Let me begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope you all have been very good this year and get everything you want. If not, do as I do, and try harder to be good for next Christmas.
Next, let me issue an apology for neglecting to post before now. My good friend, Angie, sent me an e-mail reminding me to post. Thank you Angie, I really didn't think anyone was checking. I'll try harder from now on.
Patrick surprised me the other day by announcing his middle school band was joining the high school band to put on a Christmas concert. My cousin Colleen went with Nancy and I to the event. We had a great time listening to all of the talented young musicians and left filled the Spirit of the holidays.
Other than that, I haven't had the opportunity to spend any time in one of my favorite places, the woods. It has been all work and shopping, but it's not all bad. I start two weeks vacation on the first of the new year. Guess where I intend to be. Look on the Louisiana road map and find the corner in the boot, adjoining the state of Mississippi. You'll see a small community named Shaw. To the west of Shaw is a green shaded area named Red River. It's one of my most favorite places to hunt and I'll be right in the middle of it. The boys and I, along with several friends, have had some of the most amazing adventures in those woods. Some of which, I am writing about. I think you'll enjoy them
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Parade Results
Good Morning,
I have good news to report to you. All of your well wishes and prayers were well recieved. I'm glad to to tell you, we all had a good time and arrived home safe and sound. Oh yea, along with the many blessings we recieved from all of the people, we made new friends and won, not one, but two awards! One beautiful award was for the "Best of Show." This one included a beautiful plaque to hang on the wall and a one hundred dollar gift certificate, to be used at West Marine. The second award, a plaque similar to the first, was for being the "Most Creative."
As happy and proud as I am to be honored with the awards, I am most pleased with the great jobs Patrick, his friend Aaron and Aaron's dad, Ted, did. Patrick put forth an excellent effort playing carols with his trumpet. Evidenced by the applause he recieved from the generous audience. Aaron and Ted also did a great job, throwing out the goodies to the crowd and interacting. These three deserve all the credit for winning the awards.
I didn't do so well, personally. I frequently sounded out between carols with my genuine home-made bull horn and managed to scrape the concrete wall once, with the canoe. Other than a couple of busted Christmas lights no serious damage was done, unless you count my bruised ego.
While waiting along the seawall for the start of the parade I met a new friend, from Memphis, TN. His name is William. It was a great pleasure visiting with him and I hope to hear from him again. One thing William told me that I would like to share with you, is that he has two sons currently serving our country, in Iraq. Please join me by remembering to pray for all of our service members and their safe return.
Also at the seawall, A young mother with two little girls, after discovering I have seven sons, graciously allowed me to interact and visit with her daughters. She gladdened an old man's heart with her generosity, may God bless her.
One more little note of consequence happening at the end of the parade occurred, when a mysterious-dark barge suddenly appeared out of the darkness, seemingly out of no where. We were only yards away, before I saw it. On deck, stood a dark human figure waving his arms at us. The boys, by now trained to act accordingly, responded. They smiled, shouted Merry Christmas and waved back to him. Seconds later, a glowing fire ball ignited on the deck of the barge and shot skyward, leaving a sparkling trail in its wake. The fireball quickly gained altitude and burst into a beautiful fireworks display, right above our very heads. Needless to say, it had caught us all by complete surprise. With hindsight, we all figured it out. The waving figure standing on the deck, had been trying to warn us to stay away from the barge. Another great moment, included in a special night where
wonderful new memories, blessings and friends were discovered.
Until next time, may your new memmories be as special as ours are, thanks to you and Others.
Rodney
I have good news to report to you. All of your well wishes and prayers were well recieved. I'm glad to to tell you, we all had a good time and arrived home safe and sound. Oh yea, along with the many blessings we recieved from all of the people, we made new friends and won, not one, but two awards! One beautiful award was for the "Best of Show." This one included a beautiful plaque to hang on the wall and a one hundred dollar gift certificate, to be used at West Marine. The second award, a plaque similar to the first, was for being the "Most Creative."
As happy and proud as I am to be honored with the awards, I am most pleased with the great jobs Patrick, his friend Aaron and Aaron's dad, Ted, did. Patrick put forth an excellent effort playing carols with his trumpet. Evidenced by the applause he recieved from the generous audience. Aaron and Ted also did a great job, throwing out the goodies to the crowd and interacting. These three deserve all the credit for winning the awards.
I didn't do so well, personally. I frequently sounded out between carols with my genuine home-made bull horn and managed to scrape the concrete wall once, with the canoe. Other than a couple of busted Christmas lights no serious damage was done, unless you count my bruised ego.
While waiting along the seawall for the start of the parade I met a new friend, from Memphis, TN. His name is William. It was a great pleasure visiting with him and I hope to hear from him again. One thing William told me that I would like to share with you, is that he has two sons currently serving our country, in Iraq. Please join me by remembering to pray for all of our service members and their safe return.
