Outdoor Blog News

There are several things happening in the world of outdoor blogs and I wanted to pass along the information in case you weren't aware of some or all of the "going's on".


Some of you may remember Dennis who ran a blog called Fishing with Dad and later changed to Adventures with Dad. Dennis retired that blog earlier this year, but he's back now with a blog called Family Time. Dennis has incorporated the entire family theme into his blog. Enjoying the outdoors really is a family affair. Dennis highlights their family activities and includes sections on survival, fishing, and RV tips. Dennis is a family man first and a great guy. If you didn't know he was back in the blogging world, go pay him a visit.


Nancy at A Rural Journal is one of the featured bloggers of the week over at the Outdoor Blogger Network. I've been following Nancy's blog for quite some time and she has some of the best photographs you'll find anywhere! Her photography skills are top notch and she has a wonderful blog showcasing her talent. Congratulations to Nancy for being featured at the OBN!


Will over at The Will to Hunt is running a very cool contest he calls the Hit List Trail Cam Pic Contest! If you have trail cameras out and want a chance to win some great prizes, you should visit Will's site and enter. I won't go into all of the rules since Will has them listed, but the deadline is August 31. Entry is easy and from the look of the contest sponsors, the prizes will be top notch. This is for trail cam photos only so don't try to sneak in a picture taken with your high-end DSLR!


Owl Jones of OwlJones.com fame has just launched a brand new site called Fish News Daily. If you know Owl, you know he is a fishing fanatic! His new site is designed to provide all of the latest news from the fishing world with direct links to articles, photos, blogs, videos, etc. Owl's goal is to provide fishing news in one easy to use location and prevent the time consuming task of searching websites and blogs on a daily basis. If you enjoy fishing, go give Owl's new site a gander.


If you like saltwater fishing or want to try it, Justin at Foggy Mountain Meanderings has posted some information on a sailfish adventure that will be awarded to one lucky person. The contest is being offered by the folks at iFished and Joe at SoCal Salty. If you are interested, visit Justin's blog to get all of the information.


On a somber note, Mel at Ass Backwards Angler has announced that his dear mother passed away very recently. Mel was one of my first blog followers and I want to offer my sincerest condolences to Mel and his family. If you feel so inclined, please stop by and give Mel some words of encouragement.


Those are the big happenings that I'm aware of right now. Pay these folks a visit, read some great blogs, and take a look at the contests for a chance at some great prizes.

Five Versatile Bloggers

Back in March, TexWisGirl at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report bestowed the Versatile Blogger Award upon me. Part of the requirements for accepting said award are to give it to five other bloggers and tell seven things about yourself. I promised TexWisGirl I would complete the requirements as soon as I could since at that time I was in the middle of house hunting. Well, here it is and I now have one of many monkeys off my back! *smile*

To be blunt, I really hate having to pick bloggers for these awards. There are so many great blogs and most are better than the drivel I have here. Personally, I think whoever created the award should be the one to give it out and let it stop there. However, I accepted the award and believe in abiding by the terms. Without further delay, here are five folks I consider to be versatile in their blogging. 

• Dawn at Just~One~Life
• Kerry at Chaplain to the Outdoorsmen
• Nancy at A Rural Journal
• Emily at Scent Free Lip Gloss
• LJ at Hunt Like You're Hungry 

Each of those bloggers is very good at what they do. If you already follow one or more of them, you know what I mean. If there are some blogs in that list you haven't visited before, I'm going to let you find out for yourself what makes those folks not only good, but versatile. While I might not like having to pick a certain number of people out of so many great ones, it doesn't mean I take it lightly. Each of the bloggers in that list is very deserving. 


Now for the part I truly hate - the seven "things about me". I used up all the good ones for the last award I got. Oh, well.

1. My best friend and I have been best friends for over 25 years.
2. I nearly sat on a rattlesnake in the middle of the night in the Texas scrub brush (don't ask).
3. My worst subject in high school and college was math - despised it.
4. There are very few foods I don't like - sauerkraut is one of them. Brussels sprout is another.
5. I visited the DMZ and had the opportunity to stand face-to-face with North Korean soldiers.
6. Two of my biggest pet peeves are rudeness and just plain stupidity.
7. I have never had a broken bone or a sprain of any kind, although I did split my forehead wide open as a kid (explains some things).

