
> a true story of 13 Smokejumpers who perished in the Mann Gulch fire in
> 1949. An incredibly well written account that is hard to put down.

Great choice, Gary. I read this several years ago and also found it
riveting. The main point I remember was the berating of Wag Dodge for being
ahead of his time, by starting a small fire to survive before this technique
was formally recognized. I also remember feeling a little nauseous every
time I read the word "upgulch," and it was used a lot. I believe MacLean
died before finishing this book and someone else actually got it ready for
publication. --Buddy

[Buddy]

"Joe McIntosh" > wrote in message
...
....
>>For light weight camping what type of light do you use for reading?? I
>>tried holding a flashlight in my mouth but had problem sipping on my
>>manhatrten
> Joe
I just replaced my Princeton Tec Yukon with a Princeton Tec Scout, and
replaced my old AAA Maglite with a Princeton Tec Eclipse, both to save
considerable weight. I can read with the Scout on its headband, but now
you've got me thinking about soaking that little Eclipse in whiskey and
popping it in with a cherry cough drop for a backwoods Manhattan ;>) --Buddy

[Gary M]

Buddy wrote:

>
> Great choice, Gary. I read this several years ago and also found it
> riveting. The main point I remember was the berating of Wag Dodge for being
> ahead of his time, by starting a small fire to survive before this technique
> was formally recognized. I also remember feeling a little nauseous every
> time I read the word "upgulch," and it was used a lot. I believe MacLean
> died before finishing this book and someone else actually got it ready for
> publication. --Buddy
>
>

Thanks Buddy. I had picked it up 3 times and could not get into it, but
I started it again last Wednesday for the 4th time and could not put it
down.

Your memory is correct re Wag Dodge and I think my jaw dropped when I
read that part. MacLean does explain that the technique was used in
Plains fires by native Americans and settlers.

The families came after the Forest Service saying his safety fire
stopped the others from escaping. MacLean, by this own investigations,
found the place where Dodge set the fire (it was marked by a wooden
cross the day following the fire, and MacLean triangulated the spot
using a old photo, finding this same cross ... over 30 years on!!!). He
concluded that they could not have been impeded by it.

Your memory is also correct that the press finished it off, mostly
chapterizing it, checking and sometimes correcting facts, removing
repititions.

My favorite parts were the description of the wildfire, how fast it
moved, how it fuels itself into a whirl that can consume a square mile
in an hour.

A damn good read full of MacLean's beautiful imagery and metaphysical
language.

BTW, I looked up Mann Gulch today on Google Earth. Has not changed a bit
since the fire nearly 60 years ago ...

Gary

[Buddy]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
>
> I don't know if it's available in paperback, but I just finished Thomas
> McGuane's _The Longest Silence_. It's a collection of fishing stories
> from all over the world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. His writing style
> is nice; introspective without being maudlin and descriptive without being
> forced.

Thanks, Chuck; I've added The Longest Silence to my list of books to find on
Amazon.

> Speaking of Middleton, :-) FWIW, I agree with you on him. I got _On
> the Spine of Time_ after my trip to NC, and while it's fun to read about
> places you have visited, I can barely stomach his writing style. He seems
> to be intent on packing in as much overwrought imagery per square inch of
> page as possible.

After hearing from a lot of Middleton fans and having spent so much time in
the Smokies over the last 30 years, this was a real disappointment. It
seems The Earth is Enough has a larger following so maybe I'll give it a go
sometime. --Buddy

[Buddy]

This looks engaging, Wolfgang, especially after reading the 14 Amazon
reviews... definitely in the running. Thanks! -Buddy

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Buddy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> ...I'd like to add a paperback book: I'm in the habit of reading at
>> night, and could need to hole up in the tent if my zeal for fishing in a
>> constant rain wears thin.....
>
> "The Immense Journey" by Loren Eisley.
>
> As a rule, I don't re-read books. I've read this one four or five times
> over the last thirty years or so. It's a treat every time....nothing
> better for in tune reading in camp. There are millions of used paperback
> copies in second hand bookstores. I believe it's still in print if you
> want a new one.
>
> Google can tell you a lot more about the book than I can.
>
> Wolfgang
>

[Buddy]

"Brent Wagner" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Fly-Fishing the 41st, From Connecticut to Mongolia and Home again: a
> fishermans's Odyssey" by John Prosek is the best fishing book I have read
> in quite some time
>
> Brent

Thanks, Brent. I recently bought a copy of Prosek's "The Complete Angler"
(spelling intentional) and have struggled to get going with it. He somewhat
smuggly recounts up front how he lied to get support from Yale for his
writing project on Walton, and I got an image of a self-absorbed rich kid
gaming the system. Hopefully I missed the point. I may try it again, given
Prosek's many fans. --Buddy

[Buddy]

Hmmm... "more mental bulk in fewer pages" sounds like poetry is literature's
answer to freeze-dried food! Seriously, this may be the ticket. I've not
yet Tennyson-ed but will add Idylls to the list. Thanks, Don. -Buddy

"Don Phillipson" > wrote in message
...
>
> Poetry gives you more mental bulk in fewer pages.
> For a multi-day trip, try long works like Tennyson's
> Idylls of the King (Arthurian tales:) but you must
> know you enjoy a poet before packing him.
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)
>
>

[Bob Patton]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
> still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
> trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
//snip//

Where will you be? To me, it's interesting to try to relate to the locality.
Last fall when I was out on Snowbird I took a book called "A New Voyage to
Carolina" by John Lawson. But if you're not into history you might want to
try something else.

