Good Opening Day!

Saturday was a good day!  The opening day of dove season has always been a good day in my life because it was the season that I most looked forward to as a child.  As I have gotten older, some of the excitement has tempered off (mostly because it is too hot), but now I have a new found excitement as I am trying to raise a son who will hopefully love the outdoors as much as I do.  To say he had a good time Saturday is an understatement.  He had a blast and is itching to go again!

We loader up all of our gear in Papa's truck and headed out.  I was armed with my Browning A-5 twenty gauge, and Reid was armed with his BB gun and 6,000 BB's.  When we arrived at our meeting place, we found that one of Reid's classmates was there with his Dad.  The boys loaded up their guns and started shooting at plastic bottles.  They entertained themselves under careful supervision all the way through lunch.  They even stopped long enough to catch a fish or two in the pond next to the field we were going to shoot. 

 The time finally came for us to make our way to the field.  Reid and I set up in the middle of the field with a blind.  Papa headed for a spot on the edge in the shade of some rather large pine trees.  With the temps in the 90's, it didn't take Reid very long to ask if he could go sit with Papa.  Next thing you know, Papa had Reid and his friend as hunting partners for the day. They became retrievers, or at least tried, and would finish off the doves that Papa had killed by shooting them in the eye with their BB guns.  They got pretty good at spotting birds as they would announce that "we had company" as the birds flew into the filed.  I think that Daddy had a good time watching them, even if it did cost him a few birds.

It was a good shoot and my limit is now soaking in some salt water in the fridge.  They will be good fried up with some grits and biscuits.  As we gathered up to tell lies about the days festivities, I kept hearing the boys shooting those BB guns and then I would hear a loud "whop".  Reid had taken a 20 gauge hull and stood it up about 20 feet away.  He was shooting that thing and hitting more than he was missing.  I was impressed.  I guess all the practice that he got that day was paying off.  I think he fired about 1,000 rounds.  His gun needed a rest, and so did he!

We left the filed and I turned on the radio to find the start of the Georgia Southern game.  They won big!  It was a great end to a great day spent with my Dad and my son. 

 That was worth getting excited about!!!!

Fried Grits!!

My cousin Ashley is always posting on her blog different things that she likes to cook or make in the kitchen.  I thought I would give it my best manly try!!  A little old lady in St. Simon's Island, Georgia showed this to me and I have been blessed ever since.

Us Southerners will somehow find a way to fry just about anything.  If you can batter it up, you can drop it in some hot grease and make it taste good!  This recipe does not require any grease, it just requires some left over grits! 

In this part of the country if you fry doves or quail, it is a requirement that a pot of cheese grits not be too far away.  (if you don't know what grits are you can stop reading right now)  The only problem with grits is that you always prepare too much and have half a pot left over.  DON'T throw those grits out!!!  Take those left over grits and pour them into a Solo cup, pack them down, cover with tin foil and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, grab your frying pan and a jug of butter.  Shake the grits out of the cup being careful to maintain the shape of the cup.  Slice the grits into 3/4 inch patties.  Butter you frying pan and get it simmering.  Drop your grit patties onto the pan and back up!  You are basically frying water so there will be a lot of popping going on as you are searing the bottom of your grit patty.  Once you have browned the bottom of you grits, place more butter on top and flip them over.  Step back again and wait.  Once brown on both sides, remover from pan, salt and pepper, pour your coffee, jelly your toast and enjoy!!

So simple, yet so good!  The kids even like them!

Let me know what you think!

We Golfers are smart ones!!!

The following was sent to me by a good friend of mine.  She knows that I play golf and thought that I might enjoy this.  I did and wanted to pass it along to you!

ACTUAL CALLS RECEIVED AT A PUBLIC GOLF COURSE

Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   What are your green fees?
Staff:   38 dollars.
Caller:   Does that include golf?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, I need to get some information from you.
First, is this your correct phone number?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, we have a tee time for two weeks from Friday.
What's the weather going to be like that day?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, I had a tee time for this afternoon but I'm
running late. Can you still get me out early?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:  Yes, do you have one of those areas where you can
buy a bucket of golf balls and hit them for practice?
Staff:   You mean a driving range?
Caller:   No, that's not it.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, I'd like to get a tee time tomorrow between
12 o'clock and noon.
Staff:   Between 12 o'clock and noon?
Caller:   Yes.
Staff:   We'll try to squeeze you in.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Do you have any open tee times around 10 o'clock?
Staff:   Yes, we have one at 10:15.
Caller:   What's the next time after that?
Staff:   We have one at 10:22.
Caller:   We'll take that one. It will be a bit warmer.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   How much to play golf today?
Staff:   25 to walk, 38 with a cart.
Caller:   38 dollars?
Staff:   No, 38 yen.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   What do you have for tee times tomorrow?
Staff:   What time would you like?
Caller:   What times do you have?
Staff:   What time of the day?
Caller:   Any time.
Staff:   Morning or afternoon?
Caller:   Whenever.
Staff:   We have 16 times open in the morning and 20 open
in the afternoon. Would you like me to read the whole list?
Caller:   No, I don't think any of those times will work for
me.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Do you have a dress code?
Staff:   Yes, we do. We require soft spikes.
Caller:   How about clothes?
Staff:   Yes, you have to wear clothes.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, do you have a driving range there?
Staff:   Yes.
Caller:   How much for a bucket of large balls?
Staff:   Sorry, we're all out of large balls. But we can
give you twice as many small balls for the same price.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Can I get a tee time for tomorrow?
Staff:   Sure, what time would you like?
Caller:   Something between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock. In the
morning, if possible.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Do you rent golf clubs there?
Staff:   Yes, they're 25 dollars.
Caller:   How much to rent a bag?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, my husband just called me on his cell phone and
told me he's on the 15th hole. How many more holes does he have to play before he gets to the 18th?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, do you have a driving range there?
Staff:   Yes.
Caller:   How much for a large bucket?
Staff:   Four dollars.
Caller:   Does that include the balls?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Do you have a twilight rate?
Staff:   Yes, it's 15 dollars after 2 o'clock.
Caller:   And what time does that start?


