In 1978 on Mount Lola, I knew fishing. Rainbow trout fishing. I wanted to create one sepia drawing to convey that feeling of total contentment and timelessness. A good goal, I thought.

Rainbow Trout Fishing Border

But I soon realized that a story was emerging and that one drawing alone wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I leapt ahead to the next three pages before I was finished with the first. I added a border to vary on each page, a story within a story. How long can you expect two kids to stay quiet like that anyway?

So what happens when your line gets snagged and you have to pull so hard that you fall into the stream? What about when your little sister thinks she needs to jump in after you for fun so now your only change of clothes are wet and your mom back at the campsite is going to kill you? What about when your sister’s rubber boot fills up with icy water and starts floating away? What about when you realize that you’ve lost Dad’s entrusted lucky fishing hat when you were off retrieving the boot? And now your sister’s lips are blue and she’s crying…

A story happens. "Rainbow Trout Fishing" is the beginning of the story -- the first illustration in a series. 

Rainbow Trout Fishing

Illustrations are © 2001, by Amy Meissner, all rights reserved.