Love Photography and Outdoor Adventures

Beautiful Sunset

Jeff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:10:04 +0000

It has been a busy first week of the new year at work. I have not had a chance to take the camera out of the bag since I got back to work Tuesday. This was the sunset Jan. 2, 2012 taken from my back yard.

Is this a Blacktail / Whitetail hybrid?

Jeff — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:42:30 +0000

This is a buck that my