The Connection Bernards-Ridge Edition Dec 2018/Jan 2019

%%% $ ! % & ! " # ! # ! " # ! # ! With my limited time for leisure reading I tend to gravitate to non- fiction. Last spring my wife, who reads more books in a month than I do in a year, recommended The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson. Suffice it to say, it was a “page turner” for me. While the author was fly fishing in New Mexico, in 2009, his guide told him the true story of an Ameri- can musician and champion fly-tier, Edwin Rist. If you are not familiar with fly fishing, feathers are tied by hand with other materials to make a fishing lure, called a fly. It is intended to simulate an inset that fish will find appetizing. There are thousands of variations, one of which is shown in the picture. Rist, after performing as a flautist in London one evening, robbed the British Natural History Museum at Tring, about 40 miles northwest of the city. Rist stole bird skins and feathers, some col- lected by Darwin’s contemporary, Alfred Wallace, over 150 years ago. He was never prosecuted. The novel chronicles the bizarre crime and Johnson’s relentless pur- suit of justice. It is also a fascinat- ing exploration of obsession, and man’s destructive instinct to har- vest the beauty of nature. Some of it takes place in Somerset, NJ! When I completed the book, I thought my sister, Susie, in Denver might enjoy it (regular readers may recall that she has been in several Random Connection stories). Susie and her family are avid fly fisher- men (and fly fisherwomen). Fur- thermore, she works at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I sent her an email to which she replied with a thanks. Susie has a very busy life, so I really didn’t expect to hear anything further on the subject. A week later I received an email from Susie saying, “I really need to read the book you recommended as I just found out that Kirk John- son, the author, will be speaking at our museum, on November 14th.” While writing this article I did a web search for Kirk Johnson. Seems that another Kirk Johnson, was the Denver Museum’s chief curator and vice president of research and collections from 2006 to 2012. He is now at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. To clarify, should you want to investigate further, The Feather Thief was written by Kirk W. Johnson, who is also of the founder of The List Project, a non- profit organization that helps Iraqi refugees who previously worked for the U.S. government during the Iraq war. GONE FISHING By: Dan Rosenberg Three generations of one family serving the Somerset Hills for over 100 years with caring and nurturing support at heartfelt loss. George R. Layton III Director/Manager 475 Main Street PO Box 133 Bedminster, NJ 07921 908.234.0766 Fax 908.234.0371 george@laytonfuneralhome.com www.laytonfuneralhome.com Directors George R. Layton 1907-1949 George R. Layton Jr. 1949-2003 LAYTON FUNERAL HOME Since 1907 NJ License #3691 theconnectionsnj.com Somewhere in the magazine is a “Spot It” and send your answer with your name, town & phone number to: spotthefake@theconnectionsnj.com Subject Line: FAKE PAGE 86 Spotlight on “SeniorS” www.theconnectionsnj.com