Personal History Revisited
By Tim Loomis
Our guest speaker this month happens to be an old friend from back in Connecticut. Bob Knoebel and I worked as lifeguards on Long Island Sound. Lake-like conditions at best would describe the waters off the coast of Connecticut. Still, the experience of working outside on really beautiful beaches has effected our adult life decisions. We both have taken different paths in our lives but those paths parallel familiar waters. I make my living in the surf and fly fishing business; a sort of continuation in the evolutionary process from my earlier days of fishing for stripers and bluefish with spinning gear. Bob, likewise stayed close to the water by coaching and supervising an aquatics program.
What we have in common is a love for the wild places on the earth that coincidentally support trout. I shouldn't have been that surprised back in the early 90s when I learned of Bob's hobby (fly fishing). We just happened to evolve along separate paths. But here's the key. The paths led to the same destination. Of this I am most proud.