December 21, 2025 after a long hiatus I am back to the blog.  How do you catch on 3 years of happenings.  Well you do not very easily.  So as of now I will start fresh.  Just to give a little back ground, all my daughters are now married and starting their own families, very exciting!  Our deer season was slow.  We took 2 does, neither of them by me.  It seems like everything I shoot at is a miss.  I had that problem a few years ago and it all boiled down to me.  I resighted in the rifle and it was right where it needed to be.  So we will see what the future holds.  Trapping season has started and only one beaver so far.  I put out one float yesterday and will check after church today.  We have our cabin booked for our winter trapping trip.  This will be our 36th year!  There are few locations and we have friends that give us some locations too.  Everything hinges on the weather.  if it is cold we are trapping under the ice, if not it is so much easier when there is open water.  I will let you all know how we do.  In the meantime Merry Christmas to you!

December 14, 2022  Wow it has been months since I have written here and a lot has been happening!  Hunting season is starting to wind down and for some of us it has been a good season.  My daughter took the prize with the largest buck killed at about 260 yards from our shooting bench.  She was up there by herself and made a great shot sneaking the bullet trees and brush to hit the deer.  It piled up less than 100 yards from where it was standing.  Her deer was probably the biggest ever killed here!  Very cool to say the least!  A few does were killed and that was about all that were taken here.  Trapping season is on but I have yet to set a trap.  I am hoping to get out on the river and catch a few beavers and we finalized our cabin and dates for our north country trapping trip!  I have talked to the fellas up there and they already have a few locations were the beavers need removed.

We have been busy at church.  With all the outreach that Crosspoint does there is never a slow moment and they are bringing in the people!  I know not all will accept Christ but at least that seed will be planted!  We have been to one of the Christmas parties and enjoyed the time there with all the other members.  There is something going on most every night and it is good to see so much fellowshipping and kingdom building!  I look forward to walking through those doors every time!  With Christmas only eleven days away I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  Take time with family and give a call to someone you have not talked to in awhile, make their day!  You will be glad you did!

July 30, 2022  Good morning everyone on a beautiful summer morning where the temperatures have not gone up too much yet!  We have had 100 degree days, rain and more rain, and humidity that you could cut with a knife.  But, we are still better than a lot of places in the US right now.  We are in the midst of garden season as we pick and can each week!  From beans and cucumbers to beets and the start of tomatoes.  This year we even have okra but as of yet not real sure what I am going to do with it.  Some of our pumpkins are already huge and there is a lot more growing to do.  The corn is pretty small and tasseled out but hopefully the ears will continue to get bigger!  We still have no chickens but with the new coop and the amount of coons we have trapped I hope the killing days are over for awhile.  Loosing two sets of chickens in as many weeks was hard to take but we had our traps out and for a number of weeks we were catching at least one coon per night.  I hope to make it to Montana in September and do some site seeing and drive home with a friend who will be elk hunting out there.  What a place to see and explore!  We hope to head out there next year sometime to see it even better and do a bear hunt too!  Enjoy your weekend everyone and give thanks to the One who created you!

June 4, 2022  Hello to everyone on a warm summer like day!  There is not a cloud in the sky and it is going to be like this all weekend!  The big day was last Saturday when my oldest daughter got married!  The wedding was amazing in every respect.  The venue was super, the food was good, and the dancing was nonstop!  I really enjoyed myself and the party lasted almost 4 days with a bunch of folks coming back to the house.  The weather dried up about an hour before the ceremony and they were able to get married outside.  Now it is back to normal or as normal as it ever gets!  The garden is growing well and we are slowly stacking our firewood which we had to dump in the field when we ran out of room in the fall.  On a bad note we lost the remainder of our chickens this week.  We had several raccoons get into the coop and carry off the 3 we had left.  One positive is that 2 of the mangy critters were shot during their raiding.  At least those two will not be bothering us anymore!  Please take time to hug someone close to you today and be thankful for all your many blessings!

February 28, 2022  Hello everyone on this chilly Monday night!  I was able to get out a short river line by canoe with my daughter this past weekend.  It was a lot of fun and we even had some luck.  I think the best part for her was to hit the rapids at the end of the run.  She had been whitewater rafting before but never in a canoe.  It was fun and a blessing to spend the weekend with her and her fiancé,  We also caught a huge beaver earlier in the week, even though the river was in flood and the float we used was basically under water.  Anyway this coming weekend is our cabin fever party and it looks to be a good crowd.  It such a good time to get together with friends at the cabin!  May you all have a great week and remember to take time to be thankful for your many blessings!

February 14, 2022  Good evening everyone on this Valentines day!  I just got back from our annual beaver trapping trip up north.  Not a lot of luck but a very good time.  Winter had set in, in this country!  We were going down through 12″ to 18″ of ice to make our sets and not knowing where the runs were made it difficult to put our sets in the right location but we did nab one and got to show a close friend what it was like to trap them under the ice!  I am just grateful to get up there another year.  This year will make 32 years we have been doing this!  Already have a short line out here at home and hope to pick upa few beavers this week.  We will have to see what happens.  I saw tracks going down to the creek where the beavers are so it maybe trapped out already.  We have a few more places after this so we will go there next.  A close friend lost his Dad today so that will supersede any more trapping if the funeral is within the next few days.  I pray for everyone to have a good week and for you to give an extra hug this week to someone you love!!

January 29, 2022 Hello everyone and a happy Saturday to you!  It is another cold winter day with the temperature around 4 degrees this morning. The weather has been winterlike the last couple weeks compared to the last couple years with snow falling every few days and the mercury dropping below zero on more than a few occasions.  We have been trapping a little with a beaver and a few muskrats taken but only one coon this year and of course a bunch of opossums!  Our trapping trip up north was moved back a month due to work schedules.  So in about 2 weeks we will meet up and see how many beavers we will catch this year.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can have some open water!  Las year was cold and snowy with the ice not quite thick enough to walk on but still to cold to keep the traps from freezing in.  We ended up with only one critter last year but it is as much about trapping as it is spending time with great friends!  Around our area we have plenty of places to trap beavers but we have been waiting for it to warm up.  We got back our latest beaver blanket and the new furrier really does a great job!  I look forward to seeing how many we will have to send off this year to be tanned for the next blanket.  I pray for a good weekend for you all and good time spent in a warm house with family and friends!

December 10, 2021  It has been awhile but better late than never!  Hunting season is in full swing and even though I have not been hunting several friends have done very well!  A really nice 8 pt was taken here on the farm as well as a few does.  Tomorrow is doe season here with a few of hunting.  The rain is supposed to move in tonight and rain all day tomorrow with temperatures close to 70!  Crazy weather for mid December especially since it was in the teens yesterday and snowed on Monday!  We went out to put some beaver traps out today but the ground was posted so, I called the number on the posters and left a message.  Hopefully they will call back and we are allowed to set a few traps!  If not I have some places close to church to put out a few.  I am still not getting around great with my new hips but it is not for the lack of trying!  I pray that God will grant me a full healing!  May you all have a great weekend filled with friends and family!  Please take the time to thank the Lord for all that he has blessed you with!

September 26, 2021  Good evening everyone to everyone as fall is starting to set in.  Not to cool during the day yet but the mornings are in the 40’s.  at the high elevations around the state the maples are turning and the other trees are not to far behind!  This has been a summer and fall of surgeries starting with my shoulder in April, my left hip in July, and my right hip in October.  My left hip is still pretty sore but better than it was!  I look forward to getting out and doing a little squirrel hunting and the upcoming deer season!  We have become so involved in church that the weekends are full going forward into winter but after I heal up I look forward to the coming trapping season too!  The pigroast is at our place this year and it looks like a lot of people will be coming and this year we are going to actually roast a whole pig!  That is something we have not done in along time!  I really look forward to it and having all our friends here for the weekend!  I pray for a good week for everyone and time well spent with family and friends and never forget to give thanks for all you have been blessed with!

May 18, 2021  A good evening to everyone on a beautiful summer like day.  With temperatures in the mid 80’s it feels like late June!  I had my shoulder surgery and have finally been able to start driving.  I have been hauled around for the last 3 weeks and it will be good to start doing it on my own.  I talked with the tannery yesterday and my furs from this year are almost done and will soon ship!  I have several blankets to add too and repair and several beaver to put on hoops for wall hangings.  I may also have enough beavers left over to get another blanket made!  I look forward to see what we can get done with all the fur coming back.  Looking forward to church this week as a missionary from Alaska will be bringing the word and also has the gift of healing.  It should be an exciting night of worship!  I pray you all have a good week and are able to spend special time with family and friends as we did last weekend as we got together to wish our friends good bye and good luck in their new adventure as they move to Utah!

March 10, 2021  Good evening on a day that topped 70 degrees!  We recently had are our cabin fever party at the cabin and had a great time and a good turn out!  The weather was cold and snowy but we had a roaring fire going for most of the weekend.  The deer were everywhere as we road 4 wheelers and walked around the area.  The big thing this year was shed hunting for the young ones.   They found a bunch, even a couple of matched sets.  They spent a lot of time out searching.  As we explored around we not only saw deer but many tracks of coyotes, bears, and squirrels.  It is always nice to get up to the cabin especially at sunset at the end of the airstrip!  It is a view that cannot be beat!  I look forward to our next trip this summer!  My you all have a great week and remember to give thanks for all the many blessings in your life each day!

February 28, 2021  Welcome and a good Sunday evening to everyone!  It is a wet and soggy day.  The creeks and the rivers are all running bank full with more rain on the way.  Last Sunday was below zero and today it was in the 50’s, crazy weather for sure but spring is coming, maybe.  We were supposed to put out a line this weekend for muskrats but once again the high water kept us away.  I was able to put out a few beaver traps and caught one about 35 pounds or so.  The water was coming up so pulling those traps was a pretty good idea.  The only season left open now is beaver so I look forward to trying to catch a few.  We have been going to a new church since last summer and even though we cannot make it every Sunday it has been a true blessing!  The pastor has a way of bringing the words of his sermons straight to the heart and many of his messages stick with me for many days and with the amount I travel it is good to have them to pray on and give thought to.  Truly an amazing person!  I wish you all a good week and my hope is that you got to spend some time to the ones you are closest too this past weekend.

February 15, 2021  A good Monday evening to everyone!  It maybe raining and sleeting outside but it is warm in the house!  We have been doing a little trapping and not having much luck.  One muskrat to show for our efforts but I would not trade a few days of trapping for much else!  The beavers are around and actually messed with a few of our sets but with the amount of time I spend on the road I was not able to keep the traps out.  I believe at this one location the critters must wait for us to leave and then come around and see how they can mess with our sets!  I think if I set up a trail camera it would show some interesting pictures.  If the water is not to high this weekend I hope to set a line out by canoe and hopefully catch a few rats and a mink or two!  I pry you all have a good week and have the time to spend with the ones closest to you!!

January 25, 2021  A good Monday evening to everyone.  The weather has turned warm and dreary after some cold days.  It is starting to rain and it is calling for an evening full of wet weather.  This will make it hard on the loggers I work with, with as a few days of freezing washed away by the rain.  Mud is the word of the day when it gets like this!  I put out a few coyote snares the other day.  It looked really promising at first but the deer using the same paths were knocking them down.  I was thankful for not catching a deer in one.  I have had that happen before and it is a mess!  I closed them all and hope to get them back and producing soon.  We are still planning our muskrat weekend down south.  We have a good place to put the canoe in and I have seen a few muskrats swimming around.  I t would be nice to grab a few coons too as there are a few more needed to finish up a blanket!  The one we started still has the tails on it but we are going to remove them and put a coyote border around it instead.  I also hope to add about a dozen more coon to it to make it fir a queen size bed.  I wish you all a good week and do not forget to give thanks to the blessings you receive each day!!

January 11, 2021  Good evening and a happy belated new year!  I will not venture into all the craziness going on around us but will say we had a great time on our annual beaver trapping trip!  The weather was different than most years with a lot of snow and ice.  The area had 30 inches of snow and then 4 inches of rain effectively washing out a number of beaver dams and forcing beavers to leave right in the middle of winter.  We found a few locations but with the cold all our traps froze in even with chopping them out each day.  We finally found some open water and set the runs and finally connected!  I love beaver trapping but at times it can be very frustrating at times.  Most years we do pretty well and come home with a bunch of critters but this year not so much but it was still a great trip to some beautiful country with some great friends!  I wish you all a great week and time spent with those close to you!

December 23, 2020  Hello everyone on this Christmas eve eve.  A warm day for December with heavy rain moving in and then a blast of cold and turning to snow for Christmas!  It stay very cold for at least a few days.  There is one more rifle season starting the Monday after Christmas and we hope to add a few more deer to the freezer!  There have been a bunch killed here at the house including a huge buck but so far nothing for me.  Trapping has been the same way.  Only a couple of coons and a few opossums.  I may try to put out a few beaver sets but have to hurry because the cold will freeze over the slow moving creek I like to trap in.  I have posting weekly messages on facebook and have had some good responses.  Anytime you do good for the Lord good things will come of it.  I also have been helping out at a new church with construction inside and some painting.  They open up on January 3rd and I believe it is going to be a great place!  I wish you all a Merry Christmas and special time together with family and friends!  A lot to be thankful for this year!

November 17, 2020  And yes it is still 2020!  At least only for another month and a half.  I just noticed to that some of my recent blog posts are not on here and not sure why so I will try to give you a recap of the latest.  We have had our annual pigroast that again was a great time with only a few missing because of work but the weather was good and the nights were cold!  Luckily I have good sleeping bad and had no trouble keeping warm.

We took a trip west to Wyoming to hunt antelope with the good people at Trophy Ridge outfitters and had a great time with all of us filling out our tag the first day!  The weather was cold and snowy but warmed up throughout the week.  The area was beautiful just outside the black hills.  We even took a day a visited Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State park as well as Devils Tower.  It was a long day but we saw some beautiful sites and a lot of critters including mule deer, whitetails, bison, and a lot of prairie dogs!  The meat from the antelope is tasty and even though there is not a lot of it, the trip was well worth it, especially since I got to go with my oldest daughter!

We are now back to reality and I am actually in quarantine due to getting covid.  I have not gotten it to bad compared to most and for that I am very thankful!  I look forward to this virus going away!  Deer season is next week but I had to cancel our big get together due to me but we hope to regroup around doe season if we are able to.  Traveling for Thanksgiving this year is also off the table due to the virus too and not wanting to bring it to anybody!  Trapping season is pretty much on hold as I heal up with only one little opossum caught in a box trap that was let go.  We still have one box trap working but so far no more luck.  Look forward to putting out a longer line when I am able!  To everyone I pray for a good and healthy week and you have the ability to spend time with the ones close to you!  Keep the Faith!

September 15, 2020  Good Morning to you all on a cool fall like morning!  With temperatures in the low 40’s it felt like the season was starting to change.   We have started seeing some hard horned bucks and with early bow seasons already open it is only a matter of time until we see the fall colors!  I was in the mountains last week and some soft maples were already turning!  We have been reloading and shooting getting ready for our big trip out west!  It will be here before we know it.  We have been catching a very large buck on a trail camera and hope to see it during hunting season.  Mostly what we want to see is a few deer to refill the freezer which is all but empty!  We continue to pull from the garden and have been canning what we can for the coming winter.  It has been a good year and many meals will be made from all it has given us!  I need to get back to work so I wish you all a blessed day and some good time with family and friends!

August 28, 2020  Hello to all on a very rainy Friday night.  We need the rain and with the creeks being dry the rain is welcome!   A lot has gone on the last 2 1/2 months with the virus still driving the country crazy.  We have been busy in the garden doing a lot of canning with a lot more to come.  We have several pumpkins that will break a hundred pounds this year and since we have some pumpkin left over from last year I probably will not can that much.  We use a good bit so we will need some.  Took a look at the sd cards from the trail cameras and got pictures of really nice buck, hopefully it will stick around until hunting season.

we have been going to another church recently and have been enjoying the contemporary service and music.  It is different than what we are used to but the messages they bring are really deep and inspiring!  I still like our old church but we were looking and this new one filled our needs!  I wish you all a great weekend and some special time with family and friends!

June 14, 2020  Hello everyone on a cool summers evening with rain moving in.  The rain will help with the garden since it has been pretty dry.  Everything is up and starting to grow with the peas on and hopefully ready in the next few weeks.  I have been fishing in a local pond and have had good luck with few nice bass and some really big sunnies.  Nothing like the catfish we hope to catch this summer but fun none the less.  The coyotes were very active this afternoon, one of the only times they have ever cut loose during the day and they went on for over an hour.  I was able to get pretty close but with all the brush I never did see them.  I was trying to get some pictures but no luck.  It was pretty cool to hear them carry on for so long.  This winter I want to trap coons but if the coyotes stay in the area it would be mice to nab a few of them !  We continue with the weekly sermons on facebook and a bunch of people seem to like them. If it brings them closer to Christ I am all for it!  I hope you all have a good week and you have some great time to spend with those close to you!  Happy Flag Day!

