Thankfully, you may be opening the paper later today because you slept a bit longer and your only big plans are to eat too much. The joy of Thanksgiving.

Another year is almost over, and as I look back at nearly 50 columns I have written this year, it is obvious I have much more to be thankful for.

People and events have filled this column throughout the year, many just one time and others frequently. But I am thankful for each of them and the interesting stories they have provided readers.

The people and events that fill an outdoor column may seem trivial to some, but if more youngsters could share these experiences, learn the lessons that the outdoors can teach, we would have fewer problems in the world.

Several people who clearly recognize this are Jim Connors from Willow Creek Archery in Escondido, Frank and Janice Mendenhall at Lake Henshaw, Steve Turigliatto and Game Warden Zeke Aubrey. Each year they have teamed up to provide a junior pheasant hunt that, for many youngsters, is an introduction to the great outdoors. This year in particular, they battled a real blizzard and nearly a foot of snow in Santa Ysabel to provide a quality hunt that the kids will be talking about for years.

Frank Alessio has also had an impact on many young hunters as a hunter safety instructor at the Escondido Fish & Game Association. Nearly every month, he spends a weekend teaching safety, outdoor ethics, the proper use and care of firearms and hunting related subjects. His salary is just the joy of seeing others become good outdoorsmen.

I am thankful for guys like Scott Bruckner and Marcus Johnson, two Oceanside High teachers who recognized the values of fishing and helped students revive the Oceanside High Pirate Fishing team.

Carlsbad firefighter Ron Tinney also has used the outdoors to bring relief to children who have suffered severe burns. Each year he has organized the Stop, Drop and Reel Halibut Derby, a friendly competition between fire departments throughout Southern California. Proceeds go to the UCSD Regional Burn Center Brave Heart Kids Program.

I am thankful for some of the people who told spectacular stories this year.

Maybe the most spectacular was Mac Weakley, the Carlsbad big bass fisherman who caught and released a new world record bass at Escondido's Dixon Lake. The fish could have brought him fame and fortune, perhaps more than a million dollars.

But Weakley foul-hooked the fish, and he owned up to his error and withdrew his monster bass from being considered as the new world record fish.

Another inspiration was Murrieta bass fisherman Richard Dutzi, who has competed for years in pro bass derbies as an also-ran. But he kept at it and this year earned $23,800 and a second-place title in the huge WON Bass Tournament at Lake Meade.

A future Dutzi might be young Maggie Payne, 8, an Encinitas resident who spends a lot of time with her family at the Colorado River, frequently outfishing everyone, especially her grandfather, Craig Smith.

Hugh Cobb is the owner of Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle in Oceanside and, like Maggie, he loves to fish. But I am most thankful that almost without fail, he e-mails each week with current surf fishing news along the North County coast.

I am thankful for guys such as Mike Lange of Escondido. He is a retired teacher who is passionate about hunting with antique firearms. He calls regularly with stories of his adventures from Palomar Mountain to Africa.

How could one not be thankful for living where we do? In our own neighborhood, we can big-game fish on a day boat off our local coast, stalk deer or wild turkey in nearby mountains, or dream of a record bass or trophy trout from one of dozens of county lakes. The sportsman can chase grunion on local beaches, dive for lobster, fish from a kayak, gun for dove, ducks and geese, or just enjoy the great alone of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Within just a few hours drive, the majestic granite spires of the Sierra Nevada Range cradle crystal-clear lakes and streams that offer some of the finest trout fishing in the world. This is paradise.

As our lives fill with yesterdays it is only natural that families spread out.

I am thankful that today I will be with my wife, three sons and their families to share the warmth of the season.

- Ernie Cowan is the outdoor writer for the North County Times. If you have an outdoor story of interest, call (760) 518-8050, or e-mail to ernie@packtrain.com.