"You Might Be a Redneck if..."

“Shshshhhh….I hear coyotes. Let’s go see if we can get one.” The local pack of wild coyotes has been slowly growing in the last few years. Last season I counted no less than seven sizable dogs led by one Alpha male. The neighbors to the northwest, who run a small kennel, have lost a few borders to the pack and are very concerned. Our neighbors to the west have horses and often see the pack roaming through their pasture, concerned for their horses. Both have requested a thinning of the pack. They are not a currently a direct danger to us as they are, but the growing numbers could become a safety issue. So the thinning is a serious topic. The boys can hear them too. So we decide to head off and see what we can see in the grassy pasture. I grab a rifle and request the boys to dress appropriately for a short walk through the tall grass and blackberry bushes to the fence where we can view a wide area where the dogs roam. They are excited to be part of the ”hunt” and rush to get dressed. And here is the result, a picture for the ages. Maybe it will reappear at a wedding or be used for friendly family blackmail. We’ll see.

The real issue is not the photo itself or the lack of appropriate clothing. It is that the photographer did not stop us. I think that speaks louder than the picture itself.

The discussion about current garb does not help the hunt as we debate, loudly, the fact that Jon is not wearing boots. the coyotes silently slip into the woods and vanish. We continue to update our hunting wardrobe to match the surroundings for optimum camouflage. Yesterday we actually got it right as we stalked a deer in the tall grass. the Boys were in full military camo and nearly "indivisible". No Jon, it's "INVISIBLE.

It's a process. Tony

Mom's Been Busy

Mom's artwork is gaining attention. Here is an article about a recient piece. Tony.

Manland

This is Manland, as it as been named by the wife. The platform is 12'x12', made of reclaimed 4x4's recycled from large pallets. The siding is scrap from a shed making company next door. The roof is real from Lowe's. It sports four full sized bunks and a hammock for relaxing. As you can see from the approach photo it is well hidden in the center of our woods. It reminds me of the many tree forts I built as a boy except the gaps between the pieces of wood are smaller than those of the tree forts of my youth.

It was christened last week with a group of seven children and a bunch of hot dogs. We did a fire pit and BBQ'ed for dinner. I am trying to get a camp out down there before fall sets in.

The map shows a small square in the middle of the property, that is where Manland resides. We will continue to tweak the surrounding area to perfect the atmosphere and bring Manland to its full potential.

Tony

Summer's Close

Sorry for the interlude. I seem to have experienced a hardware failure in my hard drive. We are currently trying to recover the data, but don't expect much, cautious optimism.

On we go...

Last weekend, Labor Day, we had our last who-rahh at the Ellensburg Rodeo in Eastern Washington. It was truly a blast! We spent the weekend base camping at the E-Burg KOA with another family and day tripping to the festivities in the Windy City of the West, the Columbia River, and to Vantage for a little columnar basalt rock climbing. All in all a great time for everyone involved.

The rodeo, listed as one to the top 25 in the nation, was a wonderful combination of Kitittas County Fair and rodeo events. The standard roping, riding and family fun. One of the highlights occured when a bull, who just threw its rider decided the arena was too small and crashed through a fence into the "warm up/staging" area. He bent the gate, blew out and ran free for a bit only to be eventually wrangled and brought back to the arena by some amazing ropers. As he was throwing his fit one of the ropers accomplished a very timely roping of his neck and with the help of his well trained mount, delaying the bull just long enough to safely remove or at least warn the unsuspecting folks under the grandstand. It was an incredible lasso at a time when it NEEDED to happen.

Day two we ventured to the Columbia River to swim and play. We found a small beach with a sandstone cliff and lots of space for the kids to play. The water was refreshing and a welcomed break from the hectic fair.Day three we made our way to the Feathers climbing area near the Gorge. The Dave Matthews Band was completing their weekend of shows and the traffic was clearing out as we were heading in. The climbing area is a dry desert with columns of basalt. Most of the climbs in walking distance are rated very difficult for recreational climbers of our caliber but we found four routes in the 5.1 to 5.7 range that met our needs and as it happened all four were in the shade. Later, after a few hours of pumping our arms and legs on the climbs, we ventured to the Wild Horse Monument along the highway for a short hike to enjoy the views. Cheryl even got to shoot a few barn photos, one of here favorite subjects.

Today school started and summer officially ended for the boys. Jonathan is now a third-grader and Gabe ventured out into first grade. I have to run and pick them up here in about half an hour.

Cheers, Tony