Tying at Java Java Coffee Shop ~6/23/12

   Planning on tying flies this Saturday, June 23, 2012, at Java Java, located at 836 E. River Drive, Davenport, IA.  Tying will start at 9:15-ish and last until at least 11 or noon. As many know, part of the road is closed.  A detour is posted and the city has placed signs directing customers to the coffee shop.  The detour route I take probably adds only 3 minutes to my usual drive.  If I get the chance, I will post directions here as well.  Lunch/small breakfast items are also offered at the shop.  Don't forget that the Farmer's Market is also going on, so it's a great morning to head to Davenport.
  Thanks!  Come on out and tie some flies!
~Twitch

My DETOUR DIRECTIONS:  Heading from Bettendorf on East River drive, right on Bridge Ave, continue uphill & follow detour sign, left on East 10th St.  Then, I go left on Oneida down the hill and take tight right on Charlotte St, left on Kary, and then, again, right on Charlotte (brick), left on Tremont. Go down the hill and just past the light blue house is Java Java.  2 min 55 sec.

PS: Thanks Bill and Dave for the tying and the bs at the java shop. Small group but fun & coffee delicious as usual!

Mad Man's Fishing Special

   My Grandpa Davis (Everett) was a big man who who did manual labor to make a living for his wife and 10 kids.  He could also listen to a bird sing and tell you what kind of bird it was.  My Grandma Davis (Minnie) evidently was the 'glue' of the family.  I'm happy to say I inherited my Scottish descent from him & the Irish descent from her.  From the stories I've heard, the kids were, at their mildest, ornery.  The brothers once trapped my Aunt JoAnn in the outhouse.  Every time she'd open the door to exit, they'd fire their bb guns at her.  In a theater balcony, they would make 'ralfing' noises and dump cans of chili over the edge during scary parts of the show. 

   Now there are 4 kids left and my dad, Walt, is the youngest.  When he was still in the cradle, a sister nicknamed him 'Kitten' and it stuck.  I think he was in fights due to that name, preferring to be called 'Deke'.  The remaining kids still pull practical jokes, but maturity has mellowed them.  My dad is now the 'glue' of our family, he spoils his wife and is an absolute gentleman.

  Dad keeps spotless cars, washing them more in 1 month than I do mine in 2 years.  But, the family has always been into cars.  My brother Dave owns a '64 Mercury Montclair with the rear window breezeway.  I prefer the '68 Camaro, fastback Mustang, Corvair or Karmann Ghia but they just aren't practical for gravel roads, car camping and fly fishing.  So, when Dad brought pictures to our Father's Day get-together and told us we could take what we wanted, I snatched up the one with my dad in it, sitting on the 'Mad Man's Fishing Special'.  The car is a 1931 Dodge, the first vehicle owned by my Uncle Dave, who was then 13 years old.  While many of my pictures can only be viewed from my laptop or pulled from a box, this one will readily be framed.  It seemed to cross generations and meld family interests.

   Unknowingly, Dad gave his daughter a great gift on Father's Day!  While I have many paintings and photos waiting -some for years- to be hung, that photo will be the first to be officially hung in my tying room. 
   To my Dad, to my friends or to their fathers, & to those other dads kind enough to take the time to become a 'follower' on this blog, Happy Father's Day!