Feather Bowling

    A while back, I had the opportunity to travel back to sunny Michigan on what we lovingly refer to as the Pro Bull Rodeo tour. (P.B.R. for short)  I was accompanied by my pal, Doc.  Doc just happens to be the current state of Montana Champion Folfer. No spell check needed for that one folks, I said folf. When it comes to huckin’ plastic, Doc’s your huckleberry. I once witnessed him knock a fly fisherman’s visor off his head at 80 yards. The police wee called, but Doc got off and so did the fish.

    One of my all time favorite places to go when I hit the Motor City is Cadieux Café. If you don’t like mussels, 50 different ways (watch it!) stay away. It’s totally Belgian quizene. Asside from the food, the one thing they got that makes them unique, is feather bowling. Hum? I like it so much I’m gonna put it in caps, Feather Bowling! It breaks down like this:

The game originally was a Belgian pastime akin to horseshoes and Bocci. These games have many similarities amongst them. Though little is known about the exact origin of the game, it is probable that the resemblance of the balls to wheels of cheese is no mistake.

The Cadieux Cafe is proud to be the only home of Feather Bowling in the United States. The game is rarely played in Belgium, and visitors from the old country are often astonished to see the game preserved as it is here.

The game can be played by any number of participants. Once this is settled, divide the players into two teams, a red team and a green team. If there are more than three people on a team, players may have to stay on opposite ends of the lane from their teammates. When the teams are set, a coin flip is used to determine which color starts. This team then rolls all six of its balls, attempting to place them as close as possible to the feather protruding from the lane approximately sixty feet away.

A common strategy is to place three balls close to the feather and then lay blockers with the remaining balls, attempting to prevent the opponent from having an easy path to the feather. After the first team rolls all of its balls, the second team chooses to either skillfully roll their balls closer or to "shoot" the other team's balls away from the feather.

Scoring the "end" after all twelve balls are rolled is determined by which color is closest to the feather. The number of points is determined by the number of balls that the scoring team has closer to the feather than the opposing team's closest ball. There is a one point minimum and a six point maximum per end. Balls that touched the backdrop behind each lane are disqualified and should be removed before rolling the next ball.

The game is over when one of the teams reaches ten points or more (winning by two points is not required). An average game takes about forty-five minutes.


The Doctor is in.



Say What Again

A quote by any other name is still a quote. I can't help it. Narry a day goes by (who talks like that?) that I don't throw out five quotes from my favorite movies. One of my favorite alltime quotes is from one of my alltime favorite movies, Pulp Fiction. If you've seen the movie, you know it. I like the quote so much, I carry it in my wallet.  If Tim Roth (a.k.a. Pumpkin) had to reach in the pillow case to retrieve my wallet, Jules and I would have the same exact wallet. It was a gift, I'm not that full of myself. If you havent seen the movie, I'll warn you, it aint for everyone. If your squeemish and never intend to watch it,(uncut or not at all), I'll give you the shortened cliff note version, or you can click on the link and watch the clip for yourself.

 

Jules' speech from Ezekiel 25:17:
'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.'
This is actually not directly from Ezekiel 25:17 and in fact, only the last sentence and part of the second last sentence will be found there.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujm9BLzaaBo

 

During one of my last concussions (5 total), asside from ordering large fries and a cherry coke, I thought I recalled having a conversation, or should I say CONFABULATION, with The Cat in the Hat. I told him I would love to hear Samual L Jackson's character Jules Winfield, do a dramatic reading of Shel Silverstein's, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out. What do you think?

 

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceilings:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown bananas, rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the window and blocked the door
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans and tangerines,
Crusts of black burned buttered toast,
Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . .
The garbage rolled on down the hall,
It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .
Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Globs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from green baloney,
Rubbery blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk and crusts of pie,
Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold french fried and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That it finally touched the sky.
And all the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play.
And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said,
"OK, I'll take the garbage out!"
But then, of course, it was too late. . .
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate.
And there, in the garbage she did hate,
Poor Sarah met an awful fate,
That I cannot now relate
Because the hour is much too late.
But children, remember Sarah Stout
And always take the garbage out!