Look into "Crosscurrents" by James Babb and "Upland Stream: Notes on the
Fishing Passion" by W D Wetherell.

Amazon has both, I think.

Bob

--
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)

[Bob Patton]

"Joe McIntosh" > wrote in message
...
>
//snip//>>
>>For light weight camping what type of light do you use for reading?? I
>>tried holding a flashlight in my mouth but had problem sipping on my
>>manhatrten
> Joe

That's actually a good question. I have a little Primus lantern that puts
out enough light for one person to read by, but it's hard to find a place to
hang it in my tent where the light doesn't shine in my eyes. A headband lamp
seems to work better than anything else.
Bob

[Buddy]

> Where will you be?

In a quiet part of the Smokies, next to a stream that promises rainbows in
the immediate vicinity and brookies farther up.

> Look into "Crosscurrents" by James Babb

Funny you should mention James Babb. His brother Walter is a Smokies
flyfishing guide. I asked the store where Walter works to throw in a copy
of one of James' books when I ordered some waders but they were out.
"Crosscurrents" is definitely on the list. Thanks, Buddy

[Bob Patton]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
>> Where will you be?
>
> In a quiet part of the Smokies, next to a stream that promises rainbows in
> the immediate vicinity and brookies farther up.

Hmmm. Google up the archives of ROFF and print out the history of the famous
"Death March" on Hazel Creek, wherein the power-bar-packin' alpha male of
the group led two tenderfeet across bear-infested wilderness to find their
own personal nirvanas (nirvanae?)

:-)

Bob

--
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)

[Gary M]

jimbo wrote:
y
>
>
> "Travers Corners" by Scott Waldie. Stories of a small fictional Montana town
> and the characters therein. The first of three books about the town, all
> good reading. Moderate fly-fishing focus (main character is a fly fishing
> guide). Well written - you'll be searching the map for Travers Corners and
> Carrie Creek by the end of the book.

Is it really fictional, or just obscured? I picked mine up during a stay
at Greg Lilly's (now ex) place near Twin Bridges. I thought he told me
that was the town he based it on. My memory could be failing though. He
took me to meet Scott to get my copy signed, but he wasn't home
unfortunately.

[Jeff Miller]

Conan The Librarian wrote:

>
> Speaking of Middleton, :-) FWIW, I agree with you on him. I got _On
> the Spine of Time_ after my trip to NC, and while it's fun to read about
> places you have visited, I can barely stomach his writing style. He
> seems to be intent on packing in as much overwrought imagery per square
> inch of page as possible.

each to his own, but i haven't found another trout-fishing author whose
books i've enjoyed reading as much as middleton's. each time i read his
stuff i find something new to think about and enjoy. my friend pj and
my wife had the same reaction as you. middleton is a mass of metaphor
and simile...but it's damn good and apt stuff imo. you've been to the
place (though not middle falls or hazel creek as i recall?) ...the
imagery isn't subtle, is it?

i'm sure my connection to the place contributes. i've read traver's
stories and enjoyed them as well. they just never "got" me the way
middleton's did.

jeff

[Jeff Miller]

Buddy wrote:

> "Brent Wagner" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"Fly-Fishing the 41st, From Connecticut to Mongolia and Home again: a
>>fishermans's Odyssey" by John Prosek is the best fishing book I have read
>>in quite some time
>>
>>Brent
>
>
> Thanks, Brent. I recently bought a copy of Prosek's "The Complete Angler"
> (spelling intentional) and have struggled to get going with it. He somewhat
> smuggly recounts up front how he lied to get support from Yale for his
> writing project on Walton, and I got an image of a self-absorbed rich kid
> gaming the system. Hopefully I missed the point. I may try it again, given
> Prosek's many fans. --Buddy
>
>

i think prosek is a young and very talented artist "corrupted" by the
system...(the yale experience probably influenced him as well); however,
his "gaming of the system" is one of his better qualities imo. i kinda
think of him like i do charter boat captains and float boat guides - pay
up and they'll show you some pretty places and things. <g> i think the
complete angler is interesting in places, but (to borrow chuck's word)
"overwrought" and overwrit. for someone unfamiliar with walton, it does
give some quick insight into his symbolic life and prose. i did like his
watercolor of the fishing temple, and i'd like to build one like it if i
could find any "fishing-temple-for-humanity" folks to help. <g>

jeff

[Conan The Librarian]

Jeff Miller wrote:

> Conan The Librarian wrote:
>
>[Middleton's _On The Spine Of Time_
>
> each to his own,

Yeah, that's why gawd made 3-wts. *and* 5-wt.s :-)

> but i haven't found another trout-fishing author whose
> books i've enjoyed reading as much as middleton's. each time i read his
> stuff i find something new to think about and enjoy. my friend pj and
> my wife had the same reaction as you. middleton is a mass of metaphor
> and simile

I think that's my biggest problem with him. After the first chapter
I felt like saying, "I get it, I understand you are a master of
metaphor. Now can we just limit it to a couple per sentence?" :-) It
just struck me as overdone.

> ...but it's damn good and apt stuff imo. you've been to the
> place (though not middle falls or hazel creek as i recall?) ...the
> imagery isn't subtle, is it?

