Our children are in schools with different spring break schedules. This year, Mrs. T. took trips with various children, while I stayed at home with the others.

So, I just took a belated spring break of sorts over a long weekend. I fished.

I went to a river in Connecticut and stayed at a cheap room on the water. It is at a very working-class part of the state, pretty rural, and it’s an interesting change of pace. Many pickup trucks. Just a few stores.

My routine was:

• Awaking before dawn
• Eating nuts for breakfast
• Hitting the river at daybreak
• Fly fishing 10 hours+ a day and eating a PB&J sandwich for lunch while standing
• Eating dinner at a restaurant’s bar and finally sitting down
• Tying fly fishing flies in my room, while I listen to podcasts
• Lights out at 9 pm

I couldn’t have been happier.

I fished for 3.5 days, and it felt like just a few hours. I landed many fish, double digits every day. On one interesting day I landed a few dozen.

It’s silent for me all day, except when I chit-chat with the bartender during dinner. It’s very meditative. Almost like a religious retreat. It’s funny that a few dollars worth of hooks and feathers can catch such beautiful fish.

I’d pick this low-cost weekend over any luxury trip any day. I don’t need fancy toys. Just my fly fishing rod and some trout are more than enough for me. There’s something very pure about being outside all day, in a moving body of water, with fresh air and natural beauty all around you.

I think taking care of yourself is really critical, particularly for someone like me, who has Imposter Syndrome. I one day will write more about that.

In the meantime, here are some photos.