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   Yes, I'd like some info about your golf course.
Staff:   OK, what would you like to know?
Caller:   I don't know, that's why I called.


Staff:   Golf course, may I help you?
Caller:   My kids just came home with pockets full of range
balls and said they stole them from your driving range. Would you like to
buy them back?

Have a Great Friday!!!

Man's Best Friend!

Every South Georgia boy needs a good dog!  I have been fortunate enough to have several good dogs in my life.  From my childhood Brittany Spaniel, to my 100 lb Yellow Lab, they have all been special in one way or the other.  But there is just something about my Josey!  Josey, named after the Outlaw Josey Whales, is a Boykin Spaniel who is full of love and good attitude.  She is a bundle of energy in a small package who just may be the easiest dog I have ever trained.  Keep in mind that I did not train Josey to be my hunting partner (although I do not think that she would have any trouble picking it up), but I trained her to be a well mannered dog around my children and loyal companion for myself.  She is only two years old but seems mature beyond her years.  Sure she gets excited when she meets new folks or when someone stops by the house, but she calms down quickly and goes about her business as usual.  She really is a great dog.

Boykin Spaniels were discovered in South Carolina.  They are believed to be a cross between a Water Spaniel and a Springer Spaniel or something of the like.  I just call them a Lab in a small package.  They have great hunting skills and are used as dove and duck retrievers as well as upland hunting.  Josey is constantly flushing birds out of bushes and sniffing around looking for something to find.  She is also a very good squirrel hunter.  She will run squirrels around trees and bark until I can shoot them down.  You can tell that she was born to hunt.  Boykins are also great around children.  Josey is very patient with my kids and tolerates more than most other dogs would.  She loves to wake the kids out of their beds in the morning.

Fall is right around the corner and that means more time outside and out in the shop.  I know that Josey will be there right beside me to watch me work and keep me company.  She will get to eat her share of boiled peanuts and watch her share of college football, and enjoy laying by the fire.  I think she likes fall as much as I do.  Who knows, I may even try and take her out hunting a little this year.  If her Mama will let me!

Pro for a day!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to wipe the dust off of my golf clubs and play in a Pro-Am event for the Hooters Tour.  They make a yearly stop through Hawkinsville, GA at SouthernHills Golf Club.  Now the Hooters Tour is not the PGA Tour, but they put on a very nice tournament.  My boss asked me to come play in his foursome so off I went.

The day started off well with some very nice Tee prizes.  We received a nice hat, a cup with some small goodies in it, a bag of the best boiled peanuts you have ever eaten and a $100 gift certificate to be redeemed in the Titleist/Foot Joy store which was there on site.  I turned that gift card into two Foot Joy golf shirts.  We then had lunch and met our Pro that would be playing with our group.  His name was Jonathon Hodge and this is his first year on the Hooters Tour.  He played college golf at Chattanooga and is from Knoxville, TN.  He won three college golf tournaments during his career and his highest finish on tour has been 5th.  He will play in three more Hooters Tour events before he goes to Q school to try and make the Nationwide Tour.  He was a great kid and I hope he does well.

We played really well and shot a very easy 16 under par.  We missed a couple of holes we shouldn't have but we had a great time.  We figured we may have a chance to place until we turned our card in and saw that one team had posted 23 under.  Yes 23 under.  There were also several 21 unders so we were toast!  We packed it in and headed for the house!

It was fun to play golf again.  I have not played much lately and I realized yesterday that I have missed the game.  I can still play pretty well and was definitely hitting it out there as long as the Pro.  I am not the same player that won back to back club championships a few years ago, but I can't expect to be either.  Back then I played every weekend, now I spend most of my time with the kids.  Maybe I can start back playing a little now that my son is getting older.  He likes golf and hits his little clubs around the yard.  It looks like our country club is going to reopen sometime in the next few months so he and I will have a place to play.  It will be fun to play the game I love again on a regular basis.