Also at the seawall, A young mother with two little girls, after discovering I have seven sons, graciously allowed me to interact and visit with her daughters. She gladdened an old man's heart with her generosity, may God bless her.
One more little note of consequence happening at the end of the parade occurred, when a mysterious-dark barge suddenly appeared out of the darkness, seemingly out of no where. We were only yards away, before I saw it. On deck, stood a dark human figure waving his arms at us. The boys, by now trained to act accordingly, responded. They smiled, shouted Merry Christmas and waved back to him. Seconds later, a glowing fire ball ignited on the deck of the barge and shot skyward, leaving a sparkling trail in its wake. The fireball quickly gained altitude and burst into a beautiful fireworks display, right above our very heads. Needless to say, it had caught us all by complete surprise. With hindsight, we all figured it out. The waving figure standing on the deck, had been trying to warn us to stay away from the barge. Another great moment, included in a special night where
wonderful new memories, blessings and friends were discovered.
Until next time, may your new memmories be as special as ours are, thanks to you and Others.
Rodney
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Boat Parade
Good Morning,
Today is Saturday, the sixth day of December. Today is the day the city of Lake Charles is hosting Christmas celebrations. The city will be filled with celebrants enjoying the parades, choirs, fireworks and other fun filled activities, including the boat parade.
Some of you know how special the boat parade is to my family and I. The boys and I had an amazing adventure and endured personal trials of faith during our first attempt to join the parade. We simply wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and enjoy seeing the fireworks from the water. That fateful night ended and left us filled with awe over the many blessings we recieved from both, God and the wonderful people, who attended the parade as spectators. Special gifts that David, Daniel, Matthew and I will always deeply appreciate and will never forget. I will reveal and share them with you in my first book, with a humble heart. My hope is that it will strengthen your faith and inspire you to spend as much time with your family as possible. That's what the experience did for me.
My youngest son, Patrick, announced to me some time ago that he wanted to be in the parade this year. So once again, I have to overcome my own senses telling me to play it safe and remain at home, to enter him into the parade.
I must admit as the time of the start of the parade nears, I feel a growing sense of excitement. Pat joined the middle school band this year and is playing a trumpet. He has been practicing daily at home in order to play carols for the crowd, as his special gift. I hope he is well recieved. All of my remaining boys feel as if they have grown too old to participate with us, or perhaps found some common sense. Patrick intends to ask his good friend Aaron and his sister Lacy to ride in the canoe with us.
If you can, attend all of the fun festivities and stay to watch the parade with the fireworks afterwards. If you see us, shout out or better yet, join in our celebration of Our Lord, Jesus' birthday, by singing with us. If you can't carry a tune, don't worry about it, I can't either. Together we can make joyful noise. If you can't come, please pray for us, that we are successful in spreading the good news by lending our voices to the Good Spirit of the season.
A heartfelt Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for your support,
From Rodney and the rest of the Hennigan family
P.S.
The parade starts at six thirty p.m., behind the Civic Center. Stand near the seawall and listen for the horn.
Today is Saturday, the sixth day of December. Today is the day the city of Lake Charles is hosting Christmas celebrations. The city will be filled with celebrants enjoying the parades, choirs, fireworks and other fun filled activities, including the boat parade.
Some of you know how special the boat parade is to my family and I. The boys and I had an amazing adventure and endured personal trials of faith during our first attempt to join the parade. We simply wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and enjoy seeing the fireworks from the water. That fateful night ended and left us filled with awe over the many blessings we recieved from both, God and the wonderful people, who attended the parade as spectators. Special gifts that David, Daniel, Matthew and I will always deeply appreciate and will never forget. I will reveal and share them with you in my first book, with a humble heart. My hope is that it will strengthen your faith and inspire you to spend as much time with your family as possible. That's what the experience did for me.
My youngest son, Patrick, announced to me some time ago that he wanted to be in the parade this year. So once again, I have to overcome my own senses telling me to play it safe and remain at home, to enter him into the parade.
I must admit as the time of the start of the parade nears, I feel a growing sense of excitement. Pat joined the middle school band this year and is playing a trumpet. He has been practicing daily at home in order to play carols for the crowd, as his special gift. I hope he is well recieved. All of my remaining boys feel as if they have grown too old to participate with us, or perhaps found some common sense. Patrick intends to ask his good friend Aaron and his sister Lacy to ride in the canoe with us.
If you can, attend all of the fun festivities and stay to watch the parade with the fireworks afterwards. If you see us, shout out or better yet, join in our celebration of Our Lord, Jesus' birthday, by singing with us. If you can't carry a tune, don't worry about it, I can't either. Together we can make joyful noise. If you can't come, please pray for us, that we are successful in spreading the good news by lending our voices to the Good Spirit of the season.
