Nine Days in November

The rifle season ended tonight in Wisconsin. Each year is different and this year was no exception. John shot this nice 5 pointer opening morning. The boys passed on 10 additional deer that weekend. Two of us never saw a deer. Can't remember when the last time I hunted the opener and never saw anything but it really didn't matter to me. As long as the boys see critters, I'm happy. Anyway, I've got 6 more weeks or archery and a 4 day does only (with rifles) season in early December. So weather permitting. I still have plenty of tree sitting ahead of me. Oh, and speaking of weather permitting, we've had about a foot of snow over the last three days.
Deer are still moving but only at night. I pulled my trail cams before the storm and only have one back out. I'd like to do some more scouting around so hopefully we won't get hit too hard over the next two weeks. Snow is rather tough to walk in right now but it's supposed to really warm up by next weekend.
I've got to find a secret location for my next great stand. It will be grand. The tough part will be what to name it.....

Bow Hunting - 2012

Every year bring new challenges when it come to bow hunting. It seems that the shoulders ache a little bit more and sometimes it feels good to sleep in in the morning.
I started a week late this fall as we were touring out East and wasn't sure just when we would get back home. One thing I was looking forward to was hunting with my bud Kurt. He started bow hunting this year and it's kind of nice to have a partner. At least on the weekends.
I was hunting my favorite stand, The Hotel California, three weeks ago when I got busted by this doe. I moved at the wrong time and she was gone. Last Friday night, we were out. We had 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30. Oh, and did I mention it was snowing? Well I was really swaying way up in my stand when she came by. I put my arrow over her back. She heard the "thwack". looked around, and walked away. I'm just glad I shot high and didn't wound her. What's interesting is that when I check my trail cam pictures a day later, here she had come back 5 minutes after I left my stand for the night. I was in my stand well before dawn Saturday morning, she came by again and wasn't so lucky this time. She only went 100 yards but I'm damn glad I had help. We had to drag her about 100 yards up hill to where I could get my ATV. Again, it sure is nice to have a partner.
I'll put the bow away for a couple of weeks. There's a turkey left to be hunted and there's a few grouse that need to be chased. By then the bucks will be in rut and it will be time to haul out the bow again.
I know it's only a doe Al but this one was for you!

The Wall

Took a road trip a couple weeks ago. Went to Niagara Falls, Canada down to Jamestown, Virginia and parts in between. Saw a lot of neat stuff and places we'd never seen before. Went to Gettysburg, Mount Vernon and Washington D.C.
Of all the places we went, there was one I had to visit above all others, that being The Vietnam Memorial Wall. I graduated with 755 classmates and we lost, to my knowledge, five in the war. In junior high, I played football against Dean Vasquez. He was a big, soft spoken Hispanic kid. He didn't say much and after playing against him I decided football wasn't in my future. He went on to letter at our high school. In fact, I think he lettered as a sophmore.
He lived a block away from me but I never really knew him. In those days, you had so many kids on your own block, you never had to go outside of it to make friends or get guys to do things with.
He joined the marines after high school and was killed in 1968.
For anyone who still reads this blog, if you go to D.C., visit the wall. Take your kids with you if you can. Look at the names. There are 58,195 of them.
May we never forget.....

Alva Rankin February 19th,1951-July 23rd,2012

As I walk the woods and listen to the wind, you will be with me. Rest in peace my friend.....

Walking Ditches - 2012

The weatherman said there was a 40% chance of rain Saturday and the radar wasn't too promising, but that never deters us. It's not allowed to rain when we walk ditches. Of course, the DOT didn't inform us that they would be sand blasting cracks and filling them in with tar. Again, that doesn't matter either. We still walk and pick up trash.
I mentioned last year that John and I would walk those 2 miles by ourselves if we had to but our friends still give up a Saturday and pick up trash with us. Well, except for that live Bull snake. We left that alone...
So I want to thank Mike, Kurt, Lyle, Stone, Tommy, Kevin and his son Anthony, andUwe and his son Danny for walking those ditches with us. The missus and John did all the cooking and I whined about all the cuts on my legs. I gotta learn not to wear shorts when I walk the deep weeds....
I still see the occasional driver that stops for us as we cross the street, smiles and gives us the thumbs up. They see the signs on each end of our road. They know who we are. That makes me feel good.
We'll be back next year.

