Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Few Stolen Moment

A few years ago I decided that for my birthday I would treat myself and a friend to a few days in Maupin, Oregon for some fly fishing on the Deschutes during the legendary salmon fly hatch.
We stay at the Imperial River Company which has the most comfortable beds of any hotel/motel I've ever stayed in.

The weather has not been very cooperative the last two years but it's just a nice time to get away to the river that I love so much.
This year my oldest son will join me. He and I have not been able to do something like this for many, many years and I am excited to be sharing this time with him.
I've found that trips like the upcoming one and others to various fishing or vacationing locales is like a stolen moment of paradise. Your main focus is fishing or relaxing and the time spent is so much different from the daily routine. I have always dreamt of being able to step out my door and walk down to a river for a morning or evening of fly fishing and those who are fortunate enough to be able to do that are truly blessed.
Oh to live at Camp Sherman or Maupin or along some coastal stream where the trout and steelhead are my neighbors.

I doubt that I would ever really want to live in Maupin or even Camp Sherman but to have those moments of time, whether they are for a few days or a few weeks, where you are a river "resident" are precious. To spend it with my son makes it even more special.
I turned 55 on Tuesday and while I am not ancient I do feel my age at times. I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to spend time like this with my son again...I sure hope that I do. I would like to spend time like this with him and my grand kids in the future if my timeon earth allows it.
As I approached the age of 50 I did so with some trepidation because my own father died just a few months past his 51st birthday. I thought about it a lot actually and now I have out lived him. I obviously wish that I could have spent some times with my dad as I grew up but it was not to be. So I hope my son is looking forward to this time together also.
I don't know how many of you are able to still spend "a few stolen moments" with your aging parents but I encourage you to do so.

2 comments:

  1. I was raised mostly by my grandparents, and I agree. I was lucky enough to know both sets of great grandparents. They are truly missed.

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  2. This is what really matters about fishing... spending time with yourself and sharing with others. Memories that will grow in time to loom large as we age. Memories of special moments, not how many we caught or what gear we used. Making those lasting memories is the joy of angling.

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