Yesterday I sat in silence along Fish Creek on a property called River Ridge. Fish Creek is actually a big, slow-moving river. It’s my favorite place to canoe in upstate New York. You see otters, beavers and muskrats along the shoreline in the evenings. It’s also great fishing and I saw one of the biggest bucks of my life feeding along that same river two years ago. The river has a way of calming you down. It removes all the stress and worries of your day. It can be both mesmerizing and energizing – all at the same time!
Sitting alone and watching the river flow by can really get your mind wandering – mostly about family, friends and experiences shared. I was reminiscing about my days as a young forester at Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks. I was also remembering many great times at camp with my mom and dad.
Eventually my thoughts turned toward the future – things I want to do with my kids on the river.
I was also thinking how lucky I was at that moment in time – and how many other folks were sitting in traffic, working too many long hours and worrying about the economy. For those of us that live and work in upstate New York - we are lucky! It’s a great place to live the “outdoor life.” I hope more people get to live the way I live in upstate New York – enjoying land – even if it’s only once in a while.
After sitting by the river for a while, I began walking the ridge line, planning a nice riverfront lean-to for my kids and I. The next thing you know, we’ll be sitting around a camp fire in this very spot!