Loose Ends to Tie Up

Tying up loose ends filled our last day in North Carolina.  But we first took our loose ends and the dogs loose ends for a walk at Tsali Recreation Area...huge destination area for mountain biking and in our case..dog walking!  On the way we passed a scenic overlook that shows the geography of where we are, if you've not been in the Smokies before.

Notice some white stuff on the far mountains left of center...snow left over
from the Hurricane Sandy weather maker...around 4,000 feet.  A glimpse of
Lake Fontana also.

Tsali is an area of old logging roads turned recreation area...really nice if you are
into that

Another loose end was begun over the phone, when Miki decided we could reupholster Bunny's grandmother's rocking chair and I could make a cat tree for Bunny's new rescue cats.  My sister Alice and I shopped for the material, sent pictures of the material to them via email, called them and got the fabric of choice decision, bought it and took it with me to NC.  In the meantime Miki deconstructed the rocker in anticipation of the new material's arrival.  Today we reconstructed the chair with it's new look.

Bunny looking pretty comfortable in the newly recovered rocker.

The cat tree was made at home from scrap wood and free carpet scraps, then taken a part for travel and rebuilt in it's new home.

And of course, I left some loose ends on my fly rod to tie a fly to, so I had to go fishing one more time.  The Upper Nany did not disappoint.  Three hours of standing in cold water (very cold water) was interrupted about a half dozen times by fish tugging on the end of my fly line.  The end result was accomplishing the Nantahala Grand Slam...catching each of the 3 species of trout found here...the brown, rainbow, and brook... in the same day.  
Trout-a-licious!

Somebody has to do it!

No pot of gold at the end of this Rainbow!  Just a Free Get Out of the
Frying Pan Card, this time!

So pretty.  Not my casting or me, but the surroundings.  Rhododendrons
blanket the banks of the river.

Our last loose end was to tell our friends, "Till next time..."  We had a nice dinner with Bunny, her sister, Lynn, and friend Drew, as we feasted on some great pulled pork BBQ and topped it off with cookies and cleaning out the last of the ice cream from the freezer.  After arriving back at the cabin, Janet came down to catch up and share one last hug.  Great area, great friends, great trout.  I think we'll be back!


My Zen from the Stream:  It's not just about the fish (although it can be).  For me it is about as close to being in the moment as I can be (stop laughing... it can happen).  It's not only about being the fish, but looking up once in a while from the water to see the artistry that surrounds where these fish call home.  The sound of the water playing off the rocks or the splash of a fish and turning only to see the ripples they left behind...it's not just about the fish.