nuggets

picked these up in the middle of nowhere outside of flagstaff

a long time ago

before I knew better

tools of the trade pt III

fetish

jrinking the kool-aid

remember the guyana massacre

when all those cultists jrank james jones' kool-aid and died?

perhaps that's a good reason not to jrink the kool-aid?

yet we see it time and time again 

especially on fishing sites...

recently read a post requesting suggestions for an x-wt rod

post currently runs four pages

initially there were recommendations for three different rods

three!

one guy mentioned echo I think - a cheap and serviceable choice no doubt

certainly not the direction I'd go...

another said orvis helios - an excellent choice

I've cast the helios and it is a fantastic fly rod as nice as anything out there

you pay through yer ears for it though

finally another guy suggested steffans bros fiberglass

another outstanding  choice for a number of reasons

not the least of which being that they're hand crafted in flagstaff, az

and great rods

everyone else suggested the same got am entry level rod

without fail

could it be because that's what they fish?  (yes)

and that they love it?  (yes)

and that they don't know any better?  (you betcha)

now, I have cast this rod and it is quite nice and the price is reasonable

does that mean the guy should go out and get one?

c'mon now - you know better than that

the roar of the masses could be farts
no one mentioned sage (until recently) winston scott thomas & thomas or st. croix

maybe my point is this - no one should go out and get anything just because 

someone else has it and loves it

even if every swinging dick in town agrees

just because they do doesn't mean you will

cast everything you can find and let the rod choose you
price be damned

that's my recommendation

remember it doesn't make a lick of difference what something costs
if you'll enjoy it the rest of your life

fishing poles are like that...

finally, I guess I'd have suggested bamboo (of course)

or a gatti or st croix legend ultra if you wanna go that route (plastic)

yet again...

so yeah I golfed monday and it was really fucking hot

today too and too...

as in too fucking hot to work in the garage

but not to hot to suffer heat exhaustion on the golf course

I've played a lotta hot rounds this year

whereas last year I wouldn't play if the temp was above 100

played in the afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far

a mark that could be eclipsed in the next few daze

which means I'll likely be out there tomorrow

dumbass

then there's this...get some!

you won't be disappointed

procrastination

monday - heat be damned I'm getting back to work building rods

idle hands are the devil's playthings or somesuch

as stated earlier - the first step will be cleanup

which shouldn't take much longer than an hour

unless I get a loco hair you know where

then I'll work the whole damn garage

there's a lotta shit in there that we could prolly do just as well without

plus I'd like to make things more roomy and comfortable

yeah - for all my visitors

speaking of which - I've got additional seating

picked up two stools complete w/ back rests arm rests and swivel seats

so upscale

so we'll be firing up the swampcooler fans

which prolly won't work due to our monsoonal humidity

I figure it'll be a success if I get any of the cleanup done

then we can get to work on the two rods remaining on the bench

which means the opportunity is ripe to place an order and get yer very own custom crafted
bamboo fly rod by Christmas
you know you want one

or maybe I'll just go play golf

it's been a while faithful reader

and it is time to set priorities...

cuz it's a mess

there is camping equipment everywhere

perhaps on the off chance I may manage another trip?

not likely

planing bench

gluing binding turning bench

the job could be done half assed in a half hour

full blown in a day

again not likely since it remains 105 in there

I don't think I fish anymore

and my golf game sucks

which is why I've got nothing lately

fire season

it's been a tough one in az this year

fortunately we haven't had anything significant burn of late...

*knocking on wood*

thanks to steve r. (aka jeepster) I've got a collection of 2011 fire t-shirts

they cool - I like them

thanks amigo

because you need to see this

spend the time - it's well worth it

buggy?

all filler - no killer

soon to adorn spare ribs