May 21, 2020  Good evening on another wet and soggy evening.  The week has shown some sunshine but the rain has moved in and seems to want to stay.  We have replanted and planted more of the garden.  It had been hammered pretty hard by frost on 4 days in a row.  We covered them up but it was in the 20’s and the tomatoes especially couldn’t take it.  Our furs have been shipped out and look forward to getting them back this winter.  We will see.  They usually do not hold to a schedule they set up.  Work has been going well with all the traveling and being careful around people.  I hope to travel south next week and visit a cable logging job.  It is amazing to see it in action!  I hope things are going well for everyone and as we slowly return to normal.  I hope our group gets to get together this summer, it will be an amazing time for all of us after being apart for so long.  I hope everyone has a good memorial day weekend and remember to take time and think about the reason for it and give thanks for their ultimate sacrifice!

April 26, 2020  Hello everyone on a very wet and soggy Sunday evening!  Another Sunday of no church and I still am not used to that.  We have been doing 2 sermons a week on our facebook page but it isn’t the same even though we are reaching so many more people!  I am finally back to work and even though there is still the virus around I will be taking the precautions to stay safe.  The lumber business is in turmoil right now with the virus hitting just as the tariffs were taken away.  A double whammy for a some mills that caused them to go out of business.. We have been blessed with an incredible resource here in our state and we just have to figure out the markets once again as this virus passes.

Our garden is doing well and has survived a few heavy frosts.  The only thing not showing is the potatoes and I hope they did not rot in the ground.  The wet weather has hampered the rest of the tilling but we have a few weeks before we need to plant more.  Our firewood pile is done and the area cleaned up so now we will have to wait until someone is logging close to home so we can get another load.  I hope to get the furs shipped this week and with the virus everything is crazy but The tannery told me they are excepting and tanning so I will be hopeful in getting them all back!  I hope you all have a good week and in this time realize the blessings of family!

April 11, 2020  Good evening everyone on this special Easter weekend!  With the virus still in full swing we will once again not be having church services.  This is really strange for me since we normally have a sunrise service and the regular one at 10 am.  Our preacher has one he filmed today do I do look forward to that.  We officially finished our firewood pile this weekend and have enough to last us through the next winter even if we have some cold spells which really did not happen this past winter.  The garden is planted of all the cold weather seeds and with frost several mornings and snow yesterday I will wait for warmer weather for the rest.  We just finished a new video yesterday and will try to get it on the trapping and hunting videos part of the website tonight.  I wish you all a great Easter as we stay close to home but still celebrate when Jesus rose from the tomb!

April 2, 2020  Hello on a cold frosty morning.  The weather has changed once again with rain and snow yesterday and a good frost this morning.  We planted strawberries yesterday and hopefully will get in some peas also.  We will have to wait for some warmer weather to plant the rest.  Meanwhile we continue to work up furs.  With only 2 remaining the work is almost done!  I know everyone will be happy to have them all out of the basement since the coyotes especially have a distinct odor.  With all the time off from work we have been hitting the firewood pile and continue to build up for next year.  Will hopefully be delivering to some people who are in need.  I hope you all are doing well and the time at home has been good and not to over whelming!  We have been putting our sermons online and hopefully that is bringing some comfort to those who are going through some hard times.  I wish you all a great Thursday!

March 30, 2020  Good morning on this clear early morning.  The country is still trying to isolate in place and is practicing our social distancing.  The virus continues to spread but we are doing our best to stay away from others and lay low.  Our church has gone to filming sermons and putting them out there on facebook and youtube.  That is a big change.  We have been doing woodworking projects and have been beaver trapping.  The location we have been going to is remote and is done early in the morning.  We have had good luck picking up 4 last week.  The catch could have been a lot higher but I do not want to spend the whole day skinning!  We have enough pelts now to make our next blanket.  With the warmer weather we have also started some work in the garden and have even been out fishing close to the house.  The only fish so far has been a small rainbow trout, but it is still a fish and on the first cast too!  I look forward to cat fishing this summer!  The friends I will go with have caught some absolute monsters!  As the days gone on I wish you all God’s peace in this time of the virus and that you and your families stay healthy!

March 21, 2020  Hello to all on this chilly Saturday and the first week of the covid 19 shutdown.  It is strange to run into town or travel around the state and see places empty.  I guess it is the right thing to do during this crazy time.  I wish you all, especially the ones who are not used to being home so much , good luck and the blessings of patience!  In the meantime we are getting firs ready for the tannery.  We have a few more beavers and a few coyotes to go.  I hope to put out a few beaver traps next week if the water goes down.  There is usually only a small window in between rain storms.  The weather is as crazy as ever with snow some days and torrential rain and 70’s the next.  But I guess that is the new normal these days.  I hope and pray that you all stay healthy through all this and especially you all that have older parents as I do.  Take this time to be thankful for what we have and praying for a quick end to all this!  I wish you all a good Saturday night and great Sunday!

February 3, 2020  A good evening to everyone!  As the day ends the temperatures climbed into the 60’s today and we had a clear blue sky for awhile.  The clouds have since moved in and the call is for rain tonight.  So much for drying up all the mud.  Took the first steps on a hunt out west this coming fall and it is high time since we have not hunted out there since 2012.  We will be going after antelope.  Not the rocky mountain elk hunt we would love to do but a Wyoming hunt at a much lower price.  I look forward to hunting with family and friends!  The weather has not been very winter like but it is only the beginning of the month.  We will see how it ends.  I pray for a good week for all and a chance to spend time with the ones you hold dear.

January 16, 2020  Good evening to you all as the wind howls and the snow falls outside.  What a difference from yesterday when the temperatures were in the 60’s!  We had another successful and great time at beaver camp this year!  The weather was crazy as usual but did not dampen our spirits or keep us from catching a bunch of critters!  It started out cold and snowy and ended up very warm and sunny.  The ice was not thick enough to walk on but would still refreeze each night even though we would constantly chop everything out.  The cabin was great and the food pretty darn good too.  The best of it all was spending time with good friends and catching up on that has been happening in our lives.  Made for some great conversations!  But now it is back to work and thinking about next years trapping already!  I wish you all a great weekend and time spent having your family and friends close!   Hug them before they go to bed tonight if you have the chance!

January 4, 2020  A good evening to you all and the hope that the new year is good for you.  Christmas was a great day as always and the church service was very good and to the point!  I like to hear a direct sermon!  New years was spent at a friends house with a big crowd of friends gathered to bring in the new year.  It was a good few days and a visit to the Gettysburg battlefield was really cool.  Work has been going well, with all the rain mud is everywhere but some outfits have been getting in a few days of cutting.  Our annual trapping trip is next week and prospects look pretty good to bring in a few beavers.  There is still some ice up north but the weather is not showing any of the brutal cold like we have had in the last two years.  Regardless of the weather we have a nice cabin and with friends stopping in to visit the trip is great for the critters we catch and the catching up we do!  I have a number of pictures to post so hopefully I can add a few trapping ones next week.  I wish you all a great Saturday evening and an even better Sunday, spent with family and friends and sometime in your local church!

December 22,2019  Good Morning to everyone on this clear and chilly morning.  As I sit here typing and enjoying a cup of coffee the sunrise is still a few hours away and to me the best time of the day!  We are getting close to Christmas and around this time of year it is amazing to see some people act just a little bit different.  Some in a good way some not so much.  I love this time of the year to be in the woods!  Even though it is still muzzle loader and bow season the woods are all but empty.  One of my daughters did take a really nice buck yesterday with the old smoke pole which is really cool but I have heard no shooting here at the house.  Even though we cut firewood for a while yesterday I was able to get out until dark, walking some local trails that I have used in the past for trapping.  Along the creek we have caught muskrat, mink, and beaver.  So not only does this are draw me to walk through its steeps hills and see it in every season it brings me down to the water to catch some of the critters living there.  I consider that a true blessing!  One thing that happened last week was that I received a package in the mail from my sister and it was amazing when I opened the box.  I was a church that used to put under our tree each year at Christmas time!  It brought back some really good memories and the people who found cannot realize how much it means to me!

I continue to write as much as I have time for.  There are actually 2 books I am working on as well as several magazine articles.  I have started wring a few articles for the the sate farm bureau magazine with several more to be printed in the coming months.  I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and one filled with fun and the heart felt knowledge of the reason for the season.  The birth of our Savior!  Hold those close who you love and show it at every chance you have!

December 15. 2019  Hello and good evening on this cold winter evening!  It is only 10 more days until we celebrate the birth of our savior!  It has been busy since the last time I checked in.  Deer season wound down yesterday with one more added to the freezer.  It was cold wet day of hunting but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!  It is no longer about the kill but the time spent with close friends and family.  The meet in the freezer is just an added bonus.  After some more advertising book sales have not picked up at all but so far it has not, but I did not write a book to make money I wrote it because I loved doing it!  My new business may have a new customer soon.  It is all very tentative right now but this week should tell the tale if I can move forward.  I have advertising coming out in a magazine next month and hope to see some results from the money spent.  I wish you all a good week and in this life which seems to move at way to fast a pace may you find time to sit and visit with the ones who are close to you and enjoy that special time no matter how long it lasts!

November 23, 2019  Good Morning.  It is cold and dark this early morning with rain moving in this afternoon.  It has been a busy week with traveling and doing some writing.  We are in the middle of putting up a bunch of hides that have been in the freezer.  I hope to add to them as the season progresses but as of now the trapline has been pretty quiet.  There was brush hogging done and a few traps have come up missing but that is trapping in farm country.  Our friends start to arrive today for our big feed tomorrow and deer season coming in on Monday.  I look forward to catching up with everybody and to filling up the freezer!  I hope you all have a great weekend spent with people close to you!

November 10, 2019  Good Morning on a dark but clear Sunday morning!  Today will see a warm up but with temperatures in the teens this last week made me forget all about the hot dry weather from this past summer!  Snow is being called for later in the week and with all the traveling coming up it may be some interesting traveling!  The trapline has been very quiet with only a few opossums getting into the coyote sets, making a mess of them.  The coyotes came through this past week but stepped everywhere but on the pan at the sets.  Hopefully next time will bring better luck!  I wish you all a great Sunday with some time spent in church with family and friends!

November 2, 2019  Good afternoon on a beautiful fall Saturday and the first day of trapping season!  We got 5 sets out for coyotes and 5 for muskrat.  Even as I get older the excitement of the first check never seems to fade!  We started out in the 20’s this morning with a very heavy frost which quickly disappeared as the sun rose above the hills behind the house.  The garden is done for the year with the picking of the last of the peppers last night before the frost set in.  Was able to go to the nursing homes with the church last night and sing a few hymns for the folks.  It is always an enjoyable time to see someone who does not know anyone anymore to sing every word from a song.  It is a true blessing to be around those folks!  My business is up and running and the advertising will start next month in the WVFA magazine.  I hope working with AW Stiles will allow me to bring business in as well as generate some for them as well!  I wish you all a great Saturday evening and a Sunday morning that starts at church!  May your time be well spent with family and friends!

October 13, 2019  Hello on a frosty Sunday morning!  Today is officially the first frost of the season and as I look at the thermometer it is starting to warm up a little at 34 degrees.  It has been a busy week and the first week of my new consulting business in dry kiln consulting.  I need to get a bunch of advertising started and a number of other things but I hope the lumber market comes back enough for people to show an interest!  The coyotes have been making themselves known as the have been pretty vocal after the sun goes down.  We have been getting a few locations ready for the upcoming season and with the coyotes we have seen on the trail camera we know there are at least a few around!  I wish you all a great Sunday and I will be blessed today to bring the word! I hope you all get time to spend some of your day with family and friends!

October 5, 2019 Hello on a cool fall evening!  After a week with temperatures in the 90’s and hillsides covered with fall colors it just did not seem like the fall of the year.  The cooler temperatures really makes the day!  We had our fall bike ride last week and riding north through the mountains we saw some beautiful fall colors, not a bit of rain which really was strange since every year we have at least one downpour!  The deer have been out as well as the bears!  We have caught a few on the trail camera by the house as well as a few coyotes.  They are still visiting an old set that has not any lure since last year.  They really have an incredible nose!   I look forward to trapping this winter and checked out a beaver pond today that shows some promise.  With weather moving in tomorrow we may actually get some rain enough to get some of the creeks flowing again.  I wish you all a great Sunday with the day starting with church and family and friends close by!

September 4, 2019  Good evening to you all out there on a warm evening!  I have been traveling the state with my new job and have seen some really beautiful places and met some great people.  When I preach a Sunday morning service the events which unfolded the wee prior usually give me plenty of material and scripture to refer too!  It is a blessing!  Hopefully are new stove will be in this month, as the hills start to turn color it really gets the blood flowing for the upcoming trapping and deer season!  There was actually a really nice buck behind the house today eating some of the pears which fell to the ground.  I look forward to the cooler weather!  I wish you all a great rest of the week and good time spent with family and friends!

July 28, 2019  Good morning to you on this sunny cloudless morning.  It promises to be another hot day!  We have finished our latest firewood pile and the firewood we have will last us  awhile.  With the stove being down and the ditch dug up to replace all the lines we have not been burning any wood.  I hope to replace the stove within the month and be ready for the upcoming winter.  We have started using the hot water tank for the first time in over 15 years and the new stove is not set up for the domestic hot water.  That can be added later if needed.  The trap dye has arrived and we will hopefully get them done the beginning of next month.  With this new job I should have more time to run a line this year!  I look forward to that!  I wish you all a good week and some happy times spent with family and friends!

June 4, 2019  Good Morning on a sunny cool morning!  With temperatures in the low 40’s it feels like a fall morning.  The high elevations around the state were calling for a chance of frost.  Sounds crazy at this time of year!  Been very busy as of late, working a new job setting up logger safety programs around the state .  The one true blessing of this has been seeing places I would never have seen if I didn’t have to go to these places.  It is amazing the beautiful places our state has!   I have had a few more stories published in Fur-Fish-Game so check them out if you have the time.  Our firewood pile is done and have a friend who is logging near by and will get another triaxle load from him.  I wish you all a good and blessed week!

May 13, 2019  Hello to all this evening!  It has been a few months and a lot has happened!  Probably the biggest is I am now working a new job,  I came to the realization that 28 years in the sawmill was enough.  So we will see where this new one brings me!  We just got back from a great vacation at Banff national park in Alberta and it was truly amazing!  The weather is much colder there and we still had snow falling while we were there and a lot still on the ground.  I will try to post some pictures to show you the beautiful country!  We added a bunch of pictures just before I left so I hope you enjoy them!  I wish you all a good week and blessed time with family and friends!

February 18, 2019   Hello Everyone!  It has been awhile and a lot has happened in the months since my last note,  We had a great Christmas and New Years.  Our annual trapping up north was not only a great time but was very successful..  We caught a bunch of beavers and had a blast doing it!  The weather started out warm with open water but soon turned very cold.  Most of the critters were caught under the ice and the hides were in great shape and fully prime.  The cabin we stayed in was warm and tight and after we got a fire going in the wood stove it felt pretty good after being out on the line all day!  We have trapping at home and have caught a few but with the amount of rain and snow it has been hard with the changing water levels.  I guess it just makes it a little more challenging.  It is great just to be out!  I love the winter time and all it offers when you love to trap and hunt!  I wish you all a great and blessed week!

December 8, 2018  Hello on a cold winter morning!  With temperatures in the teens and twenties and snow on the ground it is starting to feel like Christmas!  I have put out a few traps but have had no luck so far except one opossum, which we let go.  At first he kind of looked at me and then he realized he was free and slowly wandered off into the high grass around the set.  We have been looking for beavers but have not seen a lot of sign but it is early yet.  I bought my out of state trapping licence yesterday so I am ready for our annual trip next month!  I really look forward to it each year, especially for the time spent with good friends!  With the freeze up we maybe able to get back to our firewood pile, it has been so wet I buried my truck and that put an end to firewood for awhile.  We still have plenty so there is no real rush. I want to wish you all a great Christmas and a happy New Year may it be a blessed time for you all!

November 4, 2018  Good morning to you all on a frosty fall morning!  With the crazy weather I guess we have an unexpected blessing.  The fall colors have been late and here we are in November able to enjoy the beautiful colors!  The beeches and the maples seem to be the brightest and against the occasional blue sky really make a walk in the woods a great time.  It is now trapping season and although time does not allow a long line we managed to get out a few coyote traps.  There was no luck this morning but it really pretty to be out at first light with a heavy frost covering the ground!  I will let you all know how the season goes.  I was able to post a bunch of new pictures yesterday so check them out it!  They were from some trips we took this past year.  I wish you all a good Sunday and some blessed time with family and friends!

