Home Waters Fishing with an Old Friend: A Memoir

Joseph Monninger thought the worst when Nellie, his loyal golden retriever, became ill. Home Watersis the story of the road trip that Monninger decided to embark on with Nellie, traveling out West to revisit their favorite mountain haunts and trout streams. Expecting this to be their final excursion together, Monninger maps a course that includes the Wind River Range in Wyoming, the Bighorn River in Montana, and Henry Ford's River in Idaho. Painting a loving portrait of his canine companion and the joys of fishing, Monninger recalls the life events that Nellie has seen him through and describes how, oblivious to her presumed health problems, Nellie contentedly watches bison at Yellowstone, chases a coyote, and falls head over heels for a Chesapeake retriever named Chunky. Combining the charm of John Steinbeck'sTravels with Charleywith the unsentimental storytelling ofA River Runs Through It,Home Watersis a delightful story of a beautiful friendship--one that is, in the end, renewed rather than ended.

Joseph Monninger has published nine novels and three nonfiction books, including the memoir Home Waters, and has been awarded two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. He lives and teaches in New Hampshire, where his family runs a sled-dog team.