A heartfelt Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for your support,
From Rodney and the rest of the Hennigan family
P.S.
The parade starts at six thirty p.m., behind the Civic Center. Stand near the seawall and listen for the horn.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Why name it "A Louisiana Outdoor Legacy"
In the beginning, I didn't think I needed to title the collection of stories, as a whole. Remember, the origininal purpose was to preserve them for my own children, I didn't feel the need to have an over-all title. They would know all of the stories came from their dad. Shortly after recieving strong recommendations (arm twisting), from total strangers, family and friends to publish, I realized I had to have a binding title. Each story required their own name and a special title to glue them all together. As I recalled and recorded each story from memory, the thickness of the manuscript increased. A sudden awareness became clear to me. They weren't just humorous tales of outdoor adventure. Each represented an important link in a chain of events shaping my life and creating the person I am.
I had a lot of influential people to thank for that, but first, I need to thank God. I had grown to know all of the events were gifts from Our Father. He was there with me, protecting me from harm, the whole time. He deserves much more credit and praise than I can ever give him. So I'll simply say, thank you Father. And accept the knowledge within my heart, he knows I sincerely mean it. He is the first link.
He began by blessing me with Dad (William Ralph Hennigan). An honest, hardworking man filled with a passion to spend his sparse leisure time in Louisiana's wild outdoors. His own dad had passed away when he was only eight years old. Knowing how precious time is, it was only natural that he introduced me to the outdoor world, at a very young age. Something his Dad had managed to do for him in the short amount of time they had together. Something I committed to do with my own children and did. Can you see where this is all going? It is what it is . . . a real legacy. A chain of events, binding the generations together, that began with a nameless, but appreciated fore-father, a long, long time ago. It's a legacy more valuable to me than all of the money in the world. It is full of wonderful memories of love, bonding adventure, shared hardships, challenges and self sacrifice that will endure long after all of the money is gone.
Pondering deep thoughts like these, It became easier to find the name to bind the stories.
"A Louisiana Outdoor Legacy" . . . ALOL for short.
A Lots of Love
A Lots of Laughter
A Lots of Luck
A Lots of . . . help.
I had a lot of influential people to thank for that, but first, I need to thank God. I had grown to know all of the events were gifts from Our Father. He was there with me, protecting me from harm, the whole time. He deserves much more credit and praise than I can ever give him. So I'll simply say, thank you Father. And accept the knowledge within my heart, he knows I sincerely mean it. He is the first link.
He began by blessing me with Dad (William Ralph Hennigan). An honest, hardworking man filled with a passion to spend his sparse leisure time in Louisiana's wild outdoors. His own dad had passed away when he was only eight years old. Knowing how precious time is, it was only natural that he introduced me to the outdoor world, at a very young age. Something his Dad had managed to do for him in the short amount of time they had together. Something I committed to do with my own children and did. Can you see where this is all going? It is what it is . . . a real legacy. A chain of events, binding the generations together, that began with a nameless, but appreciated fore-father, a long, long time ago. It's a legacy more valuable to me than all of the money in the world. It is full of wonderful memories of love, bonding adventure, shared hardships, challenges and self sacrifice that will endure long after all of the money is gone.
Pondering deep thoughts like these, It became easier to find the name to bind the stories.
"A Louisiana Outdoor Legacy" . . . ALOL for short.
A Lots of Love
A Lots of Laughter
A Lots of Luck
A Lots of . . . help.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Louisiana Outdoor Leagacy
Some folks have questioned me about how I came up with the title of my collection of true stories, "Louisiana Outdoor Legacy." It wasn't easy. Most of you may already know the written stories were never intended to be circulated to the general public. My original intentions were to write them down, make seven copies and give one to each of my seven sons. All of the stories, as unbelievable as some of them may sound, are true. Relying strictly on my own memory to recall the past events to begin writing down the first drafts made me realize that perhaps, the stories weren't entirely accurate, maybe I'd forgotten to put in some parts. I also knew I am not skilled in the art of writing. I hated to write lengthy reports of any type during my high school education, which is all I have. To satisfy my desire to be as accurate as possible, I decided to share the writings with the other participants to confirm accuracy and more educated individuals recieve their writing criticisms. I was wasn't too surprised to discover that on most all accounts, my versions were fairly accurate. And I wasn't surprised to discover that I was as dumb as I thought, when it comes to using punctuations and written words. What did surprise me was the very strong, emotional and heartfelt words of encouragement, from friends and family, to share them with the public by publishing.
