Well, this story may seem a bit incredulous to you. But it’s true and for the most part, it reflects the character I have become.

I have always been adventurous and craved new experiences! It was that drive, which caused me to become an aviator in my late 40s! And I flew for almost 15 years and more than 6,000 hours in the air.

I am simply not content to sit around and do the same staid things over and over!

So it happened like this! And I won’t give all of the gory details.

What I thought to be the love of my life and my final marriage, ended about five years ago. Coincidentally, with the Covid disaster! I went from having a family, a daughter, three dogs to living in an apartment by myself, facing some geriatric sounding numbers

At the age of 77!

After what could’ve been a complete tragic brush with drugs and alcohol, I fell and hurt myself badly, wound up in the hospital for a month and had to learn how to walk again!

I had a hard time letting go of the past!

This brush with death gave me the push. I needed to let go of yesterday. Today, there is no rearview mirror in my life anymore!

So, my daughter applies to American University in Paris and gets accepted! I thought this was great since I’ve always had an interest in Paris and in the French culture and language. And I went to Paris to see my daughter, two or three times. I loved it, but sadly, my daughter did not return to Paris for her second year because she received a full scholarship at Loyola in Chicago where she is driving toward a pre-law degree.

About six months ago, as it’s often the case, I was chatting with my brilliant novelist daughter, Hannah Pittard. I was seeking her advice about some new authors to read. She said why don’t you go back and read Hemingway? I bought audible books so I could listen and listen to For Whom The Bells Toll.  I was completely mesmerized and I went on a real tear and in the course of two months I listened to 45 of his books.

(by the way I heartily recommend you listen to Hemingway’s On Writing and also a compilation of his short dispatches from Europe, called Byline)

The romance of the 20s when Hemmingway first arrived in Paris was overwhelming. Every creative mind worth his salt was there at that time, Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, etc.

So I conjured up this idea of escaping the boredom of Lexington, KY,  by going to Paris each year for perhaps six weeks to learn something about the cuisine, the culture, and to continue to work on the language!

But first, I was thinking I don’t wanna go cold turkey with no contacts there, so I got on the Internet, searching for every Fishing person and organization I could find in Paris. And before you know it, I was in a dialogue with some incredible people with the names of Andre, Vincent and Pierre of the French Big Game Fish Club in Paris.

It seems that at least a half dozen of their members love to fly-fish. After endless conversations with Andre and Vincent, I suggested to them that there was a subject which no one has really spoken about which I referred to as “The 100 years History of Fly-Casting for Bonefish.”

I had done quite a bit of research on the subject and thought that I could do a really good presentation. I proposed that I come to Paris and do just that. Andre and Vincent were excited! They said, “You just need to talk to Pierre about the correct date.”

Then I got to know Pierre Affre! The preeminent angler, adventurer, writer, and filmmaker of France. Thank you.

A gracious, wonderful, generous, humble man, the likes of which I have never known!

So on March 17, I arrived at the Comptoir General, a nightclub location for my presentation! I gave an introduction in my best French and then my presentation in English complete with a series of Google slides and then I had a closing remark also in French.

I’ve received a great ovation! I have made new friends in Paris and my project to go over there each year and spend six weeks is looking extremely good!

I congratulated the audience and congratulated myself for the great passion we share for Fly-Casting in the ocean. I suggested that it is this passion and the adventurous spirit to learn new things and go new places, which is very likely to extend one’s lifespan. And give us all the broadest possible life’s experiences and perhaps, in the end, helps prepare our souls for the return to the universe from where you came.

If you’d like a copy of my presentation, please give me a call and I will send it to you and I might be available, depending upon your schedule to deliver a similar presentation to your group.

Sincerely,

Jack