11.01.07 Thom-a-Lex Canoe Adventure

The plan was for this to be a fishing trip. I'd been wanting to take my boys over to Lake Thom-a-Lex to try fishing from a canoe that had been gathering dust in our backyard. Of course they were gungho and ready for any outing that included their father, water and even the smallest hint of danger.

When we arrived at the boat ramps there were a couple older fellas sitting at a picnic table shooting the breeze. I should have known by the knowing twinkle in their eyes that I was in for it. Apparently they knew all too well how much trouble a dad, two small boys and a canoe can get into. When I asked them to say a little prayer for me I thought one old codger was going to fall off his perch in laughter. With a couple fishing rods, a tackle box, a bag of snacks, a camera, life jackets and oars loaded into the canoe we launched into our inaugural canoe expedition.

It was a beautiful, fall morning. And after rowing several minutes all my worries subsided and my boys were content to put their hands and feet in the chilly water, soak in the surroundings and watch their daddy partake in the rigorous cardio vascular exercise of propelling eighty pounds of children and many more pounds of parent across the lake. We pulled into a pretty little cove and they began casting worms and bobbers into the coffee stained water. Immediately I spotted movement off to the left, along the bank. Two mallard slipped off the shoreline and into the water and began to swim away from our approach, wary of the canoe full of humans.
I continued paddling toward the ducks and although they seemed very skittish they did not take off. I could not believe how close they allowed us to get to them. As we continued to the end of the cove five more mallards appeared out of brush lining the banks and began paddling away from us. Without warning they lept from the water and flew right over us, less than 25 feet from the tops our heads.

That was the highlight of our morning. We fished for an hour or so and only got one bite. We spent the next hour eating snacks and searching for lost bobbers along the shoreline. It was a great day!

Outdoor Devotion - License

li·cense - noun - A legal document giving official permission to do something.
This morning I filled out the paperwork for my daughter, Micah's, lifetime hunting and fishing license. Like many states North Carolina offers a comprehensive sporting license, covering hunting, fishing (and just recently saltwater fishing) in our great state. If you apply before your child is a year old the cost is $275. The adult cost is $675. As I was filling in the blanks on the application it brought a smile to my face, and maybe a tear or two to the eye, thinking about my baby girl as a little girl, as a teen, as a young woman, as a lady, as a senior adult enjoying time in the outdoors. What an honor to make a provision for her so that, other than a federal waterfowl stamp, Micah will never have to pay for a licence in the state of North Carolina.

li·cense - noun - Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices
It brought to mind another purchase made by a father many years ago. With the hammering of nails into flesh and wood and with the subsequent rolling away of a tombstone, my Father made a provision for my life that I would never have to pay for the wrongs that I used to commit, am currently committing or will commit in the future. What an awesome thought to know that the natural process of going through my life, dying and reaping the results of a Godless lifestyle in a sinners hell does not apply to me. I pray you know Him as your Savior and can experience this sweet license.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

09.28.07 Forsyth County Goose Hunt

I'd riden by this farm since I was a kid, admiring the beautiful pond and wishing the No Trespassing signs did not apply to me. Last week a friend of a friend acquired permission hunt there. Apparently several flocks of geese had been frequenting this farmer's field and he wanted them gone.
So at 6:05 this morning Mark, Mark and I were leaning around my truck bed, talking over our game plan and passing time until it made more sense to be out there. By 6:15am the decoys were placed, the layouts were set out and the wait was on. Sunrise was at 7:16am making the start of legal shooting at 6:46am. So we set in the darkness and waited.
Around 7:10 the first group of Canadas made their appearance. They came in from behind us, flew over the set made a 180 degree turn and headed straight into the decoys. In the blink of an eye six geese lay on the ground, one of which I'd hit with the one shot I fired.
Several other groups flew in following this first volley. They were all noncommital, flaring at the last minute or refusing the come it at all. Work commitments forced us to cut the hunt short. I began to put away the decoys as Mark and Mark combed the field for any cripples. Wouldn't you know it, a group of ten geese flew into the field and glided, with little or no apprehension, right into the decoys, ten yards in front of me. All I could do was stare, dumbfounded, my Benelli harmlessly resting in the back of the Tundra. The two Marks stood a two hundred feet away, laughing. I stepped forward to pick up another decoy and they took off, heading directly toward my two buddies. Then it happend. Boom! Boom! Boom! Mark W. shot three times and three Canadas dropped to ground. A great way to end another great day in the outdoors.

9.20.07 Randolph County Pond Fishing

9.11.07 Davidson County Dove Hunt

Took my boys out on an afternoon dove hunt. The snacks their mother was kind enough to pack kept them occupied long enough to shoot three birds which they took turns retrieving. We were only in the field for a forty-five minutes but had a great time.