Andrew Marshall Wayment's Blog, page 10

Colorado Grouse’n

Odd year!  Dusky grouse season (generically known as blue grouse and still affectionately called so by me) began a week ago here in the Colorado high country.  The cover looks spectacular and there are berries & bugs galore….but where are the birds?  Higher or lower in elevation or were the spring rains to great for a decent chick hatch?

I spent two wonderful days at elevation in the grouse woods last week with some great people.  Dave and Kraig Kruger with their raw-boned Elhew pointers…the brothers being the same make as their dogs…and Dave D’Hulster from Michigan with his young string of cover dog setters….and fine setters they are (yes…I confess, I’m a cover dog English setter aficionado).

  

Bird dogs pointed some grouse and a few made their way into our pokes, but more importantly friendships were rekindled and forged upon a commonality…grand birds and dogs and fine guns.

  

  

I’m thankful for the opportunity to get out with my dogs and friends in the gorgeous mountains of Colorado!  Thanks heavens I’ve made it to another season.  Get out and enjoy your bird dogs and be safe.

See you on the prairies….setter feathers!

 

“I DIDN’T DO IT FOR THE MONEY”

“Tommy, if you catch a fish on a dry fly this year, I’ll buy you something special like a new video game as long as it’s under $20.00,” I offered Tom, my eleven year old son, before we left for on our annual Memorial Day camping trip to Birch Creek.

My goal was to get Tom excited about something other than video games, Nintendo 3D-S, MP-3 Players, and Youtube, which dominate so much of his time. He wouldn’t have access to those things anyway while camping, and I hoped to instill in Tom a love of the outdoors as my father did for me when I was a kid.

“That sounds good Dad, but if I catch a fish on a dry fly, will you just give me $20.00?” replied Tom, who is always trying work a better deal.

“I suppose so,” I replied a little hesitantly. I agreed to his terms because I felt the odds were a little in my favor. A few years earlier I had watched Tom catch his first trout on a fly rod using a nymph rig with a fluorescent orange indicator. Tom could hardly cast and he hooked and caught his first fish by sheer dumb luck. That one cost me a soda at the local gas station, which I was happy to purchase for the mighty fisherman.

During last year’s annual campout, Tom tried again to catch a fish on a fly for a soda, but the fish didn’t cooperate and after a while he gave up. As all involved in the sport know, fly fishing can be challenging and humbling at times.

So this year, the stakes were even higher. During the first few days of our four-day camping trip, the weather did not cooperate. I fished when I could between the onslaught of wind, rain, and colder temperatures and had some success, but the conditions were not what I would call kid-friendly.

But on the third morning of our trip, the sun broke through the clouds and warmed things and the wind mellowed to a steady breeze. I pulled out a G-Loomis 4 Weight, 7 foot 9 inch, fly rod for a little casual fishing along the banks of a small spring creek that flows from a small grassy bluff and eventually enters into Birch Creek proper.

That morning, Tom observed me heading toward a stepladder that crosses a fence near the small creek and hurried over to where I stood.

“Dad, I want to catch a fish on a dry fly. Remember you promised to give me $20.00?” asked Tom determinedly.

“How could I forget, buddy?” I responded. “It’s still a little windy, but I think we can try to get you onto a fish.”

Tom and I walked over to the footbridge that spans the little spring creek and we observed dozens of fish zipping up the shallow, crystal-clear flows running over a dark gravel bottom. The sheer number of fish for such a small creek was amazing.

To give Tom some pointers, I cast upstream into a nice, narrow run, and we both enjoyed watching trout rise to take the Red-butted Double Renegade that I had just tied. After I landed a fish or two, Tom tried a few casts upstream, but with the wind in our face, his cast did not get very far and the fly continually got stuck in the watercress lining the stream’s crystalline flows.

I realized that this set up would not do, so we headed downstream to a bend where the creek widened a bit and I showed him how and where to cast at this location. Fishing across the current with the wind at our back definitely helped Tom’s casts to improve, but with the calm, glassy flows at this location, the fish just darted when the fly and line hit the water.

We decided to fish a little further downstream. From the bend, we worked our way along the edge of a small grassy hill beside the creek. Tom cast to a rocky run and had a few strikes, but he was not quick enough.