October 7, 2018  Hello to you all after an extended absence from writing  A lot has happened since August.  Fall is not in the air yet (it was 88 degrees yesterday) but it is showing on the hillsides.  We have been on two bike trips and as we headed north towards Canada the trees showed more color as we rode.  It was a beautiful sight to behold as God started to paint the mountains.  Did some great hiking and saw some really pretty places.  I look forward to stealing away the time to get out on two wheels!  The bucks are showing themselves in the evenings even with the heavy mast this year.  I guess even deer like to change up the menu every now and then.  There are a few beavers around too and up north where we trap there are a number to be had as I stay in contact with a WCO.  I look forward to laying out the steel for them this coming season!  There are plenty of coyotes around too and we hope to nab a few of them also.  I have also been writing a few stories and very slowly work on the second book.  I am about 10,000 words into it but it feels like I haven’t really started.  Time is the one factor that is very short supply.  With a big firewood pile and a lot of other projects going on there has not been much time to write.  We will see what the future holds as I look forward to some quiet to sit down and put some thoughts on paper.  I pray for a good week for you all and some time spent with family and friends!

August 18, 20 words into it 18 A good Saturday to you all!  It is raining once again and as usual everything we want to do is outside.  We are all back at work and school after another great vacation.  A lot of fishing, hiking, and swimming.  We saw some beautiful country and enjoyed a lot of time together!  We were able to hike the 12 mile Otter Creek trail and saw a lot of really neat country.  We caught a lot of small mouth bass.  We have our fall ride coming up next month and I am looking forward to seeing New England with the fall colors starting,  We hope to make it up to Mt. Washington if the weather allows and get a clear day to see all around us.  The last few times have been cloudy with no visibility.   I am still selling a book every now and then but am looking at some more advertising.  We will see what the end results are.  I wish you all a great weekend and some good time with friends and family!

July 4, 2018  Hello to all and a happy Independence Day!  It has been awhile and a lot has been going on.  I have had a few articles printed in Fur-Fish-Game and a few more in the works.  We went on our summer ride and made it through 8 states seeing some really pretty country!  Starting out in WV and heading up through Maine.  A great trip with a great friend!  I am looking forward to our fall run if we can get the time.  This has been the summer of graduation parties as we have traveled and celebrated with friends.  What a blessing it has been to spend the time with such a great group of friends!  We have been seeing the first few bucks of the summer.  A little early to see anything big but some look they may have some potential.  The summer is here in full force with temperatures getting very close to 100.  there may be some relief this weekend and I am looking forward to it!  I wish you all a good remainder of the week and may you be blessed with time spent with family and friends!

May 26, 2018  Good Morning Everyone!  I hope you all had a good week.  The week has been summer like with hot and at times humid weather.  The mill is running low on logs and hopefully a string of good days will dry it up enough to allow some trucks to start rolling in!  We heading out to go fishing this morning.  I am looking forward to it no matter what the weather decides to do.  We also have another graduation party this weekend as well as another next weekend.  It is that time of year.  I remember all those years ago getting out of school.  The world was a much different place.  We had no cell phones, or computers in the house, and fun was had by all outside.  Just a little different from today!  I wish you all a good weekend and that you are able to spend time with family and friends.  Give them a hug and tell them how much they mean to you!

May 12, 2018  Good Morning to all on a beautiful Saturday morning!  We had graduation yesterday!  It was exciting and emotional at the same time!  I hope the future is as bright for Helen and Kevin as all the speakers brought out.  I just heard a shot outside as turkey season winds down.  They have been calling and a group of gobblers had decided to come into their call.  Do not know yet what the end result is.  Hopefully a nice one for the supper table!  Spring has now sprung around here so hopefully we will finally start the garden!  I wish you all a great weekend and the blessing of spending time with family and friends!

April 11, 2918  Hello to all.  After snow early this week to warmer temps on the horizon.  I believe spring may be in the air!  The turkeys have been gobbling what seems like nonstop.  The season starts in another week and with the amount of birds around we hope to be able to put a few in the freezer.  You just cannot beat living on a large farm where you can walk out the front door and enjoy all God has created!  From trapping to hunting to fishing we have been blessed!  A good week to you all.  Give some time to someone special this week and make their day!

March 25, 2018  Good Morning!  After a crazy week of snow, wind, rain, and some sunshine we are enjoying a clear cold morning!  The date on the calendar says spring but the weather is treating us a little differently!  We will be heading out on the trapline after church today for most likely our last trap check of the season.  With only beaver season still open we can still bring in a few pelts for the next blanket!  The area we are trapping is loaded with sign from peeled sticks to cut trees they have been very active.  It is a great feeling to be excited about heading out on the ‘line” today!  I will post some pictures here if we have any luck!  I wish you all a good week and some blessed time with family and friends!

March 10, 2018  Just got home from some friends house and looked at another bike.  It was nice and I ended up putting down a deposit on it!  We will see how everything else goes.  It will be a number of weeks before I can pick it up, hopefully it will be a little warmer than.  It has been snowing and pretty cold here as of late.  Trapping season has been very slow.  With only beaver season in we are able to trap only when the water levels let us!  We have tried a few traps with no luck but a few weekends the water has been just to high.  It seems like every weekend is busy and trapping is hard to make time for.  I look forward to it though even if I do not have enough time to put out the line I want.  A few traps is better than none!  Las weekend was our cabin fever weekend with a good turnout and a great time!  The weather offered us everything with warm and rain, snow and cold, and wind a lot of wind!  It was good to see everybody!  We have a bike trip coming up and as we plan I will let you all know where we may be heading.  I wish you all a good Saturday and blessed time with family and friends!

February 3, 2018  Good Morning on another cold winter morning.  We have been thinking a lot about the loss we had this past week.  Our beloved father/father-in-law/grandfather lost his battle here and went on to be with his savior.  He will be missed and I take Great comfort in the fact that I got to know him well.  As time goes on I will think on the good things and not on the loss!  On a much different note we have done some beaver trapping and have had some luck.  We have a video on the sight (thanks to Rachel) that shows some of that luck.  It was a good time!  We hope to get back out this weekend and will let you all know if we have any luck, it is time to start working on the next blanket!  I wish you all a great weekend with family and friends!

January 17, 2018  Hello to all on a cold wintery night!  We had our annual trapping trip last week.  We actually caught a critter this year.  Unfortunately it was an otter in a beaver trap.  To bad there was not a season for the critter.  We turned it into the state and had a really good experience.  The WCO was a great guy and even got us some new places to trap for next year!  The cabin we stayed in was only heated by the fireplace and man was it cold.  Below zero a few times and windy!  Needless to say when we were at the cabin we did not venture far from the fireplace!  As always the company on the trip is what made it great.  Once this cold weather breaks I hope to get back out on the river and trap a beavers.  It is time to start the next blanket!  I wish you all a good rest of the week and a great weekend.  May it be filled with family and friends.

December 16, 2017 Good morning to you all!  A little more than a week until the big day!  I hope you all had a good week and are enjoying the winter as the days grow darker earlier each day.  We caught are first beaver today!  It is the first one in two years.  I hope to catch enough this year to make the next blanket.  This time we may try to do a outer edge of muskrat too, something different anyway.  We still have some traps out so I hope for good luck tomorrow too.  I hope and pray for a good weekend for you all and you have the ability to spend time with family and friends!

December 13, 2017  A cold and wintery day!  Nothing wanted to start up this morning at the mill!  The strong cold came in quickly and froze everything up but, a few hours later we were up and running.  The cold has brought in some snow and it looks like further north is getting a bunch.  Better them than us!  Snow is great if you do not have to drive in it.  The trap line produced a mink this week in a 110 coniber that had been set for muskrat.  I had come back from checking some beaver sets which were empty and a nice catch made the day.  The mink was fully prime with the guard hairs in good shape!  It felt good to be skinning again!  I wish you all a good week and the blessings of the Christmas season!  I posted a picture so check it out.

December 9, 2017  Good morning on a cold somewhat wintery morning!  The ground has a skiff of snow and the temperatures are in the low 20’s.  That is what winter is all about.  The trapline has been pretty dry this season so far.  I have not been able to trap much but so far the fur shed has only seen on muskrat.  I was able to put out a few rat traps last week and it brought back a lot of good memories!  I also purchased an out of state licence and look forward to some beaver trapping.  It looks like we will be trapping out of another cabin this year as we head north for our annual trapping adventure.  This time the area we are going to hold a lot of beaver as well as coyotes so I am looking forward to it!  The time spent with close friends makes the trips , no matter the catch something to really look forward to!  I wish you all a great weekend and as we approach the celebration of the birth of our savior I hope you have some quiet time to reflect on all this season really means!

November 12, 2017  Good Morning on a chilly fall morning.  Not as cold as yesterday where the temperatures dropped into the single digits in places but still in the 20’s!  Here it is the start of the second week of trapping season and I still have not set out a single set.  I had good intentions yesterday but got called out to work so that put a quick end to that.  We have been busy with firewood and putting down flooring.  We will hopefully finish the flooring today.  We still have a long ways to go on the firewood.  The last three rows are all soft maple so we are going through it pretty quick with the cooler temperatures.

The first day of gun season is next week and even though the crowd coming in will be smaller than some years it will still be a full house.  Hopefully we will have a successful week and fill the freezer!  I look forward to the time together with all the friends coming in!  I will post any pictures we take if we have any luck.  I wish you all a great Sunday and a good week!  It will be a tough week but we can make it through as long as we keep the Faith!

October 21, 2017   Good Morning everyone on a cool fall morning!  I hope you all had a good week.  My week was as busy as ever and am thankful for the downtime today.  Will get to the firewood pile after the sun makes its way up.  Only a few more weeks until trapping season starts!  Even though I do not have a lot of plans for land trapping I look forward to catching a few beavers.  I am anxious to get started on the next blanket!  I looked into some out of state trapping and will go with one but as always the beaver sign has to be pretty good in order to spend that money.  That last time I did it worked out pretty well.

Have been doing a good bit of preaching lately and have really been enjoying it!  It always amazes me hoe God can lay something on my heart at the last minute and give me the scripture to go with it!  Maybe I shouldn’t be amazed maybe I should be just that more in awe!  We serve a powerful God!  I wish you all a great weekend and hopefully dome good time with family and friends!

September 30, 2017  Good Morning to all on a cool and foggy morning!  With temperatures in the 90’s this past week it is really nice to feel the cooler temperatures.   The coyotes have been extremely vocal this past week and have cut loose within a hundred yards of the house the other evening as we were sitting outside enjoying our supper.  They are load and it can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck!  They do not hold back at night either, we heard them twice last night, waking us up from a sound sleep.  Our fall roast is next weekend and hope for more of this beautiful weather.  With friends coming in it will be great to catch up, eat a bit, and do some work.  I look forward to every minute of it!  I wish you all a great and blessed weekend!

Welcome to my blog. This is where I will put stories of my outdoor adventures. As an author I have had several articles published and my book is finally out!

September 4, 2017  Good morning to all on this holiday weekend!  The first hints of fall are in the air!  Even though it will be up into the 80’s today cooler weather is forecast for the coming week.  I was thinking about a hunting trip a friend and I took to northern Ontario a few years back.  It was the middle of February and the weather was anything but warm!  We had the right gear but we still were not prepared for the strong cold and deep snow but none the less it was still a great trip.  We were hunting for wolves and spent a lot of time  traveling on a snow machine or behind it in a sled (which in my opinion is a death wish, but that is an entirely different story altogether).  At one point we were flying down and old logging road and our guide noticed a set of tracks heading down into the bush.  Being the crazy guide and not having any fear he plunged down off the road into the bush.  Well for the first five minutes things seemed to be going OK.  To him there did not seem to be any reason to let off the throttle.  As we came around a corner into what seemed like the bed of a creek everything changed pretty quickly.  The machine flipped onto its side and we both went flying off into the snow.  No one was hurt and we realized we had to right the machine if we wanted to get out.

As i tried to get up and plant my feet I realized this was going to be a little difficult.  I kept on sinking in the snow!  When I finally came to solid ground I was up to my neck! We had run into a beaver dam and the snow was piled up in front of it.  We somehow manged to get the machine flipped back over and as I climbed on he gave it enough throttle to pull us out of there.  On top of all that it was -25 degrees and I was sweating.  I can safely say that was the deepest snow I was ever in and ever care to be.  I look back at it and laugh now because all in all it was part of the adventure on that trip.  I never took a wolf on that trip but the friend I was hunting with took a beautiful one that is now a full mount and it brings a big smile to my face every time I see it.  Have a good and blessed week!

August 28, 2017  Hello to everyone on a pretty summer night.  I have been watching the news in almost disbelief of all that is happening in Houston as hurricane Harvey dumps over 2′ of rain!  Being so far away it almost seems unreal but no matter we are we can always take the time to pray for the people affected!  It is a storm that does not want to end.  I am very thankful to be living where I do!  Blessing to all who read this!

July 30, 2017  Hello on a sunny Sunday morning.  After the flooding yesterday it is nice to see the sunshine!  I was thinking about a hunting trip I was on in Alaska.  We were hunting for caribou but also had tags for wolf and black bear.  We were on a walk from from camp in the hunt for caribou when a black bear ran out in front of one of my friends.  He put a round into it and it and the bear ran into the alders.  If you do not know alder grows thick and intertwined making it near impossible to get through.  The bear never came out the other side so he needed to go in after it.  Coming face to face with a wounded bear would never be near the top of anybodies list but there was no other choice but to go in after it.  Myself and another friend took positions on the outside of the alders in case the bear got pushed out.  My friend walked slowly in ready to shoot but hoping the bear was dead.  After what seemed like a long time which was actually only about fifteen minutes my friend hollered out the bear was actually dead.  We drug it out and skinned, quartered it, and strapped it to our packs for the walk back to camp.  As we walked the trail narrowed and was enclosed by alders growing close.  As we turned a corner in front of us in the the trail was a steaming pile of grizzly poop.  The critter was close and we had bloody meat strapped to our backs.  We never did see the grizzly but the hike back to camp had us all on edge!  I remember that one like it was yesterday,  That is just one of the adventures I have been blessed with being part of!  I wish you all a good week and the ability to spend time with the ones close to you!

July 9, 2017  Good afternoon on a beautiful sunny day!  We have had torrential rain the last few days and the sunshine is welcome.  I have finally received my passport and that means we get to head north of the border on our next bike trip!  We hope to get around the great lakes, one at a time and eventually head west for a long trip.  This writing has been few and far between with all that has been happening with work and family so I have not had time to write.  I look forward to trying to keep up with it and getting into telling more about the adventures i have had the excitement of being a part of!  A good week to you all and say a prayer for a special friend who needs a healing!

May 27, 2017  Good Morning on a wet and rainy Saturday!  The weather still cannot make up its mind as we go down into the 30’s and up to 90 some days but we cannot change it we just have to deal with it.  Another graduation last weekend and this weekend is the party.  A lot of people are coming in and its looks like wet weather for it too.  But, with a four car garage and a big jambo tarp will will have places to stay dry if needed.  Maybe we will be blessed with some dry weather tomorrow afternoon.  We had to postpone our bike trip due to the rain.  I got to do some riding on my own but no where near as fun as heading out with my friends.  Should come up with another weekend and plan to head south instead of north this time.  I look forward to seeing family and friends and the time we will get to spend together.                                                         We have seen a few coyotes along the road but it has been some time since we have heard their howling.  The pups are all born so we should be hearing them in the near future.  When they let loose outside our window at night it is enough to send chills down your spine.  Enjoy the long weekend and the time you get to spend with the ones close to you!

May 6, 2017  Hello to everyone and a good Saturday to you all!  I haven’t had much time for writing lately but a cold wet day gives me the opportunity to sit for a little while.  We have about two thirds of our log pile cut up in the next few weeks I hope to get the rest done.  The weather is wet and chilly with even a chance of some flurries tomorrow.  Crazy weather!  With part of the garden in I hope it does not get too cold.  Our spring bike trip is next weekend and I look forward to seeing some new country!  We are heading down to Kentucky and Tennessee and maybe even do the tail of the dragon but wear ever we go it will be great to be riding with great friends!  I need to do a little work on the bike and with new rain gear coming I should be all set.  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and get to spend some good time with family and friends!

April 16, 2017  A Happy Easter to everyone!  I was able to preach at the sunrise service toady.  It was a pretty morning and a great time to be out.  I rode to Virginia Beach last week in the middle of a storm.  I hit rain, wind, 2 hail storms, and came within a mile of two tornados!  To say it wild would be an understatement.  I finally got there after a whole day of riding to a little bit of wind and somewhat dry weather.  I hope the next trip is a little drier.  I wish you all a good and safe week and a great day with family and friends.