Nothing about his writing is subtle, IMHO. :-) (And you're right,
I only got as far as the lower falls, and never did get to Hazel.) I
will admit that the chapter on B*g S******d was my favorite, and
probably because I had been there. As you note:

> i'm sure my connection to the place contributes. i've read traver's
> stories and enjoyed them as well. they just never "got" me the way
> middleton's did.

That's a fair reaction. And my problem with Middleton is that if I
hadn't been to the specific place he described, I found it tedious to
wade through what struck me as self-indulgent prose. I figured it might
be laziness on my part, and went back and re-read the book (some
chapters more than once). I still had the same reaction. :-}

Maybe I just need to go back to NC and go to all the places he
describes in his book. :-)


Chuck Vance (just for the literary enjoyment of it, of course)

[John Hightower]

"Gary M" >
> My favorite parts were the description of the wildfire, how fast it moved,
> how it fuels itself into a whirl that can consume a square mile in an
> hour.
>
> A damn good read full of MacLean's beautiful imagery and metaphysical
> language.
>
> BTW, I looked up Mann Gulch today on Google Earth. Has not changed a bit
> since the fire nearly 60 years ago ...
>
> Gary

Some friends of mine and I hiked up Rescue Gulch and down Mann Gulch a few
years ago and found all of the crosses. One of the guys in the group was
related to one of the smokejumpers (can't recall which smokejumper -
Diettert IIRC). I'll post a picture of the upper end of Mann and the bunch
of us at the cross- very near the top of the divide between Mann and Rescue
Gulch. to ABPF in a few minutes if I can get them scanned. It was quite the
interesting experience to be sitting on that ridge looking over the gulch
and trying to pick out the smokejumpers path. The walls of the Gulch are
really steep- you would have to be in pretty outstanding condition to even
think about running up the slope. For the most part the area is still
devoid of trees but obvious traces of fire can still be seen.

jh

[Buddy]

Ahhhh, Hazel Creek... "Grog must tell story." I was last there in the mid
80's with three others. After crossing Fontana Lake by ferry we set out for
camp with our "diesel backpacks:" being relatively poor kids fresh out of
school we took our only flyrods (two-piecers) in long homemade PVC cases,
which when strapped vertically to our packs looked a lot like semi tractor
exhaust pipes. We fished like crazy on the way in and caught almost
nothing. Nearing camp we overtook a Smokies biologist and some volunteer
helpers who were electrically shocking and weighing fish, and figured that
most fish lose their zeal for feeding for a while after such an experience.
Great trip, beautiful place, but few fish that time.

Thanks for the "Death March" tip; I'll check it out. --Buddy

"Bob Patton" > wrote in message
...
> "Buddy" > wrote in message
> ...
>>> Where will you be?
>>
>> In a quiet part of the Smokies, next to a stream that promises rainbows
>> in the immediate vicinity and brookies farther up.
>
> Hmmm. Google up the archives of ROFF and print out the history of the
> famous "Death March" on Hazel Creek, wherein the power-bar-packin' alpha
> male of the group led two tenderfeet across bear-infested wilderness to
> find their own personal nirvanas (nirvanae?)
>
> :-)
>
> Bob
>
> --
> Bob Patton
> (remove hat to respond)
>
>

[Gary M]

John Hightower wrote:
>
>
> Some friends of mine and I hiked up Rescue Gulch and down Mann Gulch a few
> years ago and found all of the crosses. One of the guys in the group was
> related to one of the smokejumpers (can't recall which smokejumper -
> Diettert IIRC). I'll post a picture of the upper end of Mann and the bunch
> of us at the cross- very near the top of the divide between Mann and Rescue
> Gulch. to ABPF in a few minutes if I can get them scanned. It was quite the
> interesting experience to be sitting on that ridge looking over the gulch
> and trying to pick out the smokejumpers path. The walls of the Gulch are
> really steep- you would have to be in pretty outstanding condition to even
> think about running up the slope. For the most part the area is still
> devoid of trees but obvious traces of fire can still be seen.
>
> jh
>
>
They have not shown up on abpf yet, but they will be very much
appreciated when they do.

Thanks,

Gary

[Bob Patton]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
//snip//
>
> Maybe I just need to go back to NC and go to all the places he
> describes in his book. :-)
>

Absolutely.
Also, you can find Exie Sopwith, Arby Mulligan, and any number of other
Middleton characters right here on ROFF.


--
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)

[Bob Patton]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> Ahhhh, Hazel Creek... "Grog must tell story." I was last there in the mid
> 80's with three others. After crossing Fontana Lake by ferry we set out
> for camp with our "diesel backpacks:" being relatively poor kids fresh out
> of school we took our only flyrods (two-piecers) in long homemade PVC
> cases, which when strapped vertically to our packs looked a lot like semi
> tractor exhaust pipes. We fished like crazy on the way in and caught
> almost nothing. Nearing camp we overtook a Smokies biologist and some
> volunteer helpers who were electrically shocking and weighing fish, and
> figured that most fish lose their zeal for feeding for a while after such
> an experience. Great trip, beautiful place, but few fish that time.

I understand. Sounds like some of my first trips. Or recent ones, for that
matter.

