We came upon Shawn in this condition. Evidently, sleep had finally caught up with him. We were concerned, nonetheless.



I think he was praying, actually. Probably for this.



Killdeer  

Heroes in the sun (squint, squint!)



Smoke break

 

Two fine people

 

Killdeer    

Thanks again, Mike, for donating armguards to this hunt. This pic is of just a few that Mike sent to me for the raffle table.

 

I spent the evening packing up for the post office and the plane. I cleaned up the room (I don't do it at home, so the novelty of it made it fun to do) and went to bed too late. The next morning, Shawn came by and took me to the airport.

Folks can only stand me for so long.

I managed to sit where I sat on the way up. Cool!
Cloudy weather and a full plane made it easy to stare out the window and daydream.

Do you see a Yeti?

 

You ever fly like this, and you are approaching your neck of the woods, and you start to descend into the clouds? You stay at that lower altitude for a while, but you may be gradually getting lower and lower, and you expect to break clear any moment..but you don't? And you sit there and wonder exactly how high up you really are...or how low?
You start looking for trees and such. You remember that plane wreck over on Buck Knob, the one that was twenty years old twenty years ago but you still find aluminum out there...

Turbulence loosened his grip, and a tree knocked the Yeti off and we all landed safely.
Killdeer     Thanks.

Nice pics Kathy, Mike your the man  

Little Mikey Ciccone...we haven't heard his closing thoughts....

Seems his wife saw the pics of him in the back of my truck "with all the guys" and couldn't figure out why Aram was smiling so much....  :eek:    :confused:  

She doesn't believe he was on this rabbit hunt and someone super posed his face on someone elses body...    

So....Mikey has been doing chores last week...he's trying to get back in good graces. Laundry, vacuming, dinners foot massages etc...
I wish him the best and hope he puts down some final thoughts....I just can't seem to figure out who would email his wife and question his whereabouts on such a great weekend....  

Oh Joe, shame on you for going there!

Mikey behaved himself perfectly all weekend. I got suspicious of him hanging back and telling me to hang back too, thought he wanted to play Post Office. Then I realized he just wanted somebody with him. His little legs can't keep up with you guys, and he needs somebody around to pull him out of rabbit holes and the like.

Killdeer

Killy,
     thought of you today while using the eagle pipe tamper and watching the flight of a few beautifull eagles. you were there with me, great day!

Your right Killy...I shouldn't go there....NOT!!!

Our appointed Chaperone to you abandonded you Sat night...went to bed early in his little red dew-rag....Team Pink will take this up with him at a later date....

We thought, like you did, it was kinda funny that your arms were actually longer than his legs.  

"Sprrrring-time, for Hitt-lurr, and Chermunny..."

The memories will be in my heart till the end of time!
Killdeer  

Oh, and most "chaperones" lose me much more quickly than he did. He just can't run very fast...especially in those heels.  

Definately shoulda crashed that party...course, enough fun was had sippin' on that special "apple juice" Drew brought. Sure cures what ails ya'...

Oh, and thank you once again to all who parted with their rabbits. Put a few of 'em in a casserole today worthy of such a fine gesture. My boy liked it, too...sure made me proud...

If I couldn't cook them up myself, your kitchen is where I am happy my rabbit went. I know that you cook them with respect, and savor the life they give you.

Killdeer

The life-blood that wild meat affords is always a gift I welcome with reverence...again, much obliged...

Page 2?

Great stuff from everyone, gonna sit down this evening and Thank everyone I can!! OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Shawn

Just received via USPS Priority mail from Shawn Leonard Checks and M/Os totaling $4350.00 for St Jude Children's Research Hospital. You guys and gals did GREAT!! I'll forward these on to ST Jude tomorrow, it's a great start to the $ Trad Gang will be raising this year.

Thanks again ALL!

Thank you Doug!
Killdeer  

Una says :"Thank you all, it was a pleasure hunting with you."
"Especially thank you Ken, for the knife. I keep it on my dresser with few things that are special to me."
"THank you Shawn and family for having me at your house and for the special room. This is my first hunt ever, it was very excited and I looking forward to do it again next year."

This is a picture Una emailed me the following weekend from NYC were she was spending a couple of days with friends. It's titled: "Look Tata (Daddy) I'm a Bunny!"

I loved it!
Ken, Kathy, I shared with her what you wrote. She is growing and changing fast. I had said earlier how last year she would have none of the rabbit meat we brought home. This year I could see a glimmer of interest. She came with us, loved it and now looking forward to next year and maybe turkey hunting in the spring. I don't know for how long she'll be my hunting partner (she did discover NYC after all   :rolleyes: )  but Shawn hosting a perfect event and the thoughtful guidance she found there might have just left a door open towards the outdoors. A door she can step through now and then, for the rest of her life.
To all involved, I could not be thankful enough.
Aram

Cute!!  
More than cute! Una is a thoughtful young lady, and I respect that she is taking her time making up her mind about hunting and wild game. I also expect that once she makes up her mind, she may make it up again. As I said, thoughtful.

What is important, is that the door is wide open to the outdoors, our source of life. There is an infinite universe to be found (and pondered) in the natural works of the Creator. She may grow and learn and travel, but the  wild will always be there, running the same rhythms and cycles that it always has, and it is a friend always. She can always return to it, and it will always welcome her.

I am glad that she had fun playing with us. We were richer for having her there.

Killdeer