The 4-H Center is starting the annual 60 day slow-down...we have lots of holiday parties booked, though! There are still a couple of dates available, with the last being December 21st, so book soon. We'll also host a 4-H Retreat on the weekend of the 11th...slow is a relative term.
Thanksgiving was great for me, and I hope it was for all of you...Here's what I did, as if you give a toot.
Wednesday 6:00 am - Duck hunted
Wednesday 11:30 am - leave Edenton for Alabama
Wednesday 11:30 pm - Arrive at the Luker Family Compound, sleep on couch
Thursday 7:00 am - Wakeup to two schnauzers licking my exposed fingertips
Thursday 8:30 am - groan at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thursday 12:00 pm - arrive at Country Club to eat buffet with family. Stuffed my head with oysters, shrimp, prime rib, turducken, a vegetable, and pecan pie
Thursday 2:30 pm - settle in to sleep in recliner.
Thursday 3:30 pm - awake and begin to wish we had the usual leftovers, lounge around for hours on end
Thursday 9:30 pm - go sleepytime
Friday 4:00 am - arise, exercise, feed, and load the vehicle for the Auburn - Alabama game
Friday 6:15 am - watch my dad oversleep, then arise.
Friday 7:00 am - board the car and set out towards Jordan Hare Stadium West, in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Friday 11:00 am - arrive, park, and immediately get misdirected towards the restrooms. I would have done the same to an Alabama fan at Auburn, though.
Friday 1:30 pm - Iron Bowl kickoff. I'll spend the next hour watching Alabama trample my Auburn Tigers and see my dad fall down a bleacher or two, in his own attempt to recover an Alabama fumble.
Friday 3:30 pm - Auburn mounts its comeback.
Friday 5:30 pm - Auburn beats Alabama, overcoming the largest Auburn deficit in 118 years of football. I'll call this game "Choke Bama Choke".
Friday 9:15 - Arrive at home and immediately fall asleep.
Saturday 8:00 am - Wakeup, exercise and feed.
Saturday 10:00am - head to Auburn to find a scoreboard shirt from the game, take pictures of Toomer's Corner, and eat at Country's Barbecue.
Saturday 3:00 pm - return to home, sleep.
Saturday 5:00 pm - begin packing, and the prepare bison steaks on the grill while the rest of the fam apears to be sick or sick of it...
Saturday 10:00 pm - sleep
Sunday 4:30 am - arise, exercise, feed.
Sunday 6:00 am - depart and spend the next 14 hours in a car and traffic.
Sunday 8:00 pm - return to Edenton, the Columbia.
The most important thing about the previous 30 lines of drivel was that Auburn beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Auburn "allegedly" couldn't do it. But as allegations have gone for this Auburn football team, even this one was scoffed at. Against a good team in a hostile environment, Auburn cemented it's place in history. War Eagle...
PS - I have used a lot of vacation time to waterfowl hunt...the ducks are around, you just have to know where to go...I have taken more ducks this year (already) than I have the past two years...so buy a duck stamp and licenses and go "grocery shopping"...We feasted on redhead duck last night...they really do taste like bacon!
Enjoy the day...
November 30, 2010
November 18, 2010
Sloppy blogging
I apologize for my absence and tardiness. But, hey, I have been busy taking time off. Friday we did have River Road in for some Challenge Course, Climbing Wall, and Giant Swing...It, as always, is great to have River Road Middle come across the Sound to hang with us. Since their group is soooo large, I had to bring in some help from Summer Staff - but we took care of "bidness."
Last Saturday was the Waterfowl opener (late season, split #1). I took some of my staff for a little fowlin' and we struck out. The marsh was splendid, though and we saw lots of Black Ducks, which come in "season" on December 1, 2010. I'll be ready for 'em...
