There’s a lot to be thankful for today

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It’s that time of year again: Thanksgiving Day is here, and there’s certainly plenty for each of us to be thankful for. Here’s my short list:

I’m thankful to have great friends to help me enjoy the woods and waters of our state. One great thing about writing about the outdoors three days a week is that it opens new doors to outdoors opportunities each year.

This year has been no exception, and I’ve made plenty more friends along the way. Some have taught me to fish for muskies. Others have shown me how to become a better fly fisherman. And still others are still trying to find a way to put me in front of a deer.

I appreciate all of their efforts and realize I probably don’t thank them often enough.

Then there are the old pals, those ones who continuously show me how lucky I am as we share space in front of wood stoves in remote locations from here to Quebec, from Sebago Lake to Allagash, from Forest City to Little City.

OK. Maybe I’ve yet to sit in front of an actual wood stove in Little City. But I’ve got great friends there, nonetheless.

Here’s giving thanks to the outdoors opportunities that we have here in our great state.

Listen to old-timers and they’ll tell you that too much land is posted and that our opportunities have been drastically limited.

That may be true.

But so is this: If you look around, and spend some time searching for new haunts, you can find them. And you can find plenty of Mainers who are willing to share them with you, if you only ask first.

We’ve been complaining about increasingly limited access to our woods for years – I recently found a 1950s era magazine that was making just that point – but it’s still possible to hunt and fish within a short drive of most of the areas this paper is distributed.

Is more land being posted? Of course. But it could be worse: We could live in New Jersey.

I’m especially thankful for a job that allows me to earn a paycheck while doing things most folks have to take vacation to enjoy.

And I appreciate the fact that readers are glad that this paper still devotes significant coverage to the outdoors, in this space and our weekend editions.

I’m thankful for the tug of a salmon as it takes a delicately presented fly… but that’s not all.

I’m also thankful for the chance to stand thigh-deep in running water, even when the fish aren’t participating on any given day.

Rising in time to watch the sun rise, hunting or fishing all day, then watching the sun dip below the horizon. Then, adjourning to camp, where tall tales can be swapped between like-minded pals who know a ration of bull when they hear it … but still let you keep talking.

I’m thankful for too many great meals served in too many beautiful locations to name, by folks eager to show a newspaper guy why their particular slice of Maine is so special.

And for getting the chance to share those stories after returning to town.

I’m thankful for snow, 40 mph winds, and an ice shack that will shield me from both, if I wish.

I’m thankful for flags … wind-driven or otherwise, on ice-fishing excursions. (Heck, without a few wind flags, we might end up doing nothing but eating all day long.)

I appreciate the anglers who don’t view a day’s success or failure through the restrictive “bag limit” prism.

And the ethical way that most Mainers conduct themselves while enjoying the outdoors.

And I’m thankful that the men and ladies in green are out there trying as hard as they can to dissuade the unethical.

And most importantly, I am thankful to get the chance to spend my days working just across the river from my hometown … and to spend the holidays with family members.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Have fun … good luck filling your deer tag … be safe.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.