Chewing the Fat (and the Coleslaw)

At the BBT cleanups, there is traditionally some sort of dinner gathering in the evening. This year, Steve Fraley, one of BBT's owners, sprung for a pig roast at his place. Other guests brought something to pass. Before heading over, Kristine prepared her asian-style coleslaw in our motel room--neat feat.

Steve had told everyone to stop by after 7 PM. Great, I thought. We can show up, socialize a bit, eat some prime swine, and still leave in time for me to fish the evening rise. Nice plan, but it wasn't to be. Not too many people had arrived when we got there a bit after 7, so we had a few beers, talked with the other (mostly local) guests, and salivated over aroma of the slowly-roasting pig. It was nearly 9 before we carved the porker and sat to chow.

Talk about good stuff. The meat was juicy and richly flavored--it made pretty obvious what you lose in processed, shrink wrapped foods. Contributions of salads, veggies, muffins, and deserts rounded out one of the better dinners I've had in while. Great atmosphere, too--in Steve's pole barn, lined with more fly rods than I think I've ever seen outside a shop. After dinner, most of the crew moved to the backyard to sit at a campfire and talk fishing, local culture, and highlights of previous cleanup gatherings. Kristine and I left a little before midnight, just as a horseshoe tourney was getting started. Maybe I didn't get my night of fishing, but good food, good conversation, a campfire, and fresh memories of a full day on the river--even without a rod in hand--is a more than adequate substitute. And truth be told, I'll have more evenings on the river in my future than with company like that.

I really don't have a lot of fishing buddies. I nearly always fish alone, and don't mind that. But companions to share your passion for it add another level of pleasure to the pursuit. You could say they add another dimension to the ecology of the stream, one that enriches both inner and outer landscapes.

Thanks to Steve for organizing the event, to Craig, our boatman, and to everyone else who came. See you again in November. To the thirty or so people who signed up and didn't make it: we missed you, and so did the river.