I will be following the Hooters Tour this week to see how Jonathon does.  I wish him well!!

Wow! I'm a BON!

"School Days"

I have really made the big time now!  The sweet ladies over at "Words of Wisdom" have chosen me to be today's Blogger of Note!  I would like to thank Sandy and Pam for giving me an opportunity to showcase my little blog and hopefully bring some more readers who just might be looking for a man's point of view on things such as family, community, sports, and things that I enjoy.  Exactly what do I enjoy????  The name of my blog just might be a clue.  I like the Atlanta Braves, The Georgia Southern Eagles, Hunting and Fishing, refinishing antique furniture, and Browning shotguns.  I also tend to talk about whatever is on my mind at the time.

Take some time to look around and please leave a comment if you find something that you like.  I was asked to recommend some of my favorite post, so here they are-

Will little league be the death of high school baseball? 
Thanks Ms. Judy!  I now know the dirt patches were worth it!
What would the society ladies think???
Are you kidding me?

To all the new folks who stop by from WOW, please come back!  To all my old friends, thanks for being loyal fans and check out Pam and Sandy's site.  They will lead you to some great blogs! 

                                    "Class Reunion"

Have a great day!

Hunting traditions.....

The following article was written by my good friend and outdoor writer Ken Cook.  The article appeared in my hometown paper in November of 2009.  Hope you enjoy!

Hunting Traditions Run Deep in the Luckie Family.


Nothing ignites a conversation better or faster than the subject of our hunting heritage and family traditions surrounding it. This occasion was no exception. It was hard to get a word in edgewise as we sat in Dr. James “Jimmy” Luckie’s den late one July afternoon, trading hunting stories across the room like a fast-paced ping pong match. I was surrounded by two branches of the Luckie family tree—John Luckie, Jr. and his son Trey; Jimmy Luckie and his sons Beau and Zack. Though one generation separated those in attendance, the morals of their stories were the same.

In South Georgia, in a gathering of this type, you would expect the main topic of conversation to be deer and turkey hunting, but not this group. Although the Luckies enjoy hunting deer and turkey, their hearts belong to wing shooting and their most treasured memories are about quail hunts on the family farm in Marshallville, Georgia. John and Jim grew up hunting quail and doves; young Beau is a dyed in the wool duck hunter; and Trey enjoys doves and upland game birds such as pheasant.

Though there is some evidence that quail may be making a comeback in parts of rural Georgia, a state once famous for quail hunting, Jimmy said 16 wild birds was all they could muster last season. Hunters who grew up hunting wild quail get heartburn making the leap to pen-raised quail hunting on commercial shooting farms. Traditions seldom evolve.


Part family reunion and part hunt festival, Thanksgiving was a very special time for members of the Luckie clan. J.A. Luckie and John Luckie Sr. (grandfather and father, respectively, of John, Jr.) were both farmers in Macon County Georgia (Marshallville) and their farm was the gathering place. They hunted quail in the morning; sat down for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner around noon; and then returned to the fields in the afternoon. Jimmy said it was a bad day if they didn’t raise 20 + coveys of bob white quail. The Luckie’s Thanksgiving hunts usually extended into the weekend and, for variety, also included dove and duck shoots.

If a Browning Arms representative ever gets word of this, they would be well served to produce an advertising series featuring the Luckies. The whole bunch of them own and shoot Brownings and wouldn’t consider using any other brand of hunting firearm. This tradition seems to have started with their grandfathers and fathers who hunted with Belgian-made Browning A-5 semi-autos with the “gold trigger.” Imagine the years of painful anticipation when your grandpa or father told you, “When you become 18 years old, I will let you have my Browning shotgun.” Implicit in this promise was the expectation that the recipient had to “behave and toe the line.”Obviously, the Luckie boys were expected to earn their Brownings.

The Browning shotgun tradition is apparently so strong that one of the Luckie boys, whose name I won’t mention, and who is a person not given to body art, has a Browning Buckmark logo tattoed on his ankle. If I were a Browning executive, this would be the focal point of my first ad in the “Luckies Love Browning” ad series.

With two generations of Luckies gathered around me and two more preceding generations passed on, I asked the younger Luckies what they are doing to pass the family hunting traditions down to their children. Trey, who has a six-year old son, is busy teaching him hunting and gun safety and taking him along on hunting trips. Beau and his wife don’t have children yet but Beau, who has a Lab retriever, believes that hunt tests are a natural way to get a son or daughter excited about and involved in hunting.

The richness and influence of our hunting heritage and family hunting traditions are nothing short of extraordinary. “If we didn’t behave during the week, we knew we wouldn’t get to hunt on Saturday,” Trey said. “When we were hunting, no one kept tabs on us because they knew where we were and what we were doing.” Beau added. Protect our hunting heritage and may it live on forever.