Nice Melons

The British love to tell the kiddies, "do as your Mum says; wash your hands and eat your veggies". In the states we seem to have put a little more weight on;" brush your teeth and go to bed". But I'm not trying to instigate and international incident. Cause if I was I'd probably add in; "do your homework and practice your violin". (You insert the country) I'm not sayin' anything, I'm just sayin'!

Anyhow, they might have gotten it backwards.Maybe Mum's outlook on life was so rosy she overlooked the real going ons in the fruit and vegetable isle. Recently there have been 16 reported deaths, directly linked to Listeria outbreaks, transmitted from Colorado Cantaloupe. That's scary! I thought upping your intake of fruits and vegetables were suppose to be good for you. That's not just a veggie-tail?  Back in '08, 9 people died from salmonella-tainted peanuts. What's up with that? Mr. Peanut not washing his hands with warm soap and water? How about '06 with the big E.coli infested spinach? Popeye! How could you. Could this be the year for Geraldo's come back as he hosts,When Vegetables Attack?  If they do it in 3-D, will it be sponsored by Bounty, the quicker picker upper? I'm not sure what's going on but I have had the feeling one of the potatoes in our pantry has been giving me the "stink eye". And I KNOW that banana in the fruit bowl is just waiting for me to slip up. The Iceberg Lettuce? He's the real one to look out for. Yeah, he looks like a real cool character, but there's a lot more going on under the surface, you just don't see. Beretta use to have a saying, "keep your eye on the sparrow". Today he might say, "keep your eye on the Brussels sprout". Hey...................maybe this is an international incident.

 

Dat's da name o dat tune.

 

Call of the Wild

 

As I strolled down the hall, I heard it; my ring tone blaring the music from the original series of mission impossible. That could only mean one thing..................it the call I was waiting for. My pal Jeremiah.He has a dream job, if, and i repeat if, you got a lot of hardware hanging from your belt, like being an army of one and hate walls and telephones. He's often out in the wild trapping grizzlies and relocating them, netting and tagging eagles or snow shoeing up to a bison and tranqing it. When the opportunity presented itself, he said he'd call and I could roll along. Like carrying a pager and holding Yankee whites, waiting for word that "Rawhide" had landed or "Halo's" ready to roll; I waited  for the call and this was it. The split second I heard the familiar song, my mind began to race, what adventure lies ahead? Maybe a moose caught in a swing set? Perhaps a grizzly in someones shed? Wolves? Badgers? What? I had my quick response back pack at the ready and I was prepared do drop every possible responsibility I had for the day, no questions asked! But

what was the mission? What was the level of danger involved? Risk life or limb? WHAT!..........I said, "hello". 

 

     Jeremiah, said,"Dash, man am I glad I got hold of you, I need your help" "You bet", I said, "what's up"? As he began to speak, my heart began to race! He said, "I just got an emergency call about a Griz" yeah, yeah what do you need? He said," have you seen my wife today"?  "Yes, she's in a meeting". He said, "when you see her, tell her I had to leave in a hurry and..................I think she left her curling iron on and I didn't have a chance to check it and turn it off."  Inside my head, you could have heard the bomber, burst into flames and head full speed toward certain cataclysmic explosion as it smashed into the ground! It was over before it even got started.

 

At this piont my friend Deli Bob would normally ask, "were you Killed?" Well..........

I told his wife. I burned no calories, I didn't run low on food or stove fuel, no blisters, no slivers, I never feared for my life, I got 8 hours of sleep that night, yet still, I never got lost and my headlamp never went out.

Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear get you.

The Rainbow Connection

Often we mark tragic events with the location we were at when we heard the news or when it happened. Sometimes you just can't help it. On the other end of the spectrum I have a tendency to recollect where I was when a particular thing of beauty caught my fancy. That list goes on and on and it would be hard to pick a favorite. There are varying degrees of breath taking beauty, some of it carries through, even in second generation. Here are two of my favorites.

