Before Its Too Late

I went to the tackle shop the other day to get a fly line winder that
was on sale. I've seen the things over the years but the $59.00 price
tag was always too much. But at 35.99 I just couldn't resist, besides
I've got a ton of reels and lines that need be cleaned and stored.
While I'm in the store I decide to pick up some tippet and hen necks
that I'll use in the coming year. I always buy too much damn tippet
and wind up throwing the old stuff out. But I feel better when I start
the year with new tippet. I'm in the back of the store sorting
through the necks and in comes an elderly man and his wife there both
in there 80's. The gentleman has a bag with him that he places beside
him on the floor. I could tell he was an old school gent and his wife
was the classic demure lady from days long since past. There was a high
back chair next counter and lady sat down while the man talked to the
owner. The older fellow started telling stories about the 2nd world war
and fishing the Test and the other chalk streams of England. I walked
up to listen and he spoke about the Itchen Hampshire and the Kennet
Berkshire and the wonderful times he spent fishing those waters. After
a short while the man handed the bag to the owner and asked him to take
stock of what was in the bag. There was a kind of hesitation and
sadness in the eyes of the older fellow but he quickly started talking
about the different places he'd fished while the owner looked through
the bag. His wife God bless her heart didn't say a word she just sat
by his side and helped him say goodbye to his old friends. The bag
contained beautiful old hardy reels with names like St George, Perfect,
Bougle and most of them had the old agate style line guides. As each
reel came out he told a story about where he fished it and when he
bought it. He had a story for all the reels and rods. He asked the
owner to sell them because he was getting too old to walk the streams
any longer. It was one of the saddest sights I've ever seen. Right
then I made myself a promise to stop collecting things. I have too many
rods and reels that only come out once a year. For Pete's sake they
will still be new 30 years from now. One of these days I am going to
pick a few special rods and reels and get rid of the rest. One of these
days before it's too late!

On 2 Mar 2005 17:06:21 -0800, "Softhackle"
wrote:

I went to the tackle shop the other day to get a fly line winder that
was on sale. I've seen the things over the years but the $59.00 price
tag was always too much. But at 35.99 I just couldn't resist, besides
I've got a ton of reels and lines that need be cleaned and stored.
While I'm in the store I decide to pick up some tippet and hen necks
that I'll use in the coming year. I always buy too much damn tippet
and wind up throwing the old stuff out. But I feel better when I start
the year with new tippet. I'm in the back of the store sorting
through the necks and in comes an elderly man and his wife there both
in there 80's. The gentleman has a bag with him that he places beside
him on the floor. I could tell he was an old school gent and his wife
was the classic demure lady from days long since past. There was a high
back chair next counter and lady sat down while the man talked to the
owner. The older fellow started telling stories about the 2nd world war
and fishing the Test and the other chalk streams of England. I walked
up to listen and he spoke about the Itchen Hampshire and the Kennet
Berkshire and the wonderful times he spent fishing those waters. After
a short while the man handed the bag to the owner and asked him to take
stock of what was in the bag. There was a kind of hesitation and
sadness in the eyes of the older fellow but he quickly started talking
about the different places he'd fished while the owner looked through
the bag. His wife God bless her heart didn't say a word she just sat
by his side and helped him say goodbye to his old friends. The bag
contained beautiful old hardy reels with names like St George, Perfect,
Bougle and most of them had the old agate style line guides. As each
reel came out he told a story about where he fished it and when he
bought it. He had a story for all the reels and rods. He asked the
owner to sell them because he was getting too old to walk the streams
any longer. It was one of the saddest sights I've ever seen. Right
then I made myself a promise to stop collecting things. I have too many
rods and reels that only come out once a year. For Pete's sake they
will still be new 30 years from now. One of these days I am going to
pick a few special rods and reels and get rid of the rest. One of these
days before it's too late!

[..../]

Maudlin-O-Meter

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:26:55 -0500, daytripper
wrote:

(snipped)

.. One of these days I am going to
pick a few special rods and reels and get rid of the rest. One of these
days before it's too late!