Since then, I hunted the flats at Bodie Island and had one good "hunt" (more on that later), and one fun hunt. There are few more historical and scenic places to throw your decoys than the Outer Banks, though. Nevertheless my "hunt" was all but...when I arrived at the check station with my crew in tow, it was discovered by the Ranger thatI dod not have my HIP certification. This is required by federal law to hunt mimgratory game birds. It's FREE and I have no idea why it wasn't placed on my license. Nevertheless, I tried to use the smart phone to quickly download it, but alas, the system was down. So I just observed and called. It was fun for me and my blind partner to "snatch" ducks away from other, unsuspecting blinds through my capable calling. My hunting companion bagged a few, though and he is fairly new to the sport. OK, I'm probably just OK at calling, but I was the best on the beach that day! Day two at the flats was hot and all ducks flared at our meager spread of plastic ducks.
Yesterday, I thought that maybe my luck would change if I revisted my bread and butter spots around the Scuppernong. Goose eggs prevailed as no ducks showed themselves within range. To understand why I saw 1000's of ducks but none within range, please google the term "skybusting."
Today I hit the ope water marsh at Swanquarter. My first honest to goodness shot at a pintail would have been legal, had it flown by two seconds later. But I waited for legal shooting time...
Wigeons also flew well this morning, but I never could get them to commit in numbers. I did bag a bluebill, which is by far, my favorite duck to harvest.
Auburn is being rocked by scandal, too - which continues to occupy my mind. Who knows what happened, but Auburn throttled Georgia last weekend, earning a berth in the SEC Championship Game. We get to play Alabama at their stadium before making the trip to Atlanta to play in the title game. Last year I posted my favorite Iron Bowl memories...revisit that fun article with this link.
Enjoy the day...
Last Saturday was the Waterfowl opener (late season, split #1). I took some of my staff for a little fowlin' and we struck out. The marsh was splendid, though and we saw lots of Black Ducks, which come in "season" on December 1, 2010. I'll be ready for 'em...
Since then, I hunted the flats at Bodie Island and had one good "hunt" (more on that later), and one fun hunt. There are few more historical and scenic places to throw your decoys than the Outer Banks, though. Nevertheless my "hunt" was all but...when I arrived at the check station with my crew in tow, it was discovered by the Ranger thatI dod not have my HIP certification. This is required by federal law to hunt mimgratory game birds. It's FREE and I have no idea why it wasn't placed on my license. Nevertheless, I tried to use the smart phone to quickly download it, but alas, the system was down. So I just observed and called. It was fun for me and my blind partner to "snatch" ducks away from other, unsuspecting blinds through my capable calling. My hunting companion bagged a few, though and he is fairly new to the sport. OK, I'm probably just OK at calling, but I was the best on the beach that day! Day two at the flats was hot and all ducks flared at our meager spread of plastic ducks.
Yesterday, I thought that maybe my luck would change if I revisted my bread and butter spots around the Scuppernong. Goose eggs prevailed as no ducks showed themselves within range. To understand why I saw 1000's of ducks but none within range, please google the term "skybusting."
Today I hit the ope water marsh at Swanquarter. My first honest to goodness shot at a pintail would have been legal, had it flown by two seconds later. But I waited for legal shooting time...
Wigeons also flew well this morning, but I never could get them to commit in numbers. I did bag a bluebill, which is by far, my favorite duck to harvest.
Auburn is being rocked by scandal, too - which continues to occupy my mind. Who knows what happened, but Auburn throttled Georgia last weekend, earning a berth in the SEC Championship Game. We get to play Alabama at their stadium before making the trip to Atlanta to play in the title game. Last year I posted my favorite Iron Bowl memories...revisit that fun article with this link.
Enjoy the day...
November 5, 2010
Skills
The temps are falling, and so is the rain. Fall weather is here...and to stay, hopefully. Swans are beginning to fill the sky, which is one of the eeriest and most joyful sounds to echo among the clouds.
