Friday, July 09, 2010

Week of Butterflies

This must have been the week for butterflies. First came the encounter yesterday with the black swallowtail, and then today when I went out to the truck to run some errands, I saw this tiger swallowtail butterfly. The coloring on this butterfly was stunning.
She was resting on my driveway. I walked right up, leaned over and shot this photo and it was as if she posed for the photograph.
After the errands, I didn't have a great deal on my calendar, so I rode up to the fly fishing shop and had new line put on my old reel.
My dad gave me this rod and reel before he passed away in 1986. I've been so busy making a living, that I didn't have time to fish, so the reel has been resting on my screen porch.
I wasn't sure if the old rig would even be usable, but when the guy at the fishing shop looked at it, he got a nostalgic gleam in his eye.
He told me that the rod and reel came from a Western Auto hardware store, and that it was identical to his first fly fishing rig that he bought years ago.
When I bought the new line, he asked if I wanted him to install it for me. I'd never actually installed line, and I had some time to kill,  so is said sure.
As he worked, he talked about fishing - the best times to fish, the best flies to use, and the various knots used to attach flies to the line.

I'm sure I could have found the fishing line cheaper online or at one of the local super stores, but they would not have had a clue how to install the line, and I doubt very much they would have taken the time to give me some good advice.
I was fascinated. I'm guessing I'll be spending more time at the shop, and hopefully, I'll catch a few trout as well.

3 comments:

  1. This personal touch is what we miss when we patronize big box stores. Every small retail business is there because someone didn't like working for "the man" or inherited a business their family started years ago. If we have to pay $5 more for something it's worth it. At least that's what I think.

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  2. I'm with Charlene - we're losing our ability to connect with folks one on one. These little stores, these dedicated people, passionate about their services/wares, are the backbone of our society - not the big stores with their imported products with built-in obsolescence. A box store would have shook their head and offered to sell you something new and shiny and cheap....

    Yes, I'll bet you'll be stopping in at that shop in the future. Enjoy swapping those fish stories. :-D

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  3. I totally agree. I've said for some time that the big stores can sell you something cheap, but they rarely provide service.
    Even the price factor is misleading because if you pay $10 for something and it wears out ten uses, then that actually becomes expensive in terms of price per use, and the impact on the environment having to dispose of the junk.
    Paying more for better quality and service is much more cost effective.
    Also, I'd rather pay more and help keep our local folks in business, than to send our money to foreign lands.

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