Daddy Tying Flies Circa 1975

Daddy Tying Flies Circa 1975, originally uploaded by confections.

My father passed away sixteen years ago this week and the unfathomable pain of his loss has only slightly lessened for me. I love this photo of my Dad, taken in our backyard by anthropologist and photographer Frances M. Cox, a now-deceased friend of my parents. He is tying flies to use when fly fishing for trout, one of his favorite pastimes.

He was an unself-consciously creative man. One of my earliest memories of his expression of that natural creativity is his crafting an archery bow from scratch with laminated colorful woods. I was a pre-schooler and was fascinated by the steaming of the wood and its taking shape in the custom form he built. He made the arrows, too.

Years later, for my youngest sister's wedding reception, he and my mother hand-gathered grapevine and he wove an oversized fruit basket to grace the dessert table. I come by my love of crafts and handwork honestly. My mother is no slouch in these areas, either! More about her in an upcoming post.