Yesterday, I took the day off to do some layout hunting. I couldn't get my phone to upload pictures, but it was stupendous. The fog that we encountered on the way to the shooting grounds was thick like a milkshake. But it was salty. However, using my GPS, I was able to navigate the fog and open water. I learned how to use a GPS while in 4-H. It's interesting that 4-H'ers can often trace back personal and professional skills that are in their individual repertoires to 4-H. Through 4-H I also acquired my boating certification in Alabama. I know how to safely operate my boat...and how to light it up like a holiday tree when navigating in low and no lighting. I also learned how to properly anchor and equip my boat with the safest items around. Only two of us hunted, but I could have saved another party of an ill-prepared three had the situation arose. Two fire extinguishers, 5 lifejackets, two throw cushions and two anchorscomfort me, and should now comfort you, the reader, should I ever appear to save you and your helpless craft.
Once we set our decoys - which we instruct at 4-H Camp Canvasback - my hunting partner and I moored the layout boat, checked our radios, and waited until legal shooting time. The fog was so thick, that I could barely read my watch. Thank goodness it has an illuminating function. My companion motored into the milkshake, and I watched, and waited...and watched and waited. Thirty minutes into shooting time, the hidden sunrise finally shown enough water surface for trading fowl to spot the stool of hand painted decoys that I had prepared in the spring. My time in the boat was up, though, and I radioed my pal for a swap.
He got into the layout boat (the layout boat is a boat that is disguised to look like the surface of the water buy maintaining a low profile and flat gray color). Time in the layout boat is best spent watching the horizon, since that's about all there is to look at in a layout. Sitting on a fiberglass, pumpkinseed-shaped saucer in the middle of the Pamlico Sound can be unnerving to some. But it's peaceful to us who anticipate a churlish dawn. Woe is the person afraid of the terrible beauty of Mother Nature in a mood swing. Nevertheless, my pal was the first to expedite cold steel. He bagged a jet black scoter - a tough, heavy bird that prefers the nasty swells. We swapped out and I duplicated his success. Afterwards, the flurry became blurry. We took a heavy bag yesterday.
Roughly 5% of the American population pursues wild game. We do this at the pleasure of the other 95% of American humanity, yet, hunters are the original conservationist. They understand that to have quarry, it must be managed, loved, and yes - hunted. Teddy Roosevelt once said that if you want to save a species, you should make it huntable. I agree. There should be laws that limit takes and methods, though - and there are. Another way to save a species is to buy a duck stamp. Everyone should do it.
Enjoy the day...
Yesterday, I took the day off to do some layout hunting. I couldn't get my phone to upload pictures, but it was stupendous. The fog that we encountered on the way to the shooting grounds was thick like a milkshake. But it was salty. However, using my GPS, I was able to navigate the fog and open water. I learned how to use a GPS while in 4-H. It's interesting that 4-H'ers can often trace back personal and professional skills that are in their individual repertoires to 4-H. Through 4-H I also acquired my boating certification in Alabama. I know how to safely operate my boat...and how to light it up like a holiday tree when navigating in low and no lighting. I also learned how to properly anchor and equip my boat with the safest items around. Only two of us hunted, but I could have saved another party of an ill-prepared three had the situation arose. Two fire extinguishers, 5 lifejackets, two throw cushions and two anchorscomfort me, and should now comfort you, the reader, should I ever appear to save you and your helpless craft.
Once we set our decoys - which we instruct at 4-H Camp Canvasback - my hunting partner and I moored the layout boat, checked our radios, and waited until legal shooting time. The fog was so thick, that I could barely read my watch. Thank goodness it has an illuminating function. My companion motored into the milkshake, and I watched, and waited...and watched and waited. Thirty minutes into shooting time, the hidden sunrise finally shown enough water surface for trading fowl to spot the stool of hand painted decoys that I had prepared in the spring. My time in the boat was up, though, and I radioed my pal for a swap.
