Hunting '09

Hunting season '09 has ended literally with a bang. I finally got my deer this morning. I am lucky to have a few friends with property, or access to property that are gracious enough to allow me to hunt there. First, the details: I drove up to a few acres on M-82 this morning to hunt some private land for the late antlerless season. It was a beautiful morning with snow covering all of the branches, very little wind, and not too cold. I found a very recent deer trail and followed it. After walking around a 1/4 mile or so, a little (and I do mean little) deer trotted out from some pines ahead of me. I don't think he knew what I was, or exactly where I was at because he stopped around 75 yards away from me and started looking around. When he stopped trotting and started walking, I could see him limping. He was all alone. Normally I would not have shot a deer this small, but he was all alone which I think is unusual this time of year for a yearling, he was limping, it was the last day I could hunt, and he was made of delicious meat. BANG. Season over.

So with the story out of the way, here is what I experienced this year. I "discovered" places new to me that I can't wait to visit again. I found tiny creeks with cedars drooping close to the water and salmon everywhere I looked. I camped with a good friend and got to know him much better. We shared delicious meals cooked by a camp fire, saw gorgeous scenery, and fished somewhat unsuccessfully for said salmon in pouring rain. And I know I loved every minute of it. I took my kids out to experience God's creation first hand, to try to explain what it means to be part of the food chain. I found a fresh badger den with his footprints clearly visible. I saw turkeys come down from their roosts, heard their yelps, and scared the dickens out of a few of them that didn't know I was there. I watched pileated woodpeckers hammer out holes in dead beeches. I made venison chili over an open fire to share with friends at deer camp. I watched the sun rise, the moon set, the sun set, and moon rise. I played hide-and-seek with a deer circling a huge spruce tree. I watched a flock of easily a thousand grackles move through the woods feeding and moving, rolling along like a wave. I listened to owls, saw cranes circling several thousand feet up, watched formations of ducks and geese flying south. I spent mornings sitting in cool green moss surrounded by mist, waiting. Always waiting, listening, looking, and paying attention. I took an active part in providing my family with meat. Now it's only 10 more months until I can do it again.

M

Trestle Table Done!

The table is finished! That didn't take nearly as long as the girls' bunk beds. It couldn't have. I don't have enough time left on this life to have taken that long. Jen seems happy with it, and I've heard several comments that were positive. I haven't head any offering me obscene amounts of money for me to make them one yet, though. Oh well, maybe once I make a boat the offers will come flooding in. We can only hope.

The table is southern yellow pine, made with only hand tools, finished with three different colors of milk paint, a milk paint sealer, and pure linseed oil. Like I said before, hand tools only, nothing with a plug touched this thing. Well, technically the lumberyard may have cut the wood using some powered equipment, but you can't hold that against me, can you?

Please forgive the crappy photos, I wasn't in the mood to play with lighting, or do much of anything for that matter. If you want to see what it really looks like, you'll just have to come over.

M