Christmas Bounty

Christmas is not about presents, but nonetheless Christmas presents are pretty cool; particularly fishing related presents.

This year I was exceptionally fortunate in the fishing presents department.

First, my friend Jose, a wood carver who lives in the small town of San Lorenzo el Cubo, Guatemala, carved an amazing fish for me. He gave it to me while we were visiting the folks in Antigua. Jose is an exceptionally talented artist and our home is full of his work. The fish carving is very detailed and beautiful. I feel extremely fortunate to have Jose as a friend. And if anyone would like a wood carving from Jose, let me know and I'll work out the details. All he needs is a picture and he can carve it.

On Christmas morning I received a double gift from the Cadet. A journal and a wading staff, both from FishPond. The Cadet knows better than most his father's fishing addiction and it was incredibly kind of him to feed the addiction. I think the wading staff is his subtle way of telling me I'm getting older. I know I've wished I had one with me a few times over the last few years, and I look forward to trying it out on the Grand River this spring. The Cadet certainly knows how to make Dad feel blessed.