Dewar's White Label

Dewar's

Watercolor on coldpress 9"x12"

As a follow up to yesterday's Grey Goose post, I thought I'd pay tribute to all of the "brown" lovers out there with the classic Dewar's Bottle.  The Dewar's White Label is a basic Blended Scotch Whiskey.  Founded in 1846, the Dewar's brand became famous world wide.

History tells us that Andrew Carnegie sent a barrel of Dewar's Whisky to President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. The President was criticized by the press for supporting a foreign brand and not a domestic bourbon, but this ended up doing wonders for Dewar's advertising as orders from all over the United States began to pour in for Dewar's Whisky. A quote from Tommy Dewar at the time reads, "it was the very best advertisement I ever had, and certainly the cheapest...inquiries and orders flowed to us from all parts of the states.

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Grey Goose

Grey Goose

Watercolor on cold press 9"x12"

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I had to hold off on a few posts recently, because the Christmas surprise would have been ruined for a few people. This Grey Goose bottle is a fitting subject for today's overcast day. As I sat eating breakfast I saw hundreds of Canadian Geese flying overhead on their way to a warmer climate...if that exists in the US right now? I think it's freezing in Florida and we here in PA are expecting a few feet. Well the good news is, this spirit doesn't freeze. In fact, you will usually find this bottle in the freezer waiting patiently for such a cold day.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is anticipating a fantastic New Year celebration for the ringing in of 2011. I'm sure Grey Goose will be the drink of many on New Years Eve.

Ausable Salmon Bomb

The Ausable Salmon Bomb is a sweet looking attractor fly that I found on the Ruff Waters Fly Fishing Blog. 

Watercolor on 9" x 12" Coldpress paper

 

I haven't fished the Ausable, but it will be crossed off my list some day for sure. This fly was not easy to paint...took me a few evenings and many beers and a bottle of red...oh and some whiskey too. I assume tying it is no easy task either. The plan according to Ruff Water's blog is to hit the Lake Champlain tributaries with this beautiful Salmon Fly. I'm sure there is a nice chill to the air up there right now...and those fish are hungry!

Take a look at the Ruff Waters Fly Shop to see a good selection of Adirondack Fly gear as well as a nice Ausable River Watershed guide service.  If you'd like to see this fly directly, check out the Ruff Waters Blog I'm always on the lookout for more interesting, eye catching subjects...if you have ideas "swing them" my way.

The Mighty Snook

A good friend relocated down south and has promised to bring me Snook fishing some day.  So, I've done my research and am looking forward to the opportunity.  Here is my attempt at capturing the Snook on paper.  Another warm water fish that "tricky" to catch.  Not only can they be hard to catch...specifically on the fly because they like to go deep, but these suckers can grow up to 47".  If your calculator is broken, that's almost 4 FEET LONG....damn!

The Fly Rod might not always be the ideal weapon of choice to bring these guys in as the recommended tackle is a 9- to 11-weight rod, with 40- to 50-pound-test tippets. Either way you catch them, the make for a nice meal and I think a great painting subject, racing stripe and all!

Watercolor on Cold Press 9"x 12"

For a more in depth description of the habits of the Snook, take a look here at Florida Sports Man