The River.

            I was standing waste deep in my favorite river fishing for the ever elusive King Salmon watching the sky turn a shade of purple I have yet to see in the crayola box last weekend thinking at that point about what makes me smile. I could see forty pound salmon swimming just feet away from me and Bald Eagles chirping in the multi colored trees, and yes eagles chirp…granted much louder than a sparrow…but still a chirp, and realized this is what puts a great big little kid smile on my face.

            The eagles were truly having a much better day of fishing than I was but I somehow figured I was having a better day all around. I wasn’t fishing to survive but simply fishing for the fun of standing waste deep in a freezing cold river at five in the morning just for the pure joy of the moment.

            As the sky went from a deep purple to bright pink the fog started to grow along the river and bury me in a cold bright mist. The trees took on an almost surreal look as the light grew but was diffused through the mist and made the trees reflect into the calm river turning it a wondrous kaleidoscope of colors. The fish jumped happily in the early morning light as if to say good morning, and also torment me in the process by telling me they were certainly there but wanted nothing to do with my tricky nonsense.

            I didn’t catch anything that morning but my breath, which in my case was desperately needed. So the morning was most definitely not a waste of my time by any stretch even though no fish were tricked by my hunks of metal being tugged through their home but I look at it this way, nature to me never ceases to put a smile on my face or give me that tingle one feels when falling in love, and it never lets me down.