“Tommy, when the fish rises, you have to set the hook,” I instructed.

“What does that mean, Dad?” Tom asked.

“It means that when you see the fish rise after your fly, you have to quickly jerk the rod upwards to set the hook into the fish’s mouth.” I explained.

“Okay Dad.”

Tommy and I continued to work our way downstream to a place where a log lay across the spring creek creating a nice little holding pool for trout downstream.

I took the rod and gave Tom a few pointers on where the fish would hold in this particular lie and—as I predicted—with each good cast, fish would rise eagerly to my fly. I even caught a fish while Tom stood beside me. It was the perfect set up for this beginner.

So I handed the rod to Tommy and said, “Your turn.”

Tom cast upstream toward the nice hole below the log, but his casts were falling short. So I would pull him up the bank a little closer to the hole and have him try again. Finally, when we were standing directly across from the hole, Tom’s casts started dropping the fly into the spot. I was worried that our close proximity to the run had spooked every trout out of the area, but we kept trying.

With each cast, we both watched the fly drift with eager anticipation and as Tom’s fly drifted over the sweet spot, a fish rose.

“Strike!” I yelled. But Tom was too slow and he missed the fish.

“Put it in there again.” I instructed Tom. He cast a few more times and we both followed the fly’s every move.

On one particular beautiful drift, Tom’s fly floated down the seam of two currents and—as if in slow motion—a fish rose, sucked it in, and pulled the fly under water.

“STTRRIIIKKE!” I yelled and, as if in slow motion, reached over and grabbed Tom’s rod and helped him jerk it slightly upwards .

With all the time it seemingly took, I thought for sure the fish was long gone, but to my utter amazement, the rod tip began to bounce with the tell-tale sign of a hooked trout.

“ALRIGHT TOMMY BOY! YOU GOT A FISH!” I hollered as I jumped up and down in excitement for my first born son.

Tom fought and quickly landed a beautiful little brook trout. He wore a huge grin as we snapped a few pictures to remember this awesome accomplishment. At that moment the generation gap was instantly bridged as we celebrated Tom’s first fish on a dry fly.

Tom holding his first trout on a dry fly.

“Tommy, I’m so proud of you. You just caught your first fish on a dry fly. How does it feel?” I asked excitedly.

“That was so awesome! I loved it.” Tom replied.

“You just won yourself twenty bucks!” I said as I patted him on the back.

Later that morning, I pulled out my wallet and fished out a $20.00 bill and walked over, handed it to Tom, and said, “Good job buddy, you earned this.”

Tom looked at me and said, “Dad, I didn’t do it for the money. I really love fishing with you and I wanted to learn how to catch a fish on a dry fly.”

“Okay buddy, so give me back my $20.00,” I said with a sly grin.

“Let’s not go that far. I really love fishing with you, but I’m keeping the money!” Tom responded resolutely. I guess it’s good to know that I didn’t raise no dummy.

Gotta love that smile.

JOHN ADAMS: A GROUSE HUNTER?

I apologize the followers of Upland Ways for not posting on the blog lately. I have been engaged in starting up a law practice with a partner. Things have been hectic, but good.

Lately, I’ve been reading some great books on U.S. Presidents including, John Adams, by David McCullough. I have been amazed at the dedication and sacrifice of this great, but imperfect, man. Every American should read this excellent book. In my article, “A Presidential Pursuit,” which was published by Sporting Classics Daily, I wrote about our first three presidents, George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as bird hunters. For those of you who have not read the article, here is the LINK.  I shared that when John Adams was young, he was extremely zealous for hunting with his fowling piece. While he did not expressly state what birds he hunted, I surmised that he hunted ducks, geese, heath hens, and ruffed grouse. Admittedly, the ruffed grouse hunter in me secretly hoped that Adams had an affinity for this great game bird.

As I was reading John Adams this morning, I found an important piece of evidence that suggests that Adams hunted ruffed grouse in his youth.  McCullough describes that as the British marched to take Philadelphia on September 19, 1777, the Continental Congress had to flee for its survival. Adams wrote that Congress began departing hastily “chased like a covey of partridges.”

