Easter 2017–
Old and new traditions collide!
Old and new traditions collide!
tra·di·tion
trəˈdiSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1.the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
Tradition is typically something that brings comfort and order to the lives of many people.
However, regardless of how hard we try to stay true, traditions will change.
What is a comfort to some can become a conflict to others.
This conflict or collision typically resides between generations.
But - when I looked into the roots of tradition, a phrase came to mind:
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I've heard this many times and sort of, maybe, kind of, perhaps had a clue as to what it meant - but did not know the origins of the phrase. Google to the rescue!
Turns out,"The more things change, the more they stay the same." is an epigram coined by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (24 November 1808 – 29 September 1890) who was a French critic, journalist, and novelist.
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| Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr |
Along with his skills with the pen, "He was also devoted to fishing." NOW I know why I remembered that epigram!
Here's my interpretation of Monsieur Karr's epigram:
Traditions change, but Traditions remain -
the constant being, regardless of the tradition - it is still a tradition, and in my experience - not that much changes beyond the ownership of the tradition.
Permit me to explain:
Paraphrasing (chopping up) one of my favorite poems, Lewis Carroll's "The Jabberwocky,"
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.....
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! .....
He took his vorpal sword in hand; ......
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
It could be argued that Old and New traditions are similar to the story line of The Jabberwocky.
New traditions are the son - 'my beamish boy' - fighting and ultimately successful in defeating the Old Traditions - The 'manxome foe', the Jabberwocky.
But, with tradition, it doesn't have to be a conflict.
It should and can be more of a blending - combining old and new.
But, how can we live in the past, present and future all at the same time? Shades of Jeopardy, The answer is in the form of a question:
What do Brownstones, Synagogues, Catholics, Lutherans,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, “car2go”, and Largemouth Bass have in common?
In a word – Brooklyn. But, there's more to the story.
Tradition is important in peoples’ lives
– it keeps them grounded with family, it teaches about and makes a connection with the past, it maintains culture, and reminds us of how our ancestors struggled and succeeded and lived full lives to bring us to where and what we are today.
– it keeps them grounded with family, it teaches about and makes a connection with the past, it maintains culture, and reminds us of how our ancestors struggled and succeeded and lived full lives to bring us to where and what we are today.
Tradition is a good and important part of growing up and
raising a family and watching that family grow up and raise their own family
with the old traditions as a foundation while building new traditions for
future generations.
The tough part and also the beautiful part is being in the middle of
the old and new traditions.
The double-edged sword:
You long for the old, respected ways that you enjoyed and
tried to instill in your children, but you’re proud that your children are
intelligent, caring individuals that appreciate how you raised them, but
realize that it’s a brave new world and things are changing at a rate much
faster than when we were young.
The
family unit no longer stays put as much as in the past.
And, our children need to keep up or be left behind –
they will forge their own lives and traditions while they remember and respect the lives and traditions that brought them to where they are today.
none
of our
kids will ever be left behind –
they will forge their own lives and traditions while they remember and respect the lives and traditions that brought them to where they are today.
They will be the center of their family, which will include
their parents and siblings, but, will grow exponentially and thrive and
continue to respect and appreciate the old while they create the new.
OK – I forgot – What was the question?
Oh, yeah -
What do Brownstones, Synagogues,
Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, “car2go”, and Largemouth
Bass have in common?
Our daughter, Meghan, is engaged to be married to
Daniel.
(NOTE: by the time I post this, they are already married - more on that later - pretend this is still Easter 2017, please.)
Meghan has always been very much tradition bound growing up. My beautiful wife Joyce is responsible for that for both Meghan and her sister Kristin – of course, tradition with Kristin is yet again another story.
(NOTE: by the time I post this, they are already married - more on that later - pretend this is still Easter 2017, please.)
Meghan has always been very much tradition bound growing up. My beautiful wife Joyce is responsible for that for both Meghan and her sister Kristin – of course, tradition with Kristin is yet again another story.
Family has always been not only important, but really
critical to raising our two girls and keeping grounded in this crazy world,
especially since I dragged them all over this great country of ours working in the advertising biz. (But, fishing from New York to California and back can't be all bad!)
And, from what I’ve observed, family was just as important in
Daniel’s upbringing. (Do people still
say “upbringing?)
Traditionally, Joyce and I have spent the Easter Holidays
with her family – Her Mother, sister, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, starting
when we lived in Queens, NY and then Croton-on Hudson, NY with celebrations moving from Queens
to New Jersey and then to Connecticut.
It was more difficult when I moved us to the west coast.
With the passing of Joyce’s wonderful mother Peggy, family tradition became
even more important.
That tradition has been pretty consistent with a few
alterations, but this year – total switcheroo!
Meghan and Daniel requested that we, Joyce, Kristin, and I,
spend Easter with them, in Brooklyn, NY.
