Pickleville Philosophy

Best Friend
By Jim Stone, The Pickleville Philosopher 

This is a long story but I feel like I’ve gotten off track with just sharing fun stories. I’m gonna try to get back on track. I had this great big dog, a yellow lab. His name was Bozwood.  I called him Boz. Sometimes.  I had other names for him depending on if he’d been a good or bad boy.

Boz was my best friend for 17 years until I lost him. Boz and me had a fairy tale life together. Boz and me had a silent language, we knew each other like best friends do. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything to your best friend.  You and your best friend just know how each other are feeling and doing in life.

We had been guiding in Alaska for a long time.  To me and Boz our first concern was me and Boz.  Our second concern was the safety of every one and having a lifetime great fishing and hunting trip in Alaska.

Bozwood was my best friend and, no matter what, we would look after each other through thick and thin. I can’t think of all the times Bozwood would come in to play when a big silver back grizzly bear would come in the middle of the night to raid our camp.  Boz knew they were a big threat to everyone but especially me, his friend. Boz didn’t care what anyone thought,  he would do things for me to make sure that I was ok.

Well that being said, Boz and me were on a pretty big Alaskan river. Boz would sit on top of all my gear in the middle of the boat. He had it pretty easy all day.  I had to row the boat down a wild Alaskan river all day trying to be safe and getting my clients on to some huge fish on a fly rod.

Boz and me had two new clients to take down the river. They were both fly fishermen but one of them just gave me a cold chill down my back.  I don’t know how to explain him except sheer arrogance. His friend was a real person. I’m sure the arrogant one probably paid for the trip and invited his friend just to show off his money and be a big shot like he thought he was until he messed with Bozwood, my best friend.

We took off down the river on the first day and the client I got chills from hooked Bozwood in his ear. It wasn’t a big deal, Boz had been hooked a few times so had I, and a lot of clients had been hooked too.   This guy was not very good person, he had a lot of things about him that I don’t know how to explain, just not a so good person. Kinda evil.

He was an expert fly fisherman, he could cast his fly anywhere he wanted.  Boom, he caught Bozwood in his other ear, Boz yelped out loud. I finally got the hook out of Bozwood’s ear for the second time.

When I was young I got upset at my cousin so he threw me into a cold lake to cool me down. My aunt and uncle when I got out of the cold water gave me some advice. They said before you get upset just count to 10 and don’t get upset.  I took their advice most of my life, but this time I counted to 10  ten times.

Me and Boz heard the not so good person say “watch this ...I’m sick of catching fish”and he hooked Boz for the third time. I tried to count to a 100, it didn’t work for me.

Bozwood’s ear was split and opened up.  This person was not a good person. I got Boz down of his high spot on the boat right down on the deck in front of me.

There were so many huge salmon in the river, but it didn’t matter. Sometimes in life there are people who have no regard for anyone’s loves and feelings. This guy was bragging to his friend saying to his friend, “watch this I’m gonna hook that dog in the ear again,” which he did.   Then he acted like he had a big fish on, like he was funny.  He said that it was only a dog.

I finally got the hook out of my best friend.

In Alaska after rowing a big boat for five months your arms look like Arnold S.  Me and Boz wanted to cool this guy of a little bit so when we got to where the water was only a foot deep and still cold. I hate to admit this but me and Bozwood were together on our plan.  We waited until it was shallow water with no danger; my arms wear big and strong back then. Maybe not now but back then they were, so when he locked his knees I dug my paddle in the river.  I gave my paddle a little love tap. He was lined up for a swan double triple flip to take the gold medal, but instead he did a big huge splash, cold water, belly flop.

He was flopping like a beached fish thinking he was drowning. The water wasn’t even a foot deep but it was way cold . He lost his hat but he was back in the boat safe and sound, but he was a little humbled.

His friend after we got him back into the boat and taken care of gave me a thumbs up. He had dogs too. I guess there’s a moral to this long story. To me it’s that we all have a lot of things going on in our lives but always take time for your best friends.