Rendezvous

we had a great time down at rendezvous last weekend. John and I left Dallas
about 8 in the morning on Friday,took the back way down to Tyler and visited
with Jim Green at his flyshop,Backcountry for about an hour before heading on
down. Took a pit stop at a stop and rob at a little spot in the road somewhere
in east texas and visited with a way cool old 85 year old guy who introduced
himself by saying 'I've been living around here all my life and I don't
recognize you." We visited about 15 minutes and I learned he had a cousin that
lived 15 miles from where I grew up that had the same name as my dad. We
continued on and arrived at North Toledo Bend State Park about 2:30 in the
afternoon. Some of the guys were already down at the boat dock fishing for
bluegill and did not rejoin us and the other half dozen for about another hour.
I said hi to Walter McLendon and unloaded the "Fraud Chicken" into the fridge
for later. Headed over to bunkhouse #5 for those that snore, picked out a bunk
and opened out the sleeping bag.

Unloaded the truck with the tying stuff and opened a beer. Picked out a tying
table and started setting up the stuff. Found the extension cord and set it up.
About an hour later Walter Moskel of Long Beach, Miss. and Mark Pinsel came
back from fishing and set up at the table with me. We have been sharing a tying
table at rendezvous for the past 6 or 8 years now out of habit. Later that
evening Peter, from New Orleans set up his stuff at out table and he and his
teenager Veronica tied with us for the remainder of rendezvous. Folks kept
drifting in and by dusk there were about 30 folks visiting and having a good
time. The first major meal started about 7:00pm and we ate pretty much till
about 1:00 Sunday afternoon. The weather was kind of muggy with the temp about
80 or so and humitity between 95 and 110%. I tied The Psychedelic Spider for
most of the weekend as I was developing it this weekend. Gave Joan a dozen in a
little plastic box for their club auction as well as one to just about everyone
at rendezvous I enjoyed visiting and tying till about 2:00 am and took a nap
for about three hours before getting up and starting the 50 cup coffee maker
for the rest about dawn.

For several years now I have been bringing a cool book about fly fishing or fly
tying for others to enjoy. The book this year was one I bought while in North
Carolina a few weeks before from Waldo's fly shop. The book is the new one by
Harry Steeves called Tying With Foam, Feathers, And Fur. Check it out as it is
cool. More folks arrived on Saturday and while I did not count the croud, I
feel it must have wound up beeing in the 45 to 50 range. We always compete as
rendezvous is on the opening weekend of deer season in both Texas and Louisiana
and this was the halloween weekend as well. We all still had a great time.
Around noon I loaded about five guys in the back of my pickup as well as John
and I in the front and we drove the 2 miles over to the boat dock for Brimfest.
We caught a few bluegill with each other's rods in the next hour or so and had
a good time. It was good that I had about 6 guys to keep me from making those 2
wrong turns on the way back.

We got back just as another major meal was beginning and before it was over
Jeff Geurin, one of the co-founders of rendezvous and our guide on the Little
Missouri River in Arkansas arrived with his lovely girlfriend. After lunch I
asked Jeff if he had cast a Temple Forks rod and he said no., That gave me an
excuse to unlimber my latest, an 8.5 foot 4 piece 3 weight rod that I had my
rodmaker put the cool Leo Eck realseat on with the scrimshaw but cap done by
Duane Hada with the cool little biot bodied soft hackle on it. This started the
playing with each other's toys. Jeff came back with a grin on his faceabout an
hour later, and others casted my new rod for about the next four hours as
everyone played with toys on the lawn. I suspect Rick Pope will be happy with
the result. One of the Cajuns plans to buy one of the little 7.5 foot 3 weight
rods for a ladyfish rod.

Mark Pinsel's spagetti which is a saturday night tradition was great as usual.
We stayed up visiting and tying flies till about one in the morning.

Sunday brought Tom Landry's traditional breakfast quiche which was to die for
as usual. The three pans of vegeterian went slower than the arterie snapping
shut three pans of meat as always. We continue tying flies and visiting till
around noon when we started saying our goodbys and drifting out. John and I
arrived back in Plano just in time for the kickoff of the second NFL game.
Tired and looking forward to next year.

Sorry you guys missed it, but you are welcome to come first weekend of November
next year.

Big Dale

Brimbum wrote:
we had a great time down at rendezvous last weekend. snippered

thanks for the great tr BD. Sounds like you had a blast, as usual.

wally

Brimbum wrote:

rendeviewed)

Sorry you guys missed it, but you are welcome to come first weekend of November
next year.


ah, but, thanks to you bd, we didn't miss it. that was fun...look
forward to it again next year.

jeff

Brimbum wrote:

we had a great time down at rendezvous last weekend.

Sure sounds like you did!

Willi