Annual Update 2015 eat drink travel fish sort books.

Eat, Drink,Travel, Fish, Sort Books. 

Just like last year.

from John and Brenda Davenport 

There were a couple of notable events this year. Mom, Olive Davenport celebrated 100; Morgan Bransky launched her college career; we got all six grandchildren together for the first time!!; Brent got engaged to Jennifer Brown; John immersed himself in unplanned plumbing infrastructure events; and Brenda finally got some of the wall colors changed in Denver.
       Abby and Dante both climbed the F&B ladder this year. Abby jumped back to the Hilton ladder as the Executive Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC and opened the new La Chine, a "Ritzy Regional Cuisine Chinese Restaurant." Meanwhile Dante jumped off the Hilton ladder to Food and Beverage Director at Savor/McCormick Place, the Western Hemisphere's largest convention center. 

      The 100 Valentines Day celebration in Nashville brought together a fine collection of the family cousins from both sides; some of whom had never met and were surprised how civilized each other were. Olive will be sending out her own Christmas letter; so, we won’t duplicate other than to say the reconstruction of Park Manor in Nashville really cut down on her walking with a predictable effect on her mobility. She quite enjoys receiving Skype calls on the “magic window” John installed in her room (an iMac). Charlie and Liz are still on duty, but Charlie claims John’s turn must be coming up again.

     This year, our international research for places to emigrate if The Donald is elected included the Turks and Caicos and the Czech Republic. 

     After a very complex money transfer we booked a VRBO on Grand Turk Island in January. Definitely off the Caribbean tourist trail; however, it is definitely on the Off Shore Banking trail. It was harder to get a fishing license than setup a multinational conglomerate. John persisted and scored a bonefish, probably legally, right out the front door of Sea Biscuit, our cottage. 

    The Czech Republic tour was organized by Overseas Adventure Travel with a little side venture to fish with Jan Siman, a former Czech Fly Fishing Team member. We discovered that the  “Iron Curtain”, named by George Kennan, was indeed made of iron and steel barbed wire and concrete bunkers. The Czechs and Slovakians were really undone by Chamberlain, Hitler, and the Russians. It is a testament to these Central Europeans’ resiliency and negotiations that the cities of Budapest, Cesky Krumlov, and Slovanice are so well preserved and the vineyards near Modra have been returned to their former greatness. 

     US travel included 100 days in Chicago, and a week in Belmar and Santa Fe. We look forward to Brent & Jennifer’s March wedding in St. Thomas and getting Evan as a bonus grandson. Plans for next year include more of the same with Machu Picchu and the Galapagos in January and an unknown destination far from Koch brother doorbell ringers and political campaigns in the fall.

     John’s book count is now 10. “Bug the Bug 3-Fixing Fly Fishing Fails” with Eloise on the cover, now joins his other books unread by thousands. Francesca’s book “Greek Mytholagy A-Z” out sold him in all markets.

     Overall, the highlight of the year was getting all the kids and grandkids (with Brent, Jennifer, & Evan an exception to be corrected in 2016) together at the beach in Belmar. 

    

Here’s a link for the visually oriented

    Via - Photos -  https://picasaweb.google.com/103202631667358953084/AnnualUpdate2015

     Via - Map

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=103202631667358953084&aid=6222209445572861617#map

      Via Slide show:

                iPhone

                iPad

                Fred's New Humungous HDTV

   

Text us when you are flying to or through Denver and we’ll meet you at the airport for some dining or bring you home for western hospitality.

 Wishing you a good year with good times. Stay in touch.

John and Brenda Davenport

email or text: jandb.davenport@mac.com bnlbnw@aol.com

skype: loghousejd

facetime: jandb.davenport@mac.com  or john.davenport.mac@mac.com

4426 Wolff St

Denver, CO 80212

and sometimes:

519 N Main St  1EN

Glen Ellyn, CO 60327

Getting into Fly Fishing for under $100

Presented at the Fall Fly Fishing Rendezvous - Denver Colorado - 11/1/2015

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Expanded info is available in eBook or printed form from Amazon.

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Nymphing is not all they do in the Czech Republic.

Jan Šiman shares a little fly fishing wisdom on some sweet Czech rivers.

Jan, http://www.goflyfish.cz, set me up with a 6 minute metro ride

 and an easy 2.5 hour bus ride through the Czech countryside from Prague to Susice. This area is called Southern Bohemia and is very close to the German and Austrian border.

According to Jan, three time member of the Czech National Fly Fishing Team, the term Czech nymphing was invented by Orvis or some other American to explain the technique used by the Europeans that was cleaning the clock of the US Team in every championship. They are actually a little insulted that now the world thinks they invented it and don't know how to do anything else.

Let me set the record straight. If Jan Šiman is any example, they know how to do a lot of things right.
First the technique know as Czech Nymphing. This is Jan doing it right. The stream is flowing from right to left. He's using a bi-color sighter (indicator) just off the water and is leading his weighted "czech nymph" down stream. Looks like high-sticking but look where the fly line is. He's probably using 15 feet of leader/tippet.


        He rigged me up for tandem dries with a massive 18 feet of leader tippet ending in 7x.  He uses what he calls a Spanish cast that collapses before rolling out the last 5 feet of tippet, putting no weight or force on the dry fly which drifts slowly and naturally to the surface near the loose piles of tippet. The result is a drag free drift of at least 10 feet. The Spanish cast puts a loop of leader up stream from the tippet pile so when line is gently pulled in the fly travels UPSTREAM just like a natural. Truly amazing and nicely effective. It works on Clear Creek near Denver also. I tried it and I like it.
     The licenses, permits, access, and training needed to actually get on the river is daunting. You'd never be able to do it yourself. It is nothing like public waters in any state in the US. It's more like fishing on the Wigwam club property, e.g. State License, Local Permit, Personal Relationship with the River Keeper, Membership in a club with a 120 year waiting list, and then a gilley to tie on your flies, unhook your fish, an tell you precisely where to cast.

A very nice grayling

Browns and Grayling all on dries. A gray cdc emerger about size 16.

Sumava River

Here is Jan's ingenious fly dryer, more commonly known as an elastic band.

Sumava River

Sumava River

Otava River

     We fished Sumava Rivers in August 26-27. The Otava on the 27th.
John Davenport from USA-CO. Sumava rivers, August 2015. Photos Jan Siman.

Dinner stop at Chata Rovina so we could go back and fish the evening hatch.

     Nice $30 room in a new hotel obviously set up for the cross country and biking trade.