That unexpected response frightened me in many ways. It would force me to expose my inner self to total strangers. The first thought of it left a feeling akin to being caught running from the bath to the laundry room, dripping wet, to look for a dry towel. No one else was home when you began your shower, the kids are in school and the spouse is out shopping with friends, so you're confident no one is there to see you. Your mind is totally focused on drying off and mopping the floor. You round the hallway corner and . . . Let's just say we all have warts we don't really care to show others and leave it there. Each story exposes a personal weakness of mine creating feelings of embarrassment, humiliation and a host of other emotions. Shame is not one of them, my heart was in the right place, even if I wasn't.
Each story is a personal treasure. There is no doubt in my mind, they were given to me from Our Father. With each adventure my trust in Him increased and I began to learn to rely on His grace. It's true, the original driving motivation of writing was to give a personal testimony to my children, to encourage them to go the outdoors and meet God in a personal way. I am not a theologin. I'm a realist and this I know, God is real. Jesus is real. And the Holy Spirit is real.
Some of you may be skeptic or doubters and that's okay. As long as you are a seeker, which in fact, is what an outdoorsman really is. He seeks, he hunts, all the while fine tuning all of his senses and . . . he finds. You can imagine my surprise to discover I was found, out in the woods and how it was revealed to me. Each unique story is a step taken on a life's journey leading me to be who I am today. I came to realize by sharing the stories with readers, who will make their own judgements, is the best way to thank Our Father for getting me out of the many situations I found myself in.
Why "A Louisiana Outdoor Leagacy?" More later, time to go to work.
That unexpected response frightened me in many ways. It would force me to expose my inner self to total strangers. The first thought of it left a feeling akin to being caught running from the bath to the laundry room, dripping wet, to look for a dry towel. No one else was home when you began your shower, the kids are in school and the spouse is out shopping with friends, so you're confident no one is there to see you. Your mind is totally focused on drying off and mopping the floor. You round the hallway corner and . . . Let's just say we all have warts we don't really care to show others and leave it there. Each story exposes a personal weakness of mine creating feelings of embarrassment, humiliation and a host of other emotions. Shame is not one of them, my heart was in the right place, even if I wasn't.
Each story is a personal treasure. There is no doubt in my mind, they were given to me from Our Father. With each adventure my trust in Him increased and I began to learn to rely on His grace. It's true, the original driving motivation of writing was to give a personal testimony to my children, to encourage them to go the outdoors and meet God in a personal way. I am not a theologin. I'm a realist and this I know, God is real. Jesus is real. And the Holy Spirit is real.
Some of you may be skeptic or doubters and that's okay. As long as you are a seeker, which in fact, is what an outdoorsman really is. He seeks, he hunts, all the while fine tuning all of his senses and . . . he finds. You can imagine my surprise to discover I was found, out in the woods and how it was revealed to me. Each unique story is a step taken on a life's journey leading me to be who I am today. I came to realize by sharing the stories with readers, who will make their own judgements, is the best way to thank Our Father for getting me out of the many situations I found myself in.
Why "A Louisiana Outdoor Leagacy?" More later, time to go to work.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I'd like to hear from you
I'm curious. Maybe you're new at this blogging stuff, as I am, but at the end of each posting is a small printed word. The word is "comment". Clicking on the word will allow you to leave me a message. I know, I've had quite a few visitors and several of you return for more visits. Don't take this the wrong way, I appreciate your visits, but you're all much too quite. I'd really like to hear from you. Perhaps you have some stories to share of your own, I'd certainly like to like to hear of them. Whatever you do, please remember, to try to make today count. It really is the only one we have. So . . . make it good!
Rodney
Rodney
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday
The boys and I returned home just in time to see the end of the Saint's football game. It wasn't fun. They got whipped pretty badly. One might say, almost as bad as I did. Pat and I found a great place to hunt in the woods. Buck sign was everywhere. We both knew we were each going to get one. Although we had a great time hunting together, we never saw a deer. Matthew and Christopher hunted together, in a different location. Matt had a doe walk under his stand. Chris had a yearling approach within twenty feet. Two hours later, six more came bounding by, all does. Combined, Matt and Chris saw eight deer. With the bucks only season in progress, we came home empty handed. The pressure is increasing to bring home the venison as I watch my stockpile of sausauge growing smaller in the freezer. I may be forced to put the boys on half-rations (fat chance of that happening!). David also went with us on the trip. He hunted one evening, said he had had enough. And added that since he couldn't shoot a doe and bring the venison home to eat, it was a waste of time. He finished by announcing, he was going to stay in the camper and sleep in, the following morning! He did, too. He ignored all of my pleading. Talk about someone with his priorities in order. In hindsight, I think he may have really had the right idea and outsmarted all of the rest of us. So here I am, back at work, no deer in the freezer, but I didn't come home entirely empty handed. I managed to bring home a nasty little cold. Another good memory was made with the boys, in God's great outdoors, I can't wait to get back. I really found a lot of big buck sign and I know Old Mossyhorns is standing in front of my climbing tree right now, snorting a little laugh and pawing the ground. Maybe next weekend . . .
