MANY HAPPPY REFLECTIONS
Thank you for the piece, “Famous Potatoes” (Fall ’23) by Stephen Collector. I learned so much about Sun Valley Ranch and some of the adjacent lakes and rivers in Idaho. And it reminded me of the great interest “Papa” Hemingway and Richard Brautigan had in that area. I got used to seeing Hemingway standing next to a monster marlin caught while trolling, and forgot back in the ’60s, and I ripped the house apart to find my $1.95 copy of it, along with five other Brautigan tomes. I re-read “” and realized many of the topics aren’t that relevant to me today, but they sure did provide a “roadmap” to what I’ve become as a human being. It reminded me of Charles Dickens’ “Stages in Life” in and how each stage helped to mold Pip’s life in becoming a “Gentleman.” His whole life revolved around those “stages.” Then I reflected on my own fishing path: first bait and bobber, then spinners and spoons (no catch-and-release for years), and finally flyfishing with barbless hooks and always releasing. All these wonderful musings were caused by this incredible piece of writing. It hit me: In the time I have left riding this rock we call home, the two most important things are keeping my mind and my hooks sharp!
