A little while ago, I wrote about George Smith’s book, “A Life Lived Outdoors.” At the time, I had not finished the book.  Now that I have I want to share more of my thoughts.

If you love the outdoors and have hunting and fishing stories of your own, you will immediately connect with George and his retelling of those days in the woods.  There is an immediate smile that comes across your face as you read about camp and the sounds, smells and feel of being in a small building surrounded by the Maine North Woods.  I couldn’t help but be jealous of George’s ability to leave the hussle and bussle of  daily life to retreat to a place where the windows may need to be replaced but the fish bite, the moose are neighbors and the ability to read all of those books on your to-do list can actually happen.  Someday, I will have a place to call ‘camp.’

A few stories are focused on just day to day living in rural Maine; the sadness that spreads across those of us who try to keep the woods/roads/streams clean as we view the trash left by those who think it’s ok to chuck garbage out of their vehicle.  Spring is the worst time as the snow disappears and exposes bottles, fast food containers and junk left along the roadsides.  While I can relate, George’s description of these items and those who left it behind is priceless and entertaining and had me smiling and nodding as I read along.  His writing about yard sales also had me smiling and wishing that I had been able to land that LL Bean screen house!  Having attempted to sell my stuff in a yard-sale, I sympathized with George as he watched everything else leave but the items on his table.  Sometimes our trash is not someone else’s treasure.

I would have liked to have read more of George’s stories about hunting and fishing but until the next book comes out, I will have to rely on his blog to keep me connected to the woods, lakes and the new laws dealing with both.  It probably would have been easy for George to fill a book twice it’s size with stories and adventures from the hunting and fishing world and those dealing with his family.  As I begin to grow my family and figure out ways to get them outdoors, I hope that I can pass on my passion for hunting and fishing to them in the same ways that George has with his kids.

Any outdoors enthusiast should have this book on their bookshelf.  It will make you smile and fill you with nostalgia of those hunts and adventures of years ago.  Plus, when you find that story or two that makes you relax and dream of being in the middle of nowehere, you can always go back and reread the story!