Remembering My Dad on Father's Day

My Dad, Marion Edward Love, Sr., is not with me today...but lives deep in my heart. I truly miss him everyday of my life.  He only lived about two weeks after my husband-to-be, Bob, took this picture of us at the house I was raised in.  I will be forever thankful for this last photo of us together before he went to his heavenly reward!  He was born June 12, 1916, in New Orleans, Louisiana and met Our Dear Lord on November 6, 1987, after suffering a heart attack while hitting a bridge abutment over I-20, at Wisconsin Avenue.  I will never forget that terrible day when I received a call from my brother-in-law, Chris, telling me the shocking news.  I miss and love you so much Daddy!  We will meet again one day and be together forever!

A Baaaaad Goat!

Jim Decker of Shelton managed to get this photo of the mountain goat that he said threatened him while he hiked in the Olympic National Forest near Lake Cushman earlier this week.

I received an email from a friend in Washington State who sent me an article about a man who encountered an aggressive goat while hiking with his wife in the Olympic National Forest this past Tuesday.  

Jim Decker became separated from his wife and came face to face with a goat who stalked him.  

Another hiker last October was gored by a goats horns to his leg that hit an artery and he bled to death.  The goat was shot by rangers soon afterwards.

Decker said that he had seen them a 100 times before but this one acted differently than the others had, so he decided to get off the trail.  After he cut a series of switchbacks to avoid the growling animal he appeared in front of him!  At one point the goat missed him by 6-inches.  He tried hiding behind trees and throwing rocks at him.  

He had come prepared with pepper spray and a handgun but left both with his wife. He had in his backpack a 6-inch knife and pulled it out and was ready for the fight of his life!  

Soon the mountain goat backed off when he must have scented another hiker.  His wife had sent in two hikers to look for him.  The goat lost interest when he met up with the hikers.  

The incidence was reported to the Olympic National Forest Service.  

Experts advise hikers to leave mountain goats alone, saying it is rare for the animals to come near a human.  

This was truly a baaaaaaad goat with an attitude! 

Deer - J. C. Gimpy

My friend Dave, who lives in Indiana, went out early yesterday morning to check on his cameras.  Looks like both deer are doing fine, but J.C. Gimpy (he named) still looks pretty stove up, he said.  He also told me that J. C. Gimpy was born last spring and is just now one year old.  That is his brother with him in the picture...he said he was going to try and find his baby picture to show me but thinks he was born with a birth defect because he noticed the shape early on.  It was possible he was injured, but really don't know which, Dave said.

D. Robert (Dave) Quick
I want to Finish Well
I want to end this race
Still leaning on His Amazing Grace

Member: Community Christian Church
Member: Pilots 4 Christ
Member: Christian Outdoor Fellowship of America
MY WEBSITE:
HANDLOADING FOR HUNTING
MY DISCUSSION FORUM:
HFH DISCUSSION FORUMS

 

Tim's Childhood Hunting Memories

Today, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine on Facebook who is a hunter.  His name is Tim Elsey.  My blog is about hunting and hunting stories and I'm pleased to share his first deer hunt with you.  Tim just started to write about his childhood hunting memories and sent me his story recently to read over and to tell him what I thought.   I hope he will continue to write them because every hunt has it's very own story.  Of course, I will be more than happy to post his exciting adventures here as he tells them.  Tim's hunting story in his own words...