     The first one took place out on the prairie. Oh, how I love the prairie, especially in the morning. As the sun begins to wake and bring life to the day, the show of colors is stunning. There is a brief few moments when both baby blue and baby pink consume the sky. I never fail to think of my two children every time I'm a wittiness to this. The most memorable time took place mere moments before the sun broke the horizon. A faint drizzle fell over the dry ground and I began to see the silhouettes of antelope, quite close and to my immediate left. As force of habit and disciplined training, I never forget to "look for the accomplice". In doing so, I turned over my right shoulder and froze................... My daughter was with me at the time, so I gently put my hand on her shoulder and when she turned to look at me I simply said,"WOW"!  There, what seemed to 10 yards away was the beginning of a rainbow, protruding from the ground and jetting up into the sky. I uttered my favorite phrase when stuff like this happens; " you ain't gonna see stuff like this, sitting home on the couch". I grabbed my camera, squeezed off a shot, and just like that it was gone.

    

The second is odd to say the least, but you will have the opportunity to experience it for yourself. If you don't know who Charlie Chaplin is, you probably don't have your parents permission to be on their computer or your babysitter fell asleep reading this blog. Our famous little tramp, star of silent pictures, black derby, bamboo cane, matching eye brows and mustache. A silent comedian, the master of prat falls and getting one over on the bad guys. All that and never uttering a word! As I sat the other night getting ready to settle in and watch the classic 1928 Charlie Chaplin film, The Circus, my jaw dropped. As the movie starts, yes at the very beginning, a song begins and it's Charlie, himself singing! My eyes welled up as I listened to him sing the song, Swing Little Girl. A real thing of beauty.

     'Swing Little Girl'Music and Lyrics by Charles Chaplin
Sung by Charles Chaplin
Written for the 1970 reissue of 'The Circus'
Opening Credits.
Swing Little Girl
Swing Little Girl,
Swing, high, to the sky,
And don’t ever look at the ground,

If you’re looking for rainbows,
Look up, to the sky,

You’ll never find Rainbows,
If you’re looking down,

Life maybe be dreary,
But never the same,

Some day(s), it’s sunshine
Some day(s), it’s rain,

Swing Little Girl,
Swing high, to the sky,
And don’t ever look to the ground,

If you’re looking for rainbows,
Look up to the sky,
But never, no never, look down,

Home on the Range

As the sun broke this Saturday morning,I found myself amidst a sea of black. As if this past Monday wasn't enough, I spent the better part of the day working cattle again. Throwing in with my friends at Mission Creek Ranch, we immunized over 500 head. No 4 wheelers on this drive; horses, dogs and hard working folks. Half way through the day, we stopped to chow down on some sloppy Joe's. Looking for shade and a cold Miller seemed to be the common draw. The dogs were fun to watch. It would be hard to say who had more fun, me or them. They are like energizer bunnies, they just keep going and going. Watching two different 700+ pound heifers jump a five foot fence was impressive to say the least. The fact that this was all going on less than a mile from where Fort Parker once stood was some what surreal. Just across the Yellowstone River is one of my favorite places in the world,Sheep Mountain. It's like a comforting friend, no matter what direction I view it from nor from how far away. The bottom line is this, I hung out with great, hard working people, I worked my tail off ( by pulling on over 500 cow tails myself), and it was still better than a day at the office. One thing is for sure, I'll sleep well tonight. I won't need to count sheep or cows for that matter. Happy trails!

Bag Tag

 

Tonight I played in my company's yearly golf outing. Being a "once a year golfer", I'm in it for the fun. Being a fan of practical jokes, I fell victim to one of the oldies but goodies. Two friends pulled up next to my foursome, and asked if we would have a drink with them. Like a moth drawn to a flame or worse yet, someone with a mullet running for free tobacco, we headed over to their cart. A quick drink apiece, down the hatch, thank you much and Bob's your uncle. Thinking of it as nothing more than a nice gesture, we were off to the next hole. Not 20 yards after mashing the gas pedal of our cart to the floor I heard the soft crash and immediately realised what just happened. During the pretentious ceremony of toasting fallen comrads with the neighbors, someone had slipped around the cart and unbuckled the strap holding my bag of clubs to the cart. With a scream that rivaled Charlie Brown whiffing on a football, I couldn't believe I never saw it coming! Well, all's well that ends well.

