'Merikan tales
Always wonder... what do I have with this country - the US of A? Country of extremes, land of great beauty and enormous diversity, offering such a wide range of things to see and do.
Wednesday, January 21.
New York... to that skyline I come
Flyin' in from London to your door.
New York... lookin' down on Central Park
Where they say you should not wander after dark...
"United Airlines flight nr. 907 has just landed at Newark International Airport.
You are requested to remain seated..."
Always wonder... what do I have with this country - the US of A? Country of extremes, land of great beauty and enormous diversity, offering such a wide range of things to see and do.
I have travelled from border to border, from coast to coast, and I'm never doing the same thing twice. Blessed with beautiful and varied terrain, the United States has magnificent mountain ranges and dramatic coastlines, lush rain forests and parched desert land, shining rivers and plains that seem to roll forever into endless horizons.
I have been in love many times. I know I will fall in love many more times. To me, my love affair with you - my lovely Lady America - has always been as passionate and exciting as can be. I'm back... and for the umpteenth time, I say:
Lets fall in love again!
Chuck Furimsky's International Fly Fishing Show
January 23 thru 25, 1998
A show with over 250 Exhibitor booths...where activities are focussed on Fly Tying, Rod Building, Casting, Conservation, Places to fish... a Shangri La for the flyfisher. Three days of big fun, with Gary Borger, Al Caucci, Darrel Martin, Steve Rajeff, Doug Swisher, Dave Whitlock, Barry & Cathy Beck, Bobby Clouser, the one and only Harrison Steeves III, Robert Spaight and... and... and...
Dave Brandt
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Bob Clouser
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Janet Furimsky
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Oliver Edwards
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Continuous demonstrations in the Fly Tyers Aisle, where a great many tyers:
Bobby Minnow Clouser, Oliver Yorkshire Spider Edwards, Robert The Reverend Spaight, Jack Corsair Gartside, Ben Bugskin Furimsky, Dave Catskill Brandt, Kieran Smoked Eel Frye, Davy Schmezer, Garth Campbell, Rick Whorwood... too many to name.
One Flytying Talent from The Netherlands was sorely missed, but at least friend Furimsky had managed to spell his last name correctly!
The public, (between 8 and 10,000) spied, and we tied, fiddling around with furs'n feathers, tinsels'n synthetics. Like painters with tubes of pigments and bolts of unstretched canvas, creating their little paintings on a small piece of steel, often smaller than a paperclip.
Flyfishers, veterans and novices alike, sitting across the table, closely watching the tyer as she or he winds apparently unmanageable materials around #28's or 4/0's. What an awsome array of special and exclusive talent! What an immense pleasure to hang around with and form part of such a great bunch of people.
I'll let the pictures in my little Joisey tale speak for themselves.
Commercial exhibitors - Sage, Scott, Orvis, Cortland, Collins Hackle Farm, Donegal, Whiting Farms, Ramsey Outdoor, Diamondback, Teton Fly Reels, The Complete Sportsman, the Patlen Outlaws... they were all there, showing their wide ranges of products.
Again I was walking around in heaven, looking on my shoulders to see if my wings were still there! All the tackle, vises, tools, books, hooks and tying materials one can imagine were on display and for sale at the Garden State Exhibit Center.
Seminars and demos with Al Caucci, Dick Talleur, Charlie Meck, Darrel Martin, and many others.
If you ever get a chance, Folks, join us at the 1999 International Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey. See ya there!
Triplets
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Eddy and Bas
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Marc Petitjean
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Monday, January 26.
17.00: airborne for San Francisco, and Zzzing... went the strings of my heart!
Ed Rice's
International Sportsmens Expositions
January 28 thru February 1, 1998 - San Mateo, CA
February 4 thru 8, 1998 - Seattle, WA.
Locations: The Race Track Expo Center & The Kingdome.
Floyd Franke
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Robert Spaight
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This was my 6th performance at the San Mateo Show and my first time ever in Seattle, and I was fortunate to be invited again.
Totally different shows. As the word says "Sportsmens Expositions". Flyfishing - as part of General Fishing, Boating, Hunting, Travel Agencies, Fishing Lodges, Art Galleries etc., andsoforth.
At all previous ISE shows I had worked as a demonstrating fly tyer, both for the public and in the so-called Video Theatre. This time it was different in the sense that the firm of Marc Petitjean had hired me to tie flies in Marcs booth. We both also did several one hour tying sessions in the Video Theatre. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Seattle - The Emerald City
Steep hills, lush greenery. Glimpses of sparkling water everywhere. Puget Sound, bays, lakes, rivers, canals. And snowcapped Mt. Rainier in the distance suddenly emerging from its mantle of clouds. Youthful creativity flourishes... this is the birthplace of the recent crazes for grunge rock and - thank Heavens - of excellent espresso and cappucino coffee. And not the usual cuppa Joe kind. No, coffee with some real muscle on it! The natural boundaries of hills and water produce a city of neighborhoods that feel like small towns, vibrant and intriguing.
This was the last ISE show of the Petitjean-team. The show featured a big fly casting pool, where Gary Borger, Doug Swisher and Jerry Siem showed the public how to properly handle a flyrod. A float tube pond where one could watch Steve Probasco's demonstrations how to use a float tube, and, last but not least:
The Fly Tying Video Theatre with hourly tying presentations, led by some of the world's best tiers, and shown on several big-screen monitors in the Theatre. Marc giving his first ever public tying demos of how to tie his intricate CDC-patterns, Gary Borger doing some of his down to earth tying, Arrick Swanson weaving his creations and Nick Curcione showing the onlookers how to's in salwater knots/rigging and leader-making. Nearly 400 fishing, fly fishing, boating and shooting-sports product suppliers, plus guides, outfitters and lodges from throughout the Northwest and around the world. And... and... and...
Paoul Jorgensen and Bas Verschoor
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Kids
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Dave Whitlock
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And, once again... pictures are telling their own tales.
And in the eves. You could always find us down at Anthonys on Pier 66, McCormicks and Assaggio Ristorante, places where all the smart'n'swingin people go, pampering their epicurian souls with the sensual pleasures of fine wines and exquisite cuisine while marvelling at spectacular views on Seattles scenic waterfront.
Seattle... a city I want to come back to. The Emerald City on Puget Sound.
Having left my heart where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars...
Having been Sleepless in Seatlle, I was homeward bound...
Home where my thoughts escaping, home where my music's playing...
"United Airlines flight Nr. 906 has just landed at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport.
You are requested to remain seated..."
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