The Night Before Opening Day

 Jambalaya, salad and quite a few cocktails, beers and glasses of wine around the table.

 Cigars around the fire and a glass of whiskey

 In the kitchen before the dinner bell is sounded.

 Sunset on the night before duck season.

 After the hunt....these guys could be on that Duck Commander show huh?

Table set with Spode hunting dog theme plates we break out for the dinners before opening day. Great fare and conversation by like-minded sportsmen!

Estate Shoot

If you have the rare chance to be invited to a driven shoot on an Estate either here or in the U.K. you are going to have to get the right clothing. The typical U.S. gear from Filson and Cabela's will be sneered at by the British Aristocracy or the wanna be's on our side of the pond.
In order to get properly decked out...visit the Orvis site.

Serpent Surprise

 There are many rituals associated with hunting and getting ready for hunting season. One of the more important rituals is attending to your gear and equipment prior to opening day. Nothing ruins an outing more than a pair of waders that have a hole about which you were unaware or a duck boat with broken oar-locks or a waterfowl guns that jams or a broken zipper on a vest or coat.

One of my rituals finds me at the duck hunting club at least a week or two before opening day making sure my duck hunting boat is safe and serviceable.I remove the 25 HP motor from the rack in the locked shed,mount the motor on the 14 foot aluminum boat and check the tires on the trailer. This ritual also includes safely disposing of any old fuel in the gas tank and filling with fresh gas and fuel stabilzer, replacing the spark plug and making sure the cord on the pull start is not frayed. I then fire her up and launch for a quick pre-season shake down cruise.

This Wednesday as I performed this ritual I was treated to an arrhythmia inducing shock. I had just removed the engine cowl to attach the fuel line when I notice something move and heard a slight hiss. I peered over the chamber and saw this fellow had taken up residence in my motor and was apparently planning on hibernating in the motor compartment. This shocked the not out of me and my buddy said I jumped 10 feet back from a flat- footed standstill.

After regaining composure , I nudged this "viper" from it's lair, and then grabbed the tail and gently flung him into the tall grass behind the shed. Hopefully he will eat a few dozen field mice before he hibernates and the mice assault the Clubhouse as the weather cools.

Rum Soaked

     Crew of the sailing vessel Con Brio, Spanish Town harbor, Virgin Gorda, B.V.I. August 1988.
      The Lehigh boys spent 10 days sailing the Virgin Islands....scuba, snorkeling, rum drinking and camaraderie.

From Garden & Gun

I get an e-mail form this wonderful magazine periodically. Now and then something really catches my interest. As you may know from prior posts, I am a huge fan of Hemingway...the consummate sportsman and one of my heroes. I also have a penchant for strong drink in the form of Rum. Here we have a nice confluence of the two...courtesy of Garden & Gun:



The recipe for this drink came from Ernest Hemingway's fishing log handwritten in June of 1933, where its ingredients were listed under the simple heading “Cocktail.” The name pays tribute to Joe “Josie Grunts” Russell, a close friend of Hemingway’s who ran liquor from Cuba to Florida during Prohibition and, immediately following its repeal, opened Key West mainstay Sloppy Joe’s. Hemingway was fishing on Russell’s boat when he wrote down the recipe for this drink, a potent blend of rum, hard apple cider, lime, and sugar. Sounds like just the thing to warm up a fall fishing trip.
Josie Russell
For a pitcher:

4 ½ oz. rum
12 oz. hard apple cider
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. sugar

Fill a pitcher with ice, add all ingredients, and stir well. Serve on ice in Collins or highball glasses, garnished with lime wedge or peel. Serves two to three

Rail Fail

I was invited for another afternoon of rail-bird hunting tomorrow. Sadly my day job has required that I decline. I am currently pouting. In the meantime, I offer this A.B. Frost rendition of what I am missing.

Another Ball Player Hits the Skids

 Twenty years ago yesterday. It was game one of the National League Pennant series against the Atlanta Braves. I was sitting in seats better than Ted Turner with my buddy Wighty. Curt Schilling pitched a masterpiece, striking out 10 Braves. The game went 10 innings and I will never forget Kim Batiste hitting the game winning run in the bottom of the 10th after he had made an earlier error to allow the Braves to tie the game. Kim went from goat to hero in one swing.

 It was a great pitchers duel and a memorable night of baseball for this Phillies fan. Wighty and I were on track for a beer an inning...no surprise for a couple of old Lehigh buddies. We were hanging on every pitch...the way one does in post-season baseball.

Today I learned that Curt Schilling is selling his home and auctioning off the contents. He cleaned out in a business deal and bankruptcy and sued by Rhode island. he is seemingly broke and scrambling. This is sad news in light of my prior posts about another 1993 Phillie, Lenny Dykstra and his now well known post baseball debacle.Another ex-Phillie behaving badly and paying the price. I like to remember Schilling in a Phil's uniform. Most recall him is a Red Sox uniform pitching with the bloody sock..which by the way sold for $92,000.

Imperative