WONDER
Across the meadow a young red fox raised his head to watch me pass. His companion was asleep in the warm spring sun and upon my passing he joined his companion in peaceful sleep. Who was I to that young red fox? Obviously he did not perceive me as a threat and indeed I was not since I viewed the encounter with him and his companion as a fragment of the overall experience of a day spent along a trout stream.
When I arrived at the stream I found a fellow fisher eyeing me. What does he think of me? Obviously he was curious and I was thrilled to encounter him. He catches fish to eat and I catch fish for pleasure. Perhaps he perceived me as competition and I moved on to a different part of the stream leaving him an undisturbed pool. When I returned later in the day he was gone and in the center of the pool a trout was rising.
Along the stream I encountered some beautiful wildflowers and a neat moth that looked like a butterfly. This black and white insect is a Police Car Moth; a unique moth since it's diurnal.
As I waded upstream I encountered a pair of Trumpeter Swans that were preening and catching the sun along the bank.
A common crow talked to me as I sat on the bank eating my lunch. I suspect that he was more interested in my lunch than he was in making conversation with me.
Late in the afternoon a thunderstorm moved in and sent me running for my vehicle. I set in my vehicle as lighting split the sky and thunder shook the ground.
When the rain cleared I located a nice brown trout feeding on a small hatch of caddis flies. He took on the first cast.
The day ended with a beautiful sunset with another rainstorm moving up the valley. It had been a great day filled with so many things that stirred a sense of wonder. Each time I spend a day along a stream or a lake I encounter so many things that causes me to stop and marvel. It's what makes fly fishing such a special treat for me. I hope that you get out there this coming year and find your own sense of wonder.