HUNTING SEASON

It always amazes me how many folks are "into" hunting.  My father was too busy working to have a hobby that required time away without family, but then again I notice a lot of two and three generation hunting families.  He hadn't served in any military units, did not own a gun of any kind that I knew of,  preferred camping and fishing.  I remember the summer that he attempted to interest me in fishing!  Number one I was supposed to "be quiet" as the fish could "hear me!" and too much talking would scare them away.  Number two I had to bait my own hook, and I suppose gut my own fish if I had stuck around to catch any.  The minute that my reel managed to tangle the fishing line, I was back to my previous activity throwning rocks in the lake!!  I had to move away from the fishermen, but splashing myself, and anyone else that happened to be close by, was definitely more fun than baiting hooks!!

One year we camped where there were rocks just the right angle for use as a slide!  No one had a backside in their jeans by the end of the week!  That rock LOOKED so smooth!  It was a good thing that we always wore our OLD CLOTHES when camping.  Mom was no dummy!! 

Camping was a great family activity and one that a LOT of folks enjoy in our "neck of the woods" here in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  We had an old umbrella tent and slept in sleeping bags right on the floor of the tent - "take your shoes off, we have to sleep on that floor!" said Mom.  Carrying water, finding wood for the campfire, washing up the dishes (no paper for us!) kept all of us busy and out of some mischief!

I am happy to be of the "I need a bathroom nearby" age that doesn't sleep on the ground anymore.  I paid my dues!  Give me a cabin with indoor plumbing and I will bring the paper plates and briquets for the BBQ!  We did the backpacking trips when we were younger and raising our children and what do they do with THEIR families - RVs complete with kitchens, running water, and carpeting!!  They take their "Little House on the Prairie" with them, even a satelite for TV --  you have to be able to watch the car races and the football games.  They aren't hunters either -- except perhaps finding the most level spot or the correct channel on the TV!  Happy Hunting whatever your style!