April 2, 2017   A good Sunday to everyone!  We have been blessed with a sunny day and it is nice to see!  We woke up to a heavy frost this morning but the temperatures came up quickly.  Enjoyed a very good fellowship/birthday dinner at church today and am now working on the sermon I will preach tonight.  The coming week is the start of a new month at work and It looks to be another busy one with projects starting and keeping all the normal happenings in line.  Last weekend was the game dinner at CalU and having the Sharpless’s here was a great time,  The weekend was a blur with working production Saturday, the dinner, and then church as well as trying to get things done at the house but we are never given more than we can bear!  The trick is to keep it all in line and flowing one thing to the next.

Trapping season official ended on Friday with it being the last day of beaver season.  A disappointing on the line as we did not have many traps out but we got up north as well as west and enjoyed time on the line with some really special friends!  Our latest blanket is done a d and delivered with the hope that they really enjoy it.  It is always amazing to me to see it from the trap to the blanket and see the process.  It is one thing I truly enjoy seeing it from start to finish!  I wish you all a great week and some special time with family and friends it is was makes a tough week that much more worth while!

March 18, 2017 Looking at the date I couldn’t believe it has been a month since I have written.  A lot of good as well as the bad has gone on in the last month.  The good is our recent cabin fever weekend at the cabin with almost everyone.  I made it up after a long day at the mill and hit a white out on the way up the mountain.  it was a great start to the weekend!  I love the remoteness of the cabin after a snow and with no one literally for miles around.  The deer there have made a great comeback and we saw them all around the cabin.  Not one coyote to be heard but we saw their tracks in several different places. The Monday after the cabin we headed west to Oregon and California.  What a trip to walk among the redwoods!  The trees are beyond description and words do not do them justice but to walk among them put me in awe and very thankful that God created them!

If anyone one reading this ever has the opportunity I advise to put it on your bucket list you will not be disappointed!  From the north we headed south and after many hours and miles and miles of detours we made it into San Francisco and a tour of Alcatraz.  Pretty cool tour but a little too much city for me.  Since getting back it is back to the mill and pushing it hard everyday.  We also got our latest beaver blanket back and gave it to some special friends.. I love doing that and knowing much they like and appreciate it means the world to me.  I wish you all a great Sunday and some special time with family  and friends.  It is well worth the effort!

February 16, 2017  Hello to everyone!  It has been awhile since I have had the time to sit down and write.  My book sales have been going pretty well and I have started working on the next one!  Not to far along in it yet but it is nice to sometimes just tune everything out and sit down and write!  Went and did a little trapping this past weekend.  Did not have a lot of luck, only a medium coon but it was great to be out and putting out some steel. There was a lot of sign and if we had more time we most likely would have had some luck.  Maybe next time.  I wish you a good and healthy weekend.  May you be blessed with some good family time!

January 28, 2017  A good morning to you all on a cold and snowy morning!  From the high 60’s earlier in the week to snow.  A lot of weather in one week.  The work week is over but the roughness of it still sits with me.  I am thankful to have family and friends who make it all worth while to come home to!  I finally have my new license and may try to get out today to set some beaver traps.  This blog is supposed to be about my trapping and hunting adventures but so far this year it has been pretty pitiful!  Maybe as the daylight increases there will be more time to get out on the line.  I wish you all a great week and always be thankful for the ones who give you that reason for coming home each night!

January 15, 2017  Hello to all on a rainy Sunday morning.  It has been awhile since I have taken the time but a lot has been going on.  We had our annual trapping trip last week and as last year we had no luck catching any critters but we did have a great time!  The cabin this year had electric but no water so each morning it was a trek to the outhouse.  Not as bad as it sounds.  When it is ten degrees the trip to the outhouse does not take very long.  There were critters in the area.  This year we at least saw some tracks but never one that wanted to commit to any of our sets.  Oh well we have already made plans for next year to go to an area in which we have had good luck before.  The time spent with good friends makes up for the lack of critters!  Busy week ahead as usual and have been praying a lot for some people who are sick in the hospital.  I hope for their recoveries!  Enjoy your Sunday and hold someone you love close today and tell them how much they mean to you!

January 2, 2017  Two days in a row writing here has not happened in awhile but as I sit here enjoying a cup of coffee waiting to check a few coyote sets this morning I have come to realize this writing is more about me and the ones close to me than about my “outdoor adventures.”  So going forward I will try to keep it an even mix.  There are times when I go a few weeks without a trap in the ground or anything in the cross-hairs of a rifle scope but that does not change the love I have for the outdoors.  The character in my book is just like I was at the younger age and the same fire still burns inside me for the outdoors but the 14 hour days at the mill put a damper on that.  With all that aside I will start to bring up past as well as new memories on the line and from the hunt.  There is a lot to of them that bring a smile to my face and make me realize how much the pursuit which we call and hunting and trapping means to me!

January 1, 2017  A Happy New Years to everyone!  Another year has come and gone and here we are again what a new year will bring.  I hope and pray for a good year ahead for my friends and family.  Good may mean different things to all of us but my hope is a year of health and enjoying the time off from work to its fullest!  Will be heading out in a few days for our yearly trapping adventure.  Weather looks decent and we will hope to nab a few critters.  Where we are going beaver and muskrat is already out so we will be making sets for coyote, fox, and bobcat.  In years past the catch has been all over the map, from nothing at all to filling  the stretchers.  When it comes right down to it, it has come down to the time spent with good friends out in the woods seeing beautiful country and having a great time.  I love trapping and all it has to offer from the challenge of outwitting a critter to laughing about all the good luck and mishaps from times past.  My best to you all and  show the ones close to you that you love them!

December 24, 2016  Hello to all and a Happy Christmas eve to everyone!  I know Christmas has different meanings and feelings to people but I like this time of year.  For me it is about the birth of our Savior!  For others it is about the season and the giving and the family and friends.  What ever it is I wish you all a time of happiness as we celebrate!  Most of us live busy and stressful lives and this time of year can let us slow down a bit (if we let ourselves) and enjoy what it has to offer!  On another note we finally have a beaver traps out and working!  Rain is happening now and is in the forecast so we will see what happens.  Last weeks flooding changed the areas we trap with the banks different from the last time.  Will post some pictures in the next few days.  A great Christmas weekend to everyone!  Hold someone close today and show them how much they mean to you!

December 11, 2016  A chilly good morning to you all!  With some snow laying on the ground and temperatures in the lower 20’s it feels like winter.  After a major malfunction with the wood stove we are back to heat and hot water!  Our trapping season is off to a slow start as we have only two working traps out and have not caught anything.  It is well past dark when I get home in the evening and after filling the stove and checking the few traps I do not have the time to put more in.  There are beavers around though and I hope to catch a few this winter.  The next blanket is supposed to be back in the next week or two and I am really looking forward to seeing it.  Our firewood cutting is going on as we pile up the wood for this as well as next year.  I guess it is all year since we burn year round.  I wish you all a great week and some good time with family and friends!  If we do not make the time it is not going to happen and you cannot get that time back!

December 4,2016  Good Morning to all!  A chilly morning today with a hint of snow in the air.  Another long week at the mill just trying to keep things running with breakdowns and being short of people.  I guess we all deal with that in whatever we do.  Maybe it s from not having a close friend in which to confide or one to help with a task at hand.  I have been blessed with many of both and as I grow older I appreciated and treasure that even more!  My book has been out at all the major retailers and I hope to see a good uptick in sales as Christmas gets closer.  I have started the second one but as far have not made a lot of progress.  We have been running a few traps but no luck so far with the hours working and getting home late we have not been around to do much else.  I did go scouting the other day and there are a few beavers around and I look forward to putting a few of them up!  I wish you all a great week and that you have the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends!  As I have seen very recently we need to treasure that time because it can go away quickly.

November 28,2016  Hello and good morning everyone!  A lot has been going on.  We have had our big deer hunt and have not had the best of luck but it is not from the lack of trying.  There was a decent 8 point taken and we all missed the deer we saw but that is hunting.  With doe season coming up we will again have a chance to put a little meat in the freezer.  Trapping season is in full swing but with the hours working and traveling it is hard to keep a line running.  There is a fair bit of beaver sign around so I am hoping we can find a few of them to start our next blanket!  I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with family and friends!  I wish you all a good week and good luck hunting!

November 19, 2016  The big weekend is here!  Our annual predeer hunt weekend is now happening.  We started out this morning with clear skies in the mid 50’s and as of now it is in the 30’s and snowing!  Everyone will arrive by tomorrow morning and we will have our big feed tomorrow afternoon.  This is a great weekend to visit and hear how everyone is doing.  There are a lot of deer around and hopefully we will have a few hanging by Monday afternoon.  I wish you all a great Saturday with family and friends.

November 5, 2016  Hello everyone on a beautiful first day of trapping season!  The day started out with a heavy frost so the first thing we thought was – motorcycle ride!  Helen and I went and it was a little chilly but we bundles up.  The trip was only about 60 miles and the weather warmed nicely as the sun cleared the eastern horizon!  There are still some fall colors left and it was a great day to see them!  We did get some coyote traps in the ground with one of the sets having a trail camera near by.  If we get some action I will let you all know and put up some pictures.  I wish you all a great weekend and a blessed Sunday!

October 31. 2016  I hope this note finds you all doing well.  The fall colors are in full swing and the drive home through the mountains made a great ending for a rough day!  The first day of trapping is this coming weekend i don’t know if time will allow me to set any traps but I look forward to the season.  We got a picture of a coyote close to the house on a trail camera the other day and we know there are more than just one with all the howling we hear.  I have been helping out a church with the preaching and have really enjoyed filling in.  I believe I get as much out of it as I hope the ones in the congregation do.  I wish you all a good week!

October 21, 2016  Hello on a rainy Friday, but for me it is a vacation day!  The book has come out and a few people have actually bought it, that is very exciting!  I hope the people like it but if not that is their choice.  My subject matter for the book is not for everyone.  I was hoping to get out on the bike today but the heavy rain is keeping me close to home.  Maybe this evening I can take a walk with the bow and see if any critters are about.  Trapping season starts in a few weeks and I have all my traps ready to go, all I need are a few lures and we will be ready for the season!  I look forward to catching a few coyotes and some beavers too if I am lucky enough to do so.  The run is in all but full fall colors and it looks as pretty as ever!  I love the fall and all it brings.  I wish you all a great and blessed weekend!

October 13, 2016 Good morning everyone on a cool wet day.  I received confirmation yesterday that my book has been shipped!  I should get it in a few days!  It has been a long process but I look forward to it finally coming to fruition!  I will write about the ways to get it when I find out.  Very exciting time for me.  This past weekend was our pigroast and as usual it was a great time.  The weather was little rainy on Friday night and into Saturday but it cleared off and with the campfire and the bonfire it was fun and truly warm.  A trip to Medexpress for some stitches was not expected but that what happens when you kids.  It is always great to get together!  I have dyed a bunch of traps and am looking forward to the coming season.  The coyotes have been busy and we hope to nab a few of them as well as a bunch of beavers from the river.  I wish you all a great weekend!

October 3, 2016 Hello everyone on a beautiful early fall evening.  The final proofs are in for the book and hopefully within 3 weeks the first copy of the book should be done.  It has been a long drawn out process but I think once it is finally done it will be well worth it!  This weekend is our pigroast and everyone should start coming in throughout the day on Friday.  I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.  I have a couple days off so it will be nice just to be home for a few days.

September 29, 2016  Hello to all on a rainy Thursday night!  It may be rainy but I will take it over the hot humid days of summer.  I am almost finished with the editing of the proofs for the book!  With out the help of my dear friend Carol it would not have been possible.  The proof will get sent in one more time and 7 to 10 days after that I should have the first book in my hands!  It has been a long process but there is now light at the end of the tunnel.  I will update here when the deed is finally done!  I wish everyone a good Friday and an even better weekend.  A week from today and people will start arriving for the pigroast and I am looking forward to it!

September 19, 2016  A good Monday evening to all!  Just when we think fall is coming another bit of summer comes in.  With temperatures approaching 90 this week it will feel like the middle of summer once more.  I have a few days off this week and will head down to visit Mom and Dad.  I look forward to the visit since we have not seen them for so long.  It is time to get all the trapping gear ready.  We are trying a new kind of dip this year that mixes with water instead of Coleman fuel.  All we have to do is find time to get all the traps done!  There a number of coyotes around and we hope to nab a few of them.  Our next blanket should be done in a few weeks and I really look forward to seeing how it turned out.  We have been seeing some really nice bucks this summer even for our area.  Some really big 8 and 10 points.  Only time will tell if there in the area come deer season.  I wish you all a good week and don’t forget to give the ones close to you a hug and tell them how much you love them !

September 14,2016 A good Wednesday night to everyone.  We had our fall bike ride last weekend.  This time we took an extra day and it was just that much more fun!  We made up to the top of Mt Washington on our bikes and over to Paul Smiths to visit our friend Ethan.  The only one missing was Tony.  Work commitments kept him from the trip but hopefully he will riding again on the next trip!  The scenery was unbelievable and the White mountains are one of my favorite places and I truly feel blessed when I get to visit and even more so when riding.  It was great as always to ride with Karl and follow his lead as he planned out the entire trip!  A good week to you all!

September 3, 2016  A clear cool Saturday morning, finally!  It may get hot again next week but I will take this short reprieve.  We heard the coyotes last night!  It was early and they were very vocal.  Just like in times past they carry on for a time and then silence.  Only to hear them again in another location.  I remember a time when Janet and I were sitting next to a campfire at the house and the coyotes were yipping all around.  As usual they all quit and we hadn’t heard anything for a few minutes when all of a sudden one let loose right next to the barn!  We both pretty much jumped out of our skin!  It was literally only yards away.  It is great to live out in the country.  Our fall bike trip is this coming week and I look forward to seeing the first signs of fall as we head north into the Adirondacks and New England.  These rides are special times for me and I am thankful for the ability to them and ride with the people I do!  Enjoy the weekend and I wish for you all to have a good week!

August 19, 2016  A good Friday evening to everyone.  It has been another hot miserable week at the mill.  Between loosing people and trying to train new ones it seems like there is sometimes no end in sight but it is now the weekend and it makes all the difference in the world!  Big news!!  As of fifteen minutes ago all the changes for the book have been sent in (thanks to Rachel) and the cover is done.  Now by mid next week I can hopefully have a completion date and the book will finally be done!!  I will keep posting about this until it finally arrives.  I am very excited and was thinking that I started this whole adventure back in 2003.  It sat idle for a number of years but now it is finally coming to fruition!  Have a blessed weekend and enjoy time with friends and family!

August 6, 2016  A good Saturday to everyone!  Although still warm today the temps are only in the middle 80’s which feels a lot better than the last couple days.  Janet and Rachel are in Annapolis for a CAP event and it looks to be quite the affair.  I just stopped at the book store and will talk to the manager on Monday about doing a possible book signing when the book comes out.  I was hoping for this month but it is looking more like September.  The final editing may be done as soon as this weekend if Rachel gets back in time tomorrow.  I will keep up with the timing of the publishing and write about it as time goes on.  To all I wish a good week and time spent with family and friends.

July 31,2016  Welcome again to a hot and sunny Sunday.  The weekend has been a good one for all.  I was able to camp this weekend with all but Rachel as she was away at a base with the Civil Air Patrol.  She has since returned home safely and so have I..  The ride back was hot but dry.  Very different from yesterday!  I believe it was the hardest rain I have ever ridden through.  There was enough water on the road to come up onto the foot boards of the bike.  Not the funnest way to spend a Saturday morning but you can’t choose the weather you just have to deal with it.  We made it through another month at work and we were ahead of production once again.  I am very thankful that all my prayers were answered once again when it comes to work.  Sometimes I wonder if praying about those things is not in the best interest of all else that is going on but we serve a powerful God and He chooses to answer them and I am very thankful for that!  It all starts again tomorrow so I wish you all a good week and to my good friend Karl continued success in his new job!

July 17, 2016 A good Sunday afternoon to everyone.  A hot but pretty day.  I just returned from a weekend at the cabin with family and friends and as in the past it was a blessing to see and be with everyone!  We caught up on all we are doing and made plans for the next get together.  A lot is happening in the world around us and as our group of friends sticks together through thick and thin it gives me great comfort to know each one!  The cover is done on the book and it needs a final proof read and than back to the publishers with any final revisions and hopefully in print next month!  I have broken down and started a facebook page to get it out there to more people.  I have also e-mailed editors of some of the magazines I have written for in the past to see how much it would be to advertise in their magazines.  I will also stop at some local book stores to see if they are willing to do anything also.  It is finally showing light at the end of the tunnel for this project!  Janet and the girls are at her Mom and Dad’s 65th wedding anniversary today and I wish Tom and Helen all the best.  They are two people I really look up too as I do with Mom and Dad who celebrated their 64th this year.  A good week to everyone and I will keep posting about the book and when it will finally be done!