My First Deer Hunt

It was more than twenty years ago when I shot my first deer but I remember it like it was yesterday :)

I had taken time off work to go I was very excited to go because up until then I had only hunted waterfowl and bush chickens and rabbits with my father.I was very inexperienced about how to hunt deer but I was very skilled in bush from what my father and grandfather taught me as a young boy.I arrived out at the cottage on a Friday night unpacked my things it was very cold -22c  got the fire going so I didn't freeze to death haha .I woke up in the morning and headed out to the back bush to scout the areas and to shoot the gun because the season didn't open until Monday.I put a tin can about a hundred yards away shot the gun hit the can :)I had an old 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with no scope but it shot straight and true .I walked around looking for a good deer trail to sit by for Monday but there was tracks every where in the snow I was confused on where to sit but very happy to see all the deer activity .Sunday came and it started to snow and as the day went on the snow was falling heavier and heavier and the wind was picking up It now was a BLIZZARD !, I gathered all the wood I could and stacked it in the cottage knowing well this was not good. Morning came and it was still a blizzard my hopes of deer hunting today were not going to happen :(  I listened to the radio to hear the weather forecast but the news wasn't good :( Wednesday morning came and it was blue skies and super cold and I was snowed in but I was determined to get out there because I knew if I couldn't hunt for those days no one else could either :)  .There was a lot of snow at least two and a half feet and the drifts were four feet in some places and the plows haven't come yet. So I put on the snow shoes and headed out :) It was so nice seeing all the snow on the trees it was beautiful i felt like I was back in time when people had to hunt to survive .I hunted for two days without seeing a fresh deer track or people but i didn't care it was amazing just to be  in the great outdoors :) It was 5 AM  Friday morning and I could hear the snow plows outside coming down the road I figured i better get out there to go hunting and maybe other hunters will be out and  get the deer moving :)I sat for 4 hours and was getting pretty cold and deiced to go for a walk to warm up when i heard 2 shots BANG ! BANG ! It wasn't very far down the trail where i met 2 people a husband and wife  in their late 60s and they had just shot a buck and a doe :) They were very nice and offered me some tea from their thermos :) I tell you it was just the thing  I needed to warm up :) I helped them drag their deer out and put in the truck for them and said our good buys and they wish me luck :) With my new energy level up  I went back down the the trail.SUDDENLY 2 DEER JUMPED ACROSS THE TRAIL MY HEART POUNDING LIKE i WAS GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK! I quickly ran to the spot where I saw them last and there they WHERE ! I RAISED MY GUN AND STARTED SHAKE LIKE CRAZY ! AND I COULDN'T CONTROL MY BREATHING THEN FIRED A SHOT AT THE BUCK BUT MISSED! i WAS LIKE NOOOO ! They both bolted but to my surprise the doe started running back to the trail and crossed and stopped a few yards on the other side ,My heart still POUNDING ! then I remembered what my dad did when he shot his deer so I leaned up against a tree took a HUGE BREATH AND STILL A BIT SHAKING I FIRED THE GUN BANG! THE DOE JUMPED AND FELL TO THE GROUND ! YES YES I CRIED OUT WITH MUCH JOY ! I walked over to the deer and fell to my knees and thanked God and the deer and for giving its life to me:).

Thank you for letting me share my first deer hunt with you :)

Tim's First Deer

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We're Having A Heat Wave!

A tropical heat wave!  The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising...for Miss Piggy and her penguins to sing for us "Tropical Heatwave," followed by a clip of Kermit's Fred Astaire tribute in "The Great Muppet Caper."  It's from the 1981 TV special "The Muppets Go to the Movies!  Enjoy and try to stay cool during this heat wave here in HOT Mississippi!

Flood Wall Water Marks

 

The bench and garbage can must have been bolted down...

Grand Station Casino boat in its cofferdam.

Vicksburg Riverfront Murals

This past Sunday I drove downtown to take pictures of the flood wall water marks beyond the flood walls.  The entrance and exit is open but still blocked off for vehicular traffic.  I parked at the Catfish Row Art Park across from the murals and walked over to take pictures.  You can see how high the water rose and it was a blessing that it held the flood waters back for over a month.  The MS River is down to 45.7 feet and will drop below flood stage (43 feet) in the city in about two weeks. FEMA inspectors are here clearing the way for some residents to get back into their homes to start the cleanup.  I'm sure there will be some buyouts.  As the flood waters recedes, animal are plentiful. The Vicksburg Post yesterday showed a picture of a 5-foot-long poisonous cottonmouth that was seen swimming off of Chickasaw Road and was shot.  Also, another picture of a fish caught in a chain-link fence.  In Warren County, 1,340 structures have been evacuated, 707 of them primary dwellings. More than 3,200 people have been displaced.  Individual assistance payouts total $4.2 million in 14 counties declared federal disasters areas due to flooding, with $682,141.12 in Warren County, FEMA has said.