     Two life lessons I learned, centered around golf are as follows: My pal Steve golfed with a guy that threw an absolute temper tantrum when he golfed poorly or just hit a poor shot. Steve leaned in close to this guy and softly said,"stop getting so mad, you're not good enough to get that mad". 

     The second lesson, was when I got invited to Golf with my old friend Earnest Greggory. He was a regular, on the green and he was good and played WAY over my head. I told him I did not want to golf with him and his pals because I wasn't good at all. He told me, "you can be the best golfer in the world and if you're a jackass, no one will want to golf with you".  "If you are a great guy and not a good golfer, people will ask you to golf". 

     Come to think of it, I've never seen a bracelet or bumper sticker that said, "What would Tiger do"?

 

Hell on Wheels?

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I see it with endless hedgerows of exercise bikes. I'll admit it's a bit smokey; I can't tell if they are really exercise bikes or just lousy metaphors! Let's look at the life span of a stationary bike. Decide you're out of shape. Decide you need to get in shape. Buy an exercise bike, that'll do it. Bring bike home and put it in the t.v. room. Ride the bike and watch t.v.. Ride the bike more, watching t.v. and have a cup holder installed for your pop. Move bike next to end table where you can get to your plate of snacks. When that gets old, move the bike into the back spare bedroom. Move bike to the garage. Hang waders on bike to dry. Cover bike with painting tarp. Attempt to sell bike at garage sale. After sale is over take bike to 2nd hand store. Guess what? They have so many outdated bikes, they don't want your bike! Take your bike back home and put it out for the trash. It doesn't fit in the trash can so you set your bike next to it for all the neighbors to see on their way to work. Hit a little too close to home? Damn skippy!

 Like the exercise bike, we all have ideas about what we think we need, to fix what we either have or don't want to have. Sometime the best solution is to remove something old as opposed to adding something new. Go around instead of buying something that will allow you to go over. Stop doing this and start doing that. It's just a different way of looking at things. Take a look around and see how many exercise bikes you have cluttering up the joint. Make better choices, ask great questions, and lord sakes, think outside the box. If you keep looking for those quick fixes and magic elixirs.......................... you're just spinning your wheels.

Big Sky at Night

When most people think of Big Sky Country, they think of blue skies, little or no clouds, rinse and repeat again, again and again. If the day light sky looks as though it goes on forever, the night time sky is second to none. Tonight alone I saw 3 giant shooting stars and 2 dozen satellites. The last time I was out with on of my pal, he had an app for his i-pod touch, that took star gazing to the next level. Hold it up to a specific star or planet and it tells you exactly which one it is. See a satellite, point and click, it tells you all the inside scoop on that particular one. Call it luck of the draw if you will, my first point and shoot at a satellite and it was Russia's oldest satellite still in orbit! O.k., there's another.......point and shoot................................................................The International Space Station! Of all the gin joints in all the world. What are the odds? Well, 2 out of 966 to be exact. Yep, there are currently 966 operational satellites orbiting the earth as we speak. 443 are U.S., 101 are Russian and 69 are China. Plenty of elbow room
enough for all to see and the one thought that comes to mind is, "Oh Heavens, can't we all just get along?"

Do the Red Sox and White Sox actually have a common tie?

I guess you have to be a fan of the movie Boondox Saints to really appreciate this one. Last week in Chicago, I stopped in the Luxbar for a late night snack. The truffle fries are, to die for. About the only way you could improve on them would be to cook them in duck fat. If you want to experience that for yourself, you'll have to hop a cab over to Hot Dougs (http://www.hotdougs.com/default.htm). They do the duck fat and do it right!