[..../]

Maudlin-O-Meter

Well, yeah, but very true to life. I liked it.

Sets me off on a slightly different take of it, too. I have a
brother-in-law who bought himself a Mustang convertible a few years
ago. Too late. First of all, it was a new Mustang, which means it
looked and handled like a family sedan that had been made convertible.
Second, he's just too damn old to be cool any more. At least in that
way. I think he realized that, as his next vehicle was the more
predictable Lexus which fits a more appropriate 'image' for him.

So it leads me to what sorts of things and life I always wanted to be
/ buy / do. Arrrrgh! Too late for too many of them. Well, some it
was too late even when I was young. I've never been able to sing, so
the first hope of all was out. And so on. I think I may have managed
cool for a few years in my 40s. That should be enough...

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

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

This post really hit home with me. My father died about six months ago of
CHF. He and I have flyfished together since I was three years old. Both of
us have accumulated a LOT of gear over the years. When I inherited his
fishing gear and added it to my own, it made my den look like a tackle shop.
While my dad was able to leave all of his gear with me, I have no one in the
family (at least yet) who could really use and appreciate it when I'm gone.
I was going to thin out my collection by giving it to some deserving
kid...or a fly fishing club...but I found that I've got memories attached to
most everything. I wish I was someone who could remember all of the great
events in my life...but alas I am not. I suppose that's why I collect
things. I can look around my den and see things that remind my aging mind
of events, circumstances and people that I might otherwise forget. And so,
I will hang on to my "stuff" and spend a disproportionate amount of my time
cleaning it, just so that I don't lose those great memories. Had the 80
year old in the fly fishing shop asked me for advice, I would have advised
him to keep his equipment...especially given the fact that he obviously had
memories attached to each item. If he needed the money and was forced to
sell them, I'd advise him to take good, close-up photos of each item and use
those photos to "jog his memory" about the events associated with that item.
And...speaking of old Hardy reels, I inherited a lot of them from my
dad....along with some well used bamboo rods from various makers as well as
other equipment. My dad and I were never "collectors"...which means that
the equipment, no matter the cost, was used....but that, in my opinion,
makes things even more valuable as there is no "life" in a rod or reel until
it's been used.

Barry

"Softhackle" wrote in message
oups.com...
I went to the tackle shop the other day to get a fly line winder that
was on sale. I've seen the things over the years but the $59.00 price
tag was always too much. But at 35.99 I just couldn't resist, besides
I've got a ton of reels and lines that need be cleaned and stored.
While I'm in the store I decide to pick up some tippet and hen necks
that I'll use in the coming year. I always buy too much damn tippet
and wind up throwing the old stuff out. But I feel better when I start
the year with new tippet. I'm in the back of the store sorting
through the necks and in comes an elderly man and his wife there both
in there 80's. The gentleman has a bag with him that he places beside
him on the floor. I could tell he was an old school gent and his wife
was the classic demure lady from days long since past. There was a high
back chair next counter and lady sat down while the man talked to the
owner. The older fellow started telling stories about the 2nd world war
and fishing the Test and the other chalk streams of England. I walked
up to listen and he spoke about the Itchen Hampshire and the Kennet
Berkshire and the wonderful times he spent fishing those waters. After
a short while the man handed the bag to the owner and asked him to take
stock of what was in the bag. There was a kind of hesitation and
sadness in the eyes of the older fellow but he quickly started talking
about the different places he'd fished while the owner looked through
the bag. His wife God bless her heart didn't say a word she just sat
by his side and helped him say goodbye to his old friends. The bag
contained beautiful old hardy reels with names like St George, Perfect,
Bougle and most of them had the old agate style line guides. As each
reel came out he told a story about where he fished it and when he
bought it. He had a story for all the reels and rods. He asked the
owner to sell them because he was getting too old to walk the streams
any longer. It was one of the saddest sights I've ever seen. Right
then I made myself a promise to stop collecting things. I have too many
rods and reels that only come out once a year. For Pete's sake they
will still be new 30 years from now. One of these days I am going to
pick a few special rods and reels and get rid of the rest. One of these
days before it's too late!