This is an intriguing metaphor! In New England, where Adams grew up, the word “partridge” meant the ruffed grouse. Moreover, any grouse hunter who has stumbled upon a covey (a family group) of ruffed grouse knows how unorganized and chaotic it can be. Adams’ use of this metaphor suggests that he understood this from experience, which further suggests that he hunted ruffed grouse as a child. Man, I wish I would have known about this statement when I first wrote my article!

JOHN ADAMS, A GROUSE HUNTER?

While we cannot know the answer for sure, I think this is good evidence that Adams was a grouse hunter as a child. I’ll let you judge for yourself.

ANDY’S ARTICLE “A PRESIDENTIAL PURSUIT” IN SPORTING CLASSIC’S DAILY

Greetings all!  I’m happy to report that my article, “A Presidential Pursuit” was published this morning in Sporting Classics Daily, which is Sporting Classics’ online magazine.  This article presents little known firsthand evidence that our first three United States Presidents, George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were, to some extent, bird hunters.  For those of you who are interested here is the LINK to the article.  Be sure and check it out!

George Washington loved to fox hunt, but there is also evidence he enjoyed bird hunting.

Love the Simple Things in Life: RST Classic Shotshell Co

My dear friend Walter gave me a biography on John M. Browning that sat on the shelf unopened…a few months ago, I dusted it off and read it. I grew up in the Ogden, Utah area and was familiar with the Browning Arms company name and knew that my ex-wife was a descendant of the Browning family. What I didn’t know was that John Browning was the Einstein of modern firearms. Browning’s biography evoked a fever in me for American classics! I bought and read every book on American classic shotguns…which lead me to a circa 1953 Browning A-5 16 gauge, A circa 1902 Parker GH 16 bore on the much desired O frame with beautiful Damascus barrels, and a circa 1937 Ithaca NID 16 bore. Inflicted? Yes! To paraphrase my good friend and author Tom Keer…anything done in moderation shows a true lack of enthusiasm! (or something on those lines)

During my American Classic Shotgun transformation, I discovered an American Classic in their own right…RST Classic Shotshell Co from Friendsville, Pennsylvania. RST Classic Shotshell Co is anything but simple! Their customer service is second to none. I emailed them asking about the lower psi (~ 4600 to 7000 psi depending on your choice of shells) associated with their Lite 16 gauge 2.5 inch shells for the Parker’s Damascus barrels and immediately received the information on their shells. I’ve shot over 650 of their shells and they are the real deal. Last fall I used their paper hulls in my 20 bore AYA on 4 species of quail and they are deadly accurate. I’ve tried another company’s low pressure loads and RST’s shells are superior…infact, they’re the only shells I’ll shoot!

It’s raining in quail country…should be a great fall for bird dogs, fine American Classic shotguns and RST Lite spreader loads.

Setter Feathers…

A SHOTGUN, A BIRD DOG AND A FLY ROD

In New England Grouse Shooting, William Harnden Foster gave us the following unforgettable gem: “There is an old New England saying to the effect that if you give a man a shotgun, a bird dog and a violin, he won’t amount to a damn.” I’ve often chuckled about this.

But then I’ve also come to realize how close it hits to home. In fact, if you changed a few words, it would be right on the money: “If you give a man a shotgun, a bird dog and a fly rod, he won’t amount to a damn.”

A shotgun

A Bird Dog

And a Fly Rod

Whether you call these addictions, “Trout Madness,” “Birdbrain,” or whatever, I’ve got ’em bad.  I guess I’m a hopeless case.  Oh well, I can think of a million things worse to be!  

My guess is that if you’re reading this, I am not alone.  Welcome Brothers and Sisters.  Remember the tug is the drug and the flush is the rush!

“GROUSE AND APPLES” AND OTHER ODDS AND ENDS

Brother Shawn and I apologize for the neglect of the blog as of late. I spent the first part of the year working hard on a manuscript for a book about ruffed grouse hunting in the west, which is entitled, Drummer in the West. I’m still looking for a publisher for this book and will keep you all posted as things progress.

RGS Magazine Spring Issue

In addition, I am proud to report that my article, “Grouse and Apples” just appeared in the Spring Issue of the Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine, which turned out great. Once again, I had the privilege of teaming up with the wonderful outdoor artist Bob White for this article. This was our second collaboration. Our first was in my article, “Discovering Tinkhamtown” in the Upland Almanac a few years ago. In my humble opinion, the RGS Magazine is one of the very best bird-hunting magazines out there. If you have a chance to get a copy of this issue, do so. My friend Giuseppi Papandrea’s article, “Of Grouse and Men” is also a good one. Heck, the whole issue is great! You diehard grouse hunters be sure and check out his new blog, The Grousefather.