PANIC SETS IN!
MY Easter Tradition is fishing the East Branch of the Croton
River when we visit Joyce’s side of the family for Easter celebration.
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| Me on the East Branch of the Croton River. Photo by James Hook. |
Easter is one of the best times to fish on
the East Branch.
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| East Branch Rainbow - last cast of the day. |
Then, emotional intelligence rises to the surface -
Panic subsides.
I don’t NEED to fish over Easter.
Not really.
But, it’s expected. More or less.
My beautiful niece and God child Danielle is usually the first to say, "Uncle David, when are you going fishing?"
Not really.
But, it’s expected. More or less.
My beautiful niece and God child Danielle is usually the first to say, "Uncle David, when are you going fishing?"
Assuming she's not just trying to get rid of me, she and the rest of the family know that I love to fish, don't get to fish very often and want me to enjoy myself on the water.
Now what?
Brooklyn?
Fishing?
DOES NOT COMPUTE!!!
Well, I may have mentioned in past posts that I love
research.
One past Easter, before Daniel, we spent Easter with Meghan
in Manhattan, NY. I wrote a post about
that – Lunch at the Boat House restaurant in Central Park and photos of 10
pound koi and 30 pound snapping turtles, and watching people in row boats and
fishing from shore, and me wishing that I brought a rod.
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| The vertical bars are window frames about 24" wide. |
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| If this was Maryland instead of NYC, this big boy would be Snapper Soup for 50. |
So, I googled fishing in Brooklyn.
I found Prospect Park Lake.
Further research revealed that Prospect Park Lake has the largest concentration of Largemouth Bass in the entire state of New York!
Further research revealed that Prospect Park Lake has the largest concentration of Largemouth Bass in the entire state of New York!
And, Fishing was allowed!
And so the adventure begins!
As Ricky frequently told Lucy “You got some "splainin' to do”.
I also got some "splainin' to do” .... Back to the question:
I also got some "splainin' to do” .... Back to the question:
What do Brownstones, Synagogues,
Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, “car2go”, and Largemouth
Bass have in common?
It’s a long story, but I’ll try to give you the Reader’s
Digest version –
I’m sure you’ve all heard about the book, “A Brownstone
Grows in Brooklyn” – Brownstone – Tree – whatever.
Daniel’s apartment is in a Brownstone in Brooklyn.
Daniel and Meghan have their sights set on owning a
Brownstone in Brooklyn.
Meghan and Daniel go to church every Sunday at a Synagogue –
in Brooklyn.
Meghan was raised Catholic.
Daniel was raised Lutheran.
(NOTE: Daniel's father, Ed, is a Lutheran
Minister – and a Fisherman. Or is that -
Ed is a Fisherman and a Lutheran Minister? Whatever – he’s a great guy!
I look forward to fishing with him.)
I look forward to fishing with him.)
While Meghan and Daniel attend church in a Synagogue, the
services are Presbyterian.
The pastor that will be performing the wedding ceremony is
Presbyterian – and a Fisherman – or is that, he’s a Fisherman and a
Presbyterian Pastor? Whatever – he’s a great guy and I look forward to fishing
with him also!
OK – now we’re getting somewhere – confused, I think – but
wait – we’re up to Episcopalians!
Meghan and Daniel will be married in – yes – that’s right –
an Episcopalian Church, by a Presbyterian pastor who holds Sunday services in a
Synagogue in Brooklyn,
Whew!
Talk about traditions colliding!
To summarize – re-read the above – I can’t go through it
again!
Now, what the heck was that question?
What do Brownstones, Synagogues, Catholics, Lutherans,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, “car2go”, and Largemouth Bass have in common?
OK – we’re up to “car2go” and Largemouth Bass. And Easter
2017 – when the traditions did a total switcheroo.
My Easter tradition has been fishing the East Branch of the
Croton River. But this year, I couldn’t
fish on the East Branch, but, I could fish!
With my future son-in-law Daniel!
In Prospect Park Lake – in Brooklyn!
So, to start this new tradition, Daniel and I get ready to
fish.
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| Daniel and I discuss techniques and fishing locations on Prospect Park Lake |
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| And one more for the road! |
This will be the first time that Daniel has had the chance
to fish with the Fly Rod (9', 7wt, IM8 graphite Fly/Spin combo) I crafted for him as a Christmas gift.
Since Daniel has about 15 minutes of fly fishing experience using the rod I crafted for Meghan, I brought him some of the flies I tied to get his arsenal started.
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| Work in progress - 12 more guides to go. |
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| Two handles - one for spin cast and one for fly casting. |
Since Daniel has about 15 minutes of fly fishing experience using the rod I crafted for Meghan, I brought him some of the flies I tied to get his arsenal started.
Once organized, we set out for Prospect Park Lake –
in a “car2go”.
