David Siskind | Sunday, 10 May 2026
never made it back out to the beach this week. Hamstrung by appointments (I’ll spare you the organ recital) and a blown head gasket on the carro rojo, I was limited to dry practices. It’s probably just as well as I’ve had to prepare and pack for a five week trip east. My next stop is Sarasota where I’m gonna spend a few days fishing with my buddy Brian then to New York, Wyoming, New York, Florida then home.
I’ve been to the park every other day and things have been going well there. On Tuesday, I stumbled upon an unadvertised political stop of Tom Steyer’s gubernatorial campaign as he was being introduced by Jane Fonda. I couldn’t get over her fabulous thatch of grey hair. Amazing. I voted for Steyer the next day.
I’ve shortened my practices a bit and have emphasized casting while dancing, accuracy at 60 to 70 feet, and various retrieves. The dance drill is new. I walk and dance for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on my mood. All the while I’m casting forehand, back hand, all around the clock, every which way I can imagine. I'm not worrying too much about the loops, but they seem to take care of themselves.
All of this based upon Paul’s walking drill (14:40)*, from watching this ebullient Czech guide and apparently competitive fisher, 3 x world champion, Katka Švagrová - running around, throwing backhand casts from her knees and generally applying a freewheeling athleticism, that I’m too old to achieve. Probably couldn’t have done it way-back either. And also a tip of my hat to Graeme Hird(35:25) whose demonstration of the essential role of tension in the propagation of the casting loop is part of my “routine.” I cast a loop and run after it causing its collapse then cast a loop and run away from it speeding its propagation. I think I’m learning better how to transmit force from the ground up. I also get my heart rate up. It further proves my eccentricity to others in the park and it’s fun. Everything seems more fluid and natural. I’m hoping all this moving around will help me organize my footwork for distance casting. It also seems to put a lid on any obsession with mechanics, allowing better focus on the target and my environment. I know my efforts over the past few years have enabled a feeling of ease. Paul says he feels like he owns the entire space within casting range. I’m certainly not there but I can imagine it.
This was a bad week for the representative government here. SCOTUS killed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This was a lifelong project of our Chief Justice John Roberts. Big crybaby. Does this crap and is surprised when everyone calls him a hack. Every southeastern state rushed to gerrymander their districts to the max. Then the Virginia Supreme Court threw out the results of last month’s redistricting referendum. Ouch. The air rushed out of my balloon.
But some news is fun. My next door neighbor, Mary Lisio, produces documentaries. She is off to Cannes next week, where they’re showing her latest project, Avedon. She’s part of a terrific collaboration with people we all know. Ron Howard directed it. I’m super impressed - she was always the cheerful, charming lady next door. Also she’s got something on Hulu, SKYKING. I’ll watch with Jackie when I get to NY.
Cheers,
David Siskind
*It’s not mine; it’s Mark Surtees’ Walking Drill. David Siskind’s Ninja Drill is a whole new level of madness. ~Paul :)