Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Snow In Alabama!
Yesterday was an unusual day for Alabama as they received a few inches of accumulated snow! Due to the rare nature of this event, the effects were profound with Alabama declaring a state of emergency. All of my college classes were cancelled and I was given the day off. I worked on homework for a while but finally gave in to my inner little kid and ran out to play in the snow. It felt good to be throwing snowballs, building snowmen, and sledding with everything I could find from trash bags and pieces of cardboard to ironing boards and laundry baskets. It was definitely a nice break from the daily grind of classes.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Christmas Trip (Warning Pic Heavy)
I was able to spend 3 weeks at home for Christmas which was such a blessing! It has been a few years since I have been able to be home for Christmas and I was so happy to be able to spend it with my family. My brother and his wife were also able to be there for Christmas. It made my parents very happy to be able to have there whole family with them for the holidays. I was able to do my incredible things while I was home but I will try to just hit the highlights. Some of the best parts of the trip weren't necessarily big planned events as much as just getting to spend time with family and friends.
I was able to attend a performance of Handel's Messiah with several friends which was outstanding! It was probably the best one I have been to yet and it was a great experience.
I stayed pretty busy while I was home but I knew that I wanted to get out snowboarding at least once. The conditions when we went weren't the best I had ever seen but they weren't too bad. It was about 30 degrees and overcast/foggy. It hadn't snowed in a few days but all of the trails were well groomed making for good riding. I was trying to not do anything too crazy because I didn't want to risk an injury that would disqualify me from the United States Coast Guard Academy but I still had a really good time. I am at the point were I can confidently ride most black diamond trails and it was fun to explore runs I had never done before.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking a short family vacation to the Cape Disappointment, WA/Astoria, OR area. This is a beautiful part of the United States and it is very rich in Coast Guard history. This area is known as the graveyard of the Pacific due to the violent seas created when the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The weather was fairly calm while we were there, but there were still some pretty impressive waves. We stayed in a nice little condo just a few minutes walk from the beach and had a great time relaxing and seeing the sites. A primary reason for our trip was to visit Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment. This is probably the most well know Coast Guard small boat station and is designated as one of only 20 Coast Guard surf stations. Surf stations are required when the sea state is 8 feet or higher at least 10% of the year (36 days) and Cape Disappointment definitely meets that definition! I had called ahead, and because I was active duty Coast Guard, they were more than willing to give us a tour. When we got to the station, they were in the process of receiving a request for a assistance. A boat was not in grave danger, but had lost their engines and was DIW (dead in the water) with two POB (persons on board). It was neat to see the whole process from them receiving the radio call to grabbing their gear and launching a boat to render assistance. Since I joined the Coast Guard, my family has spent a lot of time researching the Coast Guard and learning how they operate and it really neat for them to witness a surf station in full operation. Knowing that I was active duty myself, our tour guide let us climb all over the surf boats. We were able to explore both the 47' Motor Lifeboat (MLB) and the 52' Triumph II, one of only 4 remaining 52' MLBs in the Coast Guard. Our tour guide gave us an outstanding tour. He answered all of our questions and was extremely knowledgeable about the operations of the station especially for someone of his rank and time in the Coast Guard. This tour was definitely a highlight of our mini vacation!
47' MLB launching on a search and rescue (SAR) case while we were there.
We also got to explore both the North Head Lighthouse and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse which were amazing and were set on bluffs with beautiful views.
North Head Lighthouse
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
To prove to my sisters that I am still a little kid at heart, I came up with a dramatic pose that I attempted to do in as many locations as possible and even convinced one of my sisters to do with me on occasion.
One day we decided to drive over to Astoria and explore the Coast Guard history there. While there we noticed a 210' Medium Endurance Cutter, USCGC Alert, was inport. After talking to the watchstander and explaining that I was active duty myself, my family was offered a tour. It was so cool to be able to show my family another aspect of Coast Guard operations.
We got a lot of good pictures in random places so here are several miscellaneous pictures.
Some great scenery shots.
All in all it was an outstanding trip and was just what I needed to refresh me and get me recharged for this next semester of college!
I was able to attend a performance of Handel's Messiah with several friends which was outstanding! It was probably the best one I have been to yet and it was a great experience.
At the restaurant where we ate on the way there I was able to get a serious piece of chocolate cake!