July 10, 2016  A sunny and thankfully cool morning.  We have had the heat and humidity this past week and after today it will be coming back, but this coming weekend is the cabin!  The one place where for a few days we can gather with great people and relax and be together as one big family!  My book will be out in August and working with a few different people at LuLu I had no idea there was so much to putting a book to print.  It was a dream that will soon become a reality and I look forward to holding a copy in my hands and getting it out there to the people who will hopefully enjoy it.  My coming week is packed but through prayer and family around me I will make it through as I have in the past.  Erin is still on the trail and I think about her often and wish her a safe journey!  To all a good and blessed week!

July 4, 2016  A rainy and cool day here as we celebrate not only the birth of our country but the birth of my oldest daughter Helen!  She turned 20 and I still cannot believe it!  We were able to get in s short canoe trip to a local pond so we enjoyed some time together with her sister along too!  We haven’t had much time for any outdoor adventures lately so when we can get one in even a  short one I count as a true blessing!  Enjoy the day my friends and keep those who you love close!

June 23, 2016  A good evening to everyone!  Janet and Helen are winding down their trip in Alaska.  I got a text from them and they were in Juneau this morning and back on the boat tonight.  I really look forward to seeing all the pictures and hearing all the stories!  We have been blessed as a family to be able to do the things we do.  Thank you!  Rachel has been doing some flying this week and may even solo tomorrow a scary thought to be sure but another way we have been blessed with our abilities and the things we are able to do!  Maura and I have had a good week and it has been awhile since we have spent so much time together and I really enjoyed it!  I wish you all a good weekend and that you all have the ability to spend some good time with family and friends!

June 12, 2016  A good Sunday evening to everyone!  The day turned out to be beautiful and as the sun sets in the background it is the end to a good weekend.  Janet and Helen left on their trip to Alaska today and as I write this they are in the air heading towards Vancouver.  There are 30 of them on the trip and I know Helen was really excited to see the sights way up there!  I pray for their safe trip!  Rachel leaves for Oklahoma on Friday for flight school and then as soon as she gets back she heads to encampment for a week.  It will be Maura and I holding down the fort.  I wish you all a great week and enjoy the summer weather.

June 2, 2016  Hello to all on this hot and muggy evening!  Things are returning to normal after Maura’s big graduation weekend.  We started off Thursday with class night where the seniors get there awards and scholarships.  Maura did pretty well for herself and I am really proud of her!!  She is going to do well in all she chooses.  We had a house full to help us celebrate with a lot of friends and family around.  It was a hot but great time.  We will do it again next year when Rachel graduates.  I am once again in debt to our neighbors who provided their house for the party.  We are so blessed with Neil and Carol!  A lot made comments on how we are so lucky.  Our next blanket will bee done later this summer and I look forward to seeing it this one will have 16 beavers in it so it should be a nice size one.  I preach at church this Sunday and am looking forward to the opportunity.  We will see where God leads me on what to talk about.  Until next time I wish you all a great Friday and upcoming weekend!.  .

May 23, 2016  We went on our bike trip this past weekend.  The weather was great and the trip was as good as they come!  We rode through some beautiful country along the Delaware river in New York and up along Lake George and Lake Champlain.  It was great to see Michael’s cabin and just put some miles on the bike riding with two great friends!  A good week to all and safe travels to all coming out for Maura’s party!

May 14, 2016  It has been awhile since I have checked in.  A lot has been going on.  Work has been a bear and will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future.  But along with that it has been great at home.  We are slowly getting ready for our next graduation party and we hope for good weather since for the last three weeks all we have had has been rain.  As an icing on the cake the temperatures have dropped and now there a chance of snow!   Crazy since we planted most of our garden last weekend.  The turkeys have been busy lately and we can hear them day and night.  It seems like any load noise gets them to gobbling.  It is pretty neat to hear them.  I got a message from the tannery and our next blanket will done this fall.  I look forward to seeing it and to filling the freezer with beavers again when trapping season comes around again!  We have our spring motorcycle trip coming up next weekend and I really look forward  to it!  I will let you know how it goes.  I wish you all a great and blessed week!

May 2, 2016  Sometimes when I write I do not know quite where to start.  A lot has been happening lately.  Two of the girls had their prom this past weekend.  Rachel’s date was a friend of ours son.  The night went well for them and they even made it home fairly early.  Maura and Rachel looked beautiful and the pictures we took did not do them as good as they looked in person!  I was a proud father!  Just as I was when when Helen went to her prom 2 years ago.  It was a good weekend and I really enjoyed the time with family and some special friends!  I wish you all a good week.

April 23, 2016  Good morning to everyone!  It has been awhile since I have checked in.  A lot has been going on.  We had a great weekend last week with friends enjoying a relaxing weekend together.  Our firewood pile is finally done and cleaned up.  With the new truck we have I will try to get a load of firewood each week from the mill.  My book is to the publishers and completion time is around July or August.  I look forward to seeing the finished book!  The bike is up and running even though I have not been out much.  I look forward to our ride next month up through New York into New England.  I teach tomorrow at church and look forward to it.  I never prepare very well but I am led to a good lessen.  I wish you all a great weekend with family and friends!

April 9, 2016  A good day to everyone.  As I write this the snow is coming down outside once again.  We had almost 70 degrees on Wednesday and after that the temperature just went down and never came back up.  The weatherman is calling for it to drop into the teens tonight.  Strange weather for April but you cannot change it.  The yard still needs mowed but no sense mowing through the snow too!  Our bike trip is planned for next month.  It looks like up through New York and into New England.  A long trip but some pretty country.  A good friend just returned from a trip to Texas with 3400 miles on the road he put in a lot of time as he traveled from his home in PA.  The beavers we sent off to be tanned have arrive safely in the shifty box we made but it was good enough to get it there.  I really look forward to the next blanket being made.  This one will have 16 beavers in it.  The biggest one so far.  I wish everyone a good rest of the weekend and I hope you take some time to give thanks for all the blessings you have each day!

April 2, 2016 Hello to all and a great Saturday to you!  It feels like fall around here and rain moving in.  The rain will change to snow tonight and we are supposed to see one to two inches.  The yard needs mowed and it may be done while the snow is coming down.  Not often does that happen.  Had a flock of turkeys in the driveway this morning with at least two gobblers in the bunch,  They have been very vocal both day and night with the season not that far off.  Had a great visit to the nursing homes last night.  Seeing some of the old folks who are not all there suddenly start singing all the words to the old hymns is really special to watch.  The Lord allows them that happiness.  Bike is running.  Heading back to the shop this morning though.  I had a lot of work done to it and something is wrong with the belt I believe and they are going to check it out.  we have a bike trip planned for next month and I want it to be ready!  Have a good weekend friends and tell the ones close to you how much they mean to you!

March 25, 2016  A great Friday to everyone!  It is Good Friday and I hope you all realize the importance of what happened all those years ago.  Easter is just as important.  May you have a good holiday weekend!  We ended up with only one beaver and a muskrat last weekend.  It was a great time and there are still a lot of beavers around for next year.  We finally got our beavers boxed up and ready to go to the tannery.  I look forward to having the next blanket made!  I finally found a truck and we picked it up today.  It will be good to be able to haul again.   I wish you all a great weekend around family and friends!

March 19, 2016  A good day to be away from the mill.  We have beaver trapping planned for the next three days!  We have traps set in a lot of different locations.  All conibers but all but one on floats.  There was a lot of sign around so we are hoping to nab a few!  With two other trapping partners it has been a really great time so far.  We have all but one of our beavers on stretchers.  Soon they will be heading to the tannery and a new blanket very soon!  I will post some pictures from our adventures in the next few days.  I wish you all a great weekend and safe travels where ever you may go!

March 8, 2016  It was another great cabin fever at the cabin.  The downtime was great and the time well spent with great friends!  The weekend was a little snowy but not to cold.  We saw all kinds of tracks and a number of deer too.  I am looking forward to some more beaver trapping next weekend.  The weather maybe warm but there are a lot of beavers around.  Meantime we continue to get our pelts ready for the tannery.  We have only six more to go.  I signed up with a publisher today so we are one step closer to getting my book published!  It maybe a few weeks yet but it is going to happen!  I will update as I get more information.  I wish everyone a good and blessed week!

February 28, 2016  It is February and 65 degrees outside!  What a beautiful day.  The big news is the editing is finally done on the book!  I will get one final read on it to touch up anything that may have been missed.  Then it is off to the publishers!  I cannot wait to get it done, and finally it in book form!  I will keep putting updates out to let everyone know when it is finally available.  With that being said I wish everyone a great week and a blessed time with family.

February 26, 2016  Hello everyone and welcome back to winter.  We have been busy getting beaver hides ready to go to the tannery.  There are a bunch to do and I hope to have them done in the next month.  That will have them done and ready for sewing by the fall.  Beaver season is open through the end of March and we hope to get a decent line out in several locations.  There are a lot around and we hope to fill a few hoops.  I will keep you up to date on our luck.  Enjoy the weekend and I hope you all get time to spend with family!

February 14, 2016  A cold winter weekend.  Temperatures dropped to at least -10 last night.  It was a star filled night without a hint of wind.  I walked up our bait station last night to put the SD card back in our trail camera and it was beautiful out, cold but really something.  I missed our trappers weekend and have had wondered all weekend how they all did.  It was a tough decision not to go but I did get to spend a lot of time with the girls which is a true blessing!  I will have the opportunity to preach tonight and I am thankful for it!  We will hopefully be back on the beaver line next week with warming temperatures and some open waters.  I am halfway done with the editing of the book!  I will get hold of another publisher and see if I can get a better price.  The one I wanted to go with is a little higher than I can afford.  I will keep everyone posted on the progress.  I wish everyone a good week and the ability to spend time with family and friends!

February 7, 2016  A good Sunday evening to everyone.  It was a good week on the beaver line.  We picked up four this week and a coon too.  Only one was a decent size but it gives us enough to make the next blanket!  I look forward to getting it done.  It was a long week at the mill and the pretty weather this weekend really made up for it.  Winter maybe coming back tomorrow but right now it clear and nice I even saw a few bikes out yesterday.  I look forward to riding season coming up in only a few short months.  I wish everyone a good week and the blessing of good friends and family!

January 30, 2016  The snow is really starting to melt as the temperatures warm.  Today was the first day of open water on the river and we nabbed a beaver today.  I was very surprised since the float was still iced in on three sides.  I think there will be a lot of action as the ices leaves the shorelines.  I also set out a couple of coyote sets and put the trail camera nearby to see how the coyotes react.  A great and blessed weekend to everyone!  It was a very long week at the mill so it is nice to sit around and relax

January 22, 2016  Well winter is here this week with cold temperatures and a big snowstorm outside as i write this.  Our beaver trapping last weekend did not go very well which really surprised us because of the sheer amount of sign.  Leaving them out for only one night was just to short of time.  I put one out closer to home too but when the cold weather moved in it froze the trap in place on the float.  The beavers are there but with the ice it makes it a lot more difficult especially when trapping rivers.  On a pond or lake it is a lot of fun and a bit easier as well as safer.  On the river the ice only freezes out so far and it is never very thick.  When the weather brakes we will give it a go once more.  I wish you all a great weekend and maybe sometime to enjoy the snow!

January 16, 2016  Hello to all and a good Saturday to you.  It was my first full work week in a long time and it was a big change from short weeks due to the holidays and trapping.  Today we got down on the river and put out some beaver traps.  One of the places had more sign than any place I had ever trapped before.  It was amazing the amount of chewed sticks just piled up in places.  We were able to put out 3 conibears and one foot trap.  We are only going to keep them set for one night because it is to far to travel during the week.  I would like to nab three more and that would give us 15 for the next blanket.  I will let you all know how we do.  With the weather moving in it should get the critters moving and hopefully into our traps!..  I wish you all a great Saturday night and a thankful Sunday.

January 10, 2016  Good Morning to all on a wet and warm day.  From seven degrees on Wednesday to forty-six this morning is a really big change!  It is supposed to drop again tonight.  I do not know where to start about the week we had trapping.  What a great time in a remote and rustic place.  No electric no water but we did have a gas cook stove and lights!  We had no luck trapping and with fifty-one sets out we should have had some action but without even a deer sighting we came to the conclusion that the critters were just not there.  The time there though was amazing and the country was beautiful!  Next year we will move to a lower location and see if things change.  The time spent with good friends outweighs the lack of critters for me.  I will start trapping again around here next weekend and hopefully pick up a few more beavers and maybe a few of the coyotes who love to wake us up at night with their howling!  Will update as time goes on.  Remember to give the ones you love a hug today and pray or give a kind thought to those around us that are sick and hurting!

January 3, 2016  Happy New year to all!  We all had a great time in Waynesboro and as we get older it is even more of a blessing each time we get together!  We set out a few snares but had no luck.  We walked a section of the Appalachian Trail and saw some pretty country.  There were 13 of us that went and we were all tired when we were picked up.  This week it is back to work for a few days than off to trapping with Karl and Tony in Northern PA.  The weather should be a little better than last year when it was below zero.  Was given the opportunity to preach today and am thankful for the time!  I wish you all a good week and a prosperous New Year!

December 27, 2015  I hope you all had a nice Christmas!  The weather did not make it feel like Christmas but we got to swim in the ocean on both the 24th and Christmas day.  The water was a little cold but not that bad.  Back to work tomorrow but for only three days then off to Waynesboro for New Years with all our friends.  It was a true blessing to visit Mom and Dad for Christmas.  I wish they were closer!  A good week to all.

December 20, 2015  What a great weekend!  I hope you all had time to enjoy our brief stint of winter!  We were able to hunt and put a few deer in the freezer and enjoy some great time at the bench.  I look forward to that as much as anything.  We have all our traps pulled and nabbed a few more beavers.  We will get back at it after the new year.  Had some great coyote videos on the trail camera with them coming in to have a few bites of the beavers we put out.  This week we put all the deer after we cut them up and I hope to get some good video of the critters that come in.  I wish you all a good week and blessed Christmas!  It is a special time of the year and the real meaning behind it!

December 15, 2015 Hello on a cloudy rainy morning!  But I have a vacation day so it is a good day!  Have been busy cutting firewood and catching a few beavers on the river.  We are getting ready for Christmas and I look forward to the trip down to Mom and Dad’s.  We will head down next week.  We will be hunting Saturday for doe season and it looks like we may even have some cold weather.  With the warm weather I have actually been out on the bike I just can’t seem to put it up for the winter especially with the warm weather we have been having.

One really neat thing is the video I got off our trail camera.  I had set it to record video over a few beaver carcasses.  I got video of all kinds of critters and it was pretty cool to see them.  I put out another this week and look forward to seeing those videos.  Had the opportunity to preach last Sunday night and feel blessed to have had that opportunity.  God gives me the subject and then allows me to fill in the rest.  I wish everyone a good day and hold someone close today and let them know how important they are to you!

December 5, 2015  A big hello on a beautiful Saturday morning!  The week back to work after a long vacation is always challenging and this past week was no exception but it is over and it is Maura’s birthday!  We hope to get a tree today and even some lights hung up.  Also want to get a few snares out today too.  It may be more than possible but it is nice to stay busy and maybe have the opportunity to catch a few critters.  We put a few picture on the sight.  It was fun catching the critters!  A good Saturday to everyone and a special Sunday as well!

November 28, 2015 A good Saturday to everyone!  It has been a good week of hunting, trapping, and spending time at home,  Only one beaver this week but there are a lot more around.  One climbed over a float I had set and ate the bait springing the trap in the process.  There is weather moving in so the water will be rising so the float will make the float set that much better.  I have been called crazy for leaving a warm bed so early on a cold morning but I would not change it.  This morning just above me a great horned owl let loose and it was amazing.  It sent chills down my spine and it just added to all the cool things that happen before daylight on the trapline.  I wish you all a great weekend and keep our friends and families in your thoughts and prayers there are a few of us going through a rough patch right now.

November 25, 2015  Hello to all on this thanksgiving eve!  It has been a really good week with our big meal on Sunday and deer hunting this week.  Two deer have been taken so far both from the bench.  I have not been lucky enough to pull the trigger yet but I still have high hopes.  It is a true blessing to spend times with friends and family!  Trapline has been slow this week but did pick up a coyote in a snare on top of the hill.  Unfortunately it had the mange and was not worth skinning.  Tomorrow looks like a good day with all the family home.  I wish everyone a blessed day and that we all take time out to give thought to all that we are thankful for!  There sure is a lot!

November 21, 2015  Good Morning to all.  The temperatures have dropped and it feels more like the end of November and the beginning of deer season.  The trapline has produced 4 beavers and 2 muskrats this week. We put out a few more traps yesterday and have traps to set for muskrats at a friends house this morning.  We have our friends coming in today and tomorrow for the first week of deer season and as always we are looking forward to having them!  With everything going on around the world it is good to get together with friends and family.  We will post some pictures of some of the critters we have caught.  A blessed day to everyone and safe travels!