As the night comes to an end, I meet one the the bars locals and he asks me if I'm sticking around for the show. He goes on to explain that the owner shows up every night around closing, has a bit to drink and proceeds to let his turrets syndrome unleash it's fury. At first I thought it was a joke or a staged event, but after just a few minutes I realized it was for real. Sad? Yes. Entertaining? If you have a heart, it is for a short bit. The first thing that came to mind was that Gerard Parks, the bartender from Boonkox Saints, HAD to have studdied this guy in preparation for his part in the movie. They are, spot on twins and you have to see it for yourself to believe it.

The Movie takes place in Boston, proper and the Bar resides in the heart of Chicago. If you're from Boston, you can't help but root for the windy city bar owner by the end of the night. If you're from Chicago, you can'y help but cheer on Parks, bean town bartender character in the movie. If you hail from other parts of the world, like Tiger Town or Raider Nation, check out both and judge for yourself.

Rage Against the Vaccine

It's not as bad as it sounds....................or mabey it is. Tonight we vaccinated about 50 head of cattle. If you have ever worked cattle, you know the commotion that takes place when you seperate the cows from the calves. The closest I can figure it occouring, anywhere else in the world, would be Lake Placid, all fogged in with pea soup and 1000 tug boats trying to navigate by honking their horns,Alot! I can't imagine a doctors office full of outraged mothers screaming at the top of their lungs because their babbies have to go in the other room, without them and get their shots for school. Oh the humanity.

  Aside from Charlie getting kicked in the "soft spot", one headstrong calf insisting on "moo walking" into the catcher backwards, it all went off without a hitch. With all the youngsters tipping the scales at 700+ pounds and a few more weeks of munching on more alfalfa, it looks like a great year.

I had some Reservations

   Never wanting to miss an opportunity for fun can be a full time job; take eating out for instance. I wish I had a dollar every time I made reservations under an alias."Yzerman, party of two" turns heads if you're dinning in an upscale restraunt in Detroit, as does "Kavorkian, party of one".  
  In New York, I have on occation made reservations under DeNiro. It usually comes with the best table in the house AND a look of distain or at least disapointment. No harm, no foul. After all, what's in a name.

     This past weekend I ventured up to the northwest corner of Montana. I spent the weekend on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The reservation spraws out over 1.3 million acers of absolutely beautiful landscape. I've made reservations, had reservations and been on lots of Indian Reservations and I will say,  the Flathead Indian reservation in northwestern Montana is by far the prettiest and cleanist. As a testiment to the current status of cultural integration, I'm sad to say the only thing that attempted to detract from the natural beauty was the billboards and signs combatting meth. One sign in particular caught my attention; it was a billboard written in english and in the Salishan language of the locals. The Flathead (Salish proper) have a language all of their own. Currently only anout 200 people, mostly tribal elders speak. In an attempt to hold on to tradition, the younger Salis have plenty of signs, strung out along the roadways, in English and Salish.

     No matter what you call it or how you say it, I'm hooked on Flathead Lake. I can't help thinking, however, that the last time I saw signs in English and another language I couldn't even begin to read, I was 2000 miles away in Dearborn,MI. That's magnoon! 

 Magnoon -  Egyptian-Arabic dialect word for "crazy"  

Cheezborger, cheezeborger,cheezeborger,No Pepsi....Coke

On the surface, the big buzz around the Windy City this past weekend was the filming of the new Superman movie. Lot's of big white trailers, blocked off streets and big cameras all around. If you know me, I always find a way to find a way. I managed to run into Henry Caville and Amy Adams ( Superman & Louis Lane respectivly), riding bikes on Navy Pier, with cameras in tow. If the scene manages to avoid the cutting room floor, I'm the dapper gent, casually strolling along in the double starched, white long sleeve shirt, no tie.

