Going to the Farm Show!

This is rapidly becoming an annual tradition for us. This will be our second year, and everyone is chomping at the bit (pardon the pun!) to go. My youngest is going to wear the straw Sherriff’s hat he got last year, because, well, that is his Farm Show hat.

Watching the PCN Feed and listening to how friendly and eager everyone is to share reminded me why I moved closer to the middle part of the state, despite my Philly upbringing. A trip to drop my daughter off to spend the night with a friend near Hershey amplified it. As they stood chatting in the doorway, they both commented on how “different” folks in the middle of the state are, compared to their old High School. Adjectives like friendly, less clique-y, normal were thrown about.

I still work in the Philly ‘burbs, so I am still tied into the culture. The traffic, the radio, my co-workers – all keep me closely tied to that East Coast Megalopolis and the hurried, agitated and uptight way of life. I had forgotten - after the rush of the holidays and the cold weather lock down - what I really enjoy about my life.

Going west, seeing the small towns, talking to folks in the store who stop to smile and say hi, watching the Farm Show with the farmers and judges all eager to share their world – It really reminded me that this is the life I was looking for. This is the life I want my kids to know. These are the people I want my kids to emulate. We moved here looking to get back to a simpler life, a quieter life and a life without the nasty, one-upmanship our old neighborhood seemed to have. We moved here to drive past farms and trees, not subdivisions and overpasses.

The priorities here are Family, Church and Neighbors. People - not things. I don’t agree with everyone around here, a much more conservative crowd than I tend to be, and I am not suggesting that we can jump back to 1950 and everything will be jim-dandy. There has to be a happy medium - where we can all get things done, use technology to enhance our lives and still smile and treat EVERYONE around us with respect. Is that too much to ask?

So tomorrow we will go to the farm show. We’ll see the animals, enjoy the food, get more feathers (wink!) – but most of all, we will enjoy the people.

And greet them all with the same smile.

Show Time!

Today's adventure took place: In the mail?!?

I came home today to a brochure in the mail. It's that time of year – time for all of the outdoor, hunting/fishing shows. If you can't get outside due to the miserable weather, at least you can think about getting out in the spring, maybe make a reservation for the upcoming year...Time to revel in the possibilities of a new year in the outdoors.

EIGHTEEN BUCKS.

Each.

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time justifying that on so many levels.

First – Next week is the PA Farm Show. Free. My kids love it, we all go and spend the whole day. We get some peacock hurl, fresh Horseradish sauce for the wife, some deer jerky for me, maybe a trinket or two for the kids, but not a dime to get in. Parking costs $10, but for a family of 5, that is a deal. And I could probably find cheaper parking if I really tried, but why bother.

Second – For me to go and take my son, would cost me nearly as much as my PA fishing license for the year with trout stamp. For one day, I can pay for my whole year of fishing – with one boy, both boys, alone. A whole year.

Third – Lefty Kreh is on the guest list. Lefty Kreh. One of the biggest names in the sport. And I likely wouldn't get within 100 yards of him no matter what the venue. But Google his name, and I get a video of Lefty Kreh teaching the basics of casting. Clearer and with better visibility than anything I could hope for in a show setting. I have watched this video dozens of times, and I defy a fisherman of any age and ability to not find themselves thinking about and remembering his tips as you are out on the water next time.

Fourth – yeah, fourth - $18 worth of fly tying materials. I got a $50 Amazon gift card (spent $50.01 with shipping- nailed it!) for Christmas. That $18 is 75 Daichi hooks, 8 Spools of thread in various sizes and colors, a pack of saddle hackle, dyed maribou, 3 packs of pheasant tails..........the list goes on.

Ok, I'm cheap. I admit it. But time and money are hard to come by these days, and I value them both. We are a single income household, and I don't have a ton of money to throw around. I feel a little guilty when I spend money on myself selfishly to the exclusion of my family. Spending a day off by myself, leaving my wife to tend the kids without help, or taking away from the limited time I have to spend with the family. That day in an arena or hotel is a day off the water, and lets face it, if I am going to burn a Saturday without the family, I would rather actually be fishing.

So I will bank that day for the spring. Save the $30 for a campsite. And look forward to the mayfly hatches and next big get together on the water.

Tight lines!

E-A-G-L-E

Today's adventure took place: On the drive home

New Years Eve, was a big day for eagles. My former rooting interest, the Philadelphia Eagles, finally got rid of the arrogant, s.o.b. coach after a miserable 4-12 season, and the latest quarterback is hopefully not far behind. Truth is, I have come to despise the entire NFL since the MV era began, and will not be going back at all (but that is another subject for another soap box).

Although I have a fear of birds (5 years old, tortured by older kids who kept flipping on Hitchcock's thriller when the adults weren't looking), I am enthralled at watching them soar overhead. From flocks of starlings, their coordinated movements and the rush of air as they fly low overhead on a warm autumn evening, to a single dove, the panicked fluttering as they leave their roost, I am always stopping to watch the birds fly.

I have always been fascinated by raptors. Red Tailed Hawks are abundant in PA, and in the rural area I live, the Turkey Buzzards are everywhere. I have seen both loitering everywhere from my backyard to the highways and byways.

But Eagles are special.

I am not a cheerleader patriot (Yay 'Merica!), I am just fascinated by these large, powerful creatures. For all their strength and beauty, eagles are still sensitive and fragile - once pushed to the threat of extinction by the actions of those they symbolically represent. Bald Eagles are amazing.

I have seen them a couple of times in captivity. They have a pair at my favorite family amusement park, Knoebels Grove. I always slip away to visit them for a few minutes when we are there. And three times, I have seen them in the wild. Two of those times were as I drove along Route 422. Yesterday, was that second time.

The first was going through the Valley Forge area - I spied one flying over from one side of the highway into the park area. I couldn't believe my eyes - a real bald eagle. I was thrilled.

The second time I was able to share with the family driving along Little Pine Creek just north of Waterville, PA. We had just left McConnell's Country Store and Fly Shop to our rented cabin, when we saw a bald eagle eating a fish on the far bank. We sat and watched for about 15 minutes while he ate his lunch. I was absolutely captivated by the sight, and can still see it clearly in my mind's eye.

My most recent encounter, yesterday, was again seeing one soar along as I drove along 422 - this time it was over the Schuylkill River just west of Reading. It was only a glimpse, but the thrill of seeing another of these magnificent birds has had me brimming with excitement ever since.

Now that I know that they are here, I will be looking for them every day, hoping to catch another glorious glimpse of the beautiful and strong symbol of our nation. As we stand on the brink of the "fiscal cliff", I will take it as a positive omen, personally and as an American, that will see us all moving forward and soaring along in 2013.

Happy New Year.