“You want some coffee, Pimp Daddeeeh? Pimp daddy, how you doin’?” are his usual greetings when I visit.
As we walk up the stairs, Randy is usually announcing to Ms. Becky that I came to visit. The tv is usually very loud and blaring Judge Judy, the news, or a cooking show on youtube. You won’t go hungry at the Randolph home.
Randy is a survivor and tougher than top round grizzly bear. He’s endured several strokes and a quadruple bypass gracefully. Depending on the day, he’s usually up in spirit and is always trynna joke around and get a reaction out of me. I know that my youth and energy lifts his youth & energy so the abuse is tolerated sometimes :) He’ll say that he rides me harder than anyone else in the grand circle because he sees potential. “Who’s here, is that the next Sylvester Nemes?” he sometimes says. “You know I was the last one to get him on film, right?.” Randy’s personal video library is as extensive as it gets. Fly tiers, legends, and masters of the past & present…all with commentary a la Randy. Some even filmed right there on his kitchen table. Did I mention Randy is world class?
Chores are usually handed out by Ms.Becky or Randy quickly after I arrive. Sometimes Ms. Becky & I make tea while Randy scurries off to one of his man caves. He’s always got the creative wheels spinning and or is tinkering on something related to balsa bugs.
His old, worn hands show years and years and hrs and hrs and hrs of dedication to the fly tying style of carving balsa bugs. What makes his discipline and technique very unique is that nearly his entire process is done in hand. “You can carve anything” has been repeated over and over and over during our time together.
Beetles, hoppers, mice, minnows are all represented in Randy’s fly box & it is impressive! Maybe even more impressive is his generosity w/time & knowledge. An inherent need of his and many masters that have come before us is to share and spread the wealth, knowledge, and power. True, authentic power isn’t hoarded and kept under wraps. It is given away. ALL of my mentors are world class masters and fly tiers of the highest discipline. Randy is among the bunch & I’ll forever be touched. More about him to share. Stay tuned.
The Old Master approves of my work. Thank you, Randy
-Grant Bench
Borealis Hackle