    The real hollywood tie is where I'm headed for breakfast. Of all the places to eat while in Chicago, it's doubtfull anyone would ever suggest Billy Goats. I don't go for the food, I go because it makes me smile. If you grew up in the 80" and were old enough to or had the inclination to stay up for Saturday Night Live, you would remember the skit made popular by John Belushi and Dan Akroid, "cheezeborger, cheezeborger no fries, cheeps, no pepsi... coke". Well this is where it all started!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=J0Fyf0eTyoI 
If the place is packed for lunch, you're gonna get yelled at. Embrace it! Take too long to order and you're GONNA get a cheezeborger, look overweight already and you're GONNA get upgraded to a tripple cheezeborger. I asked the old boy behind the counter how long he's been doing it and he replied, "lots of years". I asked him if he's still having fun and he replied, "you bet", when it stops being fun, I'll do something else". I guess that says it all; when it stops being fun, I'll go someplace else for breakfast. No pepsi, have a Coke and a smile!

Jim Morrison said,"girl we couldn't get much higher" well.......I tried it and I liked it!

This past Sunday night found me watching the sun go down on the 20 floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Billings,Montana. Usually I prefer to watch the sun set from atop one of the mountain ranges but when I feel like moving on, I do just that. I will say I enjoyed a great Montana Ribeye and a smooth bottle of Moose Drool. As for the view, if you can look past the slow moving city you get a great shot at the Rim Rocks, jutting out, overlooking the city. I can only imagine what the indians or cavilary scouts saw while perched atop, 200 years ago. (From the top of the rocks, not the 20th floor of the Crown Plaza)

Monday found me on the 27th floor of the Wit, in Chicago, at a place called,The Roof. Rated Chicago's #1 roof top hangout. The view was spectacular and who would have thought you could ask for a slice of cucumber for you drink and they could pull it off. My friend said, mabey we should have asked for a raddish. While it's a great place to hang out, get there early if you want the cushy seats and then kick back and people watch. That night I know I saw a couple of indians and at least one cavilry scout. (o.k., so it was a bell hop!)

At night the stars put on a show for free
And, darling, you can share it all with me
I keep a-tellin' you

Right smack dab in the middle of town
I've found a paradise that's trouble proof (up on the roof)
And if this world starts getting you down
There's room enough for two
Up on the roof (up on the roof)
Up on the roo-oo-oof (up on the roof)
Oh, come on, baby (up on the roof)
Oh, come on, honey (up on the roof)

A night at the fights

Got to see some great local talent at the Gallitan County Fairgrounds last night. 12 action packed bouts and my pick for fight of the night goes to the 160lb weight class. 16 year old Spencer Coffin defeated 16 year old Tyler Imhoff in a judges decision. These two kids are tough AND talented. I learned a valuable lesson from my pal, "Captain America" , a few years ago; I don't want to be tough, I want to be good. Tough just means you can take a beating for a longer period of time. It's great to see young athletes show their stuff in the ring. So far removed from the "Tough Man" competition or local friday night fights is MMA. Bryan Deats does a great job of organizing the competitions, and if you can put up with a few knuckle heads in the crown that just don't get it, it's a great evening. The fights do get pod cast on the internet and last night, the refs were wearing cameras on their heads (ref-cam) which should provide some pretty cool "in your face" action. Chek it out.............http://fightforce.tv/fightforce.html   LET'S GET IT ON!

Beaver Creek Community Trail Ride

Evidently I couldn't get enough horse action. I had an opportunity to work the last check point of a poker run up in the Absaroka Beartooth Mountains this morning. 60 riders navigated 27 miles and had fun in the sun!

Oh, I did end up with one proposal! Sorry, I'm already taken

I thought my ride had lots of chrome

I got up early, spent the morning washing my motorcycle and polishing the chrome, and boy does it have lots of chrome. (or so I thought) As I cruised through town I caught a glymps of a chrome horse, hobbled outside one of our local art gallerys.  I thought my bike, parked in front of this chrome steed would make for a cool picture. I picked up the pace and headed for home in order to get my camera. With my camera in my pocket, I hopped on mychrome and black cherry ride and raced downtown toward the horse. As I got close to Main street, I couldn't believe my eyes, the chrome pony was on the move. I decided to give chase, an we were off. Closing in fast, the horse trailer veered off to the left and on to the interstate. We circled the entrance ramp and in no time at all I was on his tail. Maintaining my speed, I paused to formulate my plan. I managed to reach into my pocket, grab my camera and put my hand through the carry strap. I checked my mirrors, glanced over my shoulder, increased my speed and without breaking stride, I hit cruise control. As I passed the the gracefull beast, he seemed to float effortlessly and I couldn't help but notice how his silver mane glimmered in the sunshine.