He got into the layout boat (the layout boat is a boat that is disguised to look like the surface of the water buy maintaining a low profile and flat gray color). Time in the layout boat is best spent watching the horizon, since that's about all there is to look at in a layout. Sitting on a fiberglass, pumpkinseed-shaped saucer in the middle of the Pamlico Sound can be unnerving to some. But it's peaceful to us who anticipate a churlish dawn. Woe is the person afraid of the terrible beauty of Mother Nature in a mood swing. Nevertheless, my pal was the first to expedite cold steel. He bagged a jet black scoter - a tough, heavy bird that prefers the nasty swells. We swapped out and I duplicated his success. Afterwards, the flurry became blurry. We took a heavy bag yesterday.
Roughly 5% of the American population pursues wild game. We do this at the pleasure of the other 95% of American humanity, yet, hunters are the original conservationist. They understand that to have quarry, it must be managed, loved, and yes - hunted. Teddy Roosevelt once said that if you want to save a species, you should make it huntable. I agree. There should be laws that limit takes and methods, though - and there are. Another way to save a species is to buy a duck stamp. Everyone should do it.
Enjoy the day...
November 3, 2010
Do Whatever You Want
Today, I proclaim, Do Whatever You Want Day! Other than two stipulations (must be legal and must be appropriate), all else goes.
Why? Well, for the past three months I have lost control over my television. Instead of hearing commercials about a Double Bacon Sandwich from Mc Burger Queen, I have had to hear about how all of these old men and women have broken the law, will improve my life, and improve your life. WHATEV.....
So today, I'll watch TV and know that I will not be grossly grossed out. Moreover, it is funny to see a few late placed commercials about candidates a few days after the election is over! It always happens and proves or reinforces the fact that some people can't pay attention and manage finances or plan accordingly.
While there were lots of races yesterday, most of the Old Guard held on to their seats. I like offensive guards, Right Guards, and yes, the Old Guard. But I'm open to the New Guard, too.
One of the most intriguing, but nonsensical votes of yesterday was to prohibit convicted felons of running for Sheriff in North Carolina counties. The measure passed 80-20. It makes sense that felons shouldn't be sheriffs on two accounts. I don't think felons can have firearms - and I definitely want my sheriff packing heat. Also, the sheriff should UPHOLD the law. Sure people can change, but the sheriff shouldn't wear flip-flops...
South Carolina elected a woman governor. What does she have in common with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal? You find out, but I think it's refreshing...
So today, do whatever you want. I'm probably going to avoid the rain, use the restroom at my discretion (walk out of meetings when I HAVE to do so...), and finish all of next year's camp registration forms. Soon they'll be out and ready for your printing pleasure. Well ahead of the competition...but since I like competition almost as much as I like winning competitions, I'll always be two steps ahead...
Enjoy the day...
Why? Well, for the past three months I have lost control over my television. Instead of hearing commercials about a Double Bacon Sandwich from Mc Burger Queen, I have had to hear about how all of these old men and women have broken the law, will improve my life, and improve your life. WHATEV.....
So today, I'll watch TV and know that I will not be grossly grossed out. Moreover, it is funny to see a few late placed commercials about candidates a few days after the election is over! It always happens and proves or reinforces the fact that some people can't pay attention and manage finances or plan accordingly.
While there were lots of races yesterday, most of the Old Guard held on to their seats. I like offensive guards, Right Guards, and yes, the Old Guard. But I'm open to the New Guard, too.
One of the most intriguing, but nonsensical votes of yesterday was to prohibit convicted felons of running for Sheriff in North Carolina counties. The measure passed 80-20. It makes sense that felons shouldn't be sheriffs on two accounts. I don't think felons can have firearms - and I definitely want my sheriff packing heat. Also, the sheriff should UPHOLD the law. Sure people can change, but the sheriff shouldn't wear flip-flops...
South Carolina elected a woman governor. What does she have in common with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal? You find out, but I think it's refreshing...
So today, do whatever you want. I'm probably going to avoid the rain, use the restroom at my discretion (walk out of meetings when I HAVE to do so...), and finish all of next year's camp registration forms. Soon they'll be out and ready for your printing pleasure. Well ahead of the competition...but since I like competition almost as much as I like winning competitions, I'll always be two steps ahead...
Enjoy the day...
