Matthew Goldman, who grew up in Hadlyme, remembers getting on his first boat at age four when his dad, a local  fishnet machine builder and netting maker, took him aboard a wooden sloop owned by one of mill owner Crary Brownell's sons. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with boats. Matt spent much of his time on "rafts and rowboats, canoes and sailing dinghies" before acquiring his own sailboat to continue and expand his explorations.

Lucky for us, he's also a prolific and entrancing writer. Under the pen name of Constant Waterman, Matt has written dozens of poetic and intimate essays on the joys of being on and near the water in southeastern Connecticut and elsewhere. Local landmarks are often an anchor of his work, including in these two delightful essays, "Chapman's Pond" and "Another Spring Freshet."