Until then,
Make it count!
Until then,
Make it count!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 05
After the long fought-historic presidential campaign, it's time for me to redouble my efforts to get out into the woods and do a little unwinding. I'm hoping David, Matt, Chris and Pat can get away and go to Clear Creek WMA with Wayne and I this weekend. The bucks-only season is in progress. The bucks are rutting (mating time) and their minds are occupied with one thought, the potential sexual conquest of does. This time of year presents a perfect excuse for the boys and I to answer our own calls of of the wild and get outdoors, in search of adventure, venison and old mossy horns.
Wish us good hunting, good memmories and good luck!
Pray for our country, pray for our new president and please remember, to make it count.
Wish us good hunting, good memmories and good luck!
Pray for our country, pray for our new president and please remember, to make it count.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
November 04- Election Day
I've just returned from voting and maintained my right to gripe. A strong believer in society's collective wisdom, I'm sure the best canidates will win. I just hope those given the honor and entrusted to represent all of us, do so in a way that God will recognize we are doing the best we can, with what we have to work with. I do know, I've done my best and hope you have also, by voting. Pray for whomever wins and Thank God for blessing us with such a great country.
Remember to make it count, go vote. Louisiana polls close at eight p.m.
Remember to make it count, go vote. Louisiana polls close at eight p.m.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The past weekend
Monday, November 03, 2008
The weekend didn't quite shape up, the way I thought it would. My eldest son, Rocky, asked me to stick around Saturday Morn to introduce him to my friends during the Bayou Writer's Group monthly meeting. It didn't take much to encourage me to do so. With the election of officers and discussions concerning the upcoming writer's convention on November 15, (Interested? Find out more. Access the group from my friends page.) on the agenda. The temptation to catch up on the latest with my friends was just too much to resist. I recieved Cristopher's blessing to attend the meeting, with the understanding that I would take him hunting afterwards. The meeting was great.
By the time I returned home, the plan to bring Chris hunting had adjusted to going after church the next day, on Sunday. Friends and relatives had called while I was away, to wish him a happy birthday and ask what time the party started (later that evening). At the party, Mathew announced he was going dear hunting, not to the woods with us.
During the down time between the meeting and the party, my cousin, Gloria and her husband Wayne (a mentor of mine) came over to visit. Before you knew it, Wayne and I were on top of the old silver bullet airstream changing out the air conditioner. We both had thought the small job wouldn't last very long. We were both wrong. It was one of those things that when you started, it grabbed you by the tail and wouldn't let go, until either you or it was finished. To make a long story short, let's just keep it simple and say the job didn't end until late Sunday afternoon. And only then, after eating a lot of humble pie! No hunts occurred over the weekend. Thank God, Chris is a forgiving son and accepted a rain-check from his Dad. The recently installed, used air conditioner, was working just fine, when I last checked.
So far this season, Deer-02, Rod-00
Contankerous-unforgiving air conditioner vs. Rod and Wayne-tied
Remember to do your best. And with God's help, do what you can to create good memmories. Make it count.
The weekend didn't quite shape up, the way I thought it would. My eldest son, Rocky, asked me to stick around Saturday Morn to introduce him to my friends during the Bayou Writer's Group monthly meeting. It didn't take much to encourage me to do so. With the election of officers and discussions concerning the upcoming writer's convention on November 15, (Interested? Find out more. Access the group from my friends page.) on the agenda. The temptation to catch up on the latest with my friends was just too much to resist. I recieved Cristopher's blessing to attend the meeting, with the understanding that I would take him hunting afterwards. The meeting was great.
By the time I returned home, the plan to bring Chris hunting had adjusted to going after church the next day, on Sunday. Friends and relatives had called while I was away, to wish him a happy birthday and ask what time the party started (later that evening). At the party, Mathew announced he was going dear hunting, not to the woods with us.
During the down time between the meeting and the party, my cousin, Gloria and her husband Wayne (a mentor of mine) came over to visit. Before you knew it, Wayne and I were on top of the old silver bullet airstream changing out the air conditioner. We both had thought the small job wouldn't last very long. We were both wrong. It was one of those things that when you started, it grabbed you by the tail and wouldn't let go, until either you or it was finished. To make a long story short, let's just keep it simple and say the job didn't end until late Sunday afternoon. And only then, after eating a lot of humble pie! No hunts occurred over the weekend. Thank God, Chris is a forgiving son and accepted a rain-check from his Dad. The recently installed, used air conditioner, was working just fine, when I last checked.