> Thanks for the "Death March" tip; I'll check it out. --Buddy

Good - but be careful - some of the miscreants can be found around here. You
can't believe a thing they say!
:-)
--
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)

[Wolfgang]

"Bob Patton" > wrote in message
...
> "Buddy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Ahhhh, Hazel Creek... "Grog must tell story." I was last there in the
>> mid 80's with three others. After crossing Fontana Lake by ferry we set
>> out for camp with our "diesel backpacks:" being relatively poor kids
>> fresh out of school we took our only flyrods (two-piecers) in long
>> homemade PVC cases, which when strapped vertically to our packs looked a
>> lot like semi tractor exhaust pipes. We fished like crazy on the way in
>> and caught almost nothing. Nearing camp we overtook a Smokies biologist
>> and some volunteer helpers who were electrically shocking and weighing
>> fish, and figured that most fish lose their zeal for feeding for a while
>> after such an experience. Great trip, beautiful place, but few fish that
>> time.
>
> I understand. Sounds like some of my first trips. Or recent ones, for
> that matter.
>
>> Thanks for the "Death March" tip; I'll check it out. --Buddy
>
> Good - but be careful - some of the miscreants can be found around here.
> You can't believe a thing they say!

Damn straight! You listen to Bob; he knows whereof he
speaks........um.......hm.......

Wolfgang
and don't drink the yellow water. :(

[Wayne Knight]

"Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
news:fBXQe.21417$hp.16097@lakeread08...

> and i'd like to build one like it if i could find any
> "fishing-temple-for-humanity" folks to help. <g>

Get the land, buy the wood.

Wayne
Have tools and fly rods, will travel..

[Wayne Knight]

"Buddy" > wrote in message
...
> "Brent Wagner" > wrote in message
> ...

> Thanks, Brent. I recently bought a copy of Prosek's "The Complete Angler"
> (spelling intentional) and have struggled to get going with it. He
> somewhat smuggly recounts up front how he lied to get support from Yale
> for his writing project on Walton, and I got an image of a self-absorbed
> rich kid gaming the system. Hopefully I missed the point. I may try it
> again, given Prosek's many fans. --Buddy

For a better Prosek read try "Joe and Me" or "Early Love and Brook Trout"

[Buddy]

Thanks, Wayne. I'll probably "give him another chance" with one of
hese. -Buddy

"Wayne Knight" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Buddy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Brent Wagner" > wrote in message
>> ...
>
>> Thanks, Brent. I recently bought a copy of Prosek's "The Complete
>> Angler" (spelling intentional) and have struggled to get going with it.
>> He somewhat smuggly recounts up front how he lied to get support from
>> Yale for his writing project on Walton, and I got an image of a
>> self-absorbed rich kid gaming the system. Hopefully I missed the point.
>> I may try it again, given Prosek's many fans. --Buddy
>
> For a better Prosek read try "Joe and Me" or "Early Love and Brook Trout"
>

[Conan The Librarian]

Bob Patton wrote:

> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
> ...
> //snip//
>
>> Maybe I just need to go back to NC and go to all the places he
>>describes in his book. :-)
>
> Absolutely.
> Also, you can find Exie Sopwith, Arby Mulligan, and any number of other
> Middleton characters right here on ROFF.

Hmmmm ... I'm guessing that Cyli would be Exie. As for Arby ... I
think Wolfgang is the most likely candidate. I can't imagine anyone
else who's more qualified to be an amateur phrenologist.

And I wonder who amongst us plays the bagpipes when he's on the
stream ...


Chuck Vance (though maybe that's just as well left unknown)

[William Claspy]

On 8/30/05 11:18 PM, in article , "Wayne
Knight" > wrote:

>
> "Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
> news:fBXQe.21417$hp.16097@lakeread08...
>
>> and i'd like to build one like it if i could find any
>> "fishing-temple-for-humanity" folks to help. <g>
>
> Get the land, buy the wood.
>
> Wayne
> Have tools and fly rods, will travel..

Um... Ditto! Always wanted an excuse to buy a slick and a whoppin' cross
cut saw. :-)

B

[Jeff]

well boys, i've got the land if you've got the time, and tools, and
knowledge. and...well, i'll buy the wood and the beer, and be a most
willing apprentice...just give me your graham county ETA. Bring your
tents, tools, and fly rods...<g> of course, we all should be heading to
Biloxi or New Orleans to help out down there...

jeff (i was hoping charlie choc might volunteer too...he's traveling the
country building homes with "habitat for humanity", and has excellent
experience with geezer construction projects. P.S. I trust y'all know
this is in jest...but i really would like to build a fishing temple
sometime)

William Claspy wrote:
> On 8/30/05 11:18 PM, in article , "Wayne
> Knight" > wrote:
>
>
>>"Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
>>news:fBXQe.21417$hp.16097@lakeread08...
>>
>>
>>> and i'd like to build one like it if i could find any
>>>"fishing-temple-for-humanity" folks to help. <g>
>>
>>Get the land, buy the wood.
>>
>>Wayne
>>Have tools and fly rods, will travel..
>
>
> Um... Ditto! Always wanted an excuse to buy a slick and a whoppin' cross
> cut saw. :-)
>
> B
>

[Wayne Knight]

Jeff wrote:

> we all should be heading to
> Biloxi or New Orleans to help out down there...

Some of us will be

[Wolfgang]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
> Bob Patton wrote:
>
>> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> //snip//
>>
>>> Maybe I just need to go back to NC and go to all the places he
>>> describes in his book. :-)
>>
>> Absolutely.
>> Also, you can find Exie Sopwith, Arby Mulligan, and any number of other
>> Middleton characters right here on ROFF.
>
> Hmmmm ... I'm guessing that Cyli would be Exie. As for Arby ... I
> think Wolfgang is the most likely candidate. I can't imagine anyone else
> who's more qualified to be an amateur phrenologist.

