I've got a week long trip coming up; ponds, breachways and outer beaches in Rhode Island. Will be staying in a cozy cottage in Charlestown.

Years back, I made frequent 3 to 5 day fishing excursions. Had an E-150 Ford Econoline with just two seats up front. In the back were my carpentry tools, camping gear (bed roll, stove, couple of gallons of fresh water), and all my fishing gear. Throughout the year.

Used whatever pull off was available if I needed to sleep. Easy enough to find a truck stop if I needed food, to wash up, to use the toilet. Thought nothing of running up at a moment's notice to fish the Niagara--salmon, steelhead. Or driving (usually non-stop) down to Okeechobee and out along the Keys.

More locally, it wasn't unusual for me to get a sudden notion to leave straight from work Friday afternoon and drive up along the Delaware River. I'd put in a canoe as far up as Hancock or Deposit and over several days fish down sometimes as far as Port Jervis. I ate what I caught: shad, trout, perch, rock bass. . . Sometimes bartered my catch with home owners on the river, either for permission to camp overnight, or for a few tomatoes and onions. A couple of hours before sun up, I'd drive straight back to work.

I think back to those days and I wonder that I was so nonchalant about the whole thing. Had no money to speak of. Damn, how many times did I putter back across the Verrazano or the Tappan Zee with my gas gauge on F... for fumes!

But they were happy times.

Fishing has always been, for me, synonymous with happy times.

Only, these days, I need the comfort of a cozy cottage. At least, most of the time.