‘Reflections’ by Gilley make for a book well worth snagging

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Sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fire as an old house protests the frigid winter weather with assorted creaks and moans is, as the saying goes, one of life’s simple pleasures.

Doing so with a book? Even better.

And when the book is written by a Mainer with years of outdoor tales to tell? Well, if you grew up in these parts, you probably enjoy those kind of nights best of all.

Some writers possess the rare talent to take you places you’ve never been with a few well-chosen words.

But when a local man takes you places you’ve already been – perhaps hundreds of times – and describes those haunts in ways that make you say, “I remember …,” it makes spending a couple hours in front of that fire even more enjoyable.

If you agree, you might want to pick up a copy of Dr. Frank P. Gilley’s latest book, “Reflections of Salmon Flies and Gun Powder.”

This book, which was published in 2001, isn’t a novel. You won’t get to root for a hero and cheer at the demise of a wicked villain.

What you will do is step into the life of a former Bangor orthodontist who has carried on a decades-long love affair with the outdoors.

Gilley’s book isn’t full of fluffy prose. Instead, it reads like the pages of a well-worn diary and takes readers to a variety of places that were special to the author.

There’s a dominant “I remember” theme running through “Reflections,” and the tales – though littered with names of Gilley’s acquaintances from years ago – ring true. Just like the stories your grandfather used to tell you in front of the old pot-bellied stove at hunting camp. And just like the ones you’ll tell your grandchildren.

The book’s format lends itself to quick, steal-a-moment reading, with short chapters that jump from topic to topic and from decade to decade.

Among the topics covered: “Dogs I have known,” as Gilley remembers the fine bird dogs he has hunted over in his career; “My Name is Buddy,” in which Gilley gives voice to a favorite Brittany spaniel by giving the pooch its own “first-person” account of life with the author; and “Almost … A Lifetime of Fishing,” which documents Gilley’s first fishing memories from 1922 and adds others, forming a piscatorial timeline for readers.

Of particular interest is the final chapter, which documents an early trip to Mount Katahdin in the words of a younger Gilley. Gilley reprints the original notes compiled by his Boy Scout Troop 99 of Southwest Harbor and adds other notes from a subsequent camping trip seven years later. Notes jotted hurriedly in 1935 and 1942 take on new life when read some 68 years later.

“Reflections of Salmon Flies and Gun Powder” is available from the author for $16.50 (which includes shipping and handling) or at Mr. Paperback stores. You can reach Gilley at: Dr. Frank Gilley, 181 Patten Pond Road, Surry 04684-3331.

In last week’s column, I asked for help finding unique ice shacks to visit for an upcoming feature. The response will be very helpful … even the ones that were a bit different than I’d expected.

One of those responses came from Richard Snyder, who called from Gouldsboro.

Snyder, who said a friend passed my number along to him, doesn’t have a shack to show off. He has shacks. He builds them and sells them – sometimes as many as six or eight in a year.

And according to the obviously handy Snyder, he has come up with a design he hopes will take off. Snyder has been putting together ice fishing huts for years, and says he uses a simple rule of thumb.

“I always want to try to make a supreme one,” he said.

This time, he may have succeeded.

In simple terms, it’s a 4-by-6 foot ice fishing hut. But according to Snyder, simple terms don’t do it justice.

There are two reasons for that.

First, this shack is collapsible. If you’ve sacrificed a smelt or two to the ice gods over the years, you realize that’s not unique. But many of the shacks that are collapsible and portable are made of canvas or a similar fabric. A hard-shell collapsible does, in fact, sound interesting.

The second interesting feature: Snyder doesn’t figure he’ll sell many to actual ice fishermen.

“The woman will be the one who makes [a man] buy it,” he said. The reason, he says is that the fiberglass lets sunlight through … and he figures many women who don’t find ice fishing very interesting might find another use for it.

“It looks neat and clean, and a woman can put plants and flowers in it in the spring,” he said. “It’s like a greenhouse.”

Of course, an active imagination is all that stands in the way of other uses for his collapsible fishing greenhouse.

“I use mine for storage,” Snyder said.

Reports in the wake of the independent assessment of the fisheries division of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife resulted in some confusion regarding the future of Peter Bourque – the man who was treated most harshly by the report.

Commissioner Lee Perry initially said that Bourque, the popular director of the fisheries and hatcheries division, had been offered – and accepted – a new position as his previous job was split into two co-equal parts.

Those reports were premature, Bourque pointed out as he dealt with the media firestorm the day after the report became public. He was, he said, assessing his options, and wanted to find out more about the “director of fisheries program development” post.

On Friday, Bourque said that while he had yet to make up his mind, he hadn’t begun cleaning out his office, either.

“I don’t think I’m gonna bail out tomorrow,” the good-natured Bourque said with a chuckle.

“Right now I’m tending to think I’m going to work on those things [that the new job would entail],” he said.

Bourque said the new position would become effective on Feb. 3, and the other job – director of fisheries operations – was advertised on Jan. 9. The application process ends Jan. 17, and Bourque said he expects DIFW Commissioner Lee Perry to fill the post as soon as possible.

And then, unless Bourque has a change of heart and does leave DIFW, he’ll likely remain a busy man as he adapts to his new post and brings the successful candidate up to speed.

Bourque, who enjoys a solid reputation as a “team” player interested in the best interests of the state’s fisheries, hasn’t let a scathing Management Assessment Team report change that attitude.

“It’s obvious to me that they’ll need training for almost all the responsibilities under that job description,” Bourque said. “I guess I’d be the one to do that.”

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.