a crisis, choosing good, and the bamboo fly rod

THE COVID-19 CRISIS SUCKS. THE END. Not really… FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW. So, we can all agree on one thing…there is a crisis out there. Since the shit the fan the world was sent off camber…it has been eerily peaceful here around Oyster…except for when I my parents visit and I yell at them from a 6 […]

ANATOMY, ENGRAVING and THE BAMBOO FLY ROD

WHY HAND ENGRAVING? Legacy? Because it’s beautiful? Investment? To honor? Customization? Memorialize? Yes. While these reasons may seem obvious, perhaps the most significant reason to hand engrave your bamboo fly rod cannot be seen or even carefully explained…it can only be felt. Let me say this…throughout the years here at Oyster, hand engraving our bamboo […]

Mud, Belonging and the Bamboo Fly rod

25 years ago Bill asked me where I wanted to live. I told him anywhere in the world as long as it was in Georgia. Bill: “What am I going to wear to that? We donated my funeral suit.” This was exactly Bill’s reaction when I told him (breathlessly I might add) that we […]

2019 Optimism, Rumination’s and “Savants” of the Bamboo Fly Rod Making Lifestyle

One woman’s journey into the bamboo fly rod making abyss…

Twenty years of Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods

Celebrating 20 years family, Heritage, Bamboo fly rods, the American Craftsman and Small Business Here is one woman’s interpretation of a 20-year bamboo fly rod making abyss. “You may say I’m a dreamer…but I’m not the only one” Boy meets girl Girl meets boy Boy is noticeably hungry Girl makes boy meatballs Boy and girl get […]

Mother’s Day, Bamboo Fly Rods and the "Best" Lifestyle

It’s Mother’s Day. Naturally, I am feeling proud, content and superior to all other mothers full of self doubt! In the weeks leading up to this sacred day, our culture inundates us with the images of “perfect mothers” by showering them us with accolades, flowers, perfume…blah,blah, blah. Sans the perfume…that’s how my day began as […]

My Bamboo Fly Rod, a Can of Worms and the Sentimental Nature of it All

My class was on March 3rd and through all of the ups and downs…I successfully made another bamboo fly rod without crying impaling anyone. About a month before my class, I sent out an email asking for advice concerning my new bamboo fly rod. I asked Oyster clients to help design it…I did it…it was […]

Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods…2012 Year in Review…The Best Laid Plans of Bamboo and Fly Rods

“If it were easy…everyone would do this.” Those are the words that Bill whispered in my ear almost daily in the beginning of 2012. As the year wore on, Bill’s whisper grew into a dull roar and those words’ final resting place became my mantra. At the end of 2011, we had a plan for 2012. What’s the expression…no good deed, […]

10 reasons why I love my shotgun more than a diamond.

While diamonds are presumably a girl’s best friend… my shotgun has become my BFF. This blog needs no introduction. 10. Even if I gain 10 pounds, my shotgun still still fits! 9. A diamond does nothing but just sit there and I swear my shotgun loves me back…it does. 8. Having my shotgun “sized and […]

About last night…

…and this bamboo fly rod making class. Okay, I skipped a day because the second day of class started out with straightening strips and the night ended with math! So, I decided not to tell the tale. However, I got through it and finally tamed my bamboo strips. This is how the day started This […]