Sunday, December 30, 2007

The big one




We went out hunting again on base on Friday, December 28, 2007. It was the last hunting day on base for the year, and Zev and I thought we would head out and sit in some stands that we hadn't hunted in yet, to try our luck. Well, at about 5.10pm, about 30 minutes before hunting was to stop for the day, two hogs came out, right by Zev's stand, about 60 yards away. Zev waited until the larger hog turned a little and then...BANG...he took the perfect shot and dropped her right on the spot. She didn't even run away. Zev had great shot placement. I was watching him from my stand, proud as punch, and then waited until Zev hopped down from his stand before I hopped down from mine. It got dark pretty quick though and the two of us couldn't even begin to haul that thing out of the woods, so we waited for some friends to come by with their four wheeler to help us drag it out. The hog ended up weighing in at 227.8 pounds which means...a lot of pork chops and sausages in our future!! We took it to the meat processing plant that very night and our local friends should have some yummy smoked sausages coming their way in the near future!!

Out on the Ba-you!!!







Well, actually out on the Red River which is the main river in our town. Zev surprised me with a fun day out on the river- he is quite the sea captain, especially when he almost runs us aground on a sand bank! It was a fun experience and interesting to get a close up view of the riverboats (or casinos on the water), which make up a large proportion of the local economy here.

A man and his toys...


I thought this picture of Zev, surrounded by his cleaning tools and his AR15 was cute....

Turkey Trot and T-Day!!







We started Thanksgiving Day 2007 off bright and early, with a 3.2 mile trail run along the river. It was freezing cold when we arrived at the starting line, but Zev and I kept each other warm and it was fun to cross the finish line holding hands!! It was a great start to our Thanksgiving Day at home. It was lovely running through the woods, and even more lovlier to come home to prepare our Cajun Thanksgiving dinner!! We decided to make our own "Cajun Stuffing" which had apples, andouille sausage, and cranberries to give it that spicy, cajun flavor. Zev passed out on the couch about 20 minutes after his meal for a nice turkey-induced coma!!

Hunting stories....



As the saying goes, "When in Louisiana....go hunting?!!" Zev and I like to immerse ourselves in the local culture and environment everywhere we are stationed, so it was only fitting that we take up the local sport- hunting. We were fortunate enough to go hunting right in our backyard- on base, and Fi was lucky to "bag" her first deer- a small one granted, but she got a deer nonetheless. And as the saying in the York household at least goes, "You eat what you hunt" and thereby ensuring proper wildlife management....