Learn to Think Like a Fish

Where to Learn to Think Like a Fish

To catch a fish, you have to think like a fish – so make like fish and join a school. The quickest way to learn the art of fly fishing is to sign up for a class. One day of fly fishing school can prevent 30 years of mistakes and prepare you to hook the big one in a matter of days. There are lots of choices. The Fly Fisherman magazine compiled this list of his favorite schools around the country:

Alleberry Resort Inn, Boiling Springs, Pa: Fly fisher-wannabes in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have to travel only about two hours. Students split their time between taking classes and fishing on a heavily stocked stream. Because of the school's proximity to major urban areas, the students tend to be young professionals.

Creative Sports Enterprises, Pleasant Hill, California: Creative Sports students spend a week fishing on the Snake River in Idaho, which is one of the best spots in the world. The fish there are wild (not bred), so it's more difficult, but not impossible, for beginners to catch them. Most students are affluent professionals.

The Fly Box, Bend, Ore.: This is a good option for locals who don't have a lot of time and are checking out fly fishing for the first time. If you're planning on a half-day lesson, do some preparatory reading before you get there.

Joan and Lee Wulff Fishing School, Lew Beach, N.Y.: This is one of the only schools conducted by a woman, Joan Wulff. But men and women alike are guaranteed excellent instruction here, and the location, on the Beaverkill River, is convenient for commuting New Yorkers.

Learn to think like a fish. Photo by Elena.

Kaufmann's Fly Fishing Expeditions, Portland, Ore.: Located on the Deschutes River, which is only two and a half hours from Portland. Three days - - two in the shop, one in the river.

L.L.Bean Fly Fishing Schools, Freeport, Maine: L.L. Bean may be the best introduction to fly fishing in New England. You'll split your days between fishing on the Grand Lake Stream and attending seminars on everything from tackle to entomology. The emphasis may be on bass fishing because of the ponds and streams you'll be fishing on, but the techniques are universal. There are classes for all levels of experience, and the student-instructor ratio is very low. 

The Orvis Company, Manchester, Vt.: Orvis is the oldest fly fishing company in the United States, which means that you get history and tradition along with excellent instruction on the Battenkill River. Several other Orvis shops across the country also offer first-rate classes. Responding to the growing number of women interested in fishing, Orvis has started a school exclusively for women. The crowd here tends to be slightly younger, even with some children included in the classes.

Sage/Winslow, Bainbridge Island, Wash.: Like Orvis, Sage has other locations in the West, making it convenient for those not in the Seattle area. Sage is one of the top rod makers in the country, so you receive excellent instruction in the fundamentals of tackle and equipment.

If none of these schools fits your budget or schedule, chances are your local fly shop offers classes of its own – or try joining a local fly fishing club, which may offer free of cheap instruction.

Bird Watching in Iceland

Bird Watching in Iceland

Any summer visitor to Iceland cannot help but notice the sheer abundance of bird life in the country. Starting in April, more and more species become visible and up to 388 species have been recorded to date. Iceland has only around 75 breeding species, so many of the others are vagrants. The country is particularly rich in seabirds, waders and wildfowl. There are vast bird colonies all over the country and witnessing these feathered friends is a delight.

One of the most famous and soughtafter is the Puffin, with it decorative beak and clumsy flying technique. By the middle of August there are an estimated 10 million puffins in Iceland with the world‘s largest puffin colony being in the Westman Islands.

Most of the species come from Europe, but there are also three North American species that reside in Iceland. The Great Northern Diver, Harlequin Duck and the Barrow‘s Goldeneye are known to only breed in Iceland and are highly sought after by European birdwatchers. The White-tailed Eagle, Gyrfalcon and the Grey Phalarope are protected species in Iceland, amongst many other species. Along the coastline of Iceland, there are colonies of Eider Ducks whose down has been harvested for centuries and their nesting areas highly protected by the locals.

A river in Iceland. Photo by Olga

A large number of species are migratory birds that come with the spring and leave in autumn. Some come to breed, others just to feed, on their way to and from the High Arctic, such as certain geese and waders. The Golden Plover is seen as the harbinger of spring with its arrival in April and by mid-May the countryside is alive with bird song as the calls of the Snipe, Whimbrel and Redwing, amongst others, create an avian choir that fills the air.