I know these characters only by the few references I've seen here on ROFF
over the years. Whatever. I am delighted to take on the role of ROFF's
Official Part-Time Amateur Phrenologist.....if no one
objects.......strenuously. I guess I can read the bumps on asses (about as
close as one is likely to get to skulls in many cases......if you think
about it) as well as the next guy. Um......as long as no one objects to
posting photos on one or another of the available sites........I don't do
house calls.

> And I wonder who amongst us plays the bagpipes when he's on the stream
> ...

Oh Lord, there are SO many dark paths we could go down with this!

> Chuck Vance (though maybe that's just as well left unknown)

Yeah, that's what I meant. :)

Wolfgang
who, oddly enough, has recently encountered a piper on several occasions
while en route to his vehicle after work.......and a shiny new nickel to the
first who guesses the only tune recognized in the process......and yes, it
IS common knowledge.

[Wolfgang]

"Jeff" > wrote in message
ink.net...

> ...well boys, i've got the land if you've got the time......P.S. I trust
> y'all know this is in jest.......

Well, see, there's the problem. We talked about this two years ago. I got
the tools, the time, and the hubris. All I'm missing is the fuel and the
cash (well, and maybe the knowledge and experience......but hey, what are
friends for?)! :)

For all the blessings and advantages of the global community, it DOES have
it's niggling little drawbacks. Gone are the days (for the vast majority of
us) when friends and neighbors could conveniently gather to raise a new
barn.......or fishing shack. Oh well, we shall all have to settle for
invitations to attend the christening upon completion.

Wolfgang
who will be watching the activities of his letter carrier closely.

[Cyli]

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 06:45:05 -0500, Conan The Librarian
> wrote:

>Bob Patton wrote:
>
>> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> //snip//
>>
>>> Maybe I just need to go back to NC and go to all the places he
>>>describes in his book. :-)
>>
>> Absolutely.
>> Also, you can find Exie Sopwith, Arby Mulligan, and any number of other
>> Middleton characters right here on ROFF.
>
> Hmmmm ... I'm guessing that Cyli would be Exie. As for Arby ... I
>think Wolfgang is the most likely candidate. I can't imagine anyone
>else who's more qualified to be an amateur phrenologist.
>
> And I wonder who amongst us plays the bagpipes when he's on the
>stream ...
>
>
> Chuck Vance (though maybe that's just as well left unknown)

As long as you've dragged me into this, please describe Exie Sopwith
for me? I wandered over to Amazon and read an excerpt or two from
Middleton and I don't think I'm going to be interested enough to read
a book by him, so I need you to describe her. You and several others,
to see if I should be complimented, insulted, or just recognize
myself.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: (strip the .invalid to email)

[Jeff Miller]

Wolfgang wrote:

> "Jeff" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
>
>
>>...well boys, i've got the land if you've got the time......P.S. I trust
>>y'all know this is in jest.......
>
>
> Well, see, there's the problem. We talked about this two years ago. I got
> the tools, the time, and the hubris. All I'm missing is the fuel and the
> cash (well, and maybe the knowledge and experience......but hey, what are
> friends for?)! :)
>
> For all the blessings and advantages of the global community, it DOES have
> it's niggling little drawbacks. Gone are the days (for the vast majority of
> us) when friends and neighbors could conveniently gather to raise a new
> barn.......or fishing shack. Oh well, we shall all have to settle for
> invitations to attend the christening upon completion.
>
> Wolfgang
> who will be watching the activities of his letter carrier closely.
>
>

yup...that was during my great "deck-building" period. rachel has begun
categorizing my fantasies...well, those that can be talked about
publicly anyway. i trust you know that whenever you choose, you have an
open invitation and will be most welcome to visit my fishing temples -
they are currently of the "open air" construction - in western nc as
well as eastern nc. there is even space available at my humble abode
should you need a parking spot for attendance at services. of course,
rachel will expect you to cook. <g>

here's one of my current fantasies, borrowed from h.g. wells. he
expressed it in 1939:

"A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and
promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much
surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that
those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own."

jeff

[Conan The Librarian]

Wolfgang wrote:

> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> Hmmmm ... I'm guessing that Cyli would be Exie. As for Arby ... I
>>think Wolfgang is the most likely candidate. I can't imagine anyone else
>>who's more qualified to be an amateur phrenologist.
>
> I know these characters only by the few references I've seen here on ROFF
> over the years. Whatever. I am delighted to take on the role of ROFF's
> Official Part-Time Amateur Phrenologist.....if no one
> objects.......strenuously. I guess I can read the bumps on asses (about as
> close as one is likely to get to skulls in many cases......if you think
> about it) as well as the next guy. Um......as long as no one objects to
> posting photos on one or another of the available sites........I don't do
> house calls.

Hmmmm ... I'd say you've proven over the years that you don't need
photos to read the asses on ROFF. :-)

> Wolfgang
> who, oddly enough, has recently encountered a piper on several occasions
> while en route to his vehicle after work.......and a shiny new nickel to the
> first who guesses the only tune recognized in the process......and yes, it
> IS common knowledge.

Amazing Grace? Sympathy for the Devil?


