A Language without Words

A Language without Words is a book of poetry inspired by one person's life. The insights from moments in forests and on farms, on waters of lakes and rivers, through depths of sorrow and the pursuit of fly-fishing touch emotions common to humankind. Born in the Spring of 1946, 'Mike' was the third child of John and Alice Tripp. Childhood evolved in many places before the family found roots at the edge of the prairie on a dairy farm in west central Minnesota.
Hard work became the way of life. Inspired by a favorite uncle, Mike pursued a career in medicine, training in Minnesota, Washington and Arizona ultimately settling to practice in Eugene/Springfield, Oregon. In 2002, the children grown, thoughts turned to another life long love, fly fishing. Encouraged by his life partner, Freya, the choice was made to relocate to Bend on the High Desert of Oregon.
Here, the fast, mountain-fed rivers in deep canyons challenged the skills. Awareness of the need to protect and preserve this treasure led to environmental activism, which also challenged. But the rivers and mountain waters also provided solace and inspiration.