“Grouse and Apples” with art work by Bob White.

And last, but certainly not least, Brother Shawn and I have been bit hard by the double gun bug. Shawn just acquired a Parker 16 Gauge with Damascus barrels and an Ithaca NIF (New Ithaca Field) 16 Gauge. I’ll let Shawn tell you about these sweet guns. When Shawn told me about the Parker, I had to feed my hankering for a double grouse gun of my own. To make a long story short, Shawn sent me a link for a gun with a comment stating “This would be nice” (which in hindsight seems like a huge understatement).

I instantly followed the link and was thrilled to the core by the gun’s description:

THIS IS A CLASSIC ITHACA LIGHT BIRD GUN. 28″ BARRELS ARE CHOKED CYLINDER AND CYLINDER. 2 3/4″ CHAMBERS WITH FINE BORES. STAR ENGRAVED RECEIVER. 14″ LENGTH OF PULL WITH A 3″ DROP. WEIGHS JUST OVER 6 POUNDS. ABOUT 90% WOOD AND BARREL FINISHES. CASE COLORS FADED AWAY. STOCK HEAD REINFORCED WITH A SMALL BRASS PIN. SERIAL #44XXXX. A DELIGHTFULLY SHOOTING GUN WITH RST LIGHT LOADS. A GROUSE HUNTERS DREAM COME TRUE…

Who could resist that? I took the bait and now own my very first side by side. I wrote an article on this gun which I hope will appear in print somewhere soon entitled, “A Grouse Hunter’s Dream Come True.”

Ithaca NID, one of the most underappreciated American Classic doubles.

And to top it off, the same night I purchased my gun, I went out and caught a hawg brown. Life has been pretty hectic so far this year, but good.

A true hawg brown.

Thanks for stopping by. Remember the flush is the rush and the tug is the drug.

My first sxs and this brown on the same day . . . Can life get any better?

BADGER TENKARA

In the last few years, it seems like just about everyone has jumped aboard the Tenkara bandwagon. Tenkara seems to be everywhere in social media Facebook, Instagram, and numerous blogs. Some may argue that this is just a fad that will pass. No doubt, fads come and go, but what do you say about something that has been around for over 200 years?

 For those of you who don’t know, Tenkara is an old form of fly fishing invented in Japan. A Tenkara rod is much longer than your typical fly rod (i.e. 12 to 14 feet as opposed to 7 to 9 feet) and there is no reel. The modern Tenkara rods telescope outward.

When I first read about this form of fishing, it piqued my curiosity, but—based upon the written descriptions—I really didn’t quite understand how it worked. However, last fall, a good friend of mine, Matt Tower, agreed to show me how to Tenkara fish after a grouse hunt. I took him to a favorite hole on a tiny stream I call “Trickle Creek” and even filmed him catching a nice trout. Below is the video.

Matt let me try it out and I instantly became a fan of Tenkara fishing and had to have one. I approached the gentlemen from Badger Tenkara—Matthew Sment and Mike Lutes—about reviewing one of their rods and they graciously agreed. I explained that I planned to fish it on small mountain creeks and asked for their suggestion. Within a week, I received the Badger Tenkara Classic-Medium Flex rod. This telescoping 12 foot rod came in a nice plastic green tube, with screw on lids that open at either end. The rod itself was in a black cloth sheath. They also sent me about twelve feet of fly line. In short, everything is super nice.

Unlike a regular fly rod, there are no ferules on a Tenkara rod. Rather, the line is attached to a small piece of woven nylon at the rod’s tip called a “Lillian.” I had to go to the Badger Tenkara’s webpage to learn how to tie the appropriate knots for the line-to-Lillian and the line-to-tippet connections.

Matt Tower fishing Trickle Creek.

The same week I received the rod, I called Matt Tower and we planned again to fish Trickle Creek with our Tenkara rods. Though the creek was low and clear, the numerous Yellowstone Cutts rose to nearly every well-presented fly. The real challenge was to not spook the fish with a clumsy approach or cast. I missed the first few fish as my timing was a little off with a twelve foot rod (as opposed to the seven foot rod I typically use), but I eventually dialed in and started to catch a few small cutthroat.