Shooting Star Caught Off Guard

The one thing I have come to love about small town living is the 

anonymity; not for the residents but for the Hollywood celebs. They love this town and they love the small town attitude. The other evening, outside The Spaghetti Western, one of our local stars came out to play. My pal Matt, his wife,brother and his date were dinning outside when Matt noticed a familiar face, it was Tom Brokaw. Matt stood up and asked Tom if he would mind taking a picture for them, and Tom gladly obliged. As Tom weaved his way in,as if to position himself between the two girls, Matt handed him his camera and the two couples scrunched together. While Tom skwinched his forehead and began to ponder, Matt simply told him which button to push in order to take their picture. Tom calmly asked them to say cheese, snapped the picture and handed the camera back to Matt. As he walked away he seemed to chuckle. I think it took him a bit, but he finally figured out what just happened.

 Ever wonder what it would be like to be on the other end of the camera...........................................eh?

The Detroit Red Wiggler strikes again!

The Detroit Red Wiggler. No, it's not my stage name from my dancing days at Dannys in Windsor, it's the code name I've given to the worm (Phylum Annelida). Just this weekend some kid from the midwest caught an 8 pound trout using a worm for bait. Any other place in the world and it's no big deal, but people come from all over the world and pay LOTS of money to fish for trout and the mear thought of using a worm would make them vomit as if someone would have filled their crystal wine glass with Falstaff beer. Every time I listen to intense fly fishing folks talk about their fly tying and hatches of biblical purportion, I can't help but recall the bumper sticker, God made Pot and man made booze, who do you trust? I guess fish don't tailgate. I have to admit I have on occation, mixed the two. I know what you're thinking, "that's how Richard Prior burnt himself up". I remember standing on the banks of the Yellowstone and using my fly rod to "present" a Detroit Red Wiggler to an unsuspecting trout and working him in as a guided raft drifted by. I remember the puzzeled look on their face when they hollered out,"what'd you catch him on?" and I replied, DRW. It's almost as priceless as the time I explained how a group of guys from Ontario, in a raft could emulate a hatch by "Circle Casting". To each, their own.............................fish on.

Brother Rabbit

Just the other day I ran into a pal, A D. I, have always lovingly refered to him as Brother Rabbit. I bet he has not a clue as to why and true to form, for 8 years I have never said. He is as interesting a person as ever. He would laugh if I said he has "Lacross" written all over him .He was the first person I ever heard use the term," confab". It was ironic to run into him as the whole concept of Confabulations! was born.
Every year he host the parade that goes from Chico Hot Springs to his house. The parade is for absolutely no reason, and you will know it when you see it.  A D sings at Pine Creek Cafe and covers one of my favorites, Harrisberg by Josh Ritter. Two things are safe to say about Brother Rabbit, he has a stunning view every morning he wakes up and probibly one of only a few people living in Montana that knows what a Nantucket Sleigh Ride is.

Small Soldier

I was on my front porch, fixing my sons bike, listening to him mimick Major Chip Hazzard, from the1998 movie Small Soldiers. He would crouch down from behind the bushes and holler out,"repair to fight!". Cute for a 12 year old. I called him onto the porch and explained that it was actually, pre-pare to fight. I went further to explain that repair meant to fix something broken and prepare meant to get something ready. I explained I was "fixing" or repairing his bike because it was broken and that his mother was in the kitchen "preparing" or getting dinner ready. I asked him to go see what his mom was preparing for dinner and he took off for the kitchen. Moments later he returned with a confused look on his face and I asked him, "why the troubled look"? He simply responded, "she's fixing sandwiches".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122718/
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