Back To The Beginning or You're Never Too Old To Learn

I started tying and flyfishing again at the young age of 62 after swimming with the sharks in corporate america for about 40 years. I found this site and went thru Al Campbells flytying tutorials as a refresher. I tied all of the flies to exercise the vast knowledge that I already had (from 40 years earlier). In retrospect I aproached the offerings of this master fly tyer too quickly and with way too much arrogance. I then combed the bulletin board for the few tying ideas that some of you may offer. I even tried a few of them. It is now a little more than a year and about 1K flies later. Each fly that I thought to be pristine at the time of tying was at best mediocre. Just for laughs I started going thru Al's tutorials again and found it amazing how much he had learned and added to his tutorials over the last year. I concentrated on each skill, every technique until I got each down as good as I possibly could - and practiced - practiced - practiced. I love to tie flies and fish them but Al taught me so much more. He taught me that no matter how refined my tying may become, IMHO, there will always be more to learn from experienced tyers who are generously willing to teach and a vast number of tyers who will make my best efforts look novice. So, THANK YOU AL for giving me the basic skills that I can use to further develop my tying skills. But even more, thank you for the great lesson in humility which allowed me to get my arrogance and ego out of the way so that now I can truly learn.

Larry, that was very nice of you. Even though Al has passed on, he really still IS here with us. And to reassure all, his work will remain here as long as FAOL lives. :lol:

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Al Campbell, was a major part of my growth in Fly Angling, and he will always be a big part of my life. There was never a more influencal person in my life. Someone who was more than a mentor. He was also a friend, and a brother in the Faternity of Fly Angling.

The World Wide Web is a great wealth of knowledge, available at your fingertips, and a good search engine. The weak point of the WWW, is that the information can disappear FOREVER, if a favorite site closes down.

That is the major reason, I do the yearly update of FAOL, so that FAOL will live, as long as there are FAOL CD's out there to be copied and shared, with other fly anglers.

Just think of the lost knowledge, when the last copy of a book, is lost. Or some books are so rare, you will never have a opportunity to every read it, because it is in someone's private collection.

Many have contributed to the knowledge base, on FAOL. Their work will survive, no matter, what happens, in the future. That is my quest, to be a witness to others greatness. To assure the story lives on.... that is why I do the year updated CD's adding new material, and saving additional series on FAOL.

If anyone ever wants a FAOL CD, just email me at parnelli@comcast.net .... I will mailed one to you (you will be added to future yearly update list mailing.

Truth is, none of us really die. Parts of us live on in every person we've ever had close contact with. Live is an ongoing situation.