Chuck Vance (Q. What's the definition of a gentleman? A.
Someone who knows how to play the bagpipes but chooses not to.)

[Conan The Librarian]

Cyli wrote:

> As long as you've dragged me into this, please describe Exie Sopwith
> for me? I wandered over to Amazon and read an excerpt or two from
> Middleton and I don't think I'm going to be interested enough to read
> a book by him, so I need you to describe her. You and several others,
> to see if I should be complimented, insulted, or just recognize
> myself.

Gosh, I hope I'm not confusing the names of the two females who
figure prominently in the book, but this is the character I'm thinking of:

She was a woman who appeared almost magically streamside during one
of Middleton's excursions. She traveled with her dog, who was afraid of
fish but reputed to tear a person's throat out if given the special
command ("abbatoir"). She was totally independent and was making it her
life's work to study Appalachian culture.


Chuck Vance (definitely not an insult)

[Wolfgang]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
> ...a shiny new nickel to the
>> first who guesses the only tune recognized in the process......and yes,
>> it IS common knowledge.
>
> Amazing Grace?....

Ding! ding! ding! We have a winner in the balcony on the very first try!
:)

> Chuck Vance (Q. What's the definition of a gentleman? A. Someone
> who knows how to play the bagpipes but chooses not to.)

Yet another, "Ill wind that nobody blows good."*

Wolfgang
*variously ascribed.

[Wolfgang]

"Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
news:sqBRe.21602$hp.12523@lakeread08...
> ...i trust you know that whenever you choose, you have an open invitation
> and will be most welcome to visit my fishing temples - they are currently
> of the "open air" construction - in western nc as well as eastern nc.
> there is even space available at my humble abode should you need a parking
> spot for attendance at services.

I thank you, and assure you that I will take you up on the offer.

> of course, rachel will expect you to cook. <g>

And how many shall we be expecting at the table that evening, sir? :)

> here's one of my current fantasies, borrowed from h.g. wells. he
> expressed it in 1939:
>
> "A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and
> promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much
> surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that
> those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own."

A lovely vision. Unfortunately, Mr. Wells demonstrated the limits of his
gift for accurate prediction (or, began the demonstration, anyway) just nine
years later. :(

Wolfgang

[Wolfgang]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
> news:sqBRe.21602$hp.12523@lakeread08...


>> ..."A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and
>> promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much
>> surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that
>> those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own."
>
> A lovely vision. Unfortunately, Mr. Wells demonstrated the limits of his
> gift for accurate prediction (or, began the demonstration, anyway) just
> nine years later. :(

Oops! Early morning brain fart. The gentleman I was referring to is the
wrong gentleman. Orwell, not Wells, shot a bit wide of the mark......as was
made clear in 1984. Oh well, the prognosis for Wells's prognostication is
none the better for my confusion about the past.

Wolfgang
to whom all dead white male edwardian/georgian/edwardian/georgian british
writers evidently look pretty much alike.

[Conan The Librarian]

Wolfgang wrote:

> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> Amazing Grace?....
>
> Ding! ding! ding! We have a winner in the balcony on the very first try!
> :)

That was so easy that I thought it might be a trick question. :-)
Even down here in the wild west the cops always have a sole piper
playing Amazing Grace whenever there's a police funeral. (What is it
with cops and bagpipes, anyway?)

Plus I'm married to a Canuckistani, and they're almost as bad in
their admiration for pipes as the Scots. (But at least she likes the
Uilleann rather than the warpipes.)

>> Chuck Vance (Q. What's the definition of a gentleman? A. Someone
>>who knows how to play the bagpipes but chooses not to.)
>
>
> Yet another, "Ill wind that nobody blows good."*

Nice. Now should I start with the banjo jokes?


Chuck Vance (or would that be offensive to our NC contingent?)

[Bob Patton]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
> Cyli wrote:
>
>> As long as you've dragged me into this, please describe Exie Sopwith
>> for me? I wandered over to Amazon and read an excerpt or two from
>> Middleton and I don't think I'm going to be interested enough to read
>> a book by him, so I need you to describe her. You and several others,
>> to see if I should be complimented, insulted, or just recognize
>> myself.
>
> Gosh, I hope I'm not confusing the names of the two females who figure
> prominently in the book, but this is the character I'm thinking of:
>
> She was a woman who appeared almost magically streamside during one of
> Middleton's excursions. She traveled with her dog, who was afraid of fish
> but reputed to tear a person's throat out if given the special command
> ("abbatoir"). She was totally independent and was making it her life's
> work to study Appalachian culture.
>
>
> Chuck Vance (definitely not an insult)

Actually, I think Exie was the gal who rescued our protagonist from a
serious case of food poisoning. The gal with the dog was Rachael. And I
don't think any of Middleton's characters would be an insult - they all
taught something, IIRC.

Wolfie would make a pretty good Arby - but I'm not so sure about how well
he'd do representing the "Owl Creek Gap Church of Universal Harmony, Where
Every Day is an Epiphany", and I'd hope to hell he'd never try to baptize me
in Snowbird Creek . . .

