The Long Lost Mr. Jones

Dear Readers,
Well, I apologize for the lack of communication of late, but it just didn't feel like the time. I will be writing my traditional thoughts at year end very shortly, but for this time I want to tell you about a couple of guys. These would be Grizzly Cognac and his trusted native compendium El Banco. They rode into town 10 days or so ago. Now GC has been a loyal customer for many years, but up until relatively recently he was coming alone. For years he had partners, a friend or two that would accompany him, but due to economic conditions, the aging of us all, and other factors, some beyond his control, he had been coming down solo for the last 5 years or so. He mentioned guys that wanted to fish, one in particular that he mentioned more than once was a man for whom he had positive feelings, but up until recently their relationship had been limited to the exchange of dead presidents. Last June GC decided to update this situation, to elevate it beyond the ritual exchange of frog skins, and invited El Banco down to fish. They had a good time, scored on the fishes, and vowed to return. Well, GC is an acquired taste, and some take longer to acquire it than others, so I took EB's promise to return with a grain of NaCl. Lo and behold they returned, both of them. GC is man of adventurous spirit, blessed with a joy of life, an active imagination, and a lust for many, no make that most, things. He has lived an interesting and varied life, full of experiences that he has wrung out like an old dish cloth, squeezing every last drop form each one, and consuming it like a disillusioned evangelist turns to KoolAid. He likes to tell of his adventures, and though he be a story teller for sure, almost all of his tales come from the nonfiction section of the mental library. He has a million of them, and if he ever runs short is as shameless about reruns as NBC ever was. El Banco on the other hand, is a little less ebullient than his cohort. Though not shy, and part of it is that with GC around the available air time is limited, he is willing to tell parts of his estimable story. Working up from the bottom in his chosen trade, he recently retired, having reached the top. Deciding not to try and stack up more turtles (footnote #1) he retired to enjoy his life in the mountains, tending to the worlds' largest black bass. Through no fault of his own his adventures have continued, and while not as horn loaded as GC, he has continued to live his life fully and with joy. An intelligent man, broadly knowledgeable, he's a guy that you might want to carry a notepad wichya' because he says things worth remembering. Well, they were here for 9 days, fished for 5, and took home a mariscada of dorado, true bonita, cabrilla, sierra, and even some mako shark. They enjoyed their time together, the time away from home, and our fair city. The world is a better place for these two men, and mine was for sure while they were here. Somewhere, at this very minute, GC is adjusting his ever present ball cap, suckin' on a cigarette, and telling someone the story about him, the stripper, the cottonwood tree, and the raccoon. EB may well be nearby, grinning.
David