Viðey Island is the birdwatcher‘s paradise just a few minutes from Reykjavík. A large number of birds breed on this tiny island with focal points being on the isthmus and Þórsnes headland. While enjoying the company of a different species, please remember to practice conscious tourism by respecting nesting areas and throwing rubbish in a bin. Birds do not know the dangers of plastic until it is too late.

Source: Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson, Icelandic Bird Guide.

Where the Trout Are Jumping

Where the Trout Are Jumping

A guide to some of the nation's best fishing holes

A friendly fly fisherman may give you directions to his favorite fishing hole, but a smart one will guard his spot like gold. Fly fishermen tend to be tightlipped about where the fish are biting, so finding a good fishing spot can seem overwhelming to those just starting out. But we've done some of your work for you and compiled a list of some of the country's best fly fishing rivers. While there are thousands of good fishing holes around the country, fly fishing experts at the Federation of Fly Fishers and Fly Fisherman magazine recommended these rivers as surefire winners. If none of them are within an easy drive, the experts recommend asking a local fly shop for advice. But ask where the best river access is, they say, not where a particular hole is. Easy access will allow you to roam up and down the river with the fish, as opposed to being confined to a single fishing spot.

Alagnak River, Alaska: The Alagnak, with its giant trout and amazing scenery, is just one of Alaska's many fishing pleasures. If you tire of the river, the region also offers excellent lakes and ponds.

Au Sable River, Michigan: One of the few midwestern rivers to make the list, the Au Sable is a good bet for all kinds of trout. But midwesterners shouldn't bemoan a lack of fishing holes. The tributaries to the Great Lakes offer great pike and small mouth bass fishing.

Trout River. Photo by Elena.

Beaverkill River, New York: Bass prefer the warmer waters of lakes and ponds, and are more common in the East. This is one of the best bass rivers in the country. Use a dry fly. You may also catch some small rainbow trout.

Bighorn and Madison Rivers, Montana: Montana is the Mecca of fly fishing, and these two Montana rivers are considered the best of the best. Trout thrive in the cool, mountain waters. Fish these waters with dry or wet flies for brown and rainbow trout. The average catch is about 10 to 12 inches.

Green River, Vermont: Good for rainbow and brown trout, with a few bass.

Jackson River, Virginia: The Jackson River is an easy day trip from Washington, D.C., or Richmond, Va. It is considered one of the best trout streams in the area.

Lower Deschutes River, Oregon: This cold water stream is teeming with trout and bass. Catches average 1 to 4 pounds for the trout and 6 to 10 pounds for the bass.

San Juan River, New Mexico: The San Juan is respected as one of the premier big-trout rivers in the country. Rainbow trout are plentiful. But so are annoying crowds of fishermen. The best time to fish the San Juan is in the off-season (late fall or early spring).

Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania: Some portions of the Susquehanna are polluted, but the river (which winds through Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland) offers excellent small mouth bass fishing.

Timeless

Timeless

Have you ever noticed that the most important things are the hardest things to say? The words diminish your feelings and shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out. That means we feel ashamed of our words, not of our feelings.

I hope that there is another dimension, beyond those which are known to humans. It is an artistic dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. 

Time stands still… Time is frozen...

Magic, Illusory and Parallel Worlds

Aside from the Multiverse physics theory, much of fantasy and science fiction literature and cinema rests on elements from magic or paranormal realms, often taking place expressly in dissimilar, alternate realities. Consequently, the pictures below represent some fictional alternatives, while other thematic images can be found here.

Times Stands Still. Well done is better than well said (Benjamin Franklin)

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best (Epictetus)

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star (W. Clement Stone)

Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds (Gordon B. Hinckley)

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated (Confucius)

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved (George Sand)

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall (Confucius).

Saying goodbye doesn't mean anything. It's the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it. (Trey Parker)

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. (Joel A. Barker)

Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind. (Henri Frederic Amiel). The Soldiers' Tower stands 143 feet (44 m) tall as the most prominent structure in the vicinity, its stone arches etched with the names of university members lost to the battlefields of the two World Wars.

