Dad and Mike are the ultimate fly-fishing codgers. Even on a hot August day, they smell like wet wool, salt water, pipe tobacco and a wee drop of the best. Both of them are sometime fly-casting instructors. Each one is a good teacher, each one takes time to update their skills, and each one has [...]

continue reading.....

I have a frizzy half-blown dandelion clock perched on my scalp. Some people refer to it as my “hair.” The woman who tends it is remarkable. She has never attempted to give me a “style.” Instead she “shapes” and “prunes.” She speaks my language, she takes time to understand what I want, she gives good [...]

continue reading.....

Thirty years ago the Farmer’s Market in Olympia, WA, was 20 card tables and tailgates in a dusty parking lot. Carolyn Lattin was one of the early vendors. Her family’s dream was to support themselves producing good, healthy apple cider. But sales were slow and business was disappointing and scary. Mrs. Lattin often had to [...]

continue reading.....

My refrigerator is central to my home life. It’s right next to the spot where I make my morning phone calls and go through my mail in the afternoon. I stick family pictures on it, take-out menus and, most importantly for this conversation, cards from everyone who has kneaded, punctured or dosed my body in [...]

continue reading.....