As I walked behind the mower last week, I saw them – brown, green, crisp and dead – laying there in the mower’s path; they were the first visible signs that fall is almost upon us.

I realize that Labor Day isn’t even here yet, but the dead leaves laying in the yard, the yellowing of the beans and corn, as well as the lower morning temps, are a sure sign that fall will be here soon.

This time of the year is always magical for me.  And as the corn stalks start to droop, and the apples start to get closer to turning into cider, something changes inside me.

It won’t be long before I spend many hours in a treestand.  And it won’t be long before I have my first close encounter with a whitetail.

It won’t be long before I feel at home.  It won’t be long before I feel alive.

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With summer winding down, and hunting season close to kicking into full gear, the wife and I really wanted to do one last – purely for Abby – activity.   Then, one night while reading one of her favorite books, I instantly knew where we were heading – the zoo.

Abby loves to read books involving animals, and she loves to name the animals as we read through the books.  She loves all the animals – giraffes, zebras, elephants, deer, and turkey – just to name a few, and she takes great pride in knowing them all.  In fact, one night she even corrected me and let me know that the animal we were looking at was indeed a jaguar – and not a cheetah – as I originally thought. Read more…

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When I’m watching outdoor television, there is nothing that gets under my skin more than hearing the person in front of the camera say something like this:

“Well……we’re on our way to Battle Creek Outfitters to hunt for a few days. Jim, of BC Outfitters, has been watching a few bucks during the year, so hopefully we’ll have a chance at one of them in the next few days. We’re gonna get a shower, head into our stand, and hope for the best”.

What they really should be doing is telling the truth – something like this: Read more…

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It rained on July 4th.

And while the rain was a welcome relief to the retreating soldiers, as well as the victorious ones, it was not welcomed by the local residents of the little Pennsylvania town.  It came down in sheets, soaking the unburied bodies still on the field – some with hands folded, and others with clenched fists; it inhibited the Army of Northern Virginia’s retreat across the Potomac; it unearthed men buried in shallow graves and horses buried in a hasty retreat; and it spread blood and disease throughout the country side.

Gettysburg was uninhabitable; the smell unimaginable. Read more…

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As the beginning notes of Round Here made contact with my auricles, I was in heaven; I had forgotten how incredible my Bose earphones were.  I could hear every instrument in the song – the chords on the guitar; the intricate timing of the cymbals and snare; the keyboard quietly playing in the background.  It was as if I was experiencing the song for the first time, though I had heard it many times before; it was as though I was finally experiencing the song the way the artists and producers intended it to be heard.

And that is what I believe immersing ourselves in nature does for life. Read more…

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