Bob

[Wolfgang]

"Bob Patton" > wrote in message
...
> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Cyli wrote:
>>
>>> As long as you've dragged me into this, please describe Exie Sopwith
>>> for me? I wandered over to Amazon and read an excerpt or two from
>>> Middleton and I don't think I'm going to be interested enough to read
>>> a book by him, so I need you to describe her. You and several others,
>>> to see if I should be complimented, insulted, or just recognize
>>> myself.
>>
>> Gosh, I hope I'm not confusing the names of the two females who figure
>> prominently in the book, but this is the character I'm thinking of:
>>
>> She was a woman who appeared almost magically streamside during one of
>> Middleton's excursions. She traveled with her dog, who was afraid of
>> fish but reputed to tear a person's throat out if given the special
>> command ("abbatoir"). She was totally independent and was making it her
>> life's work to study Appalachian culture.
>>
>>
>> Chuck Vance (definitely not an insult)
>
> Actually, I think Exie was the gal who rescued our protagonist from a
> serious case of food poisoning. The gal with the dog was Rachael. And I
> don't think any of Middleton's characters would be an insult - they all
> taught something, IIRC.
>
> Wolfie would make a pretty good Arby - but I'm not so sure about how well
> he'd do representing the "Owl Creek Gap Church of Universal Harmony, Where
> Every Day is an Epiphany", and I'd hope to hell he'd never try to baptize
> me in Snowbird Creek . . .

As a matter of fact, I am a recent convert to the Landover Baptist Church.

Wolfgang
who is giving serious consideration to becoming a deacon.....or a
bishop.....or something, maybe next week.

[Cyli]

On Thu, 1 Sep 2005 19:29:52 -0500, "Bob Patton"
> wrote:

>"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
>> Cyli wrote:
>>
>>> As long as you've dragged me into this, please describe Exie Sopwith
>>> for me? I wandered over to Amazon and read an excerpt or two from
>>> Middleton and I don't think I'm going to be interested enough to read
>>> a book by him, so I need you to describe her. You and several others,
>>> to see if I should be complimented, insulted, or just recognize
>>> myself.
>>
>> Gosh, I hope I'm not confusing the names of the two females who figure
>> prominently in the book, but this is the character I'm thinking of:
>>
>> She was a woman who appeared almost magically streamside during one of
>> Middleton's excursions. She traveled with her dog, who was afraid of fish
>> but reputed to tear a person's throat out if given the special command
>> ("abbatoir"). She was totally independent and was making it her life's
>> work to study Appalachian culture.
>>
>>
>> Chuck Vance (definitely not an insult)
>
>Actually, I think Exie was the gal who rescued our protagonist from a
>serious case of food poisoning. The gal with the dog was Rachael. And I
>don't think any of Middleton's characters would be an insult - they all
>taught something, IIRC.
>
>Wolfie would make a pretty good Arby - but I'm not so sure about how well
>he'd do representing the "Owl Creek Gap Church of Universal Harmony, Where
>Every Day is an Epiphany", and I'd hope to hell he'd never try to baptize me
>in Snowbird Creek . . .
>
>Bob
>

Okay, I'm convinced I should accept it as a compliment. The one with
the dog sounds mildly eccentric, which I am, and the other one sounds
as if she knows what to do in a minor emergency, which I sometimes do.


Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: (strip the .invalid to email)

[Conan The Librarian]

Bob Patton wrote:

> Actually, I think Exie was the gal who rescued our protagonist from a
> serious case of food poisoning. The gal with the dog was Rachael. And I
> don't think any of Middleton's characters would be an insult - they all
> taught something, IIRC.

Thanks for the correction, Bob. I had a feeling I was mixing up the
names.

> Wolfie would make a pretty good Arby - but I'm not so sure about how well
> he'd do representing the "Owl Creek Gap Church of Universal Harmony, Where
> Every Day is an Epiphany", and I'd hope to hell he'd never try to baptize me
> in Snowbird Creek . . .

I'm guessing you've already been "baptized" in (by?) Snowbird
anyhow. :-)


Chuck Vance (I know I have)

[Conan The Librarian]

Wolfgang wrote:

> As a matter of fact, I am a recent convert to the Landover Baptist Church.
>
> Wolfgang
> who is giving serious consideration to becoming a deacon.....or a
> bishop.....or something, maybe next week.

Details, man ... we need details.


Chuck Vance (who pictured you as more of a Unitarian)

[Wolfgang]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
> Wolfgang wrote:
>
>> As a matter of fact, I am a recent convert to the Landover Baptist
>> Church.
>>
>> Wolfgang
>> who is giving serious consideration to becoming a deacon.....or a
>> bishop.....or something, maybe next week.
>
> Details, man ... we need details.

Well, o.k., since you asked nice. :)

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/

> Chuck Vance (who pictured you as more of a Unitarian)

The idea of praying "to whom it may concern" is not without charm......and
they seem to be really nice people......but for reasons having much to do
with short tenure on this planet and the rather tenuous evidence of the
ultimate value of really LONG term investment, I've decide to take (for the
nonce, at any rate) a somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.

Wolfgang
praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.

[Conan The Librarian]

Wolfgang wrote:

> Well, o.k., since you asked nice. :)
>
> http://www.landoverbaptist.org/

Outstanding (and bookmarked). I want to join, too. If you haven't
already checked out their forums, you must. Here's just a sample:

--------------------------------

The owner of the board is GOD.
GOD, and those who are part of His Staff, can make and change the rules
as they see fit, at any given time, with or without prior notice.

As a Visitor (also known as an Unpaying Guest) to this board, you are
granted the privilege of reading topics and posting replies. If GOD's
representatives decide, for any reason whatsoever, to remove some or all
of those privileges, then guess what?