Return to Long Lake - Volume II

Last year Mike and I returned to my old lake for a day of fishing. Had so much fun we decided to go back. Of course, since I tend to overdo things sometimes, we went for a week this time accompanied by our "significant others".
Mike and I like to ultra light for panfish and the fishing was beyond stupid. We caught and released hundreds of nice crappies and sunnies and had a picture taken with a sampling of those we kept. I have  great picture taken on the cell phone but can't figure out how to download it onto the computer. Geez, I'm a putz!  But I digress.....
Late in the week I took a drive over to an old friend's house. I worked with him for four years when we first moved up to the lake. I was a pretend carpenter. He pulled out a couple of rusted old lawn chairs and we sat, petting his dogs, and talked about the past. I asked about some of the people I met while in the trades. Some have passed away, some have moved on and some continue to work in the area. Talked about the times we had together ice fishing, hunting and, of course, working together. Talked about our families.
I waved goodbye while backing out of his driveway. He was kneeling in his yard hugging his three dogs. A solitary life for my friend but I guess it's what he wants now.
On the way back to the resort I took a few back roads and drove by some of the old job sites I had worked on. A lot of memories. I'm a nostalgic guy but I don't miss that part of my life. It was a means to an end and it was time to move on.
I do miss the fishing, however, and I will be back.....

May 11th

Well Eric, I finally did it. I threw out that old down vest of yours. I've been wearing it for 11 years turkey and deer hunting. Every time I hunt. The insulation was shot and the zipper wouldn't come unstuck so I had to pull it over my head every time I put it on or took it off. I liked the burn hole in it and always smiled when I looked at that spot, but it was time.
Today we drove into Superior as there was this big rummage sale for a family with some serious medical bills. We bought a few small items and as we were waiting in line to pay, mom noticed a rack of coats. Though I told her I didn't need any jackets, I ended up over there any ways. Out of this big rack she pulled out the vest. I mean "The Vest". Same color, same lining and same manufacturer as the one I threw away. I had to try it on and it fit. The zipper works and it doesn't have that burn hole but other than that it's"The Vest". Of course I bought it.
As we were walking through the parking lot, mom commented on how ironic it was that we found this identical vest on your birthday. I had thought of that as well.
I will wear it as I wore the old one, every time I hunt. I won't have that burn hole to smile at but that's OK. I still wear one of your T shirts under it. Always have, always will. And who knows, maybe someday it will have that burn hole in it......
You would have been 41 today. I love you my son.....   Dad

"There's something happening here"

"What is is ain't exactly clear" Great lyrics of "For What It's Worth" by The Buffalo Springfield, written by Stephen Stills. The words seem to hold true for me this spring.
It's been a weird spring. I'd talk about the weather but that's for old folks to discuss.
First, I missed a turkey at 20 yards. I know I posted about that last week and I promise to quit whining about it but, nevertheless, that's not normal.
Then I go to donate blood again and there's no one there to tell me I look like Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffet or Eleanor Roosevelt. But hey, next donation puts me at 5 gallons and I get my name put on the wall. Just think about all the people running around out there with a little bit of old Dewey flowing through their veins..... Scary. BUT, after telling the girls I'm going fishing over the weekend, and as I'm walking out the door, they give me this nifty free T shirt. Note the word "free". Though the color is a little strange and doesn't match my eyes, what the heck! Did I mention it was free?
So then there's the Sconnie fishing opener. We always start a week earlier than Minnesota so it's normally cold, the water's cold and the fish don't bite. But this year it has been unseasonably warm (old person talking now) and things were looking up a bit. My fishing partner Mike and I actually caught fish this year! Though we didn't set any records, I did send him home with a bunch of panfish fillets. John and Tommy had a tougher time on the lake they fished and only managed one keeper northern. However, since both boats docked at their respective bars for lunch, we were able to compare food, waitresses and the like. Mike and I had the best dogs at our bar. Yes, two of the four legged kind were wandering around while we ate our burger. Only in Wisconsin.
It's just been different this last month. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.....

Turkey - 2012

You'll notice that there is no picture accompanying this post. Well....... that's cuz we didn't shoot anything.
Unlike last year, we didn't have any snow to contend with but we did sit out in the rain for 5 1/2 hours Wednesday morning. Late Wednesday, when the rain stopped, we did start to hear some gobblers. I managed to call one in to about 20 yards. As he circled me in the woods, I saw a piece of his head and fired. Something strange happened. He ran away..... I'd never missed one that close before  so it didn't occur to me to shoot another time. I said a few choice words and that was the only gobbler I saw in five days. John had a couple up close and personal but wasn't able to get off a shot. Al never saw a gobbler.
Nevertheless, it's always fun to sit and listen to all the critters in the woods. A couple of mornings I was sure a pack of coyotes was going to run me over they sounded so close. Saw some hens and always enjoy the fellowship of the local people we see while down there.
Next week it's the Sconnie fishing opener. The boat is ready and the boys will be up Friday afternoon. When I pulled up this blog I see I had a new format to work through. Why must things change?????
If for some strange reason we catch something and take a picture. I'll have to figure out how to post it. UFFDA!!