I stayed pretty busy while I was home but I knew that I wanted to get out snowboarding at least once. The conditions when we went weren't the best I had ever seen but they weren't too bad. It was about 30 degrees and overcast/foggy. It hadn't snowed in a few days but all of the trails were well groomed making for good riding. I was trying to not do anything too crazy because I didn't want to risk an injury that would disqualify me from the United States Coast Guard Academy but I still had a really good time. I am at the point were I can confidently ride most black diamond trails and it was fun to explore runs I had never done before.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking a short family vacation to the Cape Disappointment, WA/Astoria, OR area. This is a beautiful part of the United States and it is very rich in Coast Guard history. This area is known as the graveyard of the Pacific due to the violent seas created when the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The weather was fairly calm while we were there, but there were still some pretty impressive waves. We stayed in a nice little condo just a few minutes walk from the beach and had a great time relaxing and seeing the sites. A primary reason for our trip was to visit Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment. This is probably the most well know Coast Guard small boat station and is designated as one of only 20 Coast Guard surf stations. Surf stations are required when the sea state is 8 feet or higher at least 10% of the year (36 days) and Cape Disappointment definitely meets that definition! I had called ahead, and because I was active duty Coast Guard, they were more than willing to give us a tour. When we got to the station, they were in the process of receiving a request for a assistance. A boat was not in grave danger, but had lost their engines and was DIW (dead in the water) with two POB (persons on board). It was neat to see the whole process from them receiving the radio call to grabbing their gear and launching a boat to render assistance. Since I joined the Coast Guard, my family has spent a lot of time researching the Coast Guard and learning how they operate and it really neat for them to witness a surf station in full operation. Knowing that I was active duty myself, our tour guide let us climb all over the surf boats. We were able to explore both the 47' Motor Lifeboat (MLB) and the 52' Triumph II, one of only 4 remaining 52' MLBs in the Coast Guard. Our tour guide gave us an outstanding tour. He answered all of our questions and was extremely knowledgeable about the operations of the station especially for someone of his rank and time in the Coast Guard. This tour was definitely a highlight of our mini vacation!
We also got to explore both the North Head Lighthouse and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse which were amazing and were set on bluffs with beautiful views.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
To prove to my sisters that I am still a little kid at heart, I came up with a dramatic pose that I attempted to do in as many locations as possible and even convinced one of my sisters to do with me on occasion.
One day we decided to drive over to Astoria and explore the Coast Guard history there. While there we noticed a 210' Medium Endurance Cutter, USCGC Alert, was inport. After talking to the watchstander and explaining that I was active duty myself, my family was offered a tour. It was so cool to be able to show my family another aspect of Coast Guard operations.
We got a lot of good pictures in random places so here are several miscellaneous pictures.
Some great scenery shots.
All in all it was an outstanding trip and was just what I needed to refresh me and get me recharged for this next semester of college!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Christmas Hunting Success
I was able to go home for about 3 weeks for Christmas which was a huge blessing! While I didn't go on any big hunting trips while I was home, I did several short morning hunts in nearby locations and had great success. It was so much fun to watch the sunrise over a set of decoys and get to spend time with my dad. It would take too long to tell the story of every single hunt but there were a few birds in particular that stood out. One of the first days after I got back my dad and I decided to sneak up on a spot that occasionally has held birds in the past. After taking our time carefully sneaking up on the spot, I looked through the brush and saw about a dozen mallards sitting within range. Unfortunately, before my dad could get in a good position to shoot, they saw me and jumped. I shouldered my gun and was able to double, shooting both a hen and a drake mallard.
A few days later, my dad and I set up a small spread of 7 decoys on the edge of the ocean and hunkered down in some brush on the beach. It was a slow morning but about 30 minutes after sunrise, a drake wigeon came into the decoys and my dad was able to kill it. It was his first duck of the season and it was a beautiful bird!
The next free morning my dad had, we set up in the same location on the beach. The way we were set up, there was a large bush between my dad and I so I couldn't see much to my left where he was and he couldn't see much to his right where I was but we could both see straight ahead where the decoys were. Almost immediately after legal shooting hours, my dad had a group of mallards that kept looking at the decoys but wouldn't commit. I didn't know that he had his eyes on a good group of birds so when a single drake mallard came in on my side I wasted no time in killing it. I felt bad when I realized I had scared away the birds that would have eventually come in and given him a shot but at least we had one bird down. After retrieving it we settled back in to see what would happen. Not 20 minutes later I started to lean around the bush to say something to my dad when a group of about 25 mallards started working our decoys. I froze in a very uncomfortable position and waited. Finally the came close enough and my dad called the shot. He immediately killed a drake mallard and I shot a pair on my side. I felt confident that I had hit one of them but they both flew away. After packing up our gear I walked up and down the beach just to see if I had indeed hit one of those birds and sure enough I found the hen from the pair washed up on the beach.
