The Hunting Times

 Squirrel season opened up on August 15 here in Indiana.  We didn't go out until later, but Will got to go with Daddy and friend Harrison.  They bagged one! Will posing with a big red fox squirrel The dove opener here was on Sunday, SEP 1st.  We had a lighter-than-normal crowd but also fewer doves than normal.  We ended up with 13 doves and Krueger made jalapeno poppers - so lunch was awesome. The girls on their opening dove hunt Then on Tuesday of opening week, Michael, RePhil and I drove down to meet Davey at the private camp lot and hunted once more.  I think we bagged maybe 15 that morning.  It was fun to get away and spend some time together as hunting buddies. Sun coming up over lake and we are just getting our decoys out We used the camper to block our silhouettes. Game on!

 Once again, I MAY have planted too much sweet corn.  Oh well, we got the room and there ain't no reason for the seeds to go to waste.  I planted one pound of seed, which gave us 12 rows of corn 100 yards (91.4m) long and an additional 6 rows 50 yds (45.7m) long.  And yes, I planted those two sections one month apart to stagger when they'd be ready to eat. We stopped counting at 400 dozen ears of corn picked.  And that does not include any lost to deer and raccoons.  And we gave all of that away to anyone and everyone who wanted any.  And it was tasty. Well, obviously the kids heard us talking about the abundance that God & Mother Nature provided us - so they decided to set up their own stand within their playhouse.  It turned out pretty awesome!  Decide for yourself... Chalk drawing of their sweet corn stand on their playhouse They even posted a menu of how you could get your sweet corn

 Had a buddy who wanted to build a tree house for his kids.  Only he didn't have the knowledge nor the tools to make it happen.  Asked for 2 years if I would help.  And now that I am retired, I could help him, so I did.  We spent about 60 hours building this thing.  The main house is 8' x 8' (2.4 meters squared) by 13' (3.97m) high and the landing is 4' square (1.2m square) and 5' (1.5m) tall.   This is the sketch he had the kids draw. That's a cargo net that joins the two platforms. Here's the final product.  Pretty close. We did wrap the "house" in window screen to form a net to keep the bugs out. That right there is some good thinking! We got rid of our hot tub and that left a huge hole in our old deck.  So we ripped it up, put in new joists, and laid down new deck boards.  We also put in a side deck, new walkway, and then planted grass before applying epoxy to the stoop and garage.  It's been an ALL SUMMER job.  Last b...

 So the pond was pretty cleared up, the weather was calm, and I just happened to buy a couple dozen nightcrawlers and some new fishing rods.  Took all the grands to the pond and lived the good life... Hadley with a nice bass - the only one we landed Hadley learning from Mommy how to make fish "look" bigger in pictures. But they are still pretty small. Wes with his blue gill Will showing off a blue gill This is the back of Papaw's shirt.  See the dark spot in the middle? Someone (Will) was sooo excited to get his fish, he tugged hard enough to  swing it out of the pond and onto my back. Good thing I turned when I did! Ain't nobody having any fun here today!!! Mallory with a blue gill

 Mallory was ill and could not attend the outdoor session of Purdue's track club, but Will went and had his own cheering section! Will throwing the javeline Will running sprints Sister Hadley cheering him on Will with his ribbons for the day We have made some modifications to our shooting benches - once again.  Always trying to improve.  For sure it's way more comfortable shooting out the back of the truck than on the trailer.  Alex, Nick, Michael and I enjoyed our week down in New Mexico hunting prairie dogs and coyotes. Had a massive thunder storm blow thru. This was the size of the hail that landed on the cabin. Nick and Alex shooting while Michael and I spot for them. It's a comfortable set-up that is easy to relocate from prairie dog town to town.

 Me, Alex, and Davey drove down to Rob's for our annual deer grinding event.  Didn't have quite as many lbs to grind this year, but what we did produce turned out awesome.  Of course we had to perform Quality Control and grill some up for lunch. Always appreciate Rob hosting us each year! Alex with a big ole tub of ground venison Davey and Rob with the stuffer. That's lunch on the flat griddle in the back (quality control!) A box of some of the best eating you can find on the planet

 We started April on the deck with a Total Solar eclipse across Indiana.  Sandy and I sat on the deck (with me drinking beer like any good cold-blooded redneck) and watched the day turn to night.  The frogs and the crickets came out as they thought it was night time.  Things got really quiet and wierd.  I'm sure there are better pictures than what I could get on my iPhone, but we can say we participated! Eclipse about half-way Sittin' on the deck with our protective glasses so we can safely watch I bought a new PCC (pistol caliber carbine) in 9mm.  And, after garnering parental unit permission because my wife said I had to, I took the Wes (the youngest) back to shoot it with me.  Yes, of course I helped him so that we all remained safe.   But check out the succession of photos - each showing another shot from Wes.  See how he keeps getting closer and closer to the red dot sight?  Know what happens next?  Getting scoped!  W...

 Alex decided he could burn some boxes in the trash barrel on a questionable day due to winds.  Well, he soon found out that a burning box, lifted by wind, and tossed into dry prairie grass will ignite it quite quickly!   I get a call from Alex - who is out of breath as he's running back into the house.  All I get is, "Fire!"  "Prairie Grass."  I said I'd be right there.  I grab a rake, shovel and the gator and head his way.  We both start putting out as much as we can while we await the fire department that Kathy has called. The fire trucks come out and get stuck - oh, by the way, it was both Rossville and Mulberry volunteer trucks that arrived.  They quickly had the fire extinguished.  The fire only burnt a few trees and a bit of grass.  It never jumped to the field and the wind was blowing W to E so the house was never in harm's way. The kids thought it was both scary and exciting but were sad for the trees.  Alex said ...