Now on to a couple of other quick items. My friend, Mel, has closed his Blogger blog "Blog Cabin Angler" and moved everything to his new blog called Ass Backwards Angler which is on WordPress. If you were following him and missed his announcements, you can find him there at the new place. 


I am slowly getting back to normal and hope to be posting "semi-regularly" again. Time is my biggest enemy as it is for many people. In order to maximize my time when writing and when visiting other blogs, I have decided the best way is to visit those folks who have been kind enough to visit and comment here regularly. Before I got tied up with the move, I was visiting quite a few blogs. A very small number of those have owners who have never reciprocated. When my time is limited, those are the blogs I will be skipping. It's the best way I know to make sure I have the opportunity to visit the blogs of the people I interact with the most.


Several of the comments on my last post about being happy with less were lost during Blogger's outage or maintenance. I don't know if they'll be restored, but I wanted to let those folks know I did read them before they disappeared and I appreciate the feedback.


I want to thank TexWisGirl again for the award! She's been very kind to me. Be sure to visit the blogs I listed. They are all high caliber and more deserving than mine. At least they post something more than once or twice a month. *laughing*

Props, Pardon, and Prep

It's time to give Props to some folks who have been supportive of my blog. I've meant to do this for a while now and finally decided tonight was the time. My blog is only seven months old, but there are quite a few people who have been kind enough to read my drivel.


TexWisGirl at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report has been a huge supporter and recently gave me a very nice award (more about that in a future post). She is one of my most consistent commenter's. Nancy at A Rural Journal and Dawn at Puzzle Pieces have also been very kind in their support and feedback. Nancy has promoted my blog more than once on Facebook. If you want to see some truly beautiful photographs, just visit these three outstanding blogs! 


Mel over at Blog Cabin Angler has been a long time supporter of my blog and has routinely provided me with great feedback. Mel has an outstanding fishing blog and is a true gentleman. Kari, known to me as RH, runs I Don't Wear Pink Camo to the Woods and is one beer sponsor away from her own TV show. Kari does something few others do - when I put up a new blog post, I don't have to go to Twitter and announce it - Kari will do it for me on her own. She's cool like that! I tend to remember those kinds of things and do the same in return. Like Mel, Kari has an outstanding blog. 


Al at The SoCal Bowhunter has been a big asset to me with his feedback and willingness to share information. His blog was featured as my most recent blog of the week and it's well deserved. Al is an all around great guy with a wonderful blog. Joe runs this thing he calls Massanutten Game Trails and has been a familiar face here on my blog. I appreciate his support. He's got some of the coolest trail cam pics around and a very intriguing blog. 


LB at Bullets and Biscuits just cracks me up! It's hard to tell what you're gonna get with her, but just the fact that she reads my "what-passes-for-a-blog" is enough for me. Her blog is a treat. I can't promise what kind of treat it'll be every time, but a treat, nonetheless. Stephanie over at Antlers & Gills has been around for a while and I always enjoy hearing from her. She has a great blog full of wonderful photos and interesting stories. The same goes for Emily at Scent Free Lip Gloss. She has a very intriguing blog and I appreciate the feedback she leaves me. 


Some of the folks who are a bit newer to my blog include Kerry at Chaplain to the Outdoorsmen, Justin at Foggy Mountain Meanderings, Lisa at Sall's Country Life, and Duane at Wild Wisconsin. I'm thankful for their feedback and support and they probably just haven't been here long enough to figure out not to come back. These folks have outstanding blogs and I encourage you to visit them. I also want to make special mention of the girl at Hunt Like You're Hungry. I don't know her name so please don't think I'm being rude. Apparently, that information requires some top level clearance which I obviously do not possess. She also has a great blog full of interesting stories and I appreciate her feedback here. 


My props wouldn't be complete without thanking Chris and Jon at Foremost Hunting Blog. They have been big supporters of my blog on Twitter. They're also responsible for my current blog template. Both of them are great guys and very generous with their information and assistance. 


I realize I may ruffle some feathers somewhere because I forgot somebody. I did not go back and look through my posts to see who had commented. This was written from memory and the folks here are ones I recall seeing either recently or consistently (or both). It was not meant as a slight to anyone and if I did forget to mention you, please let me know and I will do so. I believe in giving credit where it's due. Just don't send hate mail. I hope to do this periodically just as a way of saying thank you to the people who actually take in my nonsense. I'm a little fish in a big blog pond and truly do appreciate the comments, feedback, and support. 