So far this season, Deer-02, Rod-00
Contankerous-unforgiving air conditioner vs. Rod and Wayne-tied
Remember to do your best. And with God's help, do what you can to create good memmories. Make it count.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 31
Tomorrow is Christopher's fifteenth birthday and you'll never guess what he wants me to do with him on our special day. In accordance with his wish, we'll be spending time together in the wild woods of Clear Creek WMA, hunting. More important than bringing home the venison will be the bonding and the memory created. We've asked Matthew to come along and are hoping he does. Matt is twenty years old, a member of a fraternity at McNeese State University and in the midst of his own tug of war with another type of dear hunting. We'll see if we can't give him a break and swing him our way. Don't take this the wrong way, ladies, he's a true gentleman.
Here's a little update on my first book. I'm basically complete with the writing of it. I'm waiting on a very gifted and talented illustrator, Mr. Thomas Reeves. God used my youngest son, Patrick, to introduce the two of us to each other. I am so honored to have Tom doing the illustrations, I do not desire to rush him. In our last meeting he forced me to give him a deadline. I did. It is next May. (Tom, if you are reading this, remember that the deadline is not set in stone.) Once I have the drawings in hand, Ill be visiting the printer. Hopefully the book will be ready for you by next December. I've got to cut it short and go to work on the railroad. In the meantime, make your day count and with God's blessing, make it good.
Here's a little update on my first book. I'm basically complete with the writing of it. I'm waiting on a very gifted and talented illustrator, Mr. Thomas Reeves. God used my youngest son, Patrick, to introduce the two of us to each other. I am so honored to have Tom doing the illustrations, I do not desire to rush him. In our last meeting he forced me to give him a deadline. I did. It is next May. (Tom, if you are reading this, remember that the deadline is not set in stone.) Once I have the drawings in hand, Ill be visiting the printer. Hopefully the book will be ready for you by next December. I've got to cut it short and go to work on the railroad. In the meantime, make your day count and with God's blessing, make it good.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Matthew @ clear Creek WMA
Monday, October 27
My afternoon was spent cleaning the chest type freezer. I discovered it unplugged and defrosted, well on its way to ruin when Patrick sent me to the shop to retrieve a bag of blackberries to make a cobbler. Boy, oh boy, how disappointed I was. Patrick cooks up such a darn good cobbler, I can taste it now!
My fellow bear surviving buddy, Kelly called last night and informed me he pulled a "Rodney" by hanging onto his stand, half way down to the ground and one-arming a shot. He succcessfully pulled it off and cleanly put down a three point buck. Way to go Kelly, I know where to ask for venison if I don't get mine soon, old buddy, buddy!
- Matthew hasn't slowed down. After putting in a day's work, his old buddy Anthony called to see if he wanted to go hunting and he did. The two young men initially left their stands in the truck to do a little pre-hunt scouting and entered the woods. A few short minutes later they jumped up a deer and decided they had seen all they needed to and retrieved the stands from the truck to climb the trees. They sat until dark. Anthony didn't see anything but Matthew's patience was rewarded. He was entertained by a mature doe and her twin yearlings for nearly fifteen minutes. He had such a great time, I don't think it ever bothered him that the trophy buck he was hunting never stepped out for him or that he came home empty handed. He gladly accepted the gift he recieved and anxiously awaits his next return to the woods.
My afternoon was spent cleaning the chest type freezer. I discovered it unplugged and defrosted, well on its way to ruin when Patrick sent me to the shop to retrieve a bag of blackberries to make a cobbler. Boy, oh boy, how disappointed I was. Patrick cooks up such a darn good cobbler, I can taste it now!
My fellow bear surviving buddy, Kelly called last night and informed me he pulled a "Rodney" by hanging onto his stand, half way down to the ground and one-arming a shot. He succcessfully pulled it off and cleanly put down a three point buck. Way to go Kelly, I know where to ask for venison if I don't get mine soon, old buddy, buddy!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Return from Thistlewaite
All of the boys and I returned from the hunt Sunday afternoon. We didn't see any deer but had a great trip, just the same. The deer refused to cooperate. I checked in the wildlife agent manning the check-in station to gather stats on the over-all hunt. As of ten-thirty Sunday morning, zero deer had been shot. I found it hard to believe and so did Mr. Tom.
I am impressed with Thistlewaite. It is a prime area to hunt, is well managed and boasts a very sizable deer herd. The recent hurricane, Gustav, wreaked havoc on a lot of the large mast-producing oak trees. Loggers are in the process of reclaiming as many of the downed trees as possible. Agriculture fields surround the area and provide a ready food source for the animals when the acorns and natural browse are scarce. We found plenty of sign to indicate the deer are numerous. Chris and Pat would have each gotten one if they had cooperated. Each of the boys did an excellent job in the woods and had a good time. I'm especially proud of Matthew for spending his time with us and for mentoring his youngest brother, Pat. We'll just blame our lack of venison on the beautiful weather and give this one to the deer.