Picture Published Again!

My picture that I sent in back in April was published yesterday in The Vicksburg Post.  Actually, this is the original (above) and they had cropped the picture in half (below) and said, "A kite flying high over a swelling Mississippi River."  I was really surprised when I opened the paper yesterday and saw it and forgot that I had sent it in.  What a treat!

Posted on April 8, 2011

Blogging: The Natural World

I came across a cool blog this morning called, Natural World Through My Camera, and belongs to a retried federal worker (2008) by the name of Steve Ferendo.  Steve was born and raised in West Virginia and served in the Army with two tours in Germany and one in Vietnam.  This is where he "discovered" photography and was lucky to have landed a stint with the European Stars and Stripes while stationed in Germany. When he got out in 1972, he was fortunate to have landed a job with the government, being a Vietnam vet, and worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. (USAMRIID) at Ft. Detrick, in Frederick, MD.

Steve is married to his wife, Cheryl, of 25 years and they have two children, Sarah, 15 and Kyle, 17.  It is a family affair for the Ferendo's to view/photograph wild life, hike trails and fish together.  With his family he truly enjoys the natural world through his camera!  Check out Steve's blog and enjoy his photos that he has taken in our great wild outdoors!  

Deer After The Flooding

Water not expected to affect deer season, wildlife bosses say~ 
Deer hunting season in MS is still on despite migration of deer during the historic MS River flood.
Water has displaced deer in the South Delta and the mainline MS River levee system.
However, history shows deer will escape to higher ground and follow receding water back to their home range, the MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks said this past week.
"We have been evaluating the situation along the MS River and throughout the south Delta.  Once the water recedes, we will be making site visits to properties along the River in order to determine the impacts of flooding on deer abundance," says Lann Wilf, a deer program biologist with the agency, in a release.
"However, we expect minimal long-term impacts to deer abundance because flood waters rose slowly," Wilf said, "which gave deer time to seek higher ground."
MDWFP does have the authority to close hunting seasons during emergencies, but it has not been recommended nor is it being considered by the agency, the release said.
Several seasons are scheduled in the fall for various types of deer hunting in MDWFP zones 1 and 3, which include land inside Warren County.
For more info on deer hunting season, log on to the MDWFP's website at http://home.mdwfp.com/.
(Article taken from The Vicksburg Post)

Patricia I. Hart Heading South

Yesterday, as we drove by the overlook we had just missed the barge, Patricia I. Hart, heading south with her loaded cargo.  I decided to chase her down to the Riverwalk Casino.  It reminded me years ago when I was a teenager and visiting my Aunt Ruby and Uncle Clyde in Missouri.  After seeing my Uncle off at the railroad station, we would get on the highway and chase him in their Cadillac.  He would then blow the train whistle at us as a final goodbye, headed towards Memphis.  What fond memories!  (Note the train on the old Hwy 80 bridge)

There she is!

Patricia I. Hart

Just missed a rain shower at Riverwalk Casino where my daughter, Kathy, works as a Supervisor.  

A beautiful view of the skyline looking back at the bridges.  The river stage here at Vicksburg dropped six-tenths of a foot overnight to 47.8 feet.  Its crest at 57.1 feet on May 19 was the highest in Vicksburg since 1927.  Stages are expected to remain above the 43-foot flood stage until June 19, according to the National Weather Service River Forecast Center.

