Preface

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There is a line from at the end "A River Runs Through It" that always stays with me -

I am haunted by waters . . . 

As a child I loved to watch it flow, even if it was the snow melting in the street. There was nothing more fascinating than a walk down by the banks of the neighborhood brook.

In time I came to know bigger, more energetic waters.  I would fsh the big river with my dad and family in the Spring.  As I got old enough to wade in the icy water, I could feel the force of the angry river.  Unlike the brook of my childhood, it was powerful and stern.

I was always fascinated with the quieter pools and eddy's.  There in the green / brown places was life.  Fish, frogs, birds, turtles, insects, and plants.  This was where you could scoop up a handful of life in all its forms.

As I got older I had the chance to see the ocean and salt water bays.  They too held life.  The sound of the waves and tides were new to me.  I loved it at once.

I especially love the smaller freshwater places.

I would paddle and fish in much of it.  My favorite was the still water, I call it the Brown Water.  It seemed gentle on the surface, but it hid its secrets.  The freestone rivers and brooks may have had some trout, chubs, minnows crayfish and nymphs, but the brown water had more varieties of fish, birds and insects.

I still love being on the big water, especially where is meets the brown water.

I am also haunted by waters . . .