November 2, 2010
Community Fun Day Wrap Up
Community Fun Day has come and gone. The Annual Weenie Roast, as I like to call it had plenty of visitors, ice cream, hot dogs, and activities. The weather was perfect for Community Fun Day - mid 70's, light wind, and sunny! I enjoyed seeing all of the visitors and staff that came out...the staff did a great job matching the demand of the activities. The climbing wall can always throw a kink in it, though.
Nevertheless, Patrick, Josh, Broadwell, Casper, Kali the Beast, Mea, Kristen, and Sydney came out to help me pull of the unpredictable amount of guests. Everything from the registration table to archery went really well. Hopefully, the community members that attended had a great time.
I won a door prize! My virtual lack of luck seems to have ended as I won the final door prize, which meant that I could had my choice of a coffee table book, too. I like books, so I took that bad boy. Aside from that, it's like a 3 month reunion when I have some of the staff come back. What was most interesting is that all of the staff are considered the "New Guard" at the 4-H Center...yeah - the ones that will set the tone for the present and future and they also are "mine". Yes, I lay claim to people. But they claim me, too!
Auburn / College Football rant:
This week was "Road Block" Saturday. All of the talking heads gave it this name in hopes that all teams would lose and lay a red carpet out for the university of Alabama. Sure the pretenders lost. Oregon and Auburn won in high style, though. Still, Auburn dropped to number two in the BCS, which determines the pecking order of who plays for the national championship. Our week at number one was fun and shortlived, but we will return. If you are an Auburn fan, please enjoy this and brag to everyone you know and don't know. The last time it happened was in 1985 - I was 2 years old. If Auburn wins out, they'llplay for the whole ball of wax. The pundits have all but declared Alabama the winner of the Iron Bowl. One pundit said just yesterday that Auburn can't go to Alabama the day after Thanksgiving and beat Alabama in a stadium named for Bear Bryant. He was wrong. Auburn has won an ASTOUNDING 86% of games against Alabama in the stadium named after Bear Bryant.
Anyway - pundits - let Auburn play it out. End your love affair with the WAC and MW teams. Sure the schedule is not their fault. But it's not mine or yours. A two loss SEC team can beat ANYONE.
Enjoy the day...
Nevertheless, Patrick, Josh, Broadwell, Casper, Kali the Beast, Mea, Kristen, and Sydney came out to help me pull of the unpredictable amount of guests. Everything from the registration table to archery went really well. Hopefully, the community members that attended had a great time.
I won a door prize! My virtual lack of luck seems to have ended as I won the final door prize, which meant that I could had my choice of a coffee table book, too. I like books, so I took that bad boy. Aside from that, it's like a 3 month reunion when I have some of the staff come back. What was most interesting is that all of the staff are considered the "New Guard" at the 4-H Center...yeah - the ones that will set the tone for the present and future and they also are "mine". Yes, I lay claim to people. But they claim me, too!
Auburn / College Football rant:
This week was "Road Block" Saturday. All of the talking heads gave it this name in hopes that all teams would lose and lay a red carpet out for the university of Alabama. Sure the pretenders lost. Oregon and Auburn won in high style, though. Still, Auburn dropped to number two in the BCS, which determines the pecking order of who plays for the national championship. Our week at number one was fun and shortlived, but we will return. If you are an Auburn fan, please enjoy this and brag to everyone you know and don't know. The last time it happened was in 1985 - I was 2 years old. If Auburn wins out, they'llplay for the whole ball of wax. The pundits have all but declared Alabama the winner of the Iron Bowl. One pundit said just yesterday that Auburn can't go to Alabama the day after Thanksgiving and beat Alabama in a stadium named for Bear Bryant. He was wrong. Auburn has won an ASTOUNDING 86% of games against Alabama in the stadium named after Bear Bryant.
Anyway - pundits - let Auburn play it out. End your love affair with the WAC and MW teams. Sure the schedule is not their fault. But it's not mine or yours. A two loss SEC team can beat ANYONE.
Enjoy the day...
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