Today, as I was reading the New London Day on line there was an article with a picture of a man stocking a brook full of fish for opening day of fishing April 21. It just brought back such memories of my boyfriend Seth who had passed away at the end of last year, he loved to fish more than anything. He an his guy friends every year would go camping during opening day and fish all day and party at night. The year we were together, he invited me, because some of the other guys were bringing their girlfriends/wives, so i decided how tough could it be?

We all know I am not a camper, to me camping is staying at Limited Hotel. Boy, was I wrong, it was April in Connecticut, cold, rainy and they expect you to sleep on the ground. Our tent smelled like wet socks all weekend, I had 3 layers of cloths on, he wanted to fool around, are you kidding me? I read about 4 books, didn't go fishing and pretty much complained the whole weekend poor Seth. He was a Saint, to make me feel better he took me out to lunch we had to drive 45 minutes to find a diner in Jewett City just to make me happy. Even though it is not a great memory, I still smile thinking about Seth. He loved being outdoors, fishing being with his friends and he really wanted to bond with me, that way we can do this together. We were together another 18months, I never went camping again, he went with just the guys the following year, I believe that was more fun for him.

My husband wants to go camping and I keep telling him, it won't be pretty, and I can get really ugly without walls, a bed and my morning coffee NOT over a fire. I can tell you before my infamous camping trip with SEth the last camping trip was when I was "13" and my mother sent me off with my Aunt and Uncle an cousins for the month of August, we drove to Maine and then took a ferry over to Canada, camping in Canada, the first night my Uncle put the tent over a creek so the next morning we woke up in water, then the next day as we are driving 100 miles, I see the sleeping bags and tent come off the top of the car, and when I tried to tell them, they told me to keep quiet it is quiet time and no speaking. OK, so about another 50 miles they were like ok, what was so important? Oh, nothing but about 50 miles ago we lost our sleeping bags and tent off the top of the car, it went on from there, can you understand why I hate Camping?

I know Seth is looking down wishing he could have 1 more "Opening Day of Fishing" with his friends and I will think of him on April 21.