Here’s the deal. About twenty years ago I was it the backyard with five dudes. Our wives were inside drinking wine. Pretty much on perimeter of a rug where they were comparing the attributes of all the kids they just brought into the world while hammering bottles of whatever the guy at Total Wine said … Continue reading
I woke up hard in the corner with my neck pressed up into the bed post and knees in my chest. I was dressed and embarrassed that I was asleep. I had dressed myself already in anticipation of leaving early. He spun the flashlight into the wall from the nightstand and swung me around to … Continue reading
Barbecue is not a Verb. Around here, nothing says, “you aint from around here”, more than using the word Barbecue as a verb. This would be closely followed by referring to a grill as “The Barbecue”. Folks might let you get away with referring to an event as “A Barbecue”, maybe. Around here, the sacrosanct … Continue reading
I have an odd fixation on limes. I cannot narrow a memory to when this began. Perhaps the fetish was born from just the simple preference for lime’s more tart and exotic flavor over its sweeter and more common lemon cousin. Lime, then, was always my choice when presented as the candy or drink. Lime-aid … Continue reading
Caches of intimate and sentimental objects tell stories. Those artifacts that inhabit spaces and places like pockets, catch-alls, and cup holders proclaim both how we have lived and what we anticipate. Our “daily carry” can be mundane, utilitarian, and perhaps thoughtless. Conversely, many exist for nostalgic yearning, pleasurable habit, and perhaps vanity. The modern man’s … Continue reading
When I find something interesting, enjoyable, or necessary I sometimes become obsessed. I mine deeper and deeper for the most precious gems. I want to own the things I invest my time in, not rent them. I don’t want to be a tourist. Like every sport or hobby, fly fishing has a culture, a depth … Continue reading
I came to know David Coggins through Instagram. As a “brand” he wanders into my feed, from the AI, “something you might like”. He is suggested-liked-commented upon by “my people”. He’s a writer, a sharp and interesting fellow I observe in those little squares every other day or so. He is of folk and celebrity … Continue reading
There are far more qualified folks that could tell you about their records. Mine is not about building a valuable collection in a baseball collection sense. I’m a listener. The experience for me is about sitting down and enjoying a moment. The scene, the time to sit down, the warmth of music produced to be listened to the right way. I’ve thumbed the vintage shop crates for first releases of my favorite music, I’ve bought a bunch of new pressings, I’ve asked folks that I suspected have great music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s to let me find a kind home for the records in storage . . Continue reading
Through these short days of a new year, we come in from the field. Our chapped hands wrap around whisky on the cold, darkest days of the year. The warmth of our hearth beckons us- as so does the comfort of winter food. Freezers are full of our quarry and the larder holds the last … Continue reading
A hunting journal entry and reflection by my father, R. Wm. Kelly, Jr. Dog ownership never was much of a consideration through my professional adult life. Sure we had a few when I was a kid and so many of my weekends were spent on local farms hunting and hanging out along side my father. … Continue reading
Big Haint Blue 