95/365 Up a Lazy River

Up a lazy river by the old mill stream
That lazy, hazy river where we both can dream
Linger in the shade of an old oak tree
Throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me

Have I really only blogged one Hoagy Carmichael tune? It feels like more, because others of you have already covered “Georgia on My Mind” and “Stardust.”

Carmichael gets a nod today because last night his son, Hoagy B. Carmichael, and I both showed up at an event honoring Stan Bogdan, the great American fly-reel maker. Unfortunately, a last-minute conflict meant that this Hoagy Carmichael could only stay for the cocktail hour.

He arrived carrying a big brown paper bag with a handle. Inside was a copy of his book, The Grand Cascapedia River: A History, Volume 1. I had run an excerpt (in the small fly-fishing journal I edit) as the book was going to press.

This copy was for me. It’s leather bound and slipcased. It’s beautiful. I was thrilled (and frankly, quite touched—a word that here means “emotionally stirred, as with gratitude”) to receive it.

Later, as I stashed it away, I noticed the shrink wrapping. It must not be signed, I thought sadly.

But after dinner, after I caught a cab at Grand Central, after I switched from high heels to Dansko clogs while riding in said cab, after I climbed the five flights of stairs to my sister’s apartment, I took a closer look. The shrink wrap was slit along the slipcase. I tilted the case and let the book slip. Opened it. It was signed. Of course it was.

When I met Hoagy in person last year, only after dinner did I get up the nerve to mention that I was a big fan of his father’s work.

Connections through the world of fly fishing can be strange, wonderful, and full of characters.

Here’s Up a Lazy River (with some unnecessary silly banter up front).