P.S. I thought the boys were going to get more of an education than I had bargained for when we pulled into the only campground availabe. Willie's Washington Campround and bar. The attendant first offered to us a space directly behind the bar which would feature a live band Saturday night. You can imagine my relief when I found a space available in the south forty, well away from the loud foot stomping bar.
I am impressed with Thistlewaite. It is a prime area to hunt, is well managed and boasts a very sizable deer herd. The recent hurricane, Gustav, wreaked havoc on a lot of the large mast-producing oak trees. Loggers are in the process of reclaiming as many of the downed trees as possible. Agriculture fields surround the area and provide a ready food source for the animals when the acorns and natural browse are scarce. We found plenty of sign to indicate the deer are numerous. Chris and Pat would have each gotten one if they had cooperated. Each of the boys did an excellent job in the woods and had a good time. I'm especially proud of Matthew for spending his time with us and for mentoring his youngest brother, Pat. We'll just blame our lack of venison on the beautiful weather and give this one to the deer.
P.S. I thought the boys were going to get more of an education than I had bargained for when we pulled into the only campground availabe. Willie's Washington Campround and bar. The attendant first offered to us a space directly behind the bar which would feature a live band Saturday night. You can imagine my relief when I found a space available in the south forty, well away from the loud foot stomping bar.
Friday, October 24, 2008
youth deer hunt
October 24, 2008
I'll be taking my second to the youngest, Christopher (Chris), on a special youth hunt sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. I'm very proud of Matthew, the fourth of seven boys. He has stepped up to the plate and volunteered to accompany Patrick (Pat), the youngest, for the hunt. If everything goes as planned (it seldom does) we'll be hooking up the old airstream and headed for Thistlewaite WMA, shortly after the boys get off the bus from school. We'll be looking for adventure and creating more good memmories together, in another one of God's great gifts to us, the outdors. I'll post when we get back. It's time to git. Wish us luck and good hunting!
I'll be taking my second to the youngest, Christopher (Chris), on a special youth hunt sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. I'm very proud of Matthew, the fourth of seven boys. He has stepped up to the plate and volunteered to accompany Patrick (Pat), the youngest, for the hunt. If everything goes as planned (it seldom does) we'll be hooking up the old airstream and headed for Thistlewaite WMA, shortly after the boys get off the bus from school. We'll be looking for adventure and creating more good memmories together, in another one of God's great gifts to us, the outdors. I'll post when we get back. It's time to git. Wish us luck and good hunting!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
canoe trip
October 22, 2008
New friends, Angie Dilmore and her husband Bob, met me at Parkside Marina to take a little canoe ride up Indian Bayou. We were searching for the wild gators and other types of wildlife, I know to inhabit the area. Unfortunately the gators didn't cooperate but a great blue heron, an osprey, and a first for me, a mink, revealed their presence to us. I felt bad about not finding any gators for my new friends from Pittsburgh, but I sure enjoyed their company and home-made peanut butter cookies! Maybe I'll be able to talk them into another ride, one day.
New friends, Angie Dilmore and her husband Bob, met me at Parkside Marina to take a little canoe ride up Indian Bayou. We were searching for the wild gators and other types of wildlife, I know to inhabit the area. Unfortunately the gators didn't cooperate but a great blue heron, an osprey, and a first for me, a mink, revealed their presence to us. I felt bad about not finding any gators for my new friends from Pittsburgh, but I sure enjoyed their company and home-made peanut butter cookies! Maybe I'll be able to talk them into another ride, one day.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
newspaper interview
OCTOBER 21, 2008
I took my youngest son, Patrick, with me recently to Sam Houston Jones State Park. The reason for the special trip was to meet Nona Cross, a writer for the Southwest Daily news. She had contacted me to do an interview on several different subjects. Subjects ranging from how did I manage to introduce my seven sons to the outdoors and what it meant to them and me. She was very interested to hear about some of my outdoor experiences and the may reasons I had for writing them down to share with everyone else. I must admit, at first, I was a little nervous and self-conscious when the questioning began, but she soon put me at ease and the three of us began having a lot of fun. I was glad to have Pat along. He set the perfect example for me, by effortlessly answering a few questions of his own. We had so much fun visiting and fellowshipping, the time simply flew by. The next thing we knew, three hours had passed and the sun was rapidly disappearing over the western horizon, forcing us to consider ending the interview to return home. Moments later, as Nona and I were saying our good-byes, Patrick, with an excited tone in his voice, directed our attention to a doe walking past us, only forty yards distant. We thanked God for the beautiful sight and perfect ending. Nona did tell me that she'd let me know if or when the paper decided to run the story. When she gives me the details, I'll try to remember to pass it along. If the paper prints it or not Nona, thanks for the honor of being interviewed by you and for making all of the hard work worthwhile, and you did it all by yourself.
