I Love the Smell of Varnish in the Morning

Back in the winter 0f '02 I wanted to try a project a little larger than a Bamboo Fly Rod. I got in touch with Mr. Ken Hankinson and purchased a set of plans for a wood drift boat. A pile of Mahogany Plywood, Ash, Birds Eye Maple - a bucket of Epoxy and Varnish and a huge box of Bronze screws and away we go

Now here we are 6 years later and the old girl is starting to show her age. It's finally time for a little tender loving care - a little sanding here and there, suprisingly few bare spots considering the number of miles down the AuSable and Muskegon. No major cracks or damage in spite of a couple healthy whacks on some stumps in the dark. So get out the old varnish brush - it's been waiting on the hook above the workbench - some light sanding, vac and tack and . . .

Looking pretty good so far. It's nothing elegant - we are more interested in a few nice thick coats of brushed Spar Varnish - just like in the good old days. Every brush stroke is a memory of a splashy rise in the evening, the summer cloudburst that chased us under the Cedars, the nap in the warm sun, the taste of Laphroaig - friends and rivers. I love the smell of varnish in the morning . . . it smells like history.

Back in the Groove

It's been a while and we've covered a few thousand miles. Back from the blizzard of '09 in SouthWest Montana - I guess payback for all those years we laughed at the sunny blue skies and balmy days of April! But we tricked a few trouts - cast some midges between the snowflakes and made the turn in record time to get up to the cabin in Grayling. Here's a shot of a pretty serious Brown out of McCoy Spring Creek.

Had a nice evening in Grayling at the Mason Griffith Founders Chapter T.U. banquet. Got to see some old friends, and raise a little cash. The river up north is running dark and high - may need a few more weeks to settle down. But it won't be too long before all the Trout Expedition veterans will gather up for the 21st. annual adventure.