Class Notes harder. The trip was interesting culturally as we were among subsistence farming hill tribe communities that were cultivating garlic and chili. We bought one kilo of garlic for 80 cents. The villagers were curious about our method of fishing, and why we released fish rather than eating them. But Mahseer are boney and, for us, inedible. At one point, we came upon a herd of water buffalo cooling down midstream. Our guide noted that we should steer clear of the water buffalo, but that the only real danger in the area were landmines planted by the Thais and Burmese during conflicts in the 1970s-80s. Both countries have apparently forgotten where the mines were placed, so we opted to walk the streams and near the banks. All told, we fished two to three miles of water in each of five streams over a three day period. We took Mahseer in every pool, with the largest fish we landed weighing three kilos. The larger fish, at five or six kilos, would leave a wake when we spooked them. It was a good trip, fishing in the time of Covid.”
Robert 'Bob' Parke ’57 Bob checked in with SKS reporting that he is zigzagging and jaywalking across Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C. with little to no traffic during rush hour. Disappointed not to be returning to the Mountain this year, he is making the best of his ‘self-incarceration’ by touring his neighborhood when venturing out to the Post Office and Trader Joe’s. As he puts it, “Looking forward to seeing you all and the School when we’re safe again." Photo caption: Mr. Parke, at the front gate of his Foggy Bottom home, with Easton and Marek Pramuka in June 2018. Robert 'Bob' Cory ’63 Bob recently wrote that he is helping package food for delivery in his hometown.“In this crazy plague we are part of, it's the least I can do,” he commented. Bob is doing well and sends his regards to all SKS classmates and friends.. Steve Croll ’64 Steve sent news from Thailand: “Rather than sit at home in Chiang Mai and sequester for another week, I called a friend and a fishing guide to plan a trip along Thailand’s border with Burma to fly-fish for Mahseer. Mahseer fishes like a trout, but is stronger and eats anything that happens to float by, including berries. These fish live in freestone streams that flow from the Himalayas through Burma and into Thailand. Powerful and swift, Mahseer strike hard and fight
John Prentice ’64 No grass grows under the feet of John Prentice ‘64. After mentoring children for many years, John started volunteering about two and a half years ago at a homeless shelter where he initially did odd jobs. But, as time went on and John’s enthusiasm and skills became apparent, he was asked to take on improving the food pantry called Good News at Noon. He now organizes food drives, getting his Cresswind at Lake Lanier, GA community involved. Over a year and a half ago, he added raising money and seeking grants to his volunteer duties. He said he had gotten tips and ideas from the good work done by SKS. John’s garage at home is now half full of food, and donation checks may be found left under his doormat. “You simply can't believe how much food has been donated so far – we just received over 20 more bags and several cases of canned goods. ALL of the food that people really seem to appreciate and it's still being dropped off! It really is enough to completely fill the food pantry! I would love it if we were able to open the pantry on a second day each week,” he says. John continues to be a leader, full of heart and energy. Kudos! Bill Wood ’67 Bill has found the days of sheltering in place to be productive. He sent a design sketch and a photo of his progress to date on a sculpture he started in late February. “I did run out of steel on the last of the three pieces, but two are done and finishing them up is going to consume more than a few hours, so I'm good at home for the time being. There isn't much better than having a welding machine and a bunch of metal.” Until more steel arrives, there is always work on his 160 year old house, he says.
sks.org / ON THE MOUNTAIN / Summer 2020 / 37