November 19, 2015  Hello to all on a rainy Thursday but a vacation day for me so it does not matter what the weather is.  It has been quite the week on the trapline.  I have on 330 float set on the river in town and have collected 3 beavers off of it this week.  One of them was a real big guy.  I guess well over 50 lbs.  So there will be some skinning time today.  Also picked up a muskrat today too!  After a full week of no action or sprung traps it is good to have some action!  I will post some photos this weekend.  Thi weekend is also our gathering before the first day of buck season.  I will keep up on how things are going on the line and from the bench!  A good weekend to all and good health to those who we have been praying for!

November 14, 2015 Not much to report on the line this week. Did pickup one muskrat in a 110 conibear so it was nice to have a little action. Went into town this morning to set out some beaver traps but the floats I had left last year were gone so I was not able to get any out. The sign was there though. There were a number of trees down so I will get a float and get back out there. Tomorrow is the shoebox dedication at a local church for the shoeboxes that go over seas through Samaitans purse. It is really cool to see how many go and see how many people benefit and love receiving them. It is a true blessing! As the weekend goes give a word of thanks to the people who help you get through each day!

November 6, 2015 It is the first day of trapping season and even though the weeks are packed I was able to get out 7 sets. Two for beaver and five for muskrats. The beaver sets are floats and one of them is set by a dam they are building If they get it done it will be about 75’ across in a place that will not last to long when the water comes up but hopefully I can catch a few before that happens. I put some sets out at work to but have not had any luck yet. We are heading to a state tournament volleyball game today and if they win this one the team will head to the state championship. Have a good Saturday and Sunday! I will check in with pictures tomorrow if we have any luck.

October 31, 2015 Happy Halloween to everyone. Even though we do not do much with the day it is still neat to see all the neat decorations. The week has ended and Maura and her volleyball team won the Mason-Dixon championship. They did very well and won pretty easily. Next week is the start of trapping season and I hope to keep a short line running this season even with the short days and long hours at the mill. There are a number of fox at the mill and I hope to nab a few of them. My one goal is to keep as many beaver sets out as possible. Last year was disappointing and I hope to make up for it this year! I have done some scouting and have found some sign so I know they are around. I will start writing about my time on the line and some of my favorite sets as I did last year. I wish all of you a great weekend and remember to show the ones near and dear to you that you love them!

October 19, 2015 The roast has come and gone but another time and some good memories of time spent with some really great friends. The weather was great even a little chilly but it did not take away from the weekend. I look forward to our next get together this coming deer season. We have almost all the traps died and ready for the season. With the way the coyotes have been carrying on there should be a few around this season. We have yet to scout around for beavers but with a PA trapping license too we should be able to move north and set some traps for the beavers we couldn’t get to before. This coming weekend is the trapping demo at Mason Dixon, hopefully this year we will have a better turn out and a few younger kids we can get excited about trapping. last night I was able to fill in for our preacher and am very thankful for the opportunity. I am glad everyone made it home safe and a good week to all!

October 14, 2015 I usually don’t write to often during the week but it is pigroast week and with it being at our place this year has me fired up for all our friends coming in. Also the trapping demo is only a little more than a week away so the weekends will be busy. I wish everyone safe travels and good weather if it be thy will!

October 10,2015 Hello to all and a good Saturday to you! The weekend is here and temperatures are in the 40’s with fall colors showing all around. The pigroast is next weekend and we are looking forward to having a house full of people! The get togethers mean more as time goes on and we look forward to each one and all the good times they bring to each of us. We got most of our traps done last week. It did not go exactly as planned but the end result looks pretty good. The coyotes have been waking us up at night with their howling and yipping. Hopefully we can catch a few of them this winter. I wish everyone a good weekend and keep up the prayers for our friends and family (which is what I think of all the Big Guns) who are having some rough times.

October 3, 2015 October is here and fall is showing its colors! The temperatures have dropped and it feels great. I like the feeling of blankets back on the bed it makes me sleep better. It raining today but I hope at some point I can get a trap boil and wax in. It is time to get ready the season starts in a month! Starting to get flyers together to put up for our trapping demo later this month so we have a better turnout than last year. Another rough week at the mill but we made our numbers for the month. Now the fight begins for this month! I usually do not get to in depth as I write these notes but some friends and family are going through a rough spot right now so as you go through your day keep them in your thoughts and prayers. You don’t know their names but that doesn’t matter, what does is the kind thoughts and prayers for them that need it. Enjoy the weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at the pigroast!

September 27, 2015 I don’t where to start this week. This has been of a week of unbelievable lows and really great highs. After the bike wreck that happened on the end of Pedlar last Sunday and all that happened with it I really started the week off with a very heavy heart! Knowing that the young girl is now in a much better place and that she had already chosen Jesus as her savior made it easier for me. I hope the same held true for her family as they grieve the loss of such a young daughter. It put things in perspective for me in a way that makes you overcome a lot of the stresses we deal with every day! I continue to pray for the family as they go through this terrible time. On a much better note we had our fall bike trip this past weekend and arrived home tired and sore but with some great memories of all we saw and did. The Mackinac bridge was amazing to see and ride across and to share it with Karl and Tony made the trip amazing! I look forward to our next one where ever it may take us! I wish everyone a good week and do not forget to hug the ones you hold dear and let them know you love them!

September 18, 2015 An end to another tough week! Janet, Maura, and Helen are away at men’s fair at seven springs with a bunch of the big guns. Rachel and I will do some running around tomorrow and maybe get some things ready for trapping season. the first day of fall is next week so the season is right around the corner! We will be doing a trapping demo again this at the Mason Dixon park. We will do a little more advertizing this year and hopefully have a bigger crowd. Our ride north is next week and I am really looking forward to it, especially riding with Tony and Karl. A good weekend to all!

September 13, 2015 What a difference a week makes! Outside it is in the low 50’s and we are finally getting a little bit of rain. It is calling for cooler temperatures all week. Hopefully for our ride up north the temperatures will be warm enough to be comfortable! It is a ride i am really looking forward to! The Macinac bridge is the longest one in the western hemisphere! It will be quite the crossing! We will try to do a trapping demo at the end of October. There is a new park superintendent so I have to get things worked out with her. In the meantime we will start to get our traps ready for the upcoming season. There are a lot of coyotes around and it would be great to nab a few of them. I wish everyone a good week and one where you realize will all our blessings come from!

September 8, 2015 Hello on a hot Tuesday! The weather is supposed to change tomorrow and I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures. It makes for a lot easier sleeping. Have been helping Helen with her her dendrology class and it is fun to get out into the woods and look for the different trees with her. Preached a sermon at church the other day and used the Kim Davis as the inspiration as well as scripture. You may or may not agree with what she has done but she has shown conviction and courage that a vast majority including myself would ever have. I wish everyone a good week and a safe one too!

August 29, 2015 Hello to all as the hot weather moves back in. I just from a trip to Mom and Dad’s. Dad had a hip replaced and is doing better now that he is home. Had a rough time with the pain medicine but hopefully he will not need much more. I took the bike down and had a good trip. It is crazy how fast people travel. Heading down 95 South towards Richmond just going 80 to 85 mph did not keep me up with the majority of traffic, crazy stuff! The trip this time was all good weather unlike last time which was a lot of rain pounding down for hours on end. It is great just to be out. I took a new road out of Berkley Springs, rt. 9 heading west towards Paw Paw. Great views and some really nice twisty turns. It was worth the extra time. It will be nice to sleep in for awhile tomorrow and have the day to do things around the house. Really looking forward to our trip next month. Looking at the Mackinaw Bridge. It is a place I have really wanted to see. It should be a great trip with some great people! Enjoy your Sunday and do not foret to give thanks to all you have been blessed with!

August 22, 2015 A good Saturday to everyone! There has been a lot going on since I have written a few weeks ago. The girls have been back in school. I can safely say they are not to happy about that. The mill is going as fast as ever. At one point we had no loaders running. One had caught on fire and burned up, one blew out the turbo,oil cooler, and several other things, while the third one had injector and fuel problems. All told the cost was pretty high with log trucks lined up as far as you could see and the mill trying to stay in logs. A difficult situation but one that was resolved in a few days. The garden is about done and it has not been the best of years with a lot of rain this spring and then drying out and staying that way. We did get a few cucumbers and tomatoes, and also we will soon dig potatoes too. The coyotes have been active lately. They can wake you up from a sound sleep with their howeling and yipping. They get really close to the house and when they let loose it can chills down your spine! Hopefully we will have a few on stretchers this coming winter. I hope you all enjoy a great weekend!

August 8, 2015 A good day to you all! I hope you are enjoying your Saturday and like the warm weather. It has been another hectic week at the mill with several run ins with employees but when it comes right down to it, it has been a normal week. The garden is producing some beans , cucumbers, and potatoes, as well as a few tomatoes. This has not been the best of years for the garden but we are enjoying what we are getting. Hopefully we will get enough cucumbers to make a few pickles. Janet and I got out for a short ride today, got a little wet but it was still nice to be out. It would be great to get our fall ride next month. It is always a challenge to get all our schedules to line up but when we do it is great to get out with Karl, Tony, and Michael! Tomorrow is the day we recharge for the week ahead and I hope you have a good Sunday wherever you spend your morning. Give thanks for all the gifts you have received!

July 25, 2015 Good Saturday morning to everyone! It is now a week after cabin and the post cabin blues have faded and now it is back to looking forward to our next get together at the pig roast. The cabin was a great weekend and we had great weather. Just hanging around with good people is enough to make for a great time but we also road the ranger, cut firewood, and swam in the pond. Not a bad way to spend a few days with special people. The week has been hectic and we are now starting to install a drop belt in the mill at the headrig which will take about 4 days and then it is on to the double cut, yea! Which means a doubling of our production. Oh well we don’t have to like it we just have to deal with it. Rachel is set to come home in two days and she has had a rough time in Wisconsin. Work wise and health wise. I look forward to seeing her and hearing about all that went on at the airshow. Had a nice ride on the bike yesterday with Maura. I like to take off and find roads we had never been on before and last night was no exception. We saw some pretty country and the weather was great. We hope to get out again this weekend. I wish all a good weekend and take time to give thanks for all you have received!
July 13, 2015 A good Monday to everyone! An early start to the day today. We had to get Rachel to the Pittsburgh airport. She left today for two weeks in Wisconsin at the National Blue Beret. It is the countries largest airshow in Oshkosh. She will be working at the show through the Civil Air Show and from what she has told me about it she will stay pretty busy. I wish her well it will be rough for her since she does not know anyone and is doing this all on her own. I look forward to the stories when she gets back. They take your cell phone as soon as you get there so we will not hear from her to often. The cabin is this weekend and I am looking forward to it! I wish everyone safe travels!

July 8, 2015 Hello everyone and a good hump day. What a week! It seems like no matter what I do things still do not turn out like I hoped. I guess if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger! Keep praying for us as we go through the week. The good news is the cabin is next week and I am looking forward to seeing everybody! I wish everyone a good Thursday.

June 28, 2015  A good Sunday evening to everyone!  It has been a few weeks since I have ch ecked in and a lot has been going on.  the rain has not let up and the grass, weeds, and garden has been growing.  Rachel just got back from Civil Air Patrol encampment at Camp Dawson.  She made it through the week but she has a rough time with only 4 hours sleep a night.  Maura had volleyball camp and had a good time there but it was hot!  Helen continues to work two jobs and has helped finish up our firewood pile.  We will get another load in a few weeks and that should give us plenty.  I normally don’t get on a soap box but this past few weeks with the shootings in South Carolina, and the Supreme Court decisions has really made my head spin.  I will continue to pray for these people as well as our government but it seems like our government is incapable of making the right decisions any more.  Maybe our next president can make it right.  The cabin is coming up soon so I really look forward to seeing everyone!  A good week to all.

June 7, 2015  Hello to all!  It has been a while and alot has been going on.  We have our garden planted, a lot smaller than past years but it is in the ground.  With any luck we can keep the critters out.  We are right in the middle of a big firewood push to get a triaxle load cut up.  It will not fill the wood racks but it will help for next winter.  I will probably get another load when this one is done.  Janet and the girls are down in Florida with Neil and Carol at Harry Potter world and it sounds like they are having a good time but, it is really hot!  I just got back from visiting Mom and Dad.  I rode down and really enjoyed the trip.  We got a lot of outside work done that they would have not been able to do so that was a blessing to be able to get it done for them.  The ride down was wet and rained for most of the ride but the ride back was sunny and nice.  It is great to be out on the bike!  I hope everyone has a good week!

May 29, 2015  A good Friday to everyone!  Another long week at the mill but it was only a 4 day week!  We are in the process of putting up 2 new buildings, a new drop belt at the head rig, a double cut headrig, new filing equipment, and a fire suppression system for the entire mill.  As well as a number of smaller projects.  It is always a little busy.  Anyway it is the weekend and I am always thankful for them.  Next week I have 2 days off and will ride down to Virginia Beach to see Mom, Dad, and sister Laurie.  I haven’t been there in awhile and really look forward to the visit!  I have been thinking about another ride and hope we can pull it together for later this year.  It is always a great ride for us and are time gets better as we get older and realize how special these rides can be!  I wish everyone a great weekend and some good time with family and friends!

May 23, 2015  Hello everybody on a cold but beautiful Saturday morning.  It is a long weekend and graduation time for many.  We will head to Zanesville and be with family to celebrate  .  Last weekend I was able to take a short bike trip with Karl.  It was a great time and we saw some beautiful country.  It rained on and off but did not take away from the fun of being out there.  We stopped at Tony’s place and helped with the plumbing that had frozen and broken last winter.  His Dad’s place was made to be a summer cabin and is just not set up to be a year round place so it is not well insulated.  Anyway we worked on it and for supper Karl fixed up a great steak dinner.  Heading out the next morning I got turned around and ended up taking rt 24 south into Maryland.  I hit a little rain but for the most part it was dry and the road was great to ride on.  I look forward to another ride sometime this year!  I wish everyone a great weekend and a good upcoming week!

May 5, 2015  Hello everyone and a good Tuesday to you!  I got home early today and thought it would be a good time to put down a few words.  I do not do much on this come warm weather but I had a few things going on.  Saturday morning Helen and I went out turkey hunting but I couldn’t find my call and we had to be content with turkeys all around us  but none close enough to shoot at.  Then it was prom night for Maura and Rachel.  They cleaned up pretty good and both looked really pretty!  We went to the grand march and it was a little much for me but it seemed like most of the girls really enjoyed it and probably took the whole day to get ready.  Summer heat is coming and I am already looking forward to cooler days but I will have to wait for awhile.  Life at the mill is still booming with new buildings going up and some big projects in the mill.  The lumber market has really dropped off and that means we are building inventory again.  Hopefully this will be short lived and we can start moving it out like we did before.  My book is slowly being edited and I was told it will be done this year.  Not the time frame I wanted but at least it is getting done!  Time for me to go so a good evening to you and may the warm weather make you thankful and appreciate each day even more!

April 25,2015  Welcome to another weekend!  Another long week with a couple doubles pulled when things went south at the mill, but such is life at a sawmill.  I have had time to write about last weekend but what a time it was.  There were a few missing which if they were there it would have made it so much the better!  I believe as our group of friends grows older we only get closer.  Some of the things that we shared made me laugh, cringe, and wonder but, we shared it among friends and the words of kindness and advice, that came out were worth everything that was said.  I look forward to our next weekend together!

A lot of other things going on too.  Mom and Dad celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary this weekend.  I still find it unreal the number of years they have been married.  It is amazing!  Janet’s Mom and Dad will celebrate their 64th this year another remarkable thing too!  Ralph is doing much better and that is a true blessing also!  I pray he will be back to his normal real soon.  Keep him close and he will heal that much quicker.  I wish you all a good weekend and show or tell someone how important they are to you!

April 16, 2015  What do you call a person who has it all?  Lucky, blessed, smart, at the right place at the right time?  I don’t have an answer but I do have a thought that works for me.  It is not the job, because it sucks.  It is the people I call family and friends!  As I battle through each week one of the few things that keeps me going is the memories of times past whether it be at the cabin, a hunting trip, a trap line, a quiet weekend at home, a bike trip, or a visit with family and friends.  These thoughts can make a terrible day into one with a smile on my face.  The thoughts of things to come and things hoped for with those same people I can safely say is a blessing I hold on tight to.  People I know are never ceased to be amazed at our circle of friends and how long we have been together.  Now I don’t measure it in time but in the memories we have made.  So as the weekend ahead comes to be I look forward once again to the time together with the friends who mean all to me.  Yes some will be missing but they are still never far from my thoughts.  So to all who read this thanks for the memories and to my folks thanks for all that I had been blessed with growing up!

