God of Billiards George Balabushka CuesWritten by Clifton
Article provided by www.billiard-cue-site.comThe movie “The Color of Money”, when Paul Newman gave Tom Cruise valuable cues (Its collection of George Balabshka), it arouses interest and concepts of billions of amateurs to start collecting cues, and it started ask who is George Balabushka? Actually in early 1959, Geo Balabushka has benn making cues. The cues he made are as exquisite as famous pianos made by russian Strndivari. At that time, lots of fancy players (those days, a lot of profeesional players has emerged in America) has regarded his cues as a prized collection. George Balabushka was born in Russia 1912, pass away in 1975 at age of 63. He came to America at a young age of 12 and settled down in New York. His first job was in Manhattan, making wooden toys in school for teaching purposes. Thus giving him opportunity to acquire basic foundation and knowledge of characteristics of wood. Later in his life, he opened a company manufacturing wooden products, and because of this, his middle finger was cut off by an electrical saw. Not satisfied at sight of losing a finger, George made himself a wooden finger, his craftmanship is so good that even his friends did not realized that he lost his finger. George loves playing billiards when he was young, he used to take part in competitions, and because of his exposure, he came to know renowned contestants and billiard celebraties. Besides taking care of his business, George also helps his friends to repair cues. At same time, Frank Paradise used his own name to brand himself, and George sees it as an opportunity. By end of 1959, George made some cues himself and gave it to his friends as christmas gift, he was also collecting data and feedback on performance of his cues. Not long, George Balabushka started accepting orders with his thirty years experience in wood working business. Between 1959 to 1962, George is churning out 20 to 30 cues every year, as George's character is a simple individual, it has also reflected in his cue designs, but George always emphasizes on performance of cues. During competitions in America, contestants were always discussing and using Balabushka's cue, because of exposure, Balabushka cues were getting famous gradually, this led to more orders. The orders were coming in so fast, even some of them are willing to send George an authorised unwritten amount piece of check, just to own his cues.
| | Rediscover Home WatersWritten by Cameron Larsen
I feel very fortuante to be able to live within walking distance to one of true blue ribbon trout and steelhead fisheries in Northwest. Having lived in Maupin area now for over 15 years, it sometimes seems there is nothing for me to discover in this section of Deschutes River.I have my favortie sections of river, my favorite sections of sections even favortie rocks of favroite sections of sections. I have dissected river down into tiny stitches of water, and know what has proven successful at what times of year, and what time of day. In short, it is esy to think that there is nothing to be learned, nothing new to try by going out and fishing this afternoon. This is not to say that I catch a fish everytime I go out. I don't, partly becasue I ususally fish in short chunks of time. Grabbing a couple of free hours here and there. I usually pick out my primo spots for whatever season and water level, and give it a shot. But I am saying I feel that I have gained all knowledge that can be gained for this area. Or more accurately most of time I feel that way. It is not first time I have felt that way. Before moving here, I had another stretch of Deschutes I called my 'home waters', much smaller and more remote. I fished it upwards of 90 days of year. Having to commute there, I spent more time there once I arrived. Of course I had much less responsibility back then, but it was nothing for me to drive 4 hours round trip to fish 4 hours on a day off. I felt same then about that stretch that I do now about Maupin. But it was just a couple of weeks ago, insted of driving to my fishing destination, I decided to walk. Walk along riverbank. Taking in river in great detail, slowly. Maupin is fished heavily and there are well worn trails to best fishing spots. And frankly some trails lead to spots that have never been productive for me. Anyway, waling along, I noticed from river abnk, riverbed. I found a formation of rockbed that sub-consciously I have always liked to fish. Above that was a large rock that created a nice surface riffle, and a likely spot for fish to lie. Surprisingly there was no trail. The spot had added advatantage of being inconspicous from road, and of having no pull-outs for parking. You would have to be walking to spot it. There are plenty of pedestrians along river acces road, but very few of them are fishermen. They, like me, have become lazy.
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