grandpa

Taste of History

mikemjensen Fishing, Vanity Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

I bought a gallon of A&W root beer today.

That’s not so unusual. I do it from time to time.

I’ve given up on all the regular sodas; Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. Never Sprite, however, that stuff has been and always will be disgusting.

Anyway, I enjoy a frozen glass mug of draft root beer on occasion. The taste is soothing and as long as I don’t drink the entire gallon in one setting, it isn’t as bloating as the other sodas.

But A&W soothes on another front.

I used to fish with my grandpa. Many times it would be he and I in the boat. Sometimes my grandmother, sometimes an uncle or two, and even my brother at times. My grandparents had a cabin on the south shore and we spent many summer weekends there together. And for whatever reason, I always drank A&W root beer. From a can, but A&W only. When fishing.

Strawberry Reservoir

Strawberry Reservoir

When I taste that distinctive flavor, it takes me back to that lake. Back to that boat, fishing more than catching. Strawberry Reservoir will always be our lake. My grandpa and I connected out there on the water. Those hours, days, weekends, mean something to me. I miss them.

I miss him.

 

Day 185

Birthday Week- Friday

mikemjensen Fishing, Gratitude, Vanity Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

It’s Friday on my Birthday Week and I’m listing some things I’m thankful for in my life; those things that make getting older, worth it.

Friday- Fishing.

Green River, Utah

Green River, Utah

I probably lost some people with this one but fishing has been such a part of my life that I can’t imagine my life without it.

Fishing is what brought me and my grandpa closer. We spent many hours on his boat and it is there I learn who he was. Many people have a different opinion of the man than I do, and they are most likely right in their own views. He had some problems. But he had a good heart and out on the boat I got to feel it.

Flyfishing as I mostly do now, is as much therapeutic as it is sporting. A book I read, Pavlov’s Trout, makes the case that within the practice of regular fishing trips, a balanced happy life can be achieved. The ironic part about this is that my Ex gave that book to me and she did not agree with the philosophy that I gleaned from it. The book also gave me my dying wish. After hooking a massive Steelhead, I hope my last words are “Get the Net.”

Looking forward, I know I will never be guide quality. It’s OK. There are so many fish I want to meet, I need another 70 years from now to get to only some of them. I’ll take what live gives me and call it good.

I hope it’s closer to 70 than it is to 7, however.

Day 81