March 27th, 2001

Eric - It's hard to believe that it's been 11 years since you've been gone. It seems like only yesterday yet sometimes it seems like a thousand years.
We think of you constantly. That's never changed and I know it never will. I can still hear your voice. Sometimes it makes me smile. Sometimes it makes me so sad.
Your son continues to grow. He is you all over. Every time I see him, he has a big hug for me. He even hugs like you did. He is a good boy and is being raised well. You would be so proud.
I miss you Eric......
You were and are and always will be my hero. I love you my son... Dad

I Couldn't Say It Any Better.......

"Clowns to the left of me. Jokers to the right. Here I am stuck in the middle with you." - Stealers Wheel

Road Trip - January 2012

Decided to head down to Florida to see some friends. I guess it didn't hurt to get into some 80 degree weather and put on the shorts for a few days. Saw some sights, took an air boat ride and saw what swims and crawls in the swamps. Think I'll stay in the cold country....
Anyway, I had an ulterior motive for this trip as I'm a history buff and there's lots too see in the South.
We stopped by Plains, Georgia the home of President Jimmy Carter. I would have liked to knock on his door and say hi but there's this thing with the Secret Service......... We did stop out in the cemetery and pay homage to brother Billy. He had the gas station in town and even got a beer named after him. There were a bunch of pennies on his headstone so I added what I had.
We also wandered over to Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of Jack Daniels. We took the tour and even though Moore County is a dry county, they are allowed to sell a complimentary bottle to visitors of the distillery. The only exception was not on Sunday. Guess what day I was there??
Decided to visit the cemetery to see if I could find old Jack. The cemetery was huge but we had learned that there were two chairs in front of his head stone. We found him and, once again, I paid homage.
My real passion in history is the Civil War so we travelled down to Andersonville, Georgia to see the location of the most infamous prisoner of war camp ever in America. Over 45,000 Union soldiers passed through the gates and at one time there were 33,000 in an area of 16 acres with no food, water or shelter. 13,000 perished in a little over a year. Once again I headed to the cemetery where they were buried shoulder to shoulder. I took a picture. One prisoner actually tried to keep track of the names of the dead and smuggled out a copy of his list in the lining of his jacket. A year after the war was over, he returned along with Clara Barton and was able to put names over the graves of all but 4oo men. I walked amongst the head stones. Quite sobering..
On the way home we stopped in northern Georgia and Chickamauga, the site of the bloodiest battle outside of Gettysburg. 125,000 Union and Confederate soldiers slugged it out for two days in the forests and fields just south of Chattanooga. There were over 34,000 casualties in just those two days. There are many plaques and memorials to the various units placed throughout the battlefield and I stopped and read many. A jogger came by, pointed to the back of my car and up towards one of the monuments. It was for one of the Wisconsin regiments who fought there. I guess he saw my license plate and knew which monument was which.
As I wandered the maze of trees and stone and came upon one for a cavalry unit from Wisconsin. Cavalry from Wisconsin? For a moment I had to smile as I pictured a bunch of "Sconnies" riding cows into battle.
One local lady told me about the Confederate cemetery just south of town so we went over there. 421 Confederate and 4 Union soldiers are buried there. All unidentified. Men who never went home and had no one to put flowers on their graves.
I was impressed with the people of the south. I don't know how many times people saw my license plate, or maybe heard my "accent", and told us to have a safe trip home. I think we could learn a little something from them....

"Watchin' the wheels go round and round"

Had to steal a little from John Lennon today as nothing much is going on.
Oh, I did go and donate blood again yesterday. Geez where did those two months go? At any rate, I always enjoy talking to the girls while they are lowering my blood content. Normally one of the highlights is sitting out in the lobby having my cookies and juice afterwards. I peeked around the corner hoping no one was sitting out there. I didn't need someone coming up to me and telling me I looked like Billy Graham, Clint Eastwood, Queen Latifah or the lead singer of the Electric Prunes. Fortunately no one was there so I had my cookies and juice in peace, read my People magazine and vacated the premises.
Ten more days and it's back to Minnesota to do a little walleye fishing. We actually caught a few last year and armed with that knowledge, only good things can happen. Plus the guy who burned through a couple of lines, (literally), while the bite was on can't make it this year. We have a new rookie (Mikey), and look forward to imparting some of our great wisdom upon him. Like I said, only good things can happen.....