Florida Trip For Graham's Graduation

As many of you know, Graham has been attending college at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. After 22 months of intense study, he has completed his course work and will receive his B.S. in Film Production. We are very proud of his accomplishments. Full Sail is not a "conventional" university. Classes are year round and 24/7. Classes are for one month and are the equivalent of one semester. Students take 2 classes per month. Graham would not be considered a "conventional" student so this schedule and arrangement worked perfectly for him. Throughout high school he was always interested in photography and filming. More on his future plans and interest later.

The Singleton family traveled separately to and from Florida. Since Graham was moving all of his stuff back to Washington, IN., I drove my new pickup and pulled a trailer. Susie, Tara, Jess, Jack and Nolan flew down on Wed., March 28 and back on Sun., April 1. I left Tues., March 27. My mother, JoAnn Nomady kept me company. She also attended the graduation activities and then took a couple of days to visit my dad's nephew in Lake Worth, FL. We drove to Gainsville, FL and spent the night and arrived at Graham's apartment early the next morning. Graham had already packed most of his "stuff" but mom and I did some packing and cleaning before we had to leave and pick up the family at the Orlando Airport.

We spent the next 4 nights at Downtown Disney Holiday Inn. We used this as our base location since we had several activities in and around Disney World. Our first evening we spent in Downtown Disney eating, walking and enjoying the many shops and attractions.



Woody made from Legos




Jack convinced me to buy him a Handy Manny chain saw at the Disney toy store. It was the only toy he wanted, in his own words - "I love this chain saw". He took it everywhere we went.




Susie, mom and I took the boys back to the hotel while Jess, Tara and Graham went to Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba performance. Last spring, Susie, mom and I went to this performance.

The next morning we were off to New Smyrna Beach. It was a beautiful morning and the boys enjoyed the sand, waves and what little sun could get through the 50 SPF sunscreen. In the afternoon we all attended Grad Fest - showing highlights of the projects that Graham's graduating class had completed during their coursework. Grad Fest included short films, documentaries, student interviews and photographs. Graham had talked about all the hard work that went into these projects so it was great to see the finished product.

Graham is front row, 2nd from right, standing but bending over






Graduation was Friday, March 30. It was a proud and joyous time for all. We met Graham's roommate's families and took plenty of pictures.



I was a little off on my cropping



Graham and his friend and roommate - Jake




From left to right: Tara, Nolan, Joe, Jack, Graham, Susie, Grandma Jo, Jess






We celebrated with lunch at an outdoor bar-b-que place, one of Graham's favorite eating places. This was the first time Tara and Jess had been to his campus, so they received a tour of classrooms, studios and labs. Susie, mom, the boys and I made the trip to Orlando Harley Davidson East for a new tire. Graham and I had planned to do some riding after graduation. I trailered my motorcycle down and made reservations to rent a bike so that we could ride down to Key West after the rest of the family flew home.
So, why a new tire? When I strapped my bike down for the trip to Orlando the tire rubbed against a brace, leaving a hole in the sidewall. Fortunately this Harley Davidson dealership was able to provide a quick tire change while Jack and I spent time trying to determine the motorcycle he was going to buy when he became a "big boy".

We spent some pool time at the hotel. Here are some pictures of the boys.







Saturday was Disney World day for Tara, Jess, Jack and Graham. They did the Magic Kingdom in two shifts - 9 to 2, then 5 - 11. Jack had a great time on the rides, attractions, visiting with Mickey, Minnie and the rest of the cast, parade and fireworks. While they were enjoying Disney, I took mom to the Kissimmee Amtrak station to catch the train to the West Palm Beach station to meet my dad's nephew, Gordon McArthur. The rest of the evening we watched the Final Four games, until the kids returned from Disney.

I am having difficulty posting pictures from Graham's camera on their day at the Magic Kingdom. When I get it figured out - I'll add these to the blog.

