Catch and Release

Filed Under Life

“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ” — Doug Larson

Every summer our family treks down to Galveston for a little sun and relaxation. The kids enjoy one last hoorah before plunging their energies back into school and an endless parade of activities: dance, softball, karate and slumber parties.

I fish.

Fishing is the working man’s Zen art of meditation . . . a version of it, at least. This year the meditative theme must have been variety, because we caught everything from saltwater catfish to small sharks. The undisputed highlight, though, was the giant stingray landed by my cousin-in-law Toby. It took several men over an hour to bring in this magnificent creature. After successfully reigning it in we celebrated, took a few photos and then released the stingray back into the water.