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.
Friday, October 31, 2008
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.