April 4, 2015  We made it into April!  I guess I thought it would be a lot more like spring but after a very heavy rain last night the temperature dropped and had snow flurries this morning!  But, as with weather the strong winds blew the clouds away and a beautiful sunny made itself known.  We were going to head out on the bike but we decided on a hike instead and it was well worth the change in plans.  A few bushes are starting to bud out as well as a few soft maples.  We went up on top of the hill and then back across to the bench.  I watched as the girls hung on the old power lines and tried to pull the poles down.  The poles didn’t fall but they had the wires going pretty good.  It was just nice to sit at the bench and think back on all the good times that were had there!  I can remember a few rough trips back to the house!  I wish everyone a good Easter and that you get to take the time to reflect on what this weekend is truly about.  Looking forward to getting together in a couple of weeks!

March 29, 2015  Good Sunday to everyone.  I am back from a extended writing absence.  While I was gone from this life did not stop and continued at full speed.  Things at work are still nonstop without any let up in sight.  I had an article published in Fur-Fish-Game.  It is always cool to see a story in print.  This one was about my favorite long range rifles and all that goes along with keeping them that way.  A lot has gone on in church from losing a dear older lady who was to say the least a great woman and will be missed to a friend of mine I worked with for many years.  He taught us lumber grading and was still working last week at 87 years old! Work was too busy to put out any beaver traps and with the season ending on the 31st.  it looks like the season is over for me.  Not a very exciting one in terms of numbers but still a lot of fun.  Maybe next year will allow more time to be out on a line.  In the meantime I wish everyone out there a good and safe week!

March 13,2015   Hello everyone.  I hope you all had a good week and for some of you that you are on the mend and feeling better.  Another long week at the mill but it is now the weekend and I look forward to it.  From last Friday with below zero temperatures to over fifty degrees today spring is in the air.  I was hoping to set some beaver traps tomorrow but weather has moved in and there are flood warnings up.  Dad made it home from the hospital and is doing  ok.  Tired and ready to rest at home.  I wish everyone a good weekend and take the time to be thankful for the special friends and family we all have!

March 8,2015  It has been awhile since I have written but a lot has happened.  We did set out a couple of beaver traps under the ice.  We had no luck and had to pull the traps pretty quickly because the ice started breaking up.  As the week went on a dear friend passed away after a long fight against ALS.  She was an amazing woman and one of the strongest willed I have ever met.  She had a very strong faith and is in a better place now.  This weekend was cabin fever!  It was a cold and snowy but warmed up Saturday afternoon into Sunday.  The weekend was incredible and we were able to spend time with some of the best people in the world!  The time goes by quickly but the time spent is always great.    I was finally able to get out on snow shoes and even though the snow was not overly deep it was great to get out the day was absolutely beautiful!  As we get into the work week ahead the memories of the past weekend will get me through.  It is a true blessing to have them as friends as close as any family!

February 28,2015  The last day of trapping season.  Except for beaver which stays open until the 31st of March.  We checked out the places we wanted to trap beavers this morning and the creeks and rivers are all frozen over.  I don’t like to trap under the ice on moving water so I will have to wait until next week when the weather warms and breaks up the ice.  Today we will pull the couple traps we have out above the house and put them up until we boil them next fall.  Today is a cold beautiful day with temps around 0 when I got up this morning.  Helen headed down to Canaan to ski this morning and I look forward to hearing about her cold day on the slopes!  Enjoy your Saturday and give thanks for the special people around you!

February 20,2015 Did you ever have a week when nothing went right?  That is  about the best description I can lay out for everything that went on this past week.  it could have been with production, people, computers, or just travel it all fell to pieces.  But now it is the weekend!  Even though I am on call this weekend it is still a good weekend no matter where I have to go.  With all that being said I wish everyone a good weekend!

February 15, 2015  A cold beautiful day.  Temperatures well below zero.  Church was cancelled so I headed out to the best church of all, the great outdoors.  Got on tracks of a number of coyotes.  I followed as fast as I could but they were a lot faster than me.  At one point one ran out up ahead of me but way to far out for a shot.  The wind and the cold were pretty wicked but it was still a real blessing to be out to appreciate all that He has created.  Maybe sometime I will kick one up a little closer.  A good weekend!

February 14, 2015  Hello to all and happy valentines day.  Another cold winter day.  But that is OK after a difficult week.  The temperatures are predicted to drop throughout the day and be around zero by tomorrow morning.  It is snowing now and it doesn’t look like it will melt anytime soon.  At least we are not in New England! I hope to get out and do a little calling today.  There are a lot of tracks around and some are very close to the house.  This year has not shown much fur but it is still good to be out.  Need to do some more editing too but cannot get the editing portion to work right on the word document.  Sometimes I think this book was not meant to be.  Stay warm and enjoy the blessings of a Saturday!  Well the hunting did not go as planned but what a time.  Not only did a storm move in but it turned into a white out complete with thunder and lightning!  Then the wind came roaring in.  I packed up and headed back leaning into the wind the whole time.  The temperature dropped 20 degrees.  What a way to spend Valentines day!  As I write this I can watch the temperature drop on the thermometer.  It is calling for below zero and windy.  A good night to stay by the fire!  We also posted a bunch of new pictures today too.  Not all brand new but new to the action photos.

February 8, 2015  Had a great weekend at Terry and Jen’s!  We did trapping, some shooting, and even a little fishing on the pond!  We saw all kinds of wildlife including a bald eagle.  The weather started out cold and windy and by today warmed up to almost 60 degrees!  We all ate good and enjoyed some good times sitting around the kitchen talking.  I wish I had more time to work a good line.  There are coyotes all around.  We saw one Friday afternoon but could not get a shot at it.  This visit was longer than normal but still to short.  It was nice to come home though.  This weekend was also Nate’s 6th birthday and Laurie’s big day too even though she is a little older.  Time to get ready for the upcoming week so I wish everyone a good week and one without much stress!

February 4,2015 A good Wednesday to all.  Heading to Terry’s tomorrow to do a little trapping and a little hunting.  He has seen a lot of sign and maybe we can nab a few coyotes while there.  Got a family tree that a cousin had done showing everyone on my Mom’s, Dad’s side.  What a family tree!  I never knew new I had so many relatives older and younger.  i am not much of a people person but it would be pretty cool to meet some of them.  thanks to Mom for sending it to us.

January 31, 2015  Hello and a good Saturday to everyone!  we woke up to a clear and cold morning .  The thermometer was reading around 5 degrees!  the beaver traps were all frozen in so it was pulled.  Came home and headed out for a little predator calling.  Didn’t have any luck shooting any but they were all around me.  I started calling and had no luck or at least I didn’t see anything.  When I got up and started walking again I came across the tracks of a coyote that came in behind me.  I must have really startled it because some of the tracks were six feet apart!  I followed them for a while until they headed back toward the house.  At that point I cut another track that headed back up the hill.  I followed it all the way up to the pasture by the neighbors where another coyote joined up.  I took off after them kind of like Terry used to do.  Back in the day he would run the deer down until they were ready to quit not like today where we actually hunt them.  The tracks peeled off across ground I don’t have permission to be on so I headed out again and cut another set of tracks by this time I was sweating and feeling it in the legs but I took off after that one and it to cut up into country I had no permission to be on either.  Not one shot but a really great hunt!  The weather was perfect and I was the only one out there  not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.  I hope to get back out with the electronic caller and see if I can pull a few out into the open and nail them with a rifle.  I will report on what happens if I get back out.  I wish everyone a great day.

January 25, 2015 Hello everyone!  A good Sunday to all.  A wet snowy day without much sunshine with rain moving in.  A dreary day for sure but got to spend a lot of time outside pulling traps and snares.  One of the snares I had set was knocked over a few inches from the heavy snow and wouldn’t you know it a coyote came through and walked right between the snare and a guide stick!  It just goes to show if you are serious about catching a critter you need to be diligent.  We still have one float and one dirt hole working but everything else is pulled.  The season is not over by a long shot but it always a sad time when you pull traps and don’t put other sets in somewhere else.  I hope to get some more beaver traps out.  I have put up signs and am now on a list with the state biologist to do nuisance work.  Hopefully will get some new areas to put out some beaver sets, only time will tell.  Will do some hospital visitation today and it really helps to keep things in perspective for me.  No matter how bad the week goes I know somebody always has it a lot worse and for those people my prayers go out to.  May you all have a good week and remember to give thanks for all you have been blessed with!

January 24,2015 A heavy wet snow blew through last night leaving the whole area covered in white.   There were tracks everywhere but only deer today.  Put out another beaver float yesterday but no luck this morning.  Tomorrow will be a big trap pulling day.  We have had traps out for awhile now but only a few tracks but no action.  There is a lot of sign in the river so I hope to catch a few beavers there.  Will be heading to Terry’s in a few weeks.  Put out a few traps and maybe do a little hunting as well as sip a little whiskey.   A good Saturday night to all!

January 18,2015  No luck on the line this morning but the ice has really melted in sections and there is a lot of open water and along with it a lot of fresh sign.  So hopefully this week we will be skinning a few beavers! My nephew and his wife had their first baby last night after a long and hard labor they were blessed with little Benjamin.  A long work week ahead so I wish everyone a good and safe week.

January 17,2015 Hello everyone and happy Saturday!  A beautiful day with temperatures in the fifties.  Unreal compared to last week when temps were below zero.  We got out and put out a few traps today.  At the water sets we had to chop out the ice to put in our beaver traps but with the warm weather the ice is going to break up pretty quickly.  Put out a number of snares too so we will see what happens in the morning.  Most will have to pulled tomorrow but that is the way we have to do with such a busy week at work and school.  Today is a special day it is Mom’s 82nd birthday!  A very happy birthday to her.  I will fill you all in tomorrow if we have any luck.  To all have a good Saturday evening.

January 14,2015  Believe it or not I was finally able to download a video onto the web sight.  Thanks to Tony and Karl for making it and sending it to all of us.  I have watched a number of times and still makes me laugh every time!  I will try with some more and see what kind of luck I have.  I hope everyone is having a good week.  Its hump day and it is a down hill slide until the weekend.  No luck on the line this week but that has been the story of the season so far.  Have spent a good bit of time at the hospital this week with a friend whose young daughter was in a bad car wreck.  She was hurt pretty bad and has already had two surgeries.  Seeing her there really puts things in perspective and makes me really appreciate all that I have been blessed with.  From family to friends it is amazing all that I have been given.  To all  out there who are part of that.  THANK YOU!

January 10,2015  What a week with wind and cold and temperatures well below zero!  It was actually uncomfortable to be outside at times, maybe I am starting to show my age.   I was not able to make it up to the trappers cabin with Tony and Karl but watched a video from their time up north.  I have laughed every time I have watched it.  I will try to post it on the sight if I can get Rachel to help me.  Life has been good after a great New Years with some of the best people in the world!  Cabin dates are set so we can plan on being together again in the near future.  Hopefully we can get together for some more trapping this winter also and try for some more critters!  Today Maura and I went on a winter hike.  We enjoyed the last of the cold afternoon light and set a few snares along the way.  A cold beautiful day to enjoy!  Enjoy your Saturday and be thankful for every season and all the people who make it enjoyable!

January 3,2015 A New Years greeting to everyone!  We actually made it past midnite and onto the early morning hours.  The New Years was a great one this year staying at a bunch of friends in eastern PA/  We ate good and even got out a trapline with the kids.  We didn’t have much luck but we did have a lot of fun.  The critters were in the area but we just didn’t have enough time to let them sit to let the sets sit and let them do their thing.  Will hopefully get out that way again this winter for some coyote trapping.  In the meantime it will be back to the routine come Monday.  I did get a picture of a decent buck on the trail cam set up behind the house.   It was late at night but it was cool to see.  I hope to nab a coyote in the same area since one of them was caught on camera too.  I wish everyone a great new year.  Be thankful He has allowed us to start a new year!

December 28,2014  A cool rainy day today it does not look much like winter.  But I know it will show in the not to distant future.  Had some traps set out this weekend but no luck once again.  I set out one beaver float and saw a enough fresh sign but no action last night.  I will keep it out a few more nights before we go away for New Years.  The day yesterday was beautiful and just walking around the hills was a real pleasure.  Even got out and did a little calling but no luck there either.  I got a trail cam for Christmas and hung it up in a tree behind the house.  Got one picture of a coyote passing by and set a trap in the general area yesterday.  Nothing on the trail cam but hopefully soon!  Had a good time in Ohio for Christmas but I do not like all the traveling but it was nice to see some of Janet’s family.  Will do some trapping over new years with some of the kids and will hopefully have some good results.  I plan on getting back to my favorite sets in the next few weeks with Rachel’s help.  For now enjoy the week and always give thanks for all in your life!

December 25,2014 Merry Christmas to everyone!  A day to be thankful and a day to remember the many blessings in our lives.  A storm blew through last night and lowered the temps a bit but still does not feel like Christmas.  The intense storms were farther north and I am thankful we were not in them.  The huge spruce tree next to the house always makes me a little nervous.  No traps out but did go on a walk yesterday along the creek looking for any beaver sign but did not have luck.  It was a really cool place though with high banks and huge rolling fields above the bank.  It doesn’t matter the weather it is always good to be out.  Hung a trail camera yesterday so I am excited to see if any pictures were taken of any critters passing by.  I wish everyone a great day filled with with whatever makes you happy!

December 22,2014  Well this is not the report I wanted to make but the trapping and hunting was not a complete bust.  After 4 great days on the river we came up with only one muskrat.  The pleasure of just being out on the water was well worth it.  Maura and Helen were able to make it out with me one day and Janet on another.  There have been a lot of beavers in the past but all we found were several collapsed bank dens and a few old feed piles.  On the hunting end it was great weekend with one small doe taken as Terry and I came off the hill from the bench.  A bunch came out later just around dark but we had no luck with them.  We got a few rounds off but it was just too dark so no deer to hang.  It was still a great day at the bench!  Christmas is almost here so I wish everybody and great and blessed day!

December 19,2014  The weather has turned colder with a few snow flurries every now and then it makes it finally feel like winter.  We were able to get out on Dunkard Creek yesterday and get a few water sets out.  We will get back in the water today and see if we had any luck.  It was cold but fun to be out on the water.  It is a great time of year with not many people around and animals primed up.  I will let you all know how we make out.  Terry will be coming down today for doe season.  The weather looks good and we hope to put a few in the freezer.  I look forward to the day tomorrow.  If we can Helen and I may get out too.  I will check in again to let you all know how we do.  Until then a good day to everyone and a special blessing to all!

December 13,2014  Another weekend has arrived after a long week.  I had hoped to head down to Mom and Dad’s to do some beaver control for the town of Chesapeake, After several e-mails to the public works department it turns out they already awarded the bid to someone so my plans for a southern beaver line will not come to be this season so maybe sometime in the future!  The weather is not the best but after flooding last weekend I was able to find all my floats and have a few traps out today.  Not much time for the traps to work but I don’t have the time to check them during the week.  Hopefully next week I can get out a few traps by canoe with a few days off and add to that a little doe hunting on Saturday with Terry.  I wish all a good weekend and a great Christmas season!

December 4,2014  Hello to all once again.  It is really nice to have the time to write two days in a row!  Not much has happened since yesterday but I did want to mention we were finally able to get the first videos put up on the adventure photo section.  it is a work in progress but I hope to make it better and easier to watch as time goes on.  My friend Karl and Rachel have shown me a lot in how to put pictures on and arrange things.  My problem is remembering how to do it all.  Check them out and see what you think.

December 3,2014  It has been awhile since I have been able to write.  A lot has been going on.  We had our house full for deer season once again.  It was a little shy from last year with Tony and Jim missing but a few deer were hanging after the first couple days.  The best part is being able to get together with everyone and enjoying the time and a lot of laughs.  Doe season is coming up and hopefully Terry can make it down to have some good times at the bench.  The line has produced a few beavers and some good times also.  One of the best parts of trapping season is the solitude after deer season is over.  There is something about walking the hills when you are the only one out there.  For me the biggest and closest deer are usually season during the later parts of trapping season.  Had a really great visit to Mom and Dad’s for Thanksgiving.  It was quite the trip down in a heavy snowstorm.  We were blessed with a safe trip.  It would be great to go down for a week and run a beaver line.  The area holds a lot of them and it would all be open water.  The bay holds a lot of otters and it would great to set some steel for them too as well as a few muskrats.  I hope everyone has a good week and remember to keep the Faith!

November 19, 2014  Another slow week on the line.  Hauled in only one small muskrat.  This weekend the crew will start to arrive for deer season and our big feed on Sunday.  It looks like a warm day on Monday after a week of cold weather and single digits.  With the people who are coming it is worth whatever the weather brings.  Had a first last weekend I was able to head up to Terry’s and help him and his Dad shell corn.  Terry ran the combine, I ran the tractor with the wagon and his Dad hauled it from the field to the dryer.  It was a great experience and enjoyable too.