Cross Ties Removal

The extension (cross ties) built to the Vicksburg's flood wall came down this past week in an effort to restart rail traffic that had been stopped for a month due to flooding.  It's also a truck route but for now trucks are still being re-routed through town. While the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley RR Station Depot is drying out and renovations have continued, construction has also resumed on the Motor Vessel Mississippi that is sitting on land right here in town.  It will be called the Lower MS River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Center, and is partially shown in the background.  

Depot Drying Out

According to The Vicksburg Post yesterday, the depot's doors took a licking in the flood.  Though most of the Yazoo & MS Valley RR station on Levee Streets has come through this year's record flood nearly unscathed, workers will have to replace at least three doors on the first flood because of water damage.  Sitting in the flood waters it made the doors swell and warp.  

The 104-year-old depot became somewhat of an icon of the MS River and Yazoo Diversion Canal's rise to a record height of 57.1 feet on May 19 before beginning its recession.  Along the way, local, state and national news and television crews took photos and footage of the flooded area, with the depot in most shots.  

When flood waters threatened, workers removed the sheet rock that had been installed on the first floor and moved it to the third floor of the building.  The building's interior was covered by about 4 feet of water.

Once the waters receded, the contractor went in, removed the water and debris from the first flood and dried the area with fans.  A dehumidifier on the building's first floor is being used to dry out the building materials.  This is a slow process.  Now, the roof on the main building is being repaired because a leak was discovered by workers working on the third floor.  The passenger loading area was covered about 10 years ago with rolled roofing material that needs to be replaced.

Debris from inside the depot building.

Part of the temporary flood wall being dismantled.

At the front side doorway.

Flood wall coming down to make way for truck/vehicular traffic.

Sign that went underwater at the Depot.

Flood wall finally opened at the Entrance to the water front.  

The Blog Frog Award

GunsmithingSchool.org

Yesterday, I received an email from, Tracy Myers, informing me that my blog had been featured on Guide to Online School's list of the best hunting blogs found. They hand-picked a list of their favorites and outlined the unique reasons why.  I was picked as No. 1 out of 50 hunting blogs!  What an honor and I will proudly display my Blog Frog Award badge on my site!  Below is what they had to say about me.  


Marian Hunting Stories:  Who ever said that hunting was only for the young? The young at heart often boast additional wisdom and bravado as weapons in their arsenal, as is exampled by this 70-year-young blogger. Marian and her three generations of family have been hunting for nearly three decades, and this site commemorates their most successful ventures. Marian's site serves as a great example of a blog that melds the personal with a focus on the great hunt.

• Why We Love It: A 70something matriarch leads her family and leads the way to the game on this charismatic site.
• Favorite Post: Vicksburg Youth

Again, I'm deeply grateful for this award and had it not been for my mentor, Rex Howell of Deer Camp Blog, encouraging me to continue my blogging over 4-1/2 years ago, I would not be here today.  I want to thank my husband, Bob, who took the time to teach me the art of hunting in my mid-forties while we were dating, to shoot a handgun, rifle, muzzle loader, shotgun and a bow.  I also want to congratulate the other hunting bloggers nominated to the Top 50, because most of them have travel with me on a journey as hunters in our great wild outdoors!.

Rail Blogging @ Oil-Electric.com

During the Great Flood of 2011 here in Vicksburg, I was contacted back in May by Robert McDonald of Port Townsend, Washington, who wanted to use my photo showing the old train depot station.  I gave him permission and he was just as upset as I was of our 1906 historic Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Station going underwater and why it was not protected. The depot museum was being renovated at the time with a 1.6 million dollar grant before the floods came.  It was a blessing in disguise that the artifacts were stored in another location.  I wanted to give Robert a shout-out since he gave me one when he posted about the Depot on May 23.  Check out his blog at www.oil-electric.com because it is very interesting while detailing rails to waterways to boats, etc.