Andy fishing Trickle Creek.

At first, I found it a little difficult to keep the line from tangling in the tall brush around me and I snagged my fly in the trees overhead more than once. I think that comes with trying to get used to a longer rod and the loose line. Matt had purchased some line keepers from amazon.com so that when we moved to the next hole, he simply wrapped all his line on the keepers above the rod’s cork handle to keep it from tangling with all the natural obstructions that lay before us. I will definitely invest in this for this summer and fall fishing. All said, I caught numerous fish that evening and missed many others. I truly enjoyed myself, but was surprised that it was more difficult for me than I expected.

Tenkara means “from Heaven” in Japanese.

My major goal last fall for acquiring the Tenkara rod was to be able to quickly fish while out bird hunting as it seems that grouse and trout are often in close proximity. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to use the Badger Tenkara rod as much as I would have liked last hunting season. However, there was this one glorious day mid-October that was the perfect opportunity. Mother Nature was showing off in all of her autumn splendor that day and the hunting was phenomenal. By 4:00 p.m., I already had two blues and one ruffed grouse in the bag. I wrote the following about the remainder of this wonderful afternoon:

Even though I do not yet have my limit of four birds, I decide that three is plenty. I turn back down the road and head for the car with a smile on my face. The only thing that would make this day any better is to catch a cutthroat out of Trickle Creek and that is exactly what I plan to do with my new Badger Tenkara Rod. Once back to the car, I load up the dogs and drive up the road to fish a favorite stretch of the creek.

After stringing up the Tenkara rod, I tie on one of Shawn’s Chubby Mormon Girls and start fishing the familiar water. In a deep hole, a large yellow fish rises and I miss it. I cast the fly into the hole again and the same big cutty rises again. I stick him, but he is off in a flash. This has to be the biggest fish I have ever seen on Trickle Creek.

In the skinny water, the fish are skittish, but I manage to catch four or five beautiful Yellowstone Cutthroats, none the likes of the one that got away, but special nonetheless. My love for this special canyon, its birds, its little creek, and trout abounds.

And so did my love of Tenkara fishing. I can honestly say that the Badger Tenkara rod was perfect for what I had in mind that glorious fall day.

So what do I think of Tenkara fishing? I love the simplicity of it. Notice that I did not say that Tenkara fishing is “simple” because it is not. Rather, it hails back to a time when life was simpler—when man did not have all of the conveniences of modern life but made do with what he had. In that sense, Tenkara never was or will be a passing fad. A friend of mine with whom I often fish recently teased me about taking up Tenkara fishing and said that “Fishing without a reel is like riding a bike with training wheels.” I think maybe it’s the other way around. Oh well, to each his own.

No reel necessary.

As I did a little research for this article, I found that the word “tenkara” means “from heaven” in Japanese. Honestly, that made me love Tenkara fishing even more. Indeed, any fly fishing—including Tenkara—is heavenly.

*****

I appreciate Matt and Mike from Badger Tenkara for allowing me to review the Badger Tenkara Classic-Medium Flex. The rod is reasonably priced ($85.00 to $105.00) and casts great. I have no problem recommending the followers of the Upland Ways blog to Badger Tenkara for all their Tenkara needs. Matt and Mike are great guys and are more than willing to answer any questions that you have to help you get started—not to mention that Mike has great taste in music (“I want to make friends with the Badger!” –The Dead Milkmen). Here is the link to Badger Tenkara’s website.

“I want to make friends with the Badger!!!” –The Dead Milkmen.

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS DAD TAUGHT ME ABOUT FISHING & HUNTING

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS DAD TAUGHT ME ABOUT FISHING & HUNTING

Author’s Note: Today is my Dad’s birthday. For those of you who have followed the blog for a while, you may remember that he passed away last year. To remember and honor him today, I decided to share twenty-five things (among myriad others) that my Dad taught me about fishing and hunting. Hope you all can enjoy and relate.

1. You can never have too many flies, fly rods, guns, bullets, shotguns, and shotgun shells, etc. You never know when you, your kid, or a friend will break one. Besides it’s nice to always be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!