***********
* That's life. *
***********

You don't have to like it.
You don't have to agree with it.
You don't have to think it's fair.
You don't have to understand why it was done.
You don't have the right to an explanation.

You may feel whatever you choose.
You may even attempt to seek an explanation.
But you are not entitled to one.

You are entitled to nothing.
You are doomed to Hell and you had better get to repenting.

If you don't like it, there are millions of other web pages you can
visit, and thousands of other chat boards.

As an alternative, you can start your own chat board, pay the bills, and
appoint your very own Staff. There's nothing stopping you but the
effort. Sadly, you still won't be GOD.

Conclusion

Thank you again for your attention. I certainly hope this has cleared up
any confusion regarding the "right" to Free Speech on this board.

-----------------------------

Now that's my kind of church. :-)

>> Chuck Vance (who pictured you as more of a Unitarian)
>
> The idea of praying "to whom it may concern" is not without charm......and
> they seem to be really nice people......but for reasons having much to do
> with short tenure on this planet and the rather tenuous evidence of the
> ultimate value of really LONG term investment, I've decide to take (for the
> nonce, at any rate) a somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>
> Wolfgang
> praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.

As a member of Landover, I'd say you'd be asking for a bit more than
black-eyed peas ...


Chuck Vance (AK-47's, perhaps?)

[Wayne Harrison]

"Wolfgang" > wrote

, I've decide to take (for the
> nonce, at any rate) a somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>
> Wolfgang
> praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.
> just too ****ing much, man. :)

yfitons
wayno(how great thou art)

[Jeff]

Wayne Harrison wrote:
> "Wolfgang" > wrote
>
> , I've decide to take (for the
>
>>nonce, at any rate) a somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>>
>>Wolfgang
>>praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.
>> just too ****ing much, man. :)
>
>
> yfitons
> wayno(how great thou art)

i think i just felt a shift of the earth's axis...

jeff (betwixt the serpents at the present, but not being pragmatic about
it in the least)

[Stan Gula]

Wolfgang wrote:
> Well, o.k., since you asked nice. :)
>
> http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
>
> The idea of praying "to whom it may concern" is not without
> charm......and they seem to be really nice people......but for
> reasons having much to do with short tenure on this planet and the
> rather tenuous evidence of the ultimate value of really LONG term
> investment, I've decide to take (for the nonce, at any rate) a
> somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>
> Wolfgang
> praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.

That is just so last year. Join the cult of Flying Spaghetti Monsterism -
I've been touched by his noodly appendage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

We get to dress up as pirates for all special events.
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps

[Tim J.]

Stan Gula wrote:
> Wolfgang wrote:
>> Well, o.k., since you asked nice. :)
>>
>> http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
>>
>> The idea of praying "to whom it may concern" is not without
>> charm......and they seem to be really nice people......but for
>> reasons having much to do with short tenure on this planet and the
>> rather tenuous evidence of the ultimate value of really LONG term
>> investment, I've decide to take (for the nonce, at any rate) a
>> somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>>
>> Wolfgang
>> praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.
>
> That is just so last year. Join the cult of Flying Spaghetti
> Monsterism - I've been touched by his noodly appendage.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster
>
> We get to dress up as pirates for all special events.

I'm not sure how, and I damned sure don't know why, but you find the
weirdest stuff. . .
--
TL,
Tim
---------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

[Wolfgang]

"Stan Gula" > wrote in message
news:OP4Se.54$8i7.13@trndny07...
> Wolfgang wrote:
>> Well, o.k., since you asked nice. :)
>>
>> http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
>>
>> The idea of praying "to whom it may concern" is not without
>> charm......and they seem to be really nice people......but for
>> reasons having much to do with short tenure on this planet and the
>> rather tenuous evidence of the ultimate value of really LONG term
>> investment, I've decide to take (for the nonce, at any rate) a
>> somewhat more pragmatic approach to spirituality.
>>
>> Wolfgang
>> praise the lord......and pass the black-eyed peas......please.
>
> That is just so last year. Join the cult of Flying Spaghetti Monsterism -
> I've been touched by his noodly appendage.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

Hm......

A brief Google search reveals that there is now, at long last, a secure
ontological basis for a belief in.......um......well, something, anyway.

> We get to dress up as pirates for all special events.

Arrrrr.......now yer' talkin', matey!

Wolfgang
who always suspected that if religion per se had no past worthy of note, it
might yet have a future full of promise.

[Stan Gula]

Tim J. wrote:
>
> I'm not sure how, and I damned sure don't know why, but you find the
> weirdest stuff. . .

This one was easy. I'm very interested in the whole intelligent
design/creatonism movement and the attempts to get that into the public
schools. FSM was a result of the Kansas Board of Education fiasco and has
been mentioned in a lot of articles I''ve read over the past couple of
months. My pirate hallucinations while I was close to diabetic coma were
possibly messages from the noodly one hisownself, arrr! ;-)
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps
(and BTW, National Talk Like a Pirate Day be comin' up in a couple of weeks,
arrr!)
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

[Bob Patton]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
//snip//
> I'm guessing you've already been "baptized" in (by?) Snowbird anyhow.
> :-)
>
>
> Chuck Vance (I know I have)


Several times - and it's going to happen again. Very soon.

-
Bob Patton
(remove hat to respond)