Deer Hunting Trip 2023

After my (not-so-recent) enthusiastic return to blogging, I feel like this round should start with a "just kidding!" So, 10 days later . . . you get the next post. But I do have more than a dozen waiting in the wings. Most unwritten, just filled with strings of photographs . . . pictures are worth 1,000 words, right? Oooh, tempting just to hit "publish" . . . maybe I'll curb my words, but it helps to have a lil bit of what's happening in each for storytelling context :)

Packing up for a trip to the hunting cabin is kind of like packing up to move to a foreign country . . . we knew we would need so many things that the cabin doesn't have available--like food and pillows, potholders and musical instruments. It was a massive task, and Buck and the boys got the massive pile all connected in some way or another to the back of the truck. We were on our way! 

We brought along our stowaway, Olive. The cabin rules say "no pets." Well, she's not our pet; we don't even own her, yet. Plus, my cousin (who works with the conservation board in the summers) said that service dogs have their own category--even service dogs in training and mothers of current and future service dogs in training :) Pretty soon after we sent our "on the road picture," Noah and Caelan's "on the road" picture came through with Daisy! And then Chase and Gabby's came through (with no puppies)--let the adventure begin! 

The newlyweds actually left before we did, accidentally met up for lunch at the halfway point, and arrived ahead of us at the cabin. My other cousin (not the conservation board helper) has a "cabin tote" filled with blankets and sheets and pillowcases and bathroom supplies, etc. etc. that she keeps handy for when she and her sister host college reunions in the park. Not only did she drop these off in the cabin, but she also made dinner and left instructions on the counter for heating everything she stowed in the fridge. Such a huge blessing!!

Settling into the cabin was busy, but not too stressful. Olive was delighted to find her daughter waiting for her down the hall. She was not as delighted when Daisy went into her kennel at night behind the closed door of the newlywed room. We had to keep Olive in our room after that, so she didn't wake everyone up with her motherly instincts--pawing at the door and whimpering to be let in :)

While dinner was cooking, Caelan grabbed Brennen's guitar and tried to play through some songs our spotty internet would load onto her phone. Grandma J asked us to find a song or two for Z's upcoming Celebration of Life. Caelan had some good ideas and picked up guitar playing (she said it's been a few years) like riding a bike (those words didn't come out quite right . . .) Gabby ended up suggesting the perfect song, but we (I) couldn't listen to it all at once because it made me cry.

The outside people were excited about getting a fire going. Chase got a or brought a hatchet (they did take a quick run to town for vital supplies like a giant tube of Laffy Taffy and Scooby snacks :) They also got a box of fire color pellets, that's where all the pretty flame pictures below come from!

Dinner was so good--I added garlic bread and lettuce salade to hot lasagna, a broccoli-chicken pasta in white sauce, and Oreo pudding *salad.* Yay, cousin!

While Brennen and Caelan worked on the Christmas puzzle Buck gave me, Buck worked on resetting the television. It was up high on the wall and required something to stand on and a spatula to reach the reset button. However, the work paid off, and football games appeared on the screen for the remainder of the weekend :)

Sweet Daisy snuggles, it was a lot of fun having her there for the weekend! Also, so much has happened in the ensuing month that the details of these days are going to be a bit lost in the memory cloud for me, but I'll try to keep you informed as to what's happening as much as I can. I guess one major change in the "norm" was the hunting schedule--I remember that! 

First off, it's been three years since all of us have been to the cabin. The last time was during covid with our NGFs. It was actually Chase's request that we all go this winter, so way back in July I made the reservation. We picked this newly refurbished space in the same park where we've always stayed in the past, because the open floor plan seemed to make sense for our group--not to mention the abundance of tables and chairs the park advertisement assured us were tucked away in the closet. It turned out to be a great space for us!

Last year, just Buck and the boys came up hunting, and the year before that they took our pastor and his son. While Caedmon got a deer that year, that was it! My other cousin (this is the 3rd out of 4 ;) is the resident hunting expert. He sets up blinds and makes sure the deer are fat and comfortable in certain areas of the family's land. He suggested foregoing the typical up at 4:30 a.m., in the blind by 5 a.m., ready to shoot at 6 a.m. when the deer start moving around for the day type strategy. He said, wait until late afternoon, then head out to the blinds and sit until dusk. This plan was unanimously approved by the hunters who didn't super enjoy getting up early or being out in the cold twice a day (okay, the blinds are generally heated, but still . . .) Knowing that the mornings weren't going to be as early, meant more evening hang out time, a bit of sleeping in in the morning, and a big breakfast to follow. I must admit, I really liked this new daily plan, too!