By now, if you’ve been following our Chamber of Flashbacks, you might wonder how it is that Ross has made it this far? This final Ross feature is a tribute to his lovely wife, Holly. We consider her to be practically a saint for all she’s endured, thus our title track, Holly Holy. (Neil Diamond fan here.) Throughout his career and even in retirement, Ross marches to the beat of his own drum. This means that he fills his time how he chooses and is very much an individual thinker. Sometimes with “genius,” it’s difficult … Read More
“The Chamber of Flashbacks” – The Kid In The Candy Shop
Preparing baits for bear camp creates a sweet, sticky mess. Bears crave sweets and when they’re in the mode to beef up in preparation for hibernation, what better place than the well prepared cookie bait or bait pile. Procuring bait for bear season begins long before the hunt. Outfitters build relationships with businesses, such as bakeries and restaurants, arranging to have them save their day old or expired goods to use as bait. Setting this stuff aside may be inconvenient for them, as it takes up space. So the outfitter is tasked with timely pick … Read More
Life Is A Highway
There has been a lot of traffic at our place in recent months, so much so, that a particular song came to mind… “Life is a highway. I want to ride it all night long,” by Rascal Flatts. Even at dusk and dawn, we’re enjoying the unexpected wildlife sightings from our front row seats, though for the late night jaunts, we can only guess. They nonchalantly parade past our sliding door as if they own the place, and in reality, it is theirs, as they were likely here first. We share this outdoor paradise. We’ve … Read More
A Glimpse Of Bear Camp
For the first time in my life, I went hunting. Unless you count the time in Florida when I rode around on a 4 wheeler in pursuit of wild boar for maybe an hour, then yes, this is a first. (BTW, we did not see a boar.) Who would choose bear hunting for their maiden voyage, you ask? Only the wife of Gary Morgan. https://youtube.com/shorts/Ep-LKGtQEWA Apparently for several years, Gary would submit for preference points for bear hunting on my behalf. Initially unknown to me, he had hopes that I would at some point express … Read More
The Chamber Of Flashbacks – Palley’s Pate’
Ross has a way with blenders. Ask his buddy John and other witnesses to this iconic event. Let’s begin by defining Pate’: a paste-like food, typically made from ground meat, often combined with fat, seasonings, and sometimes alcohol. Neither fat nor seasonings were added to this dish, though alcohol may have been involved. In preparation for bear baiting, Ross was to prepare the castor gland pate’, which is obtained from beaver, and provides an irresistible aroma to allure bears. Palley would lack patience on this fateful day, as his efforts to blend frozen castor glands … Read More
The Big Pay Off
I’m not talking about greenbacks here. I’m referring to the occasional benefits reaped from the fishing stream, despite myself. Those who venture into the stream often face challenges that provide many lessons in life. Certainly patience, preparation, and dealing with adversity are among these lessons. I have had an ongoing battle, so to speak, in a specific fishing hole within a particular small fishing stream. The operative word here is “small.” As such, the downed trees and branches create obstacles that while they make great habitat for the local fish, they make it nearly impossible … Read More
The Chamber of Flashbacks – “Stop, Drop & Roll!”
It happened one morning as Ross volunteered to cook bacon during hunting camp. He seemed confident enough in the kitchen, so no one questioned his methods. What should have been the alluring smell of bacon tantalizing the taste buds quickly went from a momentary beacon of bacon to a dangerous grease fire! The lesson to be learned here is this… A cookie sheet with no sides is NOT the kitchen implement of choice to be used for frying bacon in a propane oven. In other words, grease and flame are a dangerous combo. The … Read More
Live Streaming for Nature’s Screen Time
Enjoying the great outdoors far outweighs time spent watching TV. When choosing between the fishing tube or the boob tube, it’s no contest for those with an appreciation for all that nature has to offer. No concern over obscenity, whether audible or visual, other than the rare expletive that may be expressed by some frustrated fishermen. For the most part, it’s meditative and a place to express gratitude for our creator, as well as provide for your family, if you’re lucky. I’ve recently enjoyed a couple of what I would call productive outings in my … Read More
The Chamber of Flashbacks – “$h*t Happens”
This sweet release is necessary in removing waste from the body, which is essential for health maintenance! And if you’re into the great outdoors, it helps with wildlife identification. This time of year, sightings of the bear variety provide much reassurance to an outfitter. It certainly put some zippity in Gary’s doo-dah. We thought our captured photograph was the perfect emoji for bear sign. And take a look at the blackberry filled dung. Brings almost as much delight as seeing a freshly baked blackberry pie! How do we bring Ross into this story as our … Read More
The Chamber of Flashbacks – “Watch Your Step!”
Who knew that baiting bears in Michigan’s upper peninsula was such a perilous endeavor? It’s not just the abundant wolf population that poses a threat in the wild. Trivia question: Is there quicksand in Michigan? Just ask Ross. To paraphrase, he said, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” but with much more color, of course. Sometimes a short cut could cut your life short. As Ross quickly sunk to his armpits in mud, panic ensued. Gary frantically searched for a stick with which to rescue him while making a wisecrack about it being too … Read More