November 13, 2014  I had a few days off this week trying to use up vacation and was able to get out a few traps.  The weather has turned cold and a few flurries have been in the air.  It definitely is feeling like winter!  The trapline has not produced a critter but it is still good to be out on the line.  Will leave all the traps out for a few more days and see if we get any action.  Another of my favorite sets to use is not actually a set per say but a colony trap for muskrats.  The couple that I have were actually bought at a convention many years ago but they are easy to make.  With roll wire and some tie wire you make a few up in short order.  My favorite use is in a narrow section of a creek with enough water to submerge it.  When setting it into place just make sure the doors swing freely to allow the rats to swim in.  If the channel you are setting is deep they can be piled on top of each other.  These traps work if the rat is swimming upstream or down.  The animals quickly drown making it a humane trap to use.  Try them out and they will add a few pelts to the stretchers.  Muskrats are are really fun to trap and very easy to put up so they are a great way to get into trapping.  A good evening to all and if have anymore luck I’ll check in with an update!

November 8, 2014  The second week of the season and we finally had some luck!  Pulled a 50 pound beaver out of the creek and it was a welcome sight!  The hours at the mill during the week do not give me enough to run a line so we just keep a few working around the house.  The floats are the way to go with this open water.  they are bulky but they do produce.  I walked up to where the float was placed and it was gone!  It was just after daylight so I looked a little farther upstream and saw the float and then noticed the trap was gone.  That is always the exciting part.  When the trap is missing that means a critter is in the trap.. And such was the case today!  I have been doing this for a good many years and the excitement does not fade.  The videos I wanted to upload are not going to be as simple as I thought so I will get some help from a good friend who uploads videos to his web sight and see how it goes.  As I was out checking traps up on the hill above the house I kicked up 5 deer and 2 stopped broadside less than 100 yards away, hopefully that will be the case in a couple of weeks when rifle season opens.  In the meantime we will continue to plug away on our short line and fill you in on any details!  I hope you all have a good Sunday!

November 1, 2014  The first day of trapping season!  A wet and cold rainy day but it is still a great day.  After watching the CB volleyball team win their division championship I was able to get a few traps out.  Set 5 for muskrat, one for beaver, and 1 snare for coyote.  I will have to pull most of them tomorrow, with the hours at the mill during the week it is hard to keep more than a few traps working.  My goal for the year is 15 beavers to be able to make another blanket. Only time will tell and the availability of beavers close to home in order to make it happen.  I will check in tomorrow to give the report.  In the meantime I may get some time to work on another story.  I received a message today from FFG that they want another story.  I had to do a rewrite this past week and they made an offer.  Having a story accepted every now and then makes all the rejections seem distant.  A good and relaxing evening to all.  Tomorrow is Sunday so take some time out to be thankful!

October 26, 2014  A beautiful fall day!  There are still some fall colors hanging around and the sky is a beautiful blue without a cloud insight.  Sitting here typing while looking out makes me wonder why I am inside instead of out but, I really enjoy doing this each week.  Trapping season starts soon and as the colors fade and the temperatures fall I look forward to the coming season.  This time of year is great for calling in coyotes and fox.  The young of the year are venturing out on their own and they will readily respond to most calls.  They aren’t dumb so if they catch wind of you or see the slightest movement they will take off.  I have not shot a lot of predators but I have got a few. The ones I have messed up on comes from simple mistakes I have made and knew right from the start that I was making a mistake so, if you head out this season to call in a few yotes, remember a few simple tips.  First off wear camo if you can (during deer season you better have on your orange so it is not the best time for calling.).  Second know the direction of the wind and use it in your favor.  Third always be aware of your movements, the slightest one can be seen by curious eyes trying to figure out where that dying rabbit is coming from.  And last enjoy it!  Most times I have been out is in the coldest part of winter and you are the only one out there.  It is a great feeling just to be there and add to it the sight of a critter responding to your call makes it that much better!  I hope sometime you can get out and enjoy this, hunting season doesn’t have to end when deer season is over!  Have a good week and remember to be thankful for the family and friends you have been blessed with!

October 19,2014 The fall colors have reached their peak this past week.  It was a really pretty drive home from work.  After a long day it has a way of calming me down and putting things back in perspective.  Went for walk over and across the hill yesterday.  I sat in the ladder stand and took in all the remaining colors.  It was a time to relax and take in all that God has blessed us with.  There seems to be a lot of critters around this year and hopefully that will translate it to some full traps this coming season.  My good friend Tony gave me an idea last weekend and that is to post videos on the web sight .  It sounds like a great idea and with a little help I will try to do some demos of my favorite trap sets.  Nothing fancy just the basics to give anyone  who wants to watch the start to finish in making sets.  We will see how it goes and I promise not to get long winded and off point.  Let me know when I get them posted what you think!  I wish everyone a good week and never forget to be thankful of all we have been given!

October 13,2014  The pigroast weekend has come and gone but the memories of another great weekend with special friends still burns brightly!  A few raindrops here and there but it was a pretty fall weekend with colors all around us.  Our bellies stayed full and we even stayed up late which doesn’t happen that often.  There were a number of bird hunters that came in but we worked our weekend around them and stuck pretty close to the house.  The first day of trapping season is less than a month away and with one small order for a few supplies we should be ready to go!  I good memory came back to me today. The largest beaver we ever trapped.  It was a monster.  I had set traps on a local river and had been catching a few.  They were a few nice sized ones.  This morning as I slogged through the mud and the muck i was excited once again to see the trap off the float.  I pulled up on the wire and up came another large beaver.  When I drug it up on the bank and got the trap off the critter I knew this was going to be a hard carry.  I grabbed hold of the critter and started up the first muddy bank. This thing was heavy!  I half carried, half dragged the beaver back to the car and was out of breath by the time I got there.  Coming home from work later that evening it weighed over 70 lbs.!  By far the biggest one we had ever trapped.  There is a photo of it and my daughter(who skinned most of it) in the picture section.  Sometime you never know what will be on the end of that wire when you pull it up from deep water.  A good week to all and be ever thankful for family, friends, and everything we have been given!

October 9,2014   A cool clear morning has turned into cloudy skies and a little rain.  It is calling for for chances of rain all weekend but it is pigroast weekend so weather doesn’t matter as long as we are all together.   The cooler weather has me thinking about the upcoming deer season and some of the ones from the past,  We have had some dry years and some very productive years,  Some shots have been way out there and some have been point blank.  We have carved our names in the bench and talked over about ever subject under the sun,  We have shared meals that no restaurant in the world could top and we had laughing fits that have brought us to tears.  No season is ever the same but every season is great with a house full of friends and all that goes along with it,  So as we struggle and push through our work week the thoughts of the times we share those few times a year can make it all seem worthwhile!

October 5, 2014  Woke up to a cold morning and as the sun crested the hill behind the house a beautiful clear day.  Thinking back over past trapping seasons I thought about the first double I ever had on coyotes.  The day was one of the coldest of the year.  Temperatures that morning had dropped to 20 below zero.  The frozen snow crunched under my feet as I made my way up the hill to check a line of snares I had set.  I crested the hill as the sun dipped behind the western horizon throwing long shadows into the ravine below.  As I approached the first snare I knew something was up.  The sight of a huge coyote had me let out a whoop of excitement.  The male coyote was by far the biggest one I had ever caught.  The critter was dead and frozen solid.  I left the animal where it laid and walked the rest of the line.  By now it was completely dark and the rest of the snares I checked were empty until I got to the last one.  This one held a very lively coyote!  It was an amazing sight to see.  Two coyotes within sight of the house!  I remember that day like it was yesterday.  Just one of the many high points along the trapline.  I will write about others as time goes on.  Good Sunday to everyone!

October 4, 2014  What a difference a day makes!  Warmer weather yesterday slipped into rain and colder temperatures through the night.  We had our trapping demo today at Mason Dixon park  The weather cleared for the most part but the turn was not great but we did have a few.  Met some nice people and put in some sets and talked trapping for awhile.  A perfect subject on a cool fall day.  With coyotes moving back into the area last week it really gets you looking forward to having a line out.  Hopefully next year the turnout will be better.  Did meet the district CO.  he came out to give a talk at the demo and ended up standing around talking for awhile, nice fella with a big job to do and a lot of country to cover!  As the sun sets tonight the critters will be moving with the change in weather,  Maybe next time there will be a few snares and some steel in the ground waiting for them.  A good Saturday night to everyone.

September 28,2014 The temperatures have really warmed and looks like we are in the middle of Indian summer.  The first day of bow season was yesterday and it was a little warm for hunting.  A front is going to move through tomorrow and will bring in some cooler temperatures and the chance of some much needed rain.  It looks good for the trapping demo on Saturday.  There has been a lot of advertising put out so I am hopeful for a good turnout.  Will set up all I can on Friday and see what happens on Saturday.  Last night was the night for coyotes.  We slept with the windows open and at 2:00 am they let loose.  They were hollowing and yipping in what seemed like in the yard.  They were load and close and had the cowsfired up too!  We hope to have a few of them on stretchers this winter!  Have a good Sunday everyone.

September 24.2014  Fall is here and the mountain sides are showing the hints of the colors to come!  What great time of year.  As the temperature cools it brings to mind trapping seasons in the past and the one that will soon be here.  For twenty years I had some great times with my old trapping partner Tim.  The first place I ever trapped beavers under the ice was in a huge swamp with a beaver dam that surrounded most of it.  The weather was cold and the snow was pretty deep as I remember and as we drug all our gear across that frozen pond I was wondering what we were getting ourselves into.  We chopped through the ice with a spud bar and an ax and within short order( at least that is how I remember it) we were putting in our 330 conibears under the ice baited with some aspens we had cut earlier in the day.  This was all new to me  back then but I was excited.  Tim was a beaver trapper from way back and he had caught many beaver under the ice.  We put in a few more sets in the area before darkness set in and made it through the night waking may times wondering if it was time to check those sets yet.  We didn’t  have long to wait and were soon back out in the swamp chopping our traps back out of the new ice.  The air bubbles told the tale that something happened and as we broke back into the cold water our first trap was gone!  Pulling up on the wire a dark fully prime beaver came to the surface securely held in the jaws of the 330.  We gave out a shout and took pictures with the old Kodak camera.  We pulled in two more critters after that.  One more under the ice and one in a slide wire set in a creek that had some open water.  it was a great day with some great people!

September 21,2014  Good Sunday to you all!  Ever since I wrote on Friday I have been thinking about the Alaska hunt I was on.  The bear story is one I remember like it was yesterday.  It started out a wet and cloudy day and as we hiked from our camp we glassed the caribou in the distance.  Over the space of the morning we separated and saw all kinds of game.  As I walked along the soggy ground I heard a shot in the distance.  It was the familiar crack of terry’s rifle.  Breaking into a run at the sound of the shot I rounded the side of a hill and saw Terry and Dave looking down into a patch of Alder trees(for those of you who don’t know about alders, they grow into a nearly impenetrable wall of branches and you literally have to get down on your hands and knees at times to get through them.)  Terry’s round had caught the bear but did not put it down so, he had to go in after it, not a fun proposition to think about!  Dave and I took positions on either side ans waited as Terry crawled in.  We figured we would hear a shot very soon or see a bear running out but we didn’t.  After about ten very tense minutes we heard Terry holler out the bear was dead.  We all breathed a sigh of relief (especially Terry) since coming face to face with a wounded bear is not something fun to look forward too.  We dragged out the animal and butchered and skinned it and got it up on our packs.  The trail we followed on the way back to camp was tight in places with the thick growing alders and as we rounded a bend right in the middle of the trail was a steaming pile of grizzly poop.  Having fresh meat strapped  to your back and a grizzly close had us walking a little quicker and with the fingers on the safety’s of our rifles.  We made it safely back about dark and enjoyed an incredible meal of bear back straps.  The bear had eaten so many berries its meat was actually purple and tasted unbelievable!  What a day it was and we all made it safely back!  The following days didn’t quite get to that excitement level but they were no less enjoyable!  I will write more about that trip and others I was blessed to go on in the near future

September 19,2014 Hello and good Friday evening to everyone.  The cooler weather has got me to thinking of some the hunts I have been on.  The trip to Alaska with Terry and Dave is the one that always comes to mind first.  The trip across the Alaska range and the landing on the small airfield inn between the mountains.  What a way to start a hunt.  The country was unbelievable!  As the week progressed the amount of caribou we saw was unreal.  At one point so many came running off the hill behind our tent  it had us wondering if they were going to run us and our tent down.  All of us killed caribou and Terry got a black bear.  On a future post I will get you all the story on that one.  It is worth the telling!  The weather was wet but it was Alaska!.  If anyone has the chance to go you will never regret it.  Just the thought of it brings back some really great memories and the hope for another hunt in the future!  I will check in with some more stories as time allows.

September 16,2014 Good Morning!  Fall is almost here by the date on the calender but in the air and on the hillsides it has started.  To me it is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of the summer!  The pig roast went really well with a good turnout.  Helen and I cooked the pig all day and made it through the rain and into beautiful clear skies.  Sunday was another beautiful also.  Was able to get some traps separated and ready for the season.  I made up an itinerary for the trapping demo and will hopefully  have a good turnout.  Today Janet and I are heading up to Everett for Ben and  Tony’s dads funeral.  Not the way I want to see my friends but, it will be good to pay our respects and visit with them..  Met with the editor for my book last night and she is very knowledgeable and a really nice person.  I look forward to working with her as she makes her way through the book to its completion!  A good week to everyone.

September 13,2014 The rain has ended and the skies are starting to clear! Just what you want on a Saturday of a pig roast down at the church. We are cooking a pig here in the driveway with a borrowed cooker. It smells pretty good from here on the porch! Hopefully it will turn out good for the meal at 5:oo. I ftalked to Jessie yesterday and the trapping demo is on for October 4th. I look forward to giving it a try. I hope to get a CO to come in and talk a little about trapping laws and about ethics. I have laid out an itinerary of sorts and figure it will be about a 3 hour class. I hope to ad lib a good bit of it so we can do a lot of question and answer time It may be short notice but I hope to have a good size crowd.
Rachel is really starting to work with the web sight and is adding pictures from motorcycle riding and will show me how to add some of my stories. Once she shows me the in and outs of what is involved I should be able to have a number of past printed stories. I meet with the editor who is working on my “book” on Monday and will hope to give an update on that soon! Time to get back to the pig so I wish everyone a good weekend and a great upcoming week. May you have many blessings and traveling mercies!

September 6, 2014 It is finally Saturday after a long a long and hot week!  The weather is supposed to start cooling down this evening.  The leaves are changing and the day has a look of fall.  If time allows I hope to get my traps separated and ready for the upcoming season.  I am going to keep the coyote and fox traps separated in closed 5 gallon buckets  to make thing a lot easier,  We will see how much time there will be to put out a line this winter.  I know I will run at least a few beaver traps.  I can’t keep from doing that.  This coming week I hope to meet with the editor that is working on my book.  Maura has three volleyball games this week and it will be busy.  She is doing really good and it is great to see her play.  Helen is busy with school and working and Rachel continues to work towards lieutenant in CAP.   I wish  I everybody a good weekend and head to church tomorrow!

August 30, 2014 Hello Everyone. It is finally Saturday and it is a welcome morning when I do not have to get up so early for work! This past week has been a busy one as usual with inventory at work and Maura’s first volleyball scrimmage. I didn’t get to make it but was told she did great. Trapped a groundhog this week and saw another really nice buck on the way to work yesterday morning. The racks seem high and wide but they don’t have the mass that makes for a really nice set of antlers but, beggars can’t be choosers when you only have a limited time to hunt. I am as happy with a doe as I am with a buck since they all go into the freezer. Jessie is supposed to get with me on a date for a trapping demo. I hope to try for the first weekend in October. We will see. With that I hope you all enjoy the long weekend and the warm weather (the reort said 90’s today). Looking forward to seeing everyone at the pig roast!

August 23, 2014  Hello Everyone! It is Saturday evening after a long week at work. The weather is hot and humid but September is right around the corner. Had some major rain this week causing some flooding and a real slow down in logging, The mill log inventory continues to drop as the woods are too wet to get any logs to the landing.
Saw a nice buck on the run this morning, it was only a a quick glance but I could see a high rack that looked outside the ears. It would be nice for one of us to see it during the up coming season! It sounds like coyotes have moved back into the area. Some friends have shot a few around some new born calves and saw a couple of others. Hopefully we can nab a few this winter. I hope for a good weekend for you all!

August 17, 2014  Hello everyone it has been 7 months since i have done anything on this blog but today I plan to change that!  Life has been busy.  The mill is running two shifts and the way we are going through people it is a long process to keep the place fully staffed.  We are right in the middle of firewood cutting after Davey tree came through and butchered the landscape here on Pedlar Run.  The result has been firewood for us and a lot of ugly tree work for others.

The firewood cutting has got us out to see this years deer wandering around the area.  Only one or two small bucks but still enough to look forward to the cool days of deer season.  Hopefully will do a trapping demo for Jessie at the park some Saturday soon..  Look forward to doing it and maybe getting a few interested in trapping.  Off to the firewood pile so I will check in again this coming week