Thursday, November 23, 2017

THANKFUL

The past two or three months have been kind of a blur with work, home, more work and family obligations and I kind of forgot that that The Fiberglass Manifesto turned another year older this fall.

Just over nine years ago I haphazardly started typing away on this blog without knowing what I was doing or if anyone was even that interested in fiberglass fly rods.  Fast forward to now and I'm still at it and honestly, enjoy more than ever.  I know things have slowed down as far as new content from time to time (the real job gets in the way sometimes...) and maybe not all the posts hit the mark but I still look forward to waking up early, brewing a pot of coffee and working on something new or answering emails before work.

I enjoy the creative process, hashing out new ideas for content, messing around with all kinds of different fiberglass fly rods, putting gear reviews together, messing around with my photography, thinking up interview questions, trying to keep up to date with conservation issues, highlighting the very best of the fly fishing and outdoors industry, and of course chronicling trips with a post or several.


I would have never expected to still be doing this after nine years and yet, here I am.  The interest in fiberglass fly rods by anglers, rod builders, and fly rod companies is as robust as it's been in decades and it continues to be a stellar ride.  We're all proving that "Glass Is Not Dead" and that contemporary has a place for everything from bluegill, trout to bonefish, carp, tarpon and beyond. 

It's Thanksgiving today and it just feels right to be truly and fully thankful.  So here we go... 

Thank you to each of you that stop in each day to read whatever posts up, leave comments, and share the posts with your friends.  It means a lot and I appreciate the emails with questions and swag orders even if it takes me a couple of days to dive into the inbox.

Thank you to those who follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and tag your own fiberglass fly rod adventures with #glassisnotdead (38,000 tags and growing every day).  I enjoy seeing the photos and reading the stories.

Thank you to the circle of friends that I've been able to surround myself with while writing this silly blog.  A career in law enforcement can be stressful with lot of responsibilities as well.  Knowing that I have a stable of industry friends, rod builders, fly fishing guides, friends with skiffs and drift boats, friends with ratty couches or a spare bed to crash on if I'm on the road, and all those that I trade emails, text messages and phone calls with all make my life exponentially better even if I don't always say so. 

Thank you to fly rod builders, fly rod and gear companies who continue to want to be a part of what's going on here with advertising, hashing out ideas for new fiberglass fly rods and other gear, and making sure I'm ready for whatever adventure is next.  It is all very much appreciated.

Most importantly, thank you to my wife and family who are more supportive than they really should be and (typically) don't mind if I sneak away to places near and far with gear bags packed full of glass rods, reels, cameras and lenses, and clothing for twice as long as I'm supposed to be gone.  I promise I'm coming back.   

I'm damn lucky and I don't ever take any of it for granted.

Thank you.

4 comments:

cofisher said...

Thank you Cam for your work (both LE and the blog)and your friendship. Nice years has passed so fast. I hope you and the family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fabian said...

Your blog is the only one I read regularly.

Bob Akerson said...

I do so enjoy (and also learn stuff from) you blog; thanks for including me in your audience. I have to ask about the photo in this Thanksgiving blog though, as it looks like a severed head next to the flyrod. Best wishes, Bob Akerson

Cameron Mortenson said...

Howard... Years have passed way too damn fast. Let's slow it down a bit in 2018.

Fabian... I really do appreciate that. Thank you.

Bob... It was a coconut that we found on a walk on Thatch Caye. It did kind of stump a lot of people when I posted it on social media. It's NOT a head. HA...