Long Time Coming

It's been months since I posted anything and I feel bad about it. It seems like every time I think about the blog something comes up, then the thought is gone.

I have some free time for just a moment and writing a blog post came to mind. I tried reflecting back on the last few months to come up with something to write about that may be of interest. So here it goes.

There has been a couple of out of town fishing trips, a couple of just quick getaways and a daughters weeding.

A four day trip to San Fransisco for business showed me a whole new culture. We saw several new and different things. We even went to Napa Valley for a wine tasting tour. My conclusion was, San Fran is not for me. Way too many people and too much trash.
I did get to check off three things from the bucket list. Ride a trolley, wine taste in Napa Valley and see the sun set off the West coast.   

Candy stayed gone for 12 weeks in New York for her work. She would come home late Friday night then back again early Sunday morning. It was kinda nice in the beginning because I reorganized the house to my liking, kept everything cleaned and only cooked when necessary. But like all things it got old. She is now back in Texas and the house is disorganized once again.      
  
There has been a few chili cook offs here and there where Candy won Louisianian State and I, some where, placed high enough in a few cook offs to get qualified for the world championship in Terlingua again this year the fist week in November. All and all chili has taken a back seat right now and I think there is only two cook offs on the books for the rest of the year.

I spent from October to February hunting in Arkansas almost every weekend. No cell service and no distractions. I bought a little 5th wheel to leave out there and it was home away from home.
I passed on several smaller deer waiting for that monster that I ended up missing due to buck fever, but in the end I was still able to put deer meat in the freezer.
Things did not work out on that lease because of one reason or another and all that work was for nothing. Last month I moved camp from Arkansas to West Texas where I have been spending most of my free weekends setting up for this years hunting seasons. It's a little closer with bigger deer. They have fishing and dove where the lease in Arkansas did not.         

Preparations are being made for an October Elk hunt up in Utah. This is the real deal, not like my boss where he spent a small fortune on a high fenced canned hunt, and not like the way I deer hunt with stands and feeders. This is walking and stalking.

 One major highlight of this year was my oldest daughters weeding all the way down in Austin. It took some doing to get most of the North Texas family and friends five hours away from home, but she did it.
I really don't have an words I can say to describe this experience. My middle girl was the fist to get married and that was tough in it's own way. Loosing the first one always is.
The youngest girl will be the last to wed and that in it's self will be tough in it's own way, there will be no more after that. 
But without playing favorites, my oldest girl, my fist born getting married, was really, really tough. It took everything I had to keep it together.   

The good thing is, she married a good guy. They are deeply in love and he treats her like he suppose to.  I guess I can't ask for anything better than that.
He also loves bow ties. I bought him a hand tied pink flamingo feathered bow tie from Europe, plucked straight from the birds butt, with a hand made roll top box etched with a special note from me and Candy. It was pricey, but he deserves it for putting up with all her madness.

I have one more girl to wed off and she has her eyes set on one. Poor bastard.    

With my family growing larger every year I decided I needed to do something for the guys. I came up with a "Son/Son-In-Law Fishing Trip" The one stipulation is you cannot have a pregnant wife when you go. This is mainly because I do not want to have to come back early if there is a problem. If I am buying everything then I want to stay.
I don't have any boys of my own so to speak. My wife did not throw me any male offspring, but I have been blessed with a couple of good guys I am proud to call my boys. I have taught them everything they know. I almost forgot about the son-in-laws, yup I have a couple of those too.
So what better way to bond than to have a guys weekend trout fishing in the streams of Oklahoma?          

I just updated my schedule up till March of next year. Take out the weekends of Hunting, Fishing and Camping, I have two free weekends, but I am sure I can find something to fill the gaps. Maybe a chili cook off or something.   

It was fun writing this and getting yall up to date with my life's happenings. I hope time and experience will let me do this more often.

Until then,
See ya
Jerry