This is Just the Start

This last winter I was sitting at home between jobs (I'm self-employed, also known as permanently unemployed), when I saw a post on Facebook by Rebecca Garlock about the 100th post on the Outdoor Blogger Network.  This begs the question- How did I get to be Facebook friends with Rebecca in the first place?  I don't know, and since the rules on that change all the time at Facebook, I'll just say it's lost in the mists of time (or is it sands?).

I've always had this itch to be a writer, but work in construction by trade.  I've written a couple of pieces over the years that I've shared with my friends, or for my own private enjoyment. I even wrote a feature piece for Petersen's Bowhunting at their request, only to have them reject it ("we've run too many articles on that in the last two years").  I've always had this fear, a fear of actually taking the plunge, baring my soul and sharing my writing with others.  What if people hate it?  The barrier was very real.

For whatever reason, Rebecca's post set off a gong in my head, one that still rings clearly and shrilly.  I had waited long enough; it was time to get started, and thus Fontinalis Rising was born.  What I didn't expect, was the effect that OBN would have.   Sure, there's lots of contests, giveaways and other cool stuff.  Much more than that, it is a means of connecting with other outdoor bloggers, to find people of like mind and interest.  It has been a tremendous way for a non tech-savvy person like myself to find other very cool blogs, and I've found some of my favorites here.

In the brief period I've been doing this, OBN has offered some great opportunities, such as the Trout Unlimited writing contest that brought four bloggers to Montana, or the opportunity to blog for Take Me Fishing.  OBN provides a forum for it's members to showcase their work, and the ability to discover that of others.  The gear review opportunities are fantastic, both for members, and the companies that provide them.  The photo and writing prompts offer ideas and a chance for members to compare notes and ideas.  OBN regularly offers members sound and savvy technical and blogging advice.  They regularly alert us to important issues that could use our collective help, such as the danger that the Pebble Mine poses to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery.  It has become an outdoor media clearing-house, and I predict will increasingly be seen by the outdoor industry and media as a force to be reckoned with.  Hear OBN roar.

So, to the founders of the Outdoor Blogger Network, Joe Wolf, and Rebecca Garlock, I want to say thank you.  With a simple idea, you've created a monster, you command an army.  Congratulations on a wildly successful first year.  I quail to think of how you'll wield this awesome power over the next year.

Monday Morning Coffee with Cardboard Kirk

no cardboard cutouts were scalded in the making of this post

 Ewwwawwwwhhhhuyghgh!!!  Yawn, stretch, scratch, repeat....Man o man, is it Monday again already?  Let's have some coffee.  As you can see, I have some company- Kirk Werner in cardboard form.  We're drinking some Cafe Bustelo- a blast from my NYC days.  I didn't want to take a chance on French press, those Seattle folks need their espresso.  Cardboard Kirk is on a tour of the country or who knows, maybe the world, before heading back to good old Seattle.  He hasn't told me his full itinerary, but to be fair I haven't told him the itinerary here either.  He went fishing for steelhead with Rebecca Garlock of the "Outdooress" blog and the River Damsel out in Idaho.  He then came here.  He says that he traveled comfortably, if a little cramped.  The cup is always half empty and half full for Seattle-ites.  (Kirk wrote about his trip with the Outdooress and the River Damsel here.)

It's very hard to get a Pacific Northwesterner like Cardboard Kirk to come fish the Great Lakes region.  They, after all, live in the original home of the steelhead and salmon that eventually found their way here, and they have that stunning scenery as a backdrop.  The funny part is that both the Great Lakes region and the Pacific Northwest have similar histories rooted in mining and logging.  So similar in fact, that a lot of the immigrant workers who came to Michigan to work in the lumber camps later moved on to Washington and Oregon when the timber played out here.  I'd like to think we made a fair exchange- we sent them some of our people, and they sent some of their fish.  Both stayed and flourished in their respective new environs.

We're in a bit of a cold snap right now, which has really suppressed the fishing at the moment, but Cardboard Kirk says he doesn't mind hanging out for a couple of weeks, so I'm going to show him some of the sights, take him on a few excursions, and hopefully catch him some fish.  I've settled him in the guest room and we're going to sit around

Kirk tucked into the guest room

 the campfire (not too close) and tell stories and I'm going to show him a few fly patterns.  I'm really looking forward to showing off my corner of the world- we may not have those high mountains, but the northern Great Lakes region definitely has its own beauty and charm- drama even.

This week I'll do the first installment on the new drift boat being built over at Croff Craft, I have a brief post on common mistakes I see on the rivers (including ones I've made myself), and Friday, being April first, I'll continue my Angler's Year series.  So hang with me here, it's going to be a great week.

Congratulations to Brian Kozminski on winning last weeks giveaway- a mixed dozen steelhead flies.  Look for the next giveaway next week starting Wednesday April 6th.  I may have to break down and make it a half dozen streamers.  Why not, I need some help testing them.

All right, coffee is done, and Kirk is going to mind the office while I go to work- let's get after it!

P.S.  I overheard some grumbling from downstairs last night about the fact Rebecca is on Andros Island after bonefish while he's here in frosty Michigan.  He'll change his tune once we get into some fish.