Like many of you, I am often on the river by myself. Depending on the area, and my Spidey senses, I sometimes carry a handgun, bear spray, people spray, a whistle, a knife or nothing. Self-defense is something that I think about often; I have even taught several classes, one to a women’s fly fishing…
We had just finished watching a pair of older ladies get stuck on the rock bar while they were trying to float down the river. Their legs kicking and arms flailing. Their paddle falling away and cuss words flying. I thought, if I stay here, these tube people are going to drive me insane, (missing…
The notion of taking your kids to the river so you can fish, while also being a decent parent, sounds completely overwhelming, I know. I actually miss the days when my kids didn’t have opinions about what we were doing but instead could just sit jolly in a backpack. But something I’ve learned through the…
How could we be prepared for the rawness of motherhood– the moments of realizing you’re in charge of these little humans– the fear of never knowing if you’re doing enough. The times when they sit on your lap and hug you for no reason, and you wish you could just stop the time…. And then the times…
Family / Fly Fishing / Humor / Parenthood / Parenting / Winter
Is the winter getting you down? Here are some ways you can get through it…because we’re all barely hanging in there and the white stuff keeps falling!!!!! (Some of my advice is terrible, so you’ll have to sort through it yourself) 1. Take your kids sledding almost every day. It is as horrid as it…
Most of us just want to get back to that place, where life was simple and we couldn’t wait for Grandma’s fried trout for dinner. When I saw this picture of my Grandma Betty, I could hear the river rushing, the sound of four-wheelers in the distance, and my beautiful grandma giggling gleefully with every catch she…
I began to put this picture on our Christmas card, but realized some folks may not fully appreciate the Eagle’s Thanksgiving Plate. I cherish this picture because even though my children appear barbaric, it reminds me of one of my favorite days of the Holiday Season, a time where I say ‘no’ to a traditional role and visit the fish with my…
I pause for a moment, staring at a deer’s half-consumed rib cage that is resting between a pool filter and a Top Ramen noodle bag. If I duck down I can see the river through the trees- I’m almost there, but my curiosity beckons. Who threw their pool filter in the middle of the woods? What animal…
The Mayfly Project: Mentoring youth in foster care through fly fishing I waded out to check the river shoreline, making sure we had the prime stretch of river all to ourselves. The water maneuvering around my waders was loud compared to the stillness I found on the fall morning. With no one in sight, and a…
Beyond the cell service range is where the real summer fun started- where kids played in the woods, built forts, swam all day long, and their parents replaced their phones with fly rods and gathered merrily around the fire each night for smores. This summer, more than ever, I did not want to come back…
When you don’t tell anyone what you are planning because you’re sure they would think you are crazy, you may be a fly fishing adventure mom. You let people know you will be gone for a week, but only share the details in short snippets you estimate they can handle. For example, “Ya, we’re going camping…
And just like that, things changed. Spring has turned to Summer and, unexpectedly, I’m not ready. Somedays I see myself as a wild animal- I despise having to share space with people outdoors and feel the urge to move my pack as far away from them as possible (and yet, I have a blog encouraging people…
How To Tell If You’re An Outdoor Mamma Full Article in the Outbound Collective: Anyone can become an Outdoor Mama, but it takes guts, courage, and the willingness to look a bit crazy. When you arrive at the place of being able to call yourself an Outdoor Mama, you will know; it looks something like…
My friend and I are determined to change the #flymoms representation on Instagram to pictures of fly fishing moms, verses moms just looking really cool. I don’t doubt those moms are way cool, but there is just something special about fly moms, the fly fishing kind. We are strange, we do crazy things with…
I don’t know folks, I sacraficed a river weekend to take my kids to an Easter Egg hunt in the city and *sigh*… Those of you that know me well, know this is sort of my worst nightmare. No parking. Waiting in lines. Traffic. People everywhere fighting to get their kids in the front of…
Mammaflybox 