 Yazoo & Mississippi Valley RR Station

Fun Photo Shots

It was a busy weekend for me attending a wine and cheese reception Friday evening followed by our 37th Biennial Convention of Pi Alpha Kappa Sorority on Saturday which ended mid-afternoon.  At 6:00, I attended a beautiful wedding at the B B Club, formally B'nai B'rith Literary Association, a Jewish Social Club, of Jessica and Scott Morris.  Jessica's Dad was my former boss in the Environmental Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Station, (ERDC), Corps of Engineers. The wedding was held in the Grand Ballroom and was great to see my former boss again and his wife, family and also former employees that I had worked with.  As I was leaving, a security guard stopped me at the doorway and asked me had I had my photo taken yet and said no and showed me the way to the Parlor.  I had noticed a table full of funny hats and a booth earlier downstairs while waiting for the ballroom to be turned back into the reception room, but did not know what it was all about.  The newlyweds had arranged for everyone to have their pictures taken with you getting a copy and a copy for then with your good wishes.  I decided to put on this cute pink feathered throw and had four pictures taken.  That was fun and different!  As I was leaving the club someone whistled at me and I smiled and thought...well, I must look pretty good to someone! At my age, it's not everyday you get whistled at!  While walking towards our GMC Sierra truck, I heard it again and again as people were leaving.  So the newlyweds were still enjoying you being there and being a part of their wonderful wedding day memories!

Laughter

Missing The Queens!

I really miss hearing the Delta, Mississippi and the American Queens playing their calliope music as they enter the canal headed for the Vicksburg waterfront.  The Mississippi Queen and American Queen are currently not sailing.  The Delta Queen had been decommissioned since it's Coast Guard exemption has expired.  The ships have changed hands several times over the past few years, but this is the first time there has been an interruption in service.  As yet a parent company has not found new owners for these American Classics.

Today, when I hear the ice cream truck in our neighborhood, in my mind, I think of the Queens!  I guess it's the music they are playing.  We only live 8 blocks from the river and could always hear the sounds of the calliope playing from our front porch. Maybe one day they will be back in service but for now the only thing to bring back the memories is to watch a video or listen out for the ice cream truck.

A Tennessee Turkey Hunt Invite

My turkey hunting buddy, Sharon, lives in Tennessee near Pigeon Forge and has invited me to come up and turkey hunt with her next April or May.  She said that her turkey season runs about 6 weeks, the month of April through the middle of May, give or take a day or two.  She and I turkey hunted together when she was living here and we had a blast at my hunting camp, Jasper Bottom, for a whole week.  Above is a beautiful picture she took of her cousin, David, while they were out turkey hunting recently near her home.  I'm so excited about being invited and I'm really looking forward to visiting with her since I have never been in that part of TN before.  It will be awesome if we both got a turkey!

Here is Sharon with her first turkey!  Click here to read the story behind her hunt!

Our turkey hunts!

Scouting 

Day 1 

Day 2

Day 3 - 2nd post

 Day 4 - 2nd post

Day 5 - 2nd post

Old Abandon City Bus Terminal

Years ago this was the city bus terminal where buses were stored and worked on. It's located at the corner of West Pine and Cherry Streets.  Notice the roof is missing!  My ex-husband lived in this neighborhood when he was young and told me that the second flood housed the MS Power and Light Company.  The man who worked there, a Mr. Head, at the MP&L used to take the neighborhood kids to the ice cream parlor and treat them.  Just to take a ride in an automobile back in those days was a treat in itself.  He also became friends with the bus terminal workman and he would let him play on the empty buses while they were being repaired.

Looks like an old abandon truck and other things still inside the building.

The building is now being taken over by Kudzu.  I don't understand why it is just sitting there and has not been torn down or restored.  I would imagine it was built back in the late 20's or early 30's.  

Kudzu crawling up the opposite side of the tracks. 

Kudzu crawling over into the parking lot.