On my way out of the house early one morning to do some nearshore skiff fishing, I paused to cut off a perfectly formed long-stem rose from one of my rose trees alongside my driveway.

I tossed it in my cooler in the boat which had a goodly amount of ice to keep it fresh.

The fishing day was successful, with two halibut and a nice bass. All fish were clearly well over the minimum size limit, and the two halibut barely fit into the cooler.

I had ice under the fish, ice on top of the fish, and the rose was atop the ice, looking as fresh and perfect as it had several hours earlier.

I pulled back into the harbor and up to the launch ramp dock, ready to go home and do the fillet work. I knew that the family dinner was going to be a delicious one.

There was a game warden checking another boat to make sure their catch and fishing gear were all legal. They seemed to be giving her a hard time, begrudgingly giving her room to look inside their cooler and around their boat.

She finished up with that boat and walked over to me, asking if she could look in my cooler and around the boat. I welcomed her aboard and told her she was free to look anywhere she needed to.

When she opened my cooler and looked inside, she stood straight up and looked both surprised and quizzical. She could see at a glance that my fish were legal, but she just had to ask, “The fish are good catches, but what is the rose for?”

I replied, “It was for luck, and obviously it worked out great for me. Now maybe it can bring you luck, it’s yours.”

Game wardens do not accept gifts from anglers, but this was different, so she quietly picked up the pretty rose, smiled and walked up the dock to her vehicle. This was likely the bright spot of her day.

The same warden checked my boat a couple more times over the course of that season, years ago. I had to tell her in advance each time, “You are always welcome to check my boat, but with apologies I have no roses in my cooler today.”

She would just smile and go about her important work. I have a lot of respect for game wardens and the work they do.