I learned a lot about the passion of the people who make the products I sell. I learned about the Finnish passion for hockey which is Canadian like. I also learned the passion for fish I never caught before, including the Northern Pike and the love of them in Finland.
I learned about the Gaspe. The potential high cost and the amazing rivers like the Bonaventure, maybe the most eye catching watershed I have ever seen. I learned about friends and why they are important and how they come together in good times, in bad, and in the face of worse case scenarios.
I also earned a new appreciation for the fishery in Nova Scotia. While it has it's problems, it also has pockets of special fisheries. I am lucky enough to have a camp in the middle of one of them. I also saw a North Shore Salmon fishery that had a very promising year, as did the Margaree.The problems are not gone, but all is not lost. We have a resource worth protecting.
Lastly, I learned a greater appreciation for life on the whole. Good food, good drinks, good friends, and an amazing family. I reaffirmed that life should be celebrated at every turn. It came from a lot of different sources, including my own wife. Life is too short to live it any other way.
So as the new year arrives, my wife and I have travel plans (including bonefishing) in the Bahamas, I will be going to Finland again, and I will continue the work to make Vision a player in Canada, and of course I will fish May Fly at my camp. I don't believe in resolutions, but I do intend on seeing that 2012 will exceed 2011 in every way possible. I hope you all do the same.
So look for new posts all week so I can get 2011 in the books, and look ahead to 2012.