2. When it comes to fly tying, fish don’t care about aesthetics. Fish will hit an ugly fly just as well or better than a pretty one. So don’t be persnickety.

Dad tying flies on the banks of Birch Creek Memorial Day Weekend 2013.

3. The uglier the fishing hat the better. The man with the ugliest hat catches the most fish.

4. If you ain’t giggling when a fish rises for your fly, go home! You’re missing the point.

5. Everyone needs a Riesen (dark chocolate caramel covered goodness) to go hunting and fishing . . . and cinnamon bears, Ding Dongs, and chocolate milk.

6. There’s an old saying, “You can go fishing, or you can take a kid fishing, but you can’t do both at the same time.” To which, Dad replied, “Bull Pucky!” Dad proved with his own eight kids and countless other neighbor kids that you can have your proverbial cake and eat it too. You can take kids fishing and have a blast.

Benny hopes to net Eden’s fish.

7. A generous fisherman and hunter is a happy one and has more friends afield and astream. Dad loved to share his outdoor passions and his resources with his kids and friends, of which he had many.

8. If you take a kid fishing or hunting, you absolutely MUST stop for treats (especially milk shakes in Shoshone, Idaho). This should be a law written in stone.

9. Dad was a doctor and he taught me that doctor’s scrubs make awesome fishing attire. Moreover, when we were fishing with Dad and he was on call, he didn’t have to change his clothes before rushing to the hospital. But he still wouldn’t take off that goofy, ugly fishing hat.  Can you imagine?

10. It’s okay to embellish on the size of a fish. For example, a solid 15 inch trout instantly became a five pounder for Dad.

11. Dad taught me that if you want to catch more fish on the fly, nymphs are the way to go, especially the Red Fox Squirrel Nymph. Fish and fishermen dig ‘em! They’re so good that neighborhood squirrels will no longer be safe in your back yard!

12. Mexican food after hunting and fishing is the icing on the cake. It makes a bad day good and good day even better. It’s good for the soul, I tell you!

Tacos from Dad’s favorite Taqueria.

13. It is even okay to stop for Mexican food before taking an injured hunting companion to the hospital . . . that is, as long as the bleeding stops! (True story . . . Sorry Tom!)

14. When you are hunting and fishing, it is okay to eat at the same restaurant two or three times in one day . . . Pickles here we come!

15. When choosing hunting and fishing apparel, it’s not a fashion contest. Just pick what you like and what is comfortable. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Some might say my Dad got off the fashion train a long time ago, but I say he was always his a locomotive heading down his own track. He wore whatever he wanted and he rocked!

Dad and Jodi on the Buffalo River. Dad never had much sense of style, but he still rocked!

16. Hunting and fishing are fun and bring out the kid in all of us. Dad proved you can be 70 years old and still experience that child-like joy and enthusiasm every time you go outdoors.

17. Dad taught me that sometimes a little Garden Hackle (a lowly worm) catches way bigger fish than a fly. Do you want to catch a lot of dinks or one monster? Swallow your pride!

18. If you want your kids to know you love them or to relate to them better, take them hunting and fishing. The generation gap will be bridged almost effortlessly. All of Dad’s kids can attest to this.

Andy and Benny revel in a glorious night at the Mini-Madison.

19. Don’t be a trout snob! Bass and other warm-water fishing is not ultra-technical, but is sure fun and great for kids.

20. You’re never too old to learn. Always be teachable. There’s so much to learn about hunting and fishing. If something interests you, read books and try new things. Dad was a student of the outdoors to the very end.

21. Eat what you kill. Our special fish and game deserve our respect and are too precious to waste.

22. Hunting with bird dogs is the only way to hunt game birds.

23. There’s a peace one can find in the outdoors not available in most other places. That peace comes from Nature and Nature’s Creator. Dad knew this his whole life.

Dad and Tommy fishing Birch Creek in 2011.

24. The more time you spend hunting with your kids, the less time you’ll have to spend hunting for them. This may sound cliché, but it’s absolutely true.

25. A dad should be more than just a teacher, a provider, and a disciplinarian, he should be his kids’ hero and best friend. There is no better place to do this than the outdoors. Mission accomplished, Dad. I sure do love and miss you.

Thank God he was a country boy!

Upland Ways 2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

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Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 35,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 13 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.