One the last day my dad was available to hunt we headed to the same spot on the beach. It was another slow day but eventually a single drake mallard came in. Since it was my dad's last hunt I wanted to have him to have the first shot. He missed on his first shot so I took a shot and also missed. I cycled my shotgun and got ready for another shot. I got a good lead on the bird and started to squeeze the trigger. About a thousandth of a second before I shot, my dad shot and hit it perfectly knocking it over right as my gun went off also hitting it squarely. The two shots were so close together that they almost sounded like a single shot. Needless to say, that was a very dead drake mallard!
The day before I left I decided to get out just one more time. Unfortunately, my dad had to work. It was a beautiful frosty morning and it felt good to be out watching the sunrise over my decoys. Five minutes after legal shooting hours, like clockwork, a pair of mallards cupped up into my decoys. I shouldered my gun and picked the closest bird. I squeezed the trigger and the hen mallard folded up stone-dead. I racked the action and swung onto the fleeing greenhead. I squeezed the trigger again and he somersaulted end over end. While my shooting is not always that good, it was a great feeling to see a pair of mallards come down with such solid hits. It was a text book hunt from the set up, to the birds coming it right after legal light, to a pair of mallards coming into my decoys with reckless abandon and with two shots fired having 2 dead birds on the water. It was a great way to end my 2013-2014 waterfowl season!
A few days later, my dad and I set up a small spread of 7 decoys on the edge of the ocean and hunkered down in some brush on the beach. It was a slow morning but about 30 minutes after sunrise, a drake wigeon came into the decoys and my dad was able to kill it. It was his first duck of the season and it was a beautiful bird!
The next free morning my dad had, we set up in the same location on the beach. The way we were set up, there was a large bush between my dad and I so I couldn't see much to my left where he was and he couldn't see much to his right where I was but we could both see straight ahead where the decoys were. Almost immediately after legal shooting hours, my dad had a group of mallards that kept looking at the decoys but wouldn't commit. I didn't know that he had his eyes on a good group of birds so when a single drake mallard came in on my side I wasted no time in killing it. I felt bad when I realized I had scared away the birds that would have eventually come in and given him a shot but at least we had one bird down. After retrieving it we settled back in to see what would happen. Not 20 minutes later I started to lean around the bush to say something to my dad when a group of about 25 mallards started working our decoys. I froze in a very uncomfortable position and waited. Finally the came close enough and my dad called the shot. He immediately killed a drake mallard and I shot a pair on my side. I felt confident that I had hit one of them but they both flew away. After packing up our gear I walked up and down the beach just to see if I had indeed hit one of those birds and sure enough I found the hen from the pair washed up on the beach.
One the last day my dad was available to hunt we headed to the same spot on the beach. It was another slow day but eventually a single drake mallard came in. Since it was my dad's last hunt I wanted to have him to have the first shot. He missed on his first shot so I took a shot and also missed. I cycled my shotgun and got ready for another shot. I got a good lead on the bird and started to squeeze the trigger. About a thousandth of a second before I shot, my dad shot and hit it perfectly knocking it over right as my gun went off also hitting it squarely. The two shots were so close together that they almost sounded like a single shot. Needless to say, that was a very dead drake mallard!
The day before I left I decided to get out just one more time. Unfortunately, my dad had to work. It was a beautiful frosty morning and it felt good to be out watching the sunrise over my decoys. Five minutes after legal shooting hours, like clockwork, a pair of mallards cupped up into my decoys. I shouldered my gun and picked the closest bird. I squeezed the trigger and the hen mallard folded up stone-dead. I racked the action and swung onto the fleeing greenhead. I squeezed the trigger again and he somersaulted end over end. While my shooting is not always that good, it was a great feeling to see a pair of mallards come down with such solid hits. It was a text book hunt from the set up, to the birds coming it right after legal light, to a pair of mallards coming into my decoys with reckless abandon and with two shots fired having 2 dead birds on the water. It was a great way to end my 2013-2014 waterfowl season!
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