Now on to the Pardon portion. Pardon me for being scarce lately. TexWisGirl recently chewed me out for not posting more often. Well, okay, she didn't actually chew me out - it was more of a scolding. Okay, not even a scolding. It was more of a suggestion or perhaps a wish that I would post more often. My biggest enemy in that endeavor is time. This week I suddenly found myself in the middle of a big, time-consuming, yet important "project" and it's likely I will be even more absent at times over the next few weeks until it's over. Life must be prioritized and this thing is very near the top. However, I will strive to post whenever I can until things settle down. 


Okay, I'll wrap this up with the Prep section. My bass tournament partner and I were supposed to go fishing today in preparation for our first tourney in two weeks. Ma Nature had other plans, though, so we did the next best thing - we sorted tackle and got our gear ready. We spent about four hours this afternoon putting fresh line on all the reels, going through lures, and making sure all the necessary equipment was in the boat. 

A few weeks ago when we went to Bass Pro Shops, Jim bought a new chip for his fish/depth finder that has maps of most lakes in the southeastern part of the country. Many of the lakes are in high definition which shows contours all the way down to as little as one foot of water. It's pretty neat technology. After Jim had installed the chip and turned the unit on, he astutely commented that it was showing no fish under the boat. I'm sure the fact that the boat was on the trailer parked in the garage had nothing to do with it. I offered to toss some Goldfish crackers under the boat...I do what I can. 

Jim assuring me we'll catch big fish right here

The only drawback to our tournament fishing is the fact it will compete with our turkey hunting time. While I love to hunt thunder chickens, I have to admit I'm very excited about fishing in these bass tournaments. I've never done it before and I'm looking forward to it. 

So in conclusion, I really appreciate all of the support you all show my humble blog! I'll be a little busier than usual for a while, but I'll return the favor anytime I have the opportunity. And I promise TexWisGirl I'll post when I have the chance! 

Fifteen Blogs You Should Visit

I was recently given the "Stylish Blogger Award" by both Glynn at A Reel Lady and LB at Bullets and Biscuits. I'm honored that they thought of my blog and want to thank them both for including me in their list of recipients! I still consider my blog to be too new and my writing too infrequent to be considered for any kind of award, but I am thankful to be among the chosen. If you've been living in a tree with the Keebler elves and haven't visited these two fine blogs, you need to go hit the follow button. Thank you, ladies!

The recipient of this award needs to perform the following duties:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. 
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Give the award to 15 recently discovered worthy bloggers.
4. Contact them to make them aware of the award.




I'm going to knock out the seven boring things about me so we can get to the good stuff. Feel free to speed things up by scrolling down now...

• Journalism was my major during my freshman year of college.
• I used to do wedding photography as a side job.
• I've lived in Michigan, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, South Korea, and Kentucky (now).
• I designed and ran websites for six different outdoor groups/individuals.
• I once went swimming in a natural pool in an underground cavern in the middle of a Saudi Arabian desert. (I can neither confirm nor deny any incidents of camel tipping.)
• My middle name is of Greek origin and means "sacred name".
• I can't carry a tune or dance and I hate roller coasters. 

Now that my silliness is out of the way, let me introduce you to the blogs I have chosen to receive the award. Many of the blogs listed by Glynn and LB are the same ones I would have chosen, including theirs. In the interest of not repeating the same cycle, I have tried to choose some blogs that have not been previously awarded. When all previous recipients are naming fifteen blogs, it's difficult not to overlap. Some of these may have been given the award before, but they weren't on the same list as mine. Several of these blogs are new discoveries for me and the others are blogs I have followed for some time.

• Adventures with...Dad
• A Mindful Carnivore
• Antlers & Gills
• Blog Cabin Angler
• Fungal Threads
• Massanutten Game Trails
• Okie Rednecks
• The SoCal Bowhunter
• The WhiteTailed Doe
• Intro to the Outdoors
• Passinthru Outdoors
• WildernessBabe
• Addicted to Angling
• Eating my Deer
• The Suburban Bushwacker

I hope there are some blogs here you haven't visited yet. If so, go say hi and hit the follow button! Thanks again to Glynn and LB for bestowing the love upon my blog! I appreciate it!