Well, I had to go with a new post. Probly because they knew what a pussy Shaun was on our trip up to Murphy Lake, beyond both Bennett Lake and Middle Lake. He was whining how he wasn't sure he could make it all that way with the little load he was carrying. (It's is nearly 100% uphill for about four miles from the time you leave the truck until you're at the camp site we were at but he chose it so I have little sympathy for him.....) I soldiered on like the known GI I've been for the past 30+ years and he tried to find fault with my performance regardless of what I was carrying. Anyone who knows Shaun knows that I'm so full of crap you probably won't believe the rest of my post but the rest will be the truth I promise. Shaun carried a pack that weighted somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70 lbs plus the canoe, which is either 28 to 32 extra pounds. I'm getting short of breath just writing this. Whilst we were in Murphy Lake camping and fishing Shaun told me I was the Down's Syndrome of camping and the Special Olympics of fishing but I think he changes his tune when he discovered that the piece of crap rod and reel he provivded me was just that.....I'll let him comment on that. The bottom line being that we caught a BUNCH of brook trout at Murphy Lake, ate them for two nights and kept enough for Shaun's buddy (The Kraut) to take some to his mother and still released as many as we caught, easily. I'll attach a couple of pistures from our trip. My favorite is the view from the mountain looking down on Murphy Lake - a hellacious climb in my opinion but well worth the effort when you get to see what you get to see (and you get to see it for free without the effort of paying someone to take you to the top) I liked Scott's view of the Zugspitz (no doubt spelled wrong) but that's the pussy view if ever there was one. I've been to the Zugsiptz, skiied it in fact - great fun - it's all a matter of perspective. Watch and enjoy the pictures I post on this blog.

Spring NY Trip

New post coming very soon. I spent a week and a half up in the great northeast; did some camping with Shaun and a couple of other guys and fished for brook trout and brown trout at Murphy and Middle Lakes and basically had a blast. I don't have time right now to post the pictures and a full description but will soon. I also spent another week in Broadalbin doing a few things to help my mother out and had a wonderful time. The older I get the more I appreciate being able to spend time around my family in NY. It just doesn't get any better than that in my opnion. I'll post soon.

The new deer head is in.....

The first two pictures are of the deer I got this past season and just picked up today. A very nice, totally symmetrical eight pointer. The third picture is of the eight pointer I got in either 1996 or 1997 and while it isn't especially wide, it's a very high rack and it's less than 1" from the front tines touching each other at their ends.

First day of Spring and I had a pretty good day today. Went into work and completed the first stage of a Purchase Card system for DSCR (where I work) which was the first in all of DoD to roll out this system, only worked two hours and then went with my good friend Mike down to South Hill, where he's from, to pick up a vehicle he bought for his daughter Susan, a 2006 Honda CRV. It's loaded and is a VERY nice vehicle, I drove it back and wish I had something as nice. I believe she'll be thrilled with it. She's at the nationl swimming competition in Orlando Florida right now and is returning Sunday. She's 16 and recently got her license and is quite the swimmer - very close to olympic qualifying level, she's extremely dedicated to it and will undoubtedly pursue swimming at least through college, and who knows, maybe beyond. She could someday become the female version of Michael Phelps. That's probably a bit of a stretch but you never, never know, as Scott is wont to say. Mike, Sallee, his wife, and Pearson, their son, plan to pick Susan up at the airport with the new CRV. It will be a great surprise for her and it's just a wonderful vehicle.

I got the deer mount back today that I had mounted from last year's season. It's a very nice buck. It isn't spectacular or anything but it's a very nice buck and the second best rack I've gotten in my many years of hunting. The pictures are attached along with a picture of the other deer I have mounted that I killed in 1996 or 1997. That's how long it took me to get another deer worthy of being mounted. To be honest, I also got my first deer ever taken (in NY in 1974) mounted and it's a four pointer; it too is still hanging on my wall.

Plans are continuing for my trip up to NY to go with Shaun to camp and fish at the Siamese Ponds in the Adirondacks. I'm in the process of getting hiking boots, a pack, sleeping bag, mattress pad, tent, etc. so our trip will be even more enjoyable hopefully. Also hope the fishing will be a little better than last summer when we went. Shaun tells me, and it makes perfect sense, that the fishing willl be better in the early spring rather than summer time. That doesn't really matter all that much though because the Siamese Ponds are 6.3 miles from the closest road and it's part of God's beautiful outdors that many people will never experience. It's a beautiful place to behold, I'm here to tell you. We're going at the very end of April/first part of May.

Enjoy the pictures. I'm very happy with the new deer head mount. The first one was "Half sneak right" and this one is "Half sneak left" so they're sort of looking at each other.