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| Heading for our car2go. |
My worst nightmare on the road, which I swore I would never
be caught dead or alive in is a “Smart car” – one of the dumbest excuses for a car that I've ever seen on the highway - just my opinion.
Yes – you guessed it – “car2go” is a fleet of rental cars, entirely made up of – “Smart cars”.
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| Rented by the minute - all smart phone app accessed. |
Somehow I survived the short trip to Prospect Park Lake.
The park and lake looked very similar to Central Park in New
York City – beautiful landscaping, bike trails, and a lake filled with fish –
so I heard.
By this time I was hungry.
On the way to the park from the poor excuse for a car (more like a skate board with a motor in my opinion) – we happened upon a pizza place, Bene Restaurant and Pizzeria.
We stopped for
sustenance. We each had a slice of
Pizza.
And, in my estimation, one of the
best slices of pizza I have ever had!
Sauce was great – sausage was great – cheese was great – and the crust was nothing short of outstanding! Thin, moist on top and cracker thin and crisp on the bottom – delicious!
John’s Best in Brookfield, CT
is still my traditional favorite, but this was a great stand-in on our trek to Largemouth Bass in Brooklyn, and, the start of a new tradition.
is still my traditional favorite, but this was a great stand-in on our trek to Largemouth Bass in Brooklyn, and, the start of a new tradition.
My new tradition when fishing Prospect Park Lake is to have
a slice of pizza at Bene before hitting the water. (I love traditions - especially ones I can eat or drink or fish!)
Once at the lake, we saw a fisherman pull in a largemouth
bass about 12” long. He used a green
rubber worm rigged wacky style.
Daniel and I opted to walk a
bit further to a spot that Daniel heard contained a good population of
Largemouth Bass.
Fishing was good – catching –
not so much.
However, my first fish was hooked as I started my back cast – a 3” largemouth bass that I inadvertently flipped up onto the shore. Quickly released to grow up.
Then, I caught a crappie –
small but feisty.
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| And back to grow - note the clarity of the water. |
Next, another bass, but only about
12” long – not much size, but lots of fun.
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| Caught on a fly I tied with a rod I built - adds to the fun. |
The weather was very cool, overcast and getting windier and colder as the day progressed. Daniel and I decided to walk around to a
small bay that looked protected from the wind.
As they say, looks can be
deceiving. The calm spots were not that calm and still cold and also filled
with people. So, we had to stay on the edge of the calm areas.
We continued to fight the wind
and I picked up a few more crappie – one about 15” that could be considered a
“slab” at any lake.
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| While Daniel and I were fishing, we met a young man interested in fishing, catch and release (the rule at Prospect Park Lake), global warming and fly fishing. I gave him a quick fly fishing lesson and he had a few bites, but no hook-ups. If you look at the lower right corner, I have a good sized crappie hooked. |
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| Crappie close-up. |
Weather and time got the best
of us, so we headed back to the car2go – and back to Daniel's apartment.
But, what is the point to all of this?
Tradition - change - new beginnings
.......and what was that question again?
Oh, yeah -
What do Brownstones, Synagogues, Catholics,
Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, “car2go”, and Largemouth Bass have in
common?
The answer (beyond Brooklyn) is:
everything and
nothing.
Tradition not withstanding, life goes on.
And, we all need to trust that our efforts to raise our children and to instill values have been successful.
And, we all need to trust that our efforts to raise our children and to instill values have been successful.
And, ultimately, it is successful.
And tradition has its own way
of persisting.
(the more things change the more they stay the same)
Like my Easter tradition – fishing the East Branch of the Croton River.
(the more things change the more they stay the same)
Like my Easter tradition – fishing the East Branch of the Croton River.
Now, work with me on this one.....
The East Branch of the Croton River is part of the NYC
watershed – supplying water to the City of New York (all five boroughs) - some of the best drinking water in the world!
Prospect Park Lake is a man-made lake in Brooklyn – a
borough of the City of New York, fed with water from the New York City
Watershed – after it’s processed for drinking.
Therefore, the water that I fished in Prospect Park Lake,
was, in fact, water that flowed from........
OK – who has this figured out?
I’m just realizing right now –
I was fishing the East Branch of the Croton River while
standing on the banks of Prospect Park Lake!
Who knew?
Well, I somehow managed to maintain my Easter tradition,
I look forward to learning about the new traditions that Meghan and Daniel will create.
sort of -
but, what's next?
I look forward to learning about the new traditions that Meghan and Daniel will create.
And, I look forward to answering the next question:
Will I be able to fish the weekend of Meghan and Daniel’s
wedding?
Anyone got a guess?
I'll be ready - just in case!
Meghan and Daniel - I love you both and can't wait to:
See you on the water!
After the wedding!
Dave (Dad/Dad-in-law)
