Where have all the fathers gone?

In the play "Footloose" Ren, one of the leads, and his mother have been abandoned by his father.  Once he wonders what he did wrong to have his father leave.  Within the last month I have witnessed and listened to six young people wonder the same thing.  Their parents have split and the children blame themselves for the split.  Some have been so upset that they have moved from their homes to live with others.  It seems the "sins of the parents" have been heaped on them.

Several years ago I wrote an article that has been printed in several newspapers.  It is below the picture of my friend, Lucas, and his children.  He not only takes them as a family, but gives them individual time.  I hope you enjoy the article.  A former student who is now married with three children came by the school to ask for a copy to give to her husband.

Where have all the Fathers gone.

“To be an orphan, your father doesn’t have to die,” says Paul Quinnett in his book, "Fishing Lessons."


This came to mind last summer as I guided a man and his 13-year-old daughter. The fishing was okay, both caught fish, but during a slow time, the conversation went to family. The man lamented that of his eight children; this one was the only one that really recognized him as their father.


“I failed with my children of my first marriage, but learned my lesson,” he said. “This one is not going to get away.”


The next day I fished with another father and 12-year-old daughter combination. This was his only child. These fathers do not want these two children to be orphans while they are still alive.


I thought back of my own father. A quiet, small, but loving and caring man – one who was my best friend.


One of ten children, I was still given the individual time needed. We hunted, fished, trapped, camped, worked hard and played baseball together.


Oh, I was no angel growing up, but Dad knew what buttons to push when they needed pushed. At times when I got in trouble he would load the boat and head for a lake or the river with me. Not much preaching was done – but I knew how disappointed he was in me. One-on-one time was the best.


It was left at that. I found it very hard to jump out of a pickup going 50 miles per hour or to walk away from him while the boat was in the middle of a lake.


A few years ago I owned a fly shop in Island Park. Two mothers come in, each with a teenage son. They bought some rods, reels and a few lures so the kids could hopefully catch some fish.


They were not a happy bunch. The boys were being forced into something they were unfamiliar with and not wanting to learn. Most thirteen-year-old boys have a mind of their own, with their mothers not part of the picture.


As they left I wished I could take them fishing as they were headed for failure.


Just before closing the four came back having lost the lures and tangled the lines – what a mess. I suggested I take the boys fishing on Henry’s Lake with the moms picking them up at sundown.


What a ball we had catching and releasing fish with me listening and being taught a valuable lesson – don’t ignore my children as their fathers had them.


In my study I have a bumper sticker put out by Zebco. It says, “Don’t let your kid be the one that got away.” True, Zebco wants to sell you fishing gear, but the message is clear.


As a classroom teacher I have seen some that have gotten away – or have been abandoned by parents. They might as well be orphans.


Quinnett ends the article with, “Wherever it is that all the lost fathers have gone, I pray they will find their way back. And soon. Their children are looking for them.”


Have fun year – with your kids.

Chester wetlands

Yesterday evening I drove to the Chester Wetlands Wildlife Management area to hike the mowed trails through it.  With a mostly cloudy sky and a heavy rain the night before, the colors were fresh and the bugs were out in force.  But I had a wonderful time walking and observing things.  The ponds had ducks, flowers had bees, trees had birds and the most interesting was finding an endangered orchid in the tall grass.  Here are a few of the photos I took.

The wetlands have 16 ponds that are managed for waterfowl and shorebird nesting.

Here a Great-horned owl peers at me on a low branch hiding in some stinging nettles.  It says, "You are close enough."

Here is the endangered orchid, the Ute Ladies Tresses.  In Idaho it is only found on the South Fork of the Snake River and at Chester.  It is only found in nine states and in British Columbia in Canada.  A very beautiful and interesting plant.

Skywatch #2 - Island Park - Henrys Lake

This morning I got up at 4:45 to go to Henrys Lake fishing.  It was partly cloudy and I figured the colors would be fantastic with the sunrise.  I got to the Buffalo River just as the east started to color up.  The deep blue sky with the sun reflecting off the thin clouds was a sight to behold.

Bob, Harry and Ed was already on the water and Bob in the far boat is landing a nice trout.  But the beautiful sunrise beckened me to take a few more pictures.

Here the sun is about to peek over the eastern mountains as verga (rain that does not hit the ground) forms a ray of light shooting up into the cloud.

Sawtelle Mountain stands black on the south side of the lake against the colored sky.

Even without being the first boat on the lake, the fishing was great with brook trout, hybrids and cutthroats coming regularly to my flies.  The best fly was the Light Olive Crystal with the Mity Mouse a close second.  This male 18 inch brook trout has already dawned his spawning colors.  The belly was as orange as the early morning sky.

On the way home I had to stop at Swan Lake near Last Chance to look for the Trumpeter swans, but they had gone elsewhere.

Another beautiful wild day in Idaho.

Cascade Creek and Indian Lake

The southwest corner of Yellowstone Park is known as Cascade Corner with many waterfalls and cascades as the creeks drop several hundred feet in just a few miles.  This is the home of many birds and animals during the summer, but most migrate out when the heavy weather of winter sets in.

Cascade Creek runs into the park from the bordering Targhee National Forest.  Here the creek cascades over the rock in the canyon formed by the rushing waters.

Indian Lake is a small lake near the Yellowstone border just inside the Wyoming state line.  It is home to both nesting trumpeter swan and Common Loons.  One of the few area lakes where both nest.

This area is the summer home of many birds and animals but most, like this Hairy Woodpecker, migrate out of the area when the hard winter weather sets in dropping from 10 to 20 feet of snow here.