Last week, I stopped at the Round Barn Visitor Center, part museum, part gift shop in Diamond, Ore. With me was Jo Wilson, who found a book with a cover picture of her and her sister, selling worms years ago. You know you’re old when you go to a museum and find a picture of yourself.

Back when a tablet was made from renewable resources, when google and ga-ga were baby talk and not cultural references, we had something we called the generation gap. And we liked it.

Today we call it the digital divide — on one side is Generation Z and on the other Gen Y or Gen X, a beatnik, a baby boomer or Generation Silent.

Summed up, on one side is a graybeard and on the other is peach fuzz; a so-called digital immigrant and a digital native with an iPad or a game controller in one hand and tiny speakers in each ear, thumbs poised over a phone keyboard.

As a reformed youngster, I remember the people that made the effort to reach across the relational ravine. An uncle taught me how to paddle a canoe. Another uncle taught me to fish. My dad showed me the proper care and feeding of a 22 rifle. My grandfathers gave me a respect for nature. The knowledge downloads helped span the gap and instilled a sense of history, of continuity.

My peers, Generation X, thanks to MTV and Atari and Donkey Kong, had shorter attention spans. Three minutes was the general rule in the 1980s. Now, our technological advancements have put more distance between old-timers and the un-whiskered.

Born between 1990 and 2010, Generation Z has never known life without personal computers, mobile phones and game systems. They are able to grasp advances in technology faster than previous generations, but there is little time to focus. The digital natives are restless.

Surprise today’s stripling between text messages and you have less time to communicate than back when little girls sold worms to bewhiskered trout fishermen in front of covered bridges. Get their attention and you have to act fast. Here are some ways to reach across that communication chasm.

It is safe to say that Gen Z kids want to catch fish, so they can blog about it. This year, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will plant 114,500 trout in Detroit Lake. Diamond Lake is slated to be stocked with 190,000 this season. In southeast Oregon, 13,600 fish are planned for Krumbo Reservoir. Local waters and smaller lakes will be planted with a commensurate number of catchables. You and the kids need to get your share.

Gen Z does not have the patience for a long day. Two or three hours may be the limit. Bring hot chocolate and extra clothes to compensate for rain or cold. Pack binos to watch the birds. Don’t forget snacks. Nothing can ruin a day on the lake like a kid’s empty stomach.

Swap earbuds for ear protection and take the kids to the range. DeShoots Youth Sports (www.deshoots.org) was formed to provide opportunities for kids to learn shotgun skills, support junior education and hunter education. Kids are mentored in the spirit and letter of the law, in safety and the wise use of natural resources. And they learn to shoot and compete with clay targets at home in Deschutes County and around the state with the goal of competing at regionals in Cody, Wyo.

East of Bend, the Central Oregon Shooting Sports Association (www.oregonshooting.com) will host the next Youth Safari Challenge at the COSSA Shooting Sports Park on May 26.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Orientation begins at 9 a.m. Events will include a 22 rimfire varmint shoot, cowboy action rimfire, cowboy lever action rifle, 3-gun air soft, archery and wingshooting. Guns, ammunition, bows and arrows will be provided.

Door prizes will include air rifles, archery equipment and outdoor gear. Thanks to a generous grant from the High Desert Friends of NRA, there is no entry fee. A barbecue lunch will be provided to all in attendance.

The Challenge is an annual presentation of the High Desert Safari Club in cooperation with COSSA, the Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

To find the COSSA Park, travel east from Bend on Highway 20 past milepost 24. Look for the driveway on the north side of the highway.

Childhood memories don’t have to exist in computer techno. Shared experiences cross the digital divide with a focus built on punching holes in paper and tempting dinner at the end of a trout rod.