Thankful: Part ONE

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I’ve got tons of things to be thankful for. My family and I are very Blessed. I give thanks for that every day. I’ve also got quite a list of things I’m thankful for – present and past – when it comes to the outdoors. I’m sure you do too.  The next four blogs, I’m going to share some of them, in no particular order. And it’s not everything, for sure. I hope you enjoy!  You’ll probably recognize many of them. Some I felt the need to put a short explanation behind. Others, you just figure it out. I’d love to hear comments from you on some of the things you are most thankful for in the outdoors! Just click the comment button below…

PART ONE:  * Black Grape Jelly Wagglers * A mom & dad who fished * Living on the lake *  Trolling  motors (you ever paddle a boat very far?) * Aunt Lucy’s Pond (even the day cousin Paul cut the topwater plug out of my forehead with his squirrel skinnin’ knife) * A wife, a son and daughter-in-law and a daughter and son-in-law, who love, appreciate and enjoy the majesty and resources of the outdoors * Five fabulous grandkids * Fishing and hunting trips over the years * Never taking God given outdoor miracles for granted * Graphite fishing rods * The BASS Master Classic * Catching bream off the boat dock * Coleman stoves * Good fishing buddies * Good hunting buddies *  Mickey Mouse and Cinderella fishing rods (yes, for the grandkids).

* The Ranger Model 155A (my first bass boat in 1974, purchased at Howard Griffin’s Marine)  * Howard Griffin’s Marine (and Land O’ Toys, of course) * Thinsulate *   At least 96 different colors of Rat-L-Traps * Bussey Brake – the old one and looking ahead, the “new” one coming * Fishing with Roland Martin * Bream colored Balsa B’s * Four-stroke outboards * Terry camping trailers * Camping trips with DiAnne, Adam & Julie * Terry bass boats * The Evinrude “Lightwin” (3-horse outboard) * The Union Parish Tourist Commission * Daily fishing lies on the Sumos e-mail chain (Sumos = big and tall old men who lie better than they fish) * Concrete boat ramps * D’Arbonne State Park * Channel markers on Lake D’Arbonne * The Ouachita River * Depth finders * Being rescued from Wham Brake after the boat broke loose under the duck blind and floated away… * Marion State Bank * Countless victims who have patiently waited for me to take pictures and ask questions to help bring you the outdoor news for a long, long time.

The Visitor’s Center at Black Bayou Wildlife Refuge * George (friend, fishing foe, counselor) * Little George * Bowhunting (I’m thankful I never tried it) * Four-wheelers * Six wheelers * Three wheelers (before government decided they weren’t safe for us) * B’n’M crappie rods * The Second Amendment * Elected officials who protect the second amendment * Dad’s old WP Wonder (single barrel 20 gauge) * Uncle Bill’s squirrel dogs * Uncle Virgil’s rod and reel (he won it in a bowling tournament; I caught my first bass on it) * Corney Creek * Crappie Masters * Calm days on the lake * Windy days in the duck blind * Whole fried bream * Catching a 15-pound brown trout on the White River * Hunting on the old Haddox homeplace near Grayson * Sheriff Dusty Gates * The bucks of Union Parish * The Louisiana Sportsman * Struttin Buck Hunting Club.  more to come…