Here’s the original image from ’06, which the owner of that leg stumbled on last week.
Photo by Phil Monahan
Back in 2006, I was hanging out at the Sandy River Spey Clave in Gresham, Oregon, when I noticed a cool tattoo on the leg of a guy watching one of the presentations. I snapped a photo, figuring I’d find a place to use it at a later date. That time turned out to be December 2011, when I posted the picture on this blog. Folks thought it was cool, and then, like everything on the blog, it receded into the archive.
Above the original image, there’s now a cool fly pattern.
Photo courtesy Jeff Hollamon
Fast forward to last Friday, when a comment from one Jeff Hollamon appeared below the now three-year-old post:
Pinning fly fishing stuff to my Pinterest board, I stopped suddenly to peek at this leg. And the tattoo. I called out loud, “This looks like my leg.” And, I thought, “Does someone have that tat too?” This is really cool. Thank you for the good insight: the classic understated look of the tattoo. I have two more classics now on the calfs now too I think you might like.
Of course, I immediately shot Jeff an email because this seemed like such a coincidence. Sure enough, Jeff lives in Sherwood, Oregon, and is a big fan of the annual Spey Clave. I asked if he’d send pics of the new ink, which he did, explaining that the tattoos represent his passion for fly fishing and fly tying.
The other calf features a drift-boat scene.
Photo courtesy Jeff Hollamon
The tattoos are based on stamps made by Jeff’s mother, who uses them for custom cards.
Photo courtesy Jeff Hollamon