Steve

Winter 2009 in Central Virginia

Congratulations Shaun on the nice perch in the previous post. I wish I had something as exciting to post. Also glad that you got through your surgery and I hope you're feeling much better by now. Mom tells me you went back to work today so I hope you'll be ready for our adventure into the Adirondacks fishing at the end of April/beginning of May. I'm looking forward to that like there's no tomorrow. Catching fish or not, it's the adventurte of hiking through the Adironkacks for 6.3 miles to get to our destination that makes it special; and having the area to yourself for the most part.

We had our first decent snowstorm here in Central Virginia in the past 12 years or so so there have been some exciting times at Ridgemont High here. It has also been pretty cold so the snow has hung around for a day or two. It started snowing Sunday evening and they closed all the local schools and we even got a day off of work for the weather. They closed Defense Supply Center Richmond yesterday due to the snow and icy conditions. We only got about 5" of snow at my house as far as I could tell but some of the areas around here got 6-12 inches and there was freezing rain before the snow started so the roads were treacherous, especially considering that none of the people down here know how to drive in the snow (I include myself in that group, I used to know but have been removed from doing it for thirty years so I admit I'm probably not much better than your average southern driver).

Anyway, it's been real pretty down here as evidenced by the pictures I've attached and we're enjoying our version of a Virginia winter. Snow is rare here so it's a treat. I worked from home today so in effect I had a four day wekeend from going into work. I imagine the schools will be closed yet again tomorrow but there's no telling.

I went without power/electricity from about 9:30 Sunday evening until 10:00 Monday morning but I consider myself pretty lucky there too because this girl I work with who lives north of here has been without power since late Sunday and is still without it - challenging times for the old water pipes when the temperature gets down to 12 degrees last night and is supposed to go down to 13 tonight. Luckily she was able to stay with a friend last night to avoid the cold.

Well, that's about it from here. Gotta get the dog in for the night and try to stay warm. I hope everything is well within my very limited reading audience.

Hey all, it is Shaun and I am recovering from surgery I had last week (Gall Bladder/Lipoma removal) I know TMI. Anyways I am extremely stir crazy after close to two weeks of TV watching, not working and being afraid to bend or twist etc. I really, really, really would rather be ice fishing. I did alot of fishing the weekend prior to my surgery in a two day contest. I won 100$ with third place perch! Saturday I set up on a good spot I found with alot of strructure in the channel. I got eight flags and one jig pole hit. Catching Three walleyes and two perch and missing several other fish. I moved Sunday morning to fish with some friends of mine but the fishing was quite slow in that spot. We had 30 tipups in the water all day (pretty much) and got only two fish, both of which were pickeral one was 27 inches!. The spot we were in is usually an old faithful, good for Pike and Walleye. If I feel up to it, I may tag along with some friends this weekend if I can get them to cut my holes for me. If anyone is in the area in March and wants to go ice fishing please count me in and give me a call. I really like the late March northern lakes for Salmon and Laketrout. Many times you will need your sunscreen and regret not bringing the lounge chair to lay out in the sun!!
Regards Shaun

February in NY

I went ice fishing all weekend in a two day contest this past weekend. I was lucky to get third place perch winning $100! The perch was about 14 inches long. I need to get a new digital camera so I can post some good pictures.
I had surgery on Monday and am laid up right now. I had my Gall Bladder removed and three lumps (lipoma's) from my belly/chest. It feels like someone ripped out my guts. I am bored to death right now and have all week off. Probably a good thing as I do not feel that good.

I Know - TMI but these are the good old days!!!

(Written at 9:30, Monday, January 5, 2009) I've just gotten to sit down for a few minutes after cleaning and packaging deer meat for the past three plus hours. Thank God Mike found some guys at Garland's (auto repair place just up the road from work where we get our oil changed and other minor vehicle maintenance) that will take all the deer meat we can provide them. I went through the meat I still had this afternoon when I got home and discovered I had 10 tenderloins and 10 hind quarters. That's a tremendous amount of meat for one person to clean up, cut up and pack in only a couple of days. I put five hind quarters in a cooler and buried them deep in ice and they'll be going to the guys at Garland's tomorrow. It's good that they want some meat because it would be a shame to waste it. We had eight deer; Shaun took one, Mike took two and that left me five - Brother John!!

I cleaned and cut up all 10 tenderloins and two hind quarters. I still have three hind quarters that I'll cut into jerky tomorrow. I made four packages of thinly sliced tenderloin to use the way Brian and Mike do cooking at Sammy's pond. Sam Jr. has the recipe and I'm looking forward to that - it's just plain delicious - Sammy told me one of the keys is cutting it thin and then mashing it paper thin with a hammer before you bread it and cook it. The secret is also in the spices used with the breading - Sam Jr. knows what those are too so we should be good to go.

I also made three packages of tenderloin steaks or medallions or whatever they might be called. They're very good on the grill, maybe marinate them a little before hand, wrap bacon around them, attach with a toothpick and grill for a couple of minutes on each side - very tasty.

My last hour or so was spent cleaning the last tenderloin and two hind quarters and cutting it all up (by hand) into jerky sized pieces of meat and stuck them in the freezer until I can get some more marinade ingredients.