Still alive

It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself. I
knew that sooner or later, I'd be back to say hello; and a chance
meeting with a ROFFian on another newsgroup reminded me that time was
overdue.

I have on occasion peered through the windows and satisfied myself that
ROFF was alive and well; and I have been both comforted and amused that
so little has changed; but the sad fact is that I have given up fly
fishing, and consequently had nothing on topic to contribute.

I came to this painful decision in May, 2004 following yet another
spring when family pressures overwhelmed my ability to wet a line with
enjoyable regularity. Every outing became a domestic confrontation.
The stress of having an intense desire to fish without a relaxing
opportunity to do so was killing me. To be honest, the wonderful
camaraderie and resource that is ROFF only made it worse. To learn
what I did not know made the thirst for that knowledge stronger. To
wish for experiences beyond my ability for realization added to the
frustration. The more I stayed here, the more I read of others'
experiences, the more I beat my head against the wall only further
highlighted my continued discouragement with my abilities and
opportunities. On top of that, I was unemployed and fast approaching
broke.

That June, my local fly shop, where I had begun my interest in the
sport, my brick and mortar connection to the sport, and refuge of
goodwill and good cheer, closed its doors for good. I took it as a
sign, and simply went cold turkey.

There were no hatches for me that year, no claves, no shad run, no
tying flies, no wrapping guides. In October, I did drag out the gear
for my annual Salmon River trip, more for my son than myself. On the
second day of that trip, my custom-made 8 wt. shattered in three places
as I leaned on a big coho. That was a stake in my heart; the last nail
in the coffin of my fly fishing life. I loved that rod as much as one
can bestow such affection on an inanimate object. Its demise
completely deflated me. I knew I would never rebuild that rod, and I
haven't. I was done.

So, in a nutshell, that's the depressing answer to the question,
"Whatever happened to Joe F.?"

In the intervening time, I've simply done other things, among them
the construction this past spring of a fantastically beautiful 17'
mahogany stitch & glue kayak for #1 son. It was through this avenue
that Kevin Vang recognized my screen name on rec.boats.paddling and
prompted me to stop in & say howdy.

I do miss you guys, especially my many good friends here. I still
check the NC & Illinois scores for no apparent reason. I find myself
inexplicably rooting for the Pats. Memories of claves past play in my
mind often. I wish I had more to offer ROFF these days; but I have
squat for on topic contributions to justify an occasional OT rant; and
my present job does not allow for much newsgroup time anyway.

I apologize for my sudden disappearance those many months ago, but I
never liked grand announcements anyway, and I wasn't about to make
one myself.

So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
you all.

Joe F.

wrote


So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
you all.

Joe F.

great to hear from you, joey. cop a wild hair this spring and drive
down to the blue ridge. the old north state could use a good juggler, from
time to time.

yfitons
wayno

On 8 Dec 2005 08:19:19 -0800, wrote:

So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
you all.

Good to hear that, anyway, Joe. I'm not alert enough to have noticed you on rbp,
but the canoe project sounds like it was a fine one.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

On Thu, 08 Dec 2005 11:51:07 -0500, Charlie Choc
wrote:

but the canoe project sounds like it was a fine one.

D'oh, especially when the result of the project was a kayak.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

It took me a day to find the pix, but I can't post to abpf from here.
I'll post a few when I get home.

wrote in message
oups.com...
...I do miss you guys...but I have
squat for on topic contributions to justify an occasional OT rant; and
my present job does not allow for much newsgroup time anyway....

Ah hell, anybody who can juggle fire can go wherever he pleases and say
whatever he likes......the natives be damned!

Nice to hear from you, Joe. Stick around.......we need all the good guys we
can get.

Wolfgang

schrieb im Newsbeitrag
oups.com...
It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself. I
knew that sooner or later, I'd be back to say hello; and a chance
meeting with a ROFFian on another newsgroup reminded me that time was
overdue.
SNIP


Very nice to hear from you, and good to know that you are alive and kicking.

Best wishes and regards.

MC

typed:
severe snipage ahead
It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
explanation from this forum.

Damn straight! You should be ashamed! ;-)

but the sad fact is that I have
given up fly fishing, and consequently had nothing on topic to
contribute.

No cooking tips? Wine selections? Woodworking know-how?

I came to this painful decision in May, 2004 following yet another
spring when family pressures overwhelmed my ability to wet a line with
enjoyable regularity. Every outing became a domestic confrontation.
The stress of having an intense desire to fish without a relaxing
opportunity to do so was killing me. To be honest, the wonderful
camaraderie and resource that is ROFF only made it worse. To learn
what I did not know made the thirst for that knowledge stronger. To
wish for experiences beyond my ability for realization added to the
frustration. The more I stayed here, the more I read of others'
experiences, the more I beat my head against the wall only further
highlighted my continued discouragement with my abilities and
opportunities.

Oh sure - it's all about you. What about us? We love you, man!

On top of that, I was unemployed and fast approaching
broke.

Well, I hope that's behind you - nasty stuff, that.

So, in a nutshell, that's the depressing answer to the question,
"Whatever happened to Joe F.?"

Ah, but you're here now, and that's what counts. I, for one, have really
missed your posts; your compassion; your wit. Although we've never met, I've
always felt a connection with you.

In the intervening time, I've simply done other things, among them
the construction this past spring of a fantastically beautiful 17'
mahogany stitch & glue kayak for #1 son. It was through this avenue
that Kevin Vang recognized my screen name on rec.boats.paddling and
prompted me to stop in & say howdy.

Do more than that - please. The fact is you DID fly fish in your last life
and have a lot to contribute. We'll try not to make you feel *TOO* bad, but
stick around, or at least pop in from time to time. Hell, you can even host
the next DDFS - it's yours for the asking. ;-)

I apologize for my sudden disappearance those many months ago, but I
never liked grand announcements anyway, and I wasn't about to make
one myself.

So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
you all.

Damn, Joe. It's good to see you 'round. Welcome home.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

Joe, The legends on this board probably fish like once a year each, so
don't worry about it. ; -)

Welcome back.

bruce h

Joe, The legends on this board probably fish like once a year each, so
don't worry about it. ; -)


Welcome back

Ain't *that* the sad truth?!??!?

Although I'm new around these parts, I feel your pain.....

--Steve