Another little note you may find a little interesting. You may or may not already know, I'm following in my father's footsteps and working on my thirtieth year for the railroad. Today I had to take my qualification exam on how to operate a remote controlled engine. A lot of people don't realize we can operate engines with a small transmitter device, not much different than the ones operating the remote controlled cars you purchase for the children at Christmas time. It always amazes me the lengths some companys will go through to put a person out of work, so remember to approach all railroad crossings safely, please don't break an old trainman's heart. Oh yea, I almost forgot, I managed to pass the test!
I took my youngest son, Patrick, with me recently to Sam Houston Jones State Park. The reason for the special trip was to meet Nona Cross, a writer for the Southwest Daily news. She had contacted me to do an interview on several different subjects. Subjects ranging from how did I manage to introduce my seven sons to the outdoors and what it meant to them and me. She was very interested to hear about some of my outdoor experiences and the may reasons I had for writing them down to share with everyone else. I must admit, at first, I was a little nervous and self-conscious when the questioning began, but she soon put me at ease and the three of us began having a lot of fun. I was glad to have Pat along. He set the perfect example for me, by effortlessly answering a few questions of his own. We had so much fun visiting and fellowshipping, the time simply flew by. The next thing we knew, three hours had passed and the sun was rapidly disappearing over the western horizon, forcing us to consider ending the interview to return home. Moments later, as Nona and I were saying our good-byes, Patrick, with an excited tone in his voice, directed our attention to a doe walking past us, only forty yards distant. We thanked God for the beautiful sight and perfect ending. Nona did tell me that she'd let me know if or when the paper decided to run the story. When she gives me the details, I'll try to remember to pass it along. If the paper prints it or not Nona, thanks for the honor of being interviewed by you and for making all of the hard work worthwhile, and you did it all by yourself.
Another little note you may find a little interesting. You may or may not already know, I'm following in my father's footsteps and working on my thirtieth year for the railroad. Today I had to take my qualification exam on how to operate a remote controlled engine. A lot of people don't realize we can operate engines with a small transmitter device, not much different than the ones operating the remote controlled cars you purchase for the children at Christmas time. It always amazes me the lengths some companys will go through to put a person out of work, so remember to approach all railroad crossings safely, please don't break an old trainman's heart. Oh yea, I almost forgot, I managed to pass the test!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Welcome
Good morning, today is Sunday, October the ninteenth. It is early and already starting out to be an adventurous one, for me. Two weeks ago my oldest son, Rocky, began setting me up with the new web page introducing me to you. He added this blog-spot last night during the LSU game. Of course, he is a big fan of the tigers as am I. I didn't ask him to do it then. He just did it. I felt the love flow, even though he did cut me side-long glances when I would unintentially interrupt his concentration with cheers or groans. Thanks Rock-man
The adventure continues this morning with me attempting to blog on for the first time in my life, before getting to work on a short story. A story that I hope will be accepted by the Lake Charles Press. It is an unforgettable true story about a salt water fishing trip my dad took me on when I was about thirteen years old. It was an awesome trip involving an epic battle between the natural forces of nature and my hero. Who is my hero, you might ask. Why, my dad of course. He fought and survived against unbelievable odds stacked against his survival. With a ring side seat, I was convinced I was witnessing his tragic death while I stood frozen in fear and awe. Thank God, another one of my heros, present. He worked it all out for the better. And in a way only He could have done, leaving us with precious gifts. As I have mentioned earlier, this is my first attempt to post, forgive me. I really don't know if any of you will be interested in what happened on that trip, but if I do recieve visitors who are, let me know. If enough of you are interested (one) I'll post it here first, before I send it on to the paper. Thanks for visiting, I have certainly enjoyed it and hope you have too.
Remember to make it count,
W. Rodney
P.S. Any suggestions to help me be a better blogger would be appreciated.
The adventure continues this morning with me attempting to blog on for the first time in my life, before getting to work on a short story. A story that I hope will be accepted by the Lake Charles Press. It is an unforgettable true story about a salt water fishing trip my dad took me on when I was about thirteen years old. It was an awesome trip involving an epic battle between the natural forces of nature and my hero. Who is my hero, you might ask. Why, my dad of course. He fought and survived against unbelievable odds stacked against his survival. With a ring side seat, I was convinced I was witnessing his tragic death while I stood frozen in fear and awe. Thank God, another one of my heros, present. He worked it all out for the better. And in a way only He could have done, leaving us with precious gifts. As I have mentioned earlier, this is my first attempt to post, forgive me. I really don't know if any of you will be interested in what happened on that trip, but if I do recieve visitors who are, let me know. If enough of you are interested (one) I'll post it here first, before I send it on to the paper. Thanks for visiting, I have certainly enjoyed it and hope you have too.
Remember to make it count,
W. Rodney
P.S. Any suggestions to help me be a better blogger would be appreciated.