We were up very early on Sun., April 1 to get to the Orlando Airport for the 8:15 a.m. flight. After farewells and safe travels, Graham and I returned to his apartment for more packing and cleaning. In the afternoon we made our way to the Harley Davidson dealer to pick up the rented motorcycle - a 2012 H.D. Switchback. We left Orlando mid-afternoon and traveled south on 441 and 27 around the east side of Lake Okeechobee and spent the night in Homestead. The ride was not particularly scenic, but was enjoyable. We traveled through cattle country, scrub, fishing and boating areas around Okeechobee, sugar cane, sweet corn, nurseries, tomatoes and the Everglades.

On Monday, April 2, we made the almost 3 hr., 130 mile trip down highway 1 to Key West. This is first time Graham has been to the Keys. This is the 2nd time for me. Spring break 2004, Susie and I rode from Jacksonville to Key West. I had made reservations at a small, private resort called Alexander Palms. Nothing special but clean and very quaint. We were just 4 blocks from the Southern Most Point and 2 blocks from Duval St. We enjoyed taking in some of the sights and walking Duval where we found an outdoor pub and enjoyed a burger and beverage. In the evening we made the 12 block walk to Mallory Square for the sunset activities and enjoyed several of the street performers acts. This was the night for the NCAA Championship game. We had previously scouted out a pub that we could get some dinner and watch the game. At half-time we made our way back to the room and finished the game in bed.

Here are some pictures of our trip to and from and our time in Key West.






Sun Rise Over the Keys



Our stay at Key West was short - but sufficient. We were up and on the road early on Tues., April 3. It was a special ride up the Keys as the sun was coming up. Our plan was to ride hard to Lake Worth, pick up my mother at Gordon's and ride back to Orlando H.D. and return the motorcycle. We had some time constraints since the motorcycle had to be back by 4 p.m. There was also some concern about my 80 year old mom as a passenger on the bike. She was a trooper - even in the 90 degree, 2.5 hour, 75 mile per hour trip up Florida Turnpike. After returning the motorcycle we completed the packing and cleaning at Graham's apartment and departed Winter Park, arriving at Gainsville, FL late in the evening for the night, mom and I in my pickup and Graham following in his car. We had no issues the rest of the trip, arriving back in Washington, IN around 6:30 p.m. on Wed., April, 4.


Graham is going to be home for a couple of months. He is making plans for some specialized training and instruction in California during the month of June. His goal is to be an independent "Steady Cam" operator/contractor for the film and entertainment industry. He wants to own his own equipment and have his own business. It may take some time to get established but he has a focus and needs some time, money and experience to make it work. Obviously, he will need to locate in a major metro area. That will depend on the market and opportunities.

All in all, a great trip and very pleased that the whole family could attend Graham's graduation. Thanks to mom for keeping me company on the trip to and from. We packed a lot of activities in a short period of time.

We are very proud of Graham. He has a passion for his career choice and know he will take that passion and be successful.

Thanks for following my ramblings. My next post will be our summer vacation to Taylor Park, CO in late June/early July.

South Dakota Pheasant Hunt 2011

This blog entry documents another South Dakota pheasant hunt. There are a couple of firsts on this trip. This will be the first time brother Jay has gone and the first for my new pup, Tripp. Jay and I left his house near Vincennes at 4:00 a.m. and had company to travel with. Jay had learned that Gary Murphy, who is married to our cousin Kathy (Kixmiller), was also leaving on his annual hunt to S.D. so we decided to caravan out together. Gary hunts near Redfield, S.D. which is another 1 ½ hours north and west of Parkston. Jay alternated co-pilot seats and kept us both company. Parkston is 850 miles from Washington. We made good time stopping only for gas, dog, hunter breaks and a quick sandwich. Gary was traveling with a heavy heart. His mother is very ill and is not expected to live much longer. She is staying with his sister in Wyoming. The route we drive was also good for Gary. He followed us all the way to Parkston and then continued on north. Unfortunately we learned the next day that his mother passed away and he will hunt a couple of days and have to return back to Indiana for the arrangements and funeral.

We were welcomed by cousin, Wayne Singleton and wife Diane at the Singleton Bed and Breakfast in Parkston. They had arrived yesterday from West Lafayette and will be staying through Thanksgiving. After unpacking, we settled in for some college football, visiting and lounging.

The official pheasant count for the season is down, statewide almost 45% because of the heavy snows, harsh winter and wet spring. Although down considerably the populations should still provide us with plenty of good hunting.


On Sunday, seven of us (Pat Bowar, Ed Bowar, Mike Bowar, Al Brech, Jay, Wayne and I) hunted around Parkston. Pat and Ed are Diane’s brothers. Mike is the son of Pat and Al is a good friend of Ed’s from Sioux Falls. Al and Ed both have good German Shorthairs. We hunted some very good areas and were rewarded with 11 pheasants. It was obvious that the pheasant numbers are down. On this day I left Tripp in the dog box until late in the afternoon. I wasn’t comfortable turning him loose with a large group of hunters and 3 other dogs. The weather was unseasonably mild with winds blowing at 15-20 mph. The rest of the week looks to be more of the same with a little cooler weather coming in at mid-week. This will be the only day that Al gets to hunt with us. Ed will join us again later in the week. This is a picture of Al’s dog – Gabe, pointing a rooster that Al flushed and shot.



On Monday, Jay, Wayne and I hunted mostly private land around Parkston that Pat had lined up for us. We also hunted Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). These are private lands that have been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that are open to public access. There are several of these in a 10 mile radius of Parkston and are of various sizes and quality of habitat. We hunted hard and long for 3 birds – but still had a very good day. Tripp hunted with Cork all day and made two really nice retrieves. This is the first opportunity he has had to be exposed to live birds. Right now he is doing a lot of running, jumping and aggravating Cork. Slowly he is learning to use his nose. Again, the weather was very mild and very windy.

Jay, Tripp and Cork with his first S.D. pheasant:



Tuesday was more of the same. All told, we were in the field for 6 hours, another hard day of hunting with limited success – 4 birds. We saw several birds but because of the dry, windy and mild temps – they were flushing too far in front of us. Age, conditioning, and warm and dry hunting conditions are taking a toll on Cork. At 10 years old he is still a very good pheasant dog but I just don’t have the time nor do we have the hunting conditions to replicate that of S.D. On this day Jay shot his first “road hunt” pheasant. At the end of the day I saw a rooster cross the road in the rear view mirror. Jay jumped out and made a nice long shot into the setting sun. A good ending to a beautiful day. Here are a couple pictures of our successes.

Joe and Jay:



Jay's first road hunt pheasant:



Joe, Cork, Jay and Tripp:






Wayne, Tripp, Cork and Jay:




Ed returned from Sioux Falls to hunt with us on Day 4. We met about 20 miles NE of Parkston to hunt road ditches, CREP ground and some private farm land. We bagged 4 birds on the day but had some excellent dog work and retrieves. Cork took the day off. He was really struggling with sore muscles and stiff joints. Tripp is starting to get the hang of it – using his nose more. He is well behaved and covers a lot of ground. This is a picture of Cork from last night – too tired to even stand up and eat.



Pat took the day off on Thursday to hunt with us. We drove 2 hours NW to the Gann Valley area to hunt roadsides, eating breakfast at Kimball. This part of the state is dominated by cattle ranching, hay ground with some row crop production. We saw a lot of deer, two eagles and some pheasant. It was a challenge to find good cover in the roadside ditches, but when we did there were pheasants. With 4 hunters and two dogs we would split up with two hunters and one dog together finding a long stretch of good ditch cover and play “leap frog” (let out 2 with dog and drive up ½ mile, leave pick up and the other 2 with dog would work the roadside ahead until the other pair would arrive at the pickup and drive to meet the group ahead). Jay received the sharpshooter award today. All told, 7 birds. Cork worked hard and did a very good job for us today. In past years it was typical that when birds were flushed that multiple rises occurred. Until today we rarely had more than one bird flush at a time. Today Jay and Pat had 8-10 flush together with most being roosters. We had a great day. Although all of S.D. is wide open – this part of the state was “big country”. We could see all around us for many miles. There could be several stories worth sharing of today’s hunt but I will only highlight two.

Jay and I were hunting a wide section of an abandoned road right of way when a rooster flushed between us. Both of us shot bringing the bird down but he hit the ground running with dogs and me in pursuit. The bird ran onto private ground in a fence row with standing corn. Hunters are allowed to shoot birds over public right of way and retrieve them on private ground if they do not carry their firearm. I was into the field 50 yards before I realized I was still carrying my gun. I laid the gun down and continued to watch the dogs work for the downed bird. Cork tracked the bird along the fencerow for several minutes until he lost the scent and we turned to walk back to the right of way. I reached down to pick up my gun and noticed tail feathers next to my gun. Thinking that the rooster had definitely traveled through that area, I reached down to pick them up and discovered that they were attached to a bird. The live rooster had burrowed into the cornstalks and the only thing that was exposed was about 4 inches of tail feathers. This retrieve belonged to me.

On the same day, we were in the pickup driving around looking for good road ditches when we saw a rooster cross the road in front of us. I stopped to let Jay, Wayne and Pat out. I drove on down the road to provide a block. I let Cork out and the three began to walk towards me. No rooster flush. We surmised that the rooster ran out of the ditch and into the field. Cork began to work the area and started tracking in the opposite direction. When a bird is running and a dog has the scent he is running to keep up and if the bird is going to be bagged, the hunter has to keep up with the dog. I ran behind Cork for 150 yards and finally he stopped and pointed then relocated about the time the rooster flushed. The result was a low, left to right shot and a retrieved rooster. This is a picture of Corks bounty and the two of us with the much deserved bird.






Other pictures of our day.

Jay and Joe:



Jay, Wayne and Pat:




On Friday, Wayne, Jay and I hunted near Parkston. It was another mild, windy day. Several stories could be told but I’ll summarize with: A road ditch bird; two out of a head high cattail slough; and two out of a grown up pasture. Tripp made a nice solid point on a hen and two good live running bird retrieves. Cork was his usual steady self but by the end of the day was completely spent. We stopped by the following fencerow to get this picture of Jay – he was fascinated with this style of “No Hunting” sign.



In the evening, we visited Michael, Audrey, Grady and Cohen’s new home and said goodbyes to Pat and Cathy. Jay and I packed the pickup for the trip home. We left Parkston at 3 a.m. and arrived 12.5 hours later back in Indiana.

It was a great week. Wayne and Diane were outstanding hosts. We enjoyed great accommodations, good food and fellowship, memorable hunting moments, great dog work, saw some beautiful South Dakota country, visits with Wayne and Diane’s family and friends and even bagged a few pheasants. Wayne and Diane are special. Jay and I can’t begin to thank them enough for all they did to make this such a great trip. Thanks to Jay for being a hunting and traveling companion and sharing all the experiences. We’ll have to do it again.

October in the Colorado Mountains

Yes, another trip to Colorado. My last posting was the trip Suz and I took to Colorado in July. This October trip was planned months ago when I decided to: 1) Leave my Pointing Labrador, Tripp for training near Ft. Morgan, CO and 2) Leave my Can Am Commander at Brooks’ cabin until I could return. Tripp has been at Gun Club Labradors since early July. I have been getting monthly reports on his progress – it is now time for him to return home – just in time for hunting season. Another reason for the trip (our excuse anyway) is to help Brooks close up the cabin for the winter.

Jay and I left home right after we got off work at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. We drove straight through to Colorado Springs stopping only for fuel, a sandwich and bathroom break. Pat Miller invited us to stop by her place for breakfast as we passed through. We had a great visit with devotions, coffee, eggs, toast, gravy and good conversation. After stopping in Buena Vista for some staples and gas, we arrived at the cabin before noon. All told, a 21 hour trip from Washington, IN to Taylor Park, CO.
I would like to report that the trip was without incident. Unfortunately I caught a cold 2 days before leaving home. By the time we arrived in Taylor Park, I was sure that a doosey of a sinus infection had set in – more on that later.

We arrived to be greeted by Brooks and Craig King. Craig is a family friend and good friends with Jay. He lives near Indianapolis and flew out, arriving yesterday. Craig and daughter, Megan were here in mid-June for a week and he tries to get out for an additional week sometime in the fall. After unpacking the truck and settling in, it was apparent that I needed something more than Alka Seltzer Cold Formula and I needed it soon since most pharmacies would be closing soon and not open until Mon. morning... With the help of my sister-in-law, Jo Lori and her uncle, Dr. Jerry Like, a prescription was called into Wal-Mart in Gunnison and I immediately made the 42 mile trip. Thank goodness for nurses and extended family Doctors.

Also at the cabin are mother and son team of Carol and Taylor Denies of Montrose. They are here for a few days elk hunting. Carol is the daughter of Brooks’ good friends, J.D. and Rosie Hermann.

Our first full day in Taylor Park was spent splitting/stacking fire wood and fishing. We made a big dent in a large woodpile. All of the splitting was done at the cabin in Tincup and then we hauled the wood back for stacking at his TP cabin.



Jay and Craig went down to the reservoir and fished from the bank – not much luck – only one. In the evening we split up. I caught a limit of nice brook trout out of a stream and beaver ponds. Jay and Craig had limited success. On their way back from fishing, Jay caught a bug and was sick for the rest of the evening. The Singleton brothers are not very healthy right now. Although we don’t have a TV, we were able to keep up to date on the Cardinals game with the Brewers. Our illnesses were lessened somewhat by the Cardinals clinching the National League Pennant.

On Monday we woke up to snow and blowing winds. Although we only received a dusting at the cabin, higher elevations had 2 + inches. This was the last morning for Carol and Taylor to hunt. He is a college student in Colorado Springs and will return this afternoon. Jay and I braved the snow, wind and cold and decided to go fishing. We invited Dick Mommer and his friend, Chris for a fish fry tonight and we don’t have enough fish yet – so the pressure is on. Dick is a neighbor and good friend of Brooks’. They are here for a few days to elk hunt. Jay and I fished in conditions that were less than ideal – mid 20’s, 3 in. of snow with an occasional snow shower with blowing winds. Although cold and wet, we were rewarded with a nice mess of brookies that should fill our dinner needs. These are pictures of the valley above Tincup where we fished.






The afternoon cleared off and was beautiful. We all ventured back to Tincup and split a large trailer full of wood for stacking back at the cabin. The persistence of the hunters was rewarded. Taylor was able to fill his cow tag. He shot a nice young cow in the early morning, a very proud and happy mother and son. We had an enjoyable evening. Dick and Chris joined us for dinner. The brook trout were delicious. Dick and Chris shared a story of a spring rafting trip that included a couple of near death experiences with a mountain lion and the flipping of their raft.

On Tuesday, Brooks and I headed to Gunnison. We had a few groceries to get, wash to do and general running around. Jay and Craig prepared dinner – Craig’s famous ribs and chicken, and then took the Commander for a test ride. It was a cooler day than we had been experiencing with temps getting only in the low 40’s. In the afternoon Brooks and I went to Tincup to the “Outback”. I fished while he piddled. Jay and Craig did some sawing on trees that had been felled above the taylor Park cabin. I caught a very nice mess of brookies and had a lot of fun doing it!



For dinner we feasted on Craig’s bar-b-que ribs and chicken. The legal time (established by Brooks) for going to bed is 8 p.m... We were all tired and stuffed with food that we couldn’t wait for 8 o’clock to roll around so we can get to bed.

Wednesday was a work day. Brooks had spotted two large pine trees that blew over near a campground 19 miles up the Taylor River. Wood cutting on National Forest Service land is permissible if you have a wood cutting permit and the trees are dead. We loaded up chain saws and equipment in my truck and trailer and Brooks’ pickup and trailer and spent the next 4 hours cutting and loading firewood.







This wood will dry for one year and be split next year for use in 2013. Later in the afternoon we returned to Tincup to stack our bounty for drying.

I failed to mention an unfortunate circumstance that happened yesterday. Fortunately there is a positive outcome. I had mentioned that Jay and Craig had taken the Commander for a drive. They drove several places in Taylor Park. I have a waterproof bag that I keep in the storage compartment under the bed. It contains a tire repair kit, winch straps and equipment, rain gear and portable air compressor. While roaming around they decided to get out and do some fishing and noticed that the tail gate of the storage compartment was open and the storage bag was missing. They retraced their tracks – no luck. They really felt bad. This time of the year the Trading Post is the only establishment open so they stopped to inform them. Well......our trust in humankind was renewed. When we returned from Tincup today, the bag and all contents were setting in the seat of the Commander. The Trading Post folks knew nothing - and we never found out who found and returned the bag. We were extremely grateful.

We had made previous arrangements with Jim and Judy Finnessy – Brooks’ friends from across the meadow to watch the opening game of the World Series. Jim and Judy are in Iowa and graciously allowed us to invade their cabin. We ate an early dinner and prepared adult beverages for an entertaining evening. Well we ended up back at the cabin to listen to the game on a static filled broadcast from an AM station in San Francisco. For whatever reason, we were not able to get a connection for the local FOX station on their Dish Network. All our efforts were rewarded though with a 3-2 Cardinal victory. Jay found out yesterday that if he was home for the Thursday game, he had a ticket for game 2. Friend, Kelly Jones of Vincennes was able to acquire 2 tickets. Jay’s son, Jared will be taking his place.

Thursday was our last full day in Taylor Park. We helped Brooks do numerous small jobs to prepare for cabin closing. A couple of weeks ago, Brooks had 5 trees dropped on the hill behind the cabin. Craig and I spent a couple hours trimming branches getting the trees ready for cutting next summer or fall. Jay and Brooks went to the Outback to close it up for the winter. We had heard of bull moose sighting on Pie Plant Creek – 5 miles north of the cabin. Jay and I took off on the commander and made the drive to the old town site of Pie Plant.



Although no moose sighting, we had an enjoyable commander ride.

Jay, Craig and Brooks measured the old haystacker timbers for replacement. Cows in the pasture rubbing against was the downfall of the haystacker. Jay is going to have some timbers cut out of old utility poles for the replacement timbers. Hopefully Suz and I will return next summer with the replacements and help Brooks restore the haystacker.




The rest of the evening we packed, loaded the commander and continued to help Brooks prepare for closing, then listened to the radio as the Cardinals lost a heartbreaker to the Rangers in game two.

On Friday we all got up early and started packing and cleaning the cabin. By 7:30 a.m. we were ready to leave. Brooks stayed back to finalize a few details and Craig followed Jay and I to Denver where Craig went on to the airport to fly to Indy and Jay and I peeled off to Orchard, CO. to pick up Tripp. Gun Club Labs is located 75 miles NE of Denver. We arrived at 1:00 p.m., visited with the owners, watched Tripp and other dogs work and received my training. We were off – traveling through eastern Colorado, SW Nebraska and back down to I-70 in Kansas. Again, we drove straight through, arriving home around 9 a.m. with Jay and I alternating driving – neither one of us got much sleep. The only excitement was a near miss of a buck in eastern Illinois. It missed us but did not survive the truck in the other lane.

Thanks to Jay for sharing the ride to and from. Thanks to Craig for the food, cooking and company. Most of all, thanks to Brooks for allowing us to invade his cabin and enjoy a great 6 days of fall weather in the Colorado Rockies. The next entry will be mid November as Jay and I travel to South Dakota for several days of pheasant hunting.

TWO WEEKS IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES

There is never any other consideration for summer vacation. We love to spend time at cousin Brooks Harting’s in Taylor Park, Colorado. There are two special events occurring during early to mid July – the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival (which Suz usually attends a couple of days) and Brooks’ annual Taylor Park Hog Roast. This year we had an additional reason to vacation in Colorado. Six months ago I purchased a new hunting companion – Tripp. He is a Pointing Labrador. In the past I have trained my own hunting dogs but with Tripp I decided to seek professional help. I was drawn to a training facility in Colorado because of a book authored by the owner and other information I had researched

Since we were traveling with a dog in the back of my pickup, we decided to leave home in the evening on Friday, July 8 and drive straight through to avoid the high temps that have been prevalent in the Midwest. In tow was another item – a Can Am Commander UTV Side by Side – a new toy that should be a lot of fun in the mountains. We arrived mid morning near Orchard, CO (70 miles Northeast of Denver) at Gun Club Labs to drop Tripp off. After purchasing groceries and supplies in Buena Vista we drove into Taylor Park in a light rain which proved to be a pattern for the next two days. Suz and I were both tired after 24 hours on the road with only a couple of hours of sleep. We will take it easy for a day or two to get acclimated to the altitude, then be ready to help set up for the Hog Roast.

I won’t bore all of you with a day by day blow of our activities but will share highlights in chronological order.


Sunday morning church service at Tincup is special. There is just something about worshiping at over 10,000 ft. surrounded by the Rockies. The Tincup Town Hall also serves as the church on Sunday morning and square dance hall on Friday night. This Sunday a Baptist Minister from Texas delivered an excellent sermon.



The Pig Roast received most of our attention on the day before and the day of, although I still found time for fishing (with good results). I have probably described the events in a previous vacation post on preparing the meat for the Pig Roast – but – you’ll have to hear it again. Brooks begins to build a fire in the pit at noon on the day before. The fire continues to be stoked throughout the night and early the next day, heating up the rock lined pit and creating a bed of ashes. The pit is a Brooks Harting design and very well built and engineered. It has a basket that holds the fresh hams so they can be lowered into the pit. The pit is covered with a metal lid that is closed to contain the heat. We placed six fresh hams – seasoned with the secret rub that has been passed down from many generations (not really – just what he had in the cupboard), and lowered into the pit around noon. The rock-lined pit and ashes results in a consistent, non-flaming heat that cooks the hams in 4-5 hours.





This year’s pig roast was another huge success. The number of attendees was down from previous years (just over 100) but we had excellent weather, plenty of food and the hams were delicious. Here are some pictures from the Pig Roast.



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There were many special guests at the Pig Roast, but none more special than J.D. and Rosie Herman. They spent two nights at the cabin and were a big help in setup and cleanup. J.D. and Rosie owned and operated the Boat House at Taylor Reservoir for many years, and now live in Montrose, CO. They are dear friends of Brooks. They are special people – icons in Taylor Park. It is great pleasure to visit with them and hear the stories of the people and events that make this area so enjoyable. They even found time to take a tour of the area in my Can Am Commander.



Also here for several days is Pat Miller. Pat is Brooks’ significant other. We consider her part of our family. We enjoy her daily devotions, wit, cooking and counsel.





The weather pattern changed on Pig Roast day (July 13). We had been receiving some much needed rain the previous 3 days. The weather for the rest of the week has been perfect. Lows at night in the upper 30’s and highs in the upper 70’s.

We have been doing some prep work on the rock wall in front of the cabin. We will probably wait until our second week until we work steady on the wall.

Suz has been taking regular hikes with Jim and Judy Finnessy. Jim and Judy have a cabin across the meadow and are good friends of Brooks. They come over practically every morning for coffee and are frequent dinner guests.



Suz has attended two sessions at the Crested Butte Wildflower festival. One for painting wild flowers on a hand made vase and the second session was outdoors learning watercolor painting. She really enjoys the sessions that she attends. There are so many different options ranging from hikes, cooking, arts and crafts, photography, etc. Here is a picture of her painted vase with hand picked wildflowers.



On Friday, July 15, Brooks and I gave the Commander a rigorous test. We took a 6.5 hour, 54 mile trip up and over Taylor Pass (12,000 ft.) This is a very rugged 4 wheel drive only road that connects Taylor Park to the Aspen area. The commander isn’t road legal so we were not able to continue into Aspen - so it was an out and back trip. Even though it is a 4 wheel drive only road, it would take a durable, high clearance vehicle to make it over the boulders and terrain. For several hundred yards the road is the creek bed. The Commander performance was excellent. The weather was great, the scenery and views were spectacular.













On Saturday, July 15, we traveled to Crested Butte with Pat, Brooks, Jim and Judy Finnessy for dinner. We ate at a very funky pizza restaurant called The Stash. We had an excellent meal – although skeptical at first – I would highly recommend it.



We have now been in Taylor Park a week. We have played, worked, hiked, fished, 4 wheeled, socialized, and have eaten very well. We look forward to more of the same for the next five days. Here is a picture of one of many beautiful sunsets we experience.



On Monday, July 18, work began on the rock wall. Brooks had built a 3 terraced rock retaining wall many years ago. Weather, range cows, drainage issues and time have collapsed a significant portion of the walls. 3 + years ago he started rebuilding the wall with attention paid to better drainage, a footer, and using masonary cement to secure the rocks on the face of the wall. It is a slow process, but it helps to have two people. Here is a before and after picture. Pat left this morning to return to Colorado Springs. We will see her again on Friday – she offered to meet us for breakfast as we pass through CS on our return trip to Indiana.






We will work a few hours everyday of our remaining time here on the wall– weather permitting. Although hard work – it doesn’t seem like it when you’re in the mountains.

I found time to go fishing late this evening. Storms blew through and we got a very nice rain. I fished through it, got soaked but had a great time catching a nice mess of Brookies in the stream and beaver ponds. Here are some pictures of my fishing successes.









Every morning at 7 a.m. the breakfast club meets at Brooks’ for coffee. In attendance are Jim and Judy Finnessy, Dick Dolphin, Brooks and his guests. Dick Dolphin is another good friend of Brooks and has a cabin across the meadow in the Murdy Subdivision.

On Wed., July 20, Suz and I rented a boat and took to the reservoir for some fishing. It was a perfect day to be on the water. We fished 4 hours and limited out – 8 nice rainbows. Suz received honors for the biggest.



I had two fish fries while we were here and included J.D. and Rosie, Dick Dolphin and the Finnessy’s. We could not eat all the fish that were caught so some will be frozen and used for Brooks’ guests

Our last day, Thurs., July 21, was spent working on the rock wall and preparing for our trip home. Brooks and I took a jaunt in the Commander, exploring new future fishing sites. Suz and I also took time to take a ride to a scenic vantage point of Taylor Park.



I am leaving the Commander and the trailer with Brooks until I return in the fall to pick up Tripp and spend another week around mid October.



It has been a great two weeks. A word of thanks to Brooks just doesn’t seem to be enough. We are so fortunate to have such a generous cousin that is willing to share his slice of heaven. We worked hard, played hard, ate well, worshiped, renewed many friendships and enjoyed the best of God’s creation and we avoided the extreme temps and humidity back home. Special thanks to the employees of Maysville Enterprises for carrying the load and covering for me while I am vacationing. I have a really good staff and am thankful for their efforts that allows me to take time off. Special thanks to Justin Singleton, Tara, Jess and Jack for taking care of our home and Cork. We are anxious to return home to family and prepare for the arrival of our new grandson in a few short weeks.

The next posting will be from my return trip to Taylor Park in October (if Tripp graduates).