What is a fear of living? It's being preeminently afraid of dying. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity and spinelessness. The antidote is to take full responsibility for yourself - for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don't know what you're here to do, then just do some good. (Maya Angelou)

There is no standing still because time is moving forward. (Greg Lake)

This sundial is dedicated to the memory of Katie Anne MacTavish (1963-1993) by her classmates at Victoria University and the many friends whose loves she touched.

I really believe guilt finds its way out of a person. (Joel Edgerton)

We are an impossibility in an impossible universe. Ray Bradbury

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. (Joseph Campbell)

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. Carl Sagan

Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. (Guy Finley)

If you understand the universe, you control it, in a way. (Stephen Hawking)

Louro and Sons Jewellers. 

A Stopped Clock

A Stopped Clock

By Madeline Ashby (excerpt)

The next night, the traffic lights started acting up.

From their place on the corner, through the clouds of steam rising up from Jun-seo’s bubbling pans of ddukbokki, the change seemed almost organic. Green to red and back again, like the fluttering of a moth’s wings. At first Ha-eun wasn’t even sure she’d seen it. But beside her, on his fold-out stool, she felt Jun-seo’s posture change. He leaned forward. Scrubbed his glasses. Leaned even farther forward.

“We should tell someone,” Ha-eun said.

“Who would we tell?”

He had a point. She had no idea which of the city’s many departments to report it to. They all had a separate terminal online – there was no single place to report something like this, whatever it was. And the proper authorities probably knew about it, already. The traffic lights were wired into everything else, weren’t they? The traffic people – was there such a department? – probably knew about it before it even happened. She checked her watch. No alerts. No warnings. There were close to a big municipal data centre. All the employers there had the same city badge on their wrists. She saw it when they handed her cash. Sometimes the ran experiments, at night.

“Maybe it’s a test,” she said.

“Maybe.”

“This late, they could do one, and nobody would know. It’s all rides by this time of night. And the rides know what’s happening before the riders do.”

Jun-seo made a sound of deep dissatisfaction. It started down in his belly and moved up to resonate in the back of his throat. Hrrrrrrm. He usually made it for indecisive customers. Ha-eun supposed the quickly-changing traffic lights were being indecisive in their own way.

The stooped clock. Photo by Elena

“I’m walking to the end of the block.” He rose carefully to stand and pointed north. “I want to see if the lights up at the next intersection are doing the same thing.”

Ha-eun did not like this plan, but couldn’t quite say no. Not without sounding like a worried old woman, or worse, like someone who had no confidence in him. “Well, be back soon,” she said, finally. “I can’t stir my rice and your ddukbokki at the same time.”

“No one’s buying, anyway.” He re-wrapped his scarf until it covered his month. Somehow, she could still detect his smile through it. “And anyhow, I like mine a little burnt.”

She watched him set off into the night, shoulders still loose and not hunched like an old man’s, his figure shrinking against the tall edifices. She should have warned him about ice. Given him her umbrella. Not that there was an ice warning, tonight, but it was always a danger. It accumulated high up on the buildings during the winter, getting heavier and heavier, until it could no longer cling to the balconies and cladding. Then it fell, nature’s perfect weapon, impaling those unfortunate enough to still be walking the streets.

The streets were so empty, these days. The sidewalks seemed comically broad without any people on them. They’d even started moving the school inside the buildings, so some students never had to leave their buildings if they didn’t want to. Even those who lived in other buildings could come and go by train, never breathing the outside air.

Ha-eun stood and stirred her rice. There was still so much of it. She’d done everything she could to make it better – more bacon, more kimchi, shreds of cheese, lacy trimmings of garlic chives – but it didn’t matter. No one was coming. She shoved it roughly around the pan anyway. The she uncovered Jun-seo’s pans and began stirring the rice cakes. She was more delicate with his food than her own. He worked so hard to make something good – he even made his own anchovy stock, for the sauce. Picked all the guts and heads from the dried fish with his own fingers before boiling them. Not that she’d seen it; he said he did it at home so no one would know what was going into the food. And now there was no one to see the food itself.

She replaced the lids, and stared up the street. Why wasn’t he back, yet? Surely he’d been gone long enough to look at the traffic lights. She squinted. A chain of rides was approaching. Maybe Jun-seo had waited to watch them pass; they would have gone through the intersection he was so curious about. She heard a honking, and turned. Another ride was speeding up toward their intersection. Without any conscious awareness, she looked at the traffic lights.

Both sets were green.