ON THE ROAD again, the song keeps playing in Chuck's truck. Around noon Chuck picked me up and we went to town First stop was Big Earls where Chuck picked up a tye dyed orange tee shirt two sizes too big and I past. I just happen to have a rather large orange hoodi that will work well in the warm weather. A box of shells and an orange baseball cap were next. Since Chuck was pushing my wheelchair he used my lap as his storage basket. Up to the checkout where he asked Claire for two hunting license. I gave him a look and he said "One is for you, the guys all passed the hat and you have no excuse so now you have to buy a license "Guess I will be deer hunting this season at the HOTEL.
After the General Store we had a few more stops to make Amy's Bakery was just down the block and there was a parking space out front so we parked and went inside. Amy gave Chuck a smile and a hello and I got a very welcomed hug and a kiss on the cheek. I also got a wide eyed look from Chuck at my greeting. Amy asked if we were here for the HOTEL order and Chuck told her yes. Amy then asked me if I had some time for a bite which I replied with a yes. "Your usual" she asked and I just smiled and said yes again. We sat down at a table and Amy walked away and stopped asking Chuck if he wanted anything. Chuck said just coffee. A few minutes later Chuck was sipping on his coffee watching me dig into a double serving of apple pie with a cold glass of milk close at hand.
I finished my pie and Amy came over with several bags of French bread, Kaiser rolls cinnamon buns and huge apple turnovers. She said I hope that will get you through the weekend and Bobby there is a white bag in there just for you. I turned to leave but not until I got another even bigger hug then the first and a kiss on the other cheek. What can I say I love eating at Amy's place. I got in the truck and Chuck tucked the bakery stuff away. He climbed in and looked at me and all I said was "I'll tell you someday but not today" Chuck started the truck and the next stop was Ma and Pa's grocery. We parked and went inside. The little bell over the door jingled loudly in the quiet and Ma peaked around from her TV and gave us a greeting. She gave Chuck a hug and just said hello to me. I looked at Chuck and he said "I'll tell you someday but just not today" and we both grinned at each other.
Chuck talked with Ma about our can goods order and I made my way back to the butchers counter and Pa who was waiting for me He pulled out a chair and told me I was looking a little pale. I sat in the chair and told him thanks, shopping is still hard on me. We made some small talk and he told me we were good to go on any deer we wanted processing. Of course he said he has no worry about our party filling his cooler. He did it with a grin on his face and all I could do is hold up my hands, truth be known it has been pretty slow at the HOTEL the past few years. Feeling better I pulled Chuck away from Ma and we headed to Little Louie's Licorice & Liquor Shop to talk to Louie about our order and to add a few more twenty pound bags of ice to our order. If we do get some deer in this warm weather we are going to need to cool them down quick. Well tomorrow afternoon we will be off to the HOTEL I will try and get a story in but I am sure it is going to be busy. Everything will have to get loaded in Chucks truck as I will not be driving and we will have to wait till my son in law Matt gets off work so he can follow us up. We are just hours away from another deer season here at Lake Iwanttobethere
================opeer friday=========================================
THIS MORNING FOUND me digging in the front closet for my deer hunting gear. Duncan was trying his best to get around me and get inside the closet, his nose was twitching away. I was pulling gear out and making decisions on wether I should bring the heavy winter clothes or take a chance and go light. Hunting boots and also the sorrels were pulled out going to bring both. Can't feel my feet so I better keep them warm to be safe I thought. Old duffle bag was packed and I had a hard time zipping the zipper close. Bag was tossed out on the deck along with a sleeping bag and one of my favorite down pillows. Gun cabinet was open and the forty year old single shot twenty gage was pulled out, shot my first deer with it. Now Duncan was really taking an interest in what I was doing. I snapped it open and looked down inside the shinny clean barrel. Into a case it went along with a box of #6;s in case I see some grouse and a box of slugs that are so old it may be something to place a wager on if they go off.
Back inside the cabin to eat lunch and wait for Chuck and Matt to arrive. I gulp down a tomato sandwich as I watch four apple pies cool that were just taken from the oven. I am not even going to bother asking the wife for a slice, I know they are for deer camp. Most of the morning Duncan has been my best friend, he thinks he is going to go hunting. I know that he will be staying home to keep the wife company. Yesterday the wife finished picking apples and she rode the tractor and mulched up leaves. Duncan was all over and when the wife was done and they both came in the house I gave Duncan a pat on the head only to find a tick working its way in. I pulled the tick off and got that look from Duncan as he went and laid down under the kitchen table at the wife's feet. You think I would have gotten at least a thank you.
I had a phone close by and it rang often with guys checking in. I had a yellow tablet close at hand and made a few checks here and there. Everyone has something to bring to camp, from food to firewood to charcoal and ice. Guys were calling in on when they should be arriving and so far everything was riding smoothly. Only problem so far was the temperature, as I write this it is sixty-one in the shade, a little warm for deer hunting, a nice temp for grouse hunting and a doable temp to go fishing. I left the desk to go find a roll of antenna wire that I came across this summer shopping. Local college hockey team plays tonight and tomorrow night and I am not counting on our wire being up at the HOTEL Some hockey, A little drink under the stars on a warm night might just feel about right.
Chuck just drove over so I am going to end this and post it. Some of you may not read it for awhile as you are getting ready to leave for camp or are already there. Either way beep your horn when you go by us here at Lake Iwanttobethere
===================sat==============================================
WHERE DO I start? Arrived at deer camp with Matt following us in his truck. A few trucks already parked by the HOTEL Chuck pulled around them and parked almost at the front door and that is when I saw the new and improved front porch. The guys had raised the porch to be the same level as the door and doubled it in size. This was so a H/C ramp could be attached and still leave room for the rocking chair. I sat in the truck for awhile and just looked at what the guys had done and I didn't know what to say. Chuck said, "Don't go thinking the ramp is for you, it just makes it easier to unload the trucks" and with that he bumped shoulders with me and then said "Lets try that ramp out"
As the evening went on we stowed gear and rifles found their way to the big rack on the wall. Supper was ate and a poker game started but no one really stayed up past ten. Well I should say everyone was in their bunks I don't know when everyone was sleep. Morning came early and most guys were up before the alarm clock. Waffles were made and soon it was time to head out to the stands. Matt went to my swamp stand and I told him all I could about it. I went back to bed to snooze for awhile and wait for someone to come back with news of a deer being shot. Half the guys came back to camp for lunch, the others stayed on their stands in the mid sixty degree weather and ate sandwiches made up from Pa's cold cuts and Amy's Kaiser rolls. After lunch Skinny told me to get my gear and he would take me out to a stand.
I sat in my wheelchair in a small trailer towed behind Skinny's ATV I had my back to the swamp stand so I could not see it. We pulled up along side and I got another surprise. They had rebuilt my swamp stand doubling it in size and adding a shallow ramp. The swamp stand never was very high but now I could sit in it in my chair. Skinny pushed me up and then put some camo netting around the chair and I was settled in. Skinny looked at me and just said " Your wife wanted that wood gone from behind your garage" I just nodded my head. Skinny handed me a cell phone and told me to call if I get deer or I want to leave early other wise he would be back at dusk.
Skinny turned around and left and in a few minutes I could no longer hear him and the woods went quiet. I rested the old twenty gage against the railing and slipped a slug in the shotgun and it closed with a loud click. On the butt of the old gun I have an elastic sleeve that holds shells. Today I have two slugs and three #6's close at hand. I sat in the warm sunshine and I have to admit I dozed off a few times. It was getting towards dusk and I got a little more serious about deer hunting and I started to look down the trail and off into the swamp brush. I was watching when the three grouse landed on the trail and started working their way towards me. Normally I would not pay them to much attention but I was hunting with a shotgun and so I took the slug out of the gun and set it on the railing. I reached down and got out some #6's and slipped it in the gun. I closed it with a loud click that I thought the birds would hear but they did nothing.
Shot the first bird in the head and the other two jumped up in the air and came right back down. I open the twenty and the spent shell sailed over my shoulder. I pulled out another shell from the butt and slipped it in, Raised the shotgun and grouse # 2 was laying next to number one. Number three took off made a circle and landed a few feet away from the first two. I am thinking to myself that this is going to make a good story at deer camp. I reached down and pulled out another shell, slipped it into the shotgun closed it with a click. Took aim at the third bird and squeeze the trigger. Bird three disappeared into a cloud of feathers. Looked down and saw I had pulled out a slug and shot the bird with that. A few minutes later Skinny came down the trail, he had heard the shots and thought maybe I had a deer. He collected the two birds and I swore him to secrecy on the third and we loaded up and headed back to the HOTEL. Steaks and grouse tonight and I am cooking here at the HOTEL
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Topic: Lake Iwanttobethere (Read 319774 times)
