Dudleys Diary

for a long time. It was hidden away in a closet. Dudley scanned it and is going to reprint it and get it framed. It is a photo of the log cabin Dudley used to go to at the Northeastern Outing Club on the Illinois River near Talequah OK. Dudley spent many happy carefree days up there in the mid seventies until the early 80's. The cabin was owned by Neil and Mary Dow of Tulsa OK. They were related to Dudleys Stepfather. Neil was a retired salesman for National Cash Register Company. His Career spanned many decades and he started out selling the neat old mechanical cash registers and ended his career selling the modern electric models. When Dudley met him he had advanced Parkinson's and could no longer go fishing. He loved to fish when he was able and could have taught Dudley a lot about fishing in a River. Mary Dow was a great cook and made the best Chicken & Dumplings Dudley has ever eaten. The Dows cabin had the best lot in the club. Their cabin was situated on the top of a steep bluff overlooking a sharp bend in the River with a concrete staircase leading down to a concrete dock at the waters edge. From up on top of the bluff in front of the cabin you could look out and see the River and the Mountains beyond. There was a backwater slough just upstream from the cabin that was a good place to fish. The water was clear and Dudley spent many hours casting with his fly rod for both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass and Bream. Dudley fished out of a Grumman Square Stern Aluminum Canoe and fly fished with a Martin "Tuffy" fly rod and Martin 63 "Tuna Can" fly reel he got at the S&H Green Stamp Store. Dudley slept good after a full day of swimming, fishing and paddling the canoe all day. Dudley always slept in a top bunk out on the screened in porch and would listen to the tree frogs and crickets as he drifted off to sleep each night. Dudley remembers one night lying in bed as a thunderstorm rolled in. Dudley could hear the thunder get louder as the storm got closer and watched a tremondous display of lightning in the night sky. Dudley has a lot of great memories, it was a special place.