When was the last time you closed your eyes and let the sun warm your face? Allowing that fantastic orange glow to trap itself inside your eyelids, forcing you to slow down both your breathing and your mind. That slight warmth is a true appreciation.
(Aaron Goodis photo)
I have a best friend who regularly forces me to do just that; slow down and appreciate.
Sharing strawberries on the river (Jan Wolff photo).
Last November I fell in love with a small puppy in the pound. His head stuck out with distinctive white markings, and his paws were huge.
Colby at ten weeks old (April Vokey photo).
“He’s going to be big….” They warned me. Half St. Bernard and half coon hound, I fell in love with the mutt, knowing full well that he was about to be adopted into the life so many creatures long for…..an outdoor adventure alongside river banks and evergreens. Yup, he was going to be a fishing dog, and he was going to be my saving grace, “the glue that holds me together”, as one of my buddies so eloquently put. So I named the “mutt” Colby, and started his training at ten weeks old.
Boat training (Scott Baker McGarva photo).
(Aaron Goodis photo)
Training gone right. Keeping still while mom looks for fish (Hannah Belford photo).
Yup. Been there before.... (Michael Davidchik photo).
It’s amazing the difference it makes when you are accompanied on the river by someone you love, and even more amazing how much of a difference it makes when they can’t speak English or say something stupid to ruin your day.
(Michael Davidchik photo)
We play in the sand and share strawberries on fallen cedars. He walks me by my pinky finger and gets excited when he hears my reel wind line back in. He has brought a whole new meaning to appreciation in all of it’s most simplest forms. Amazing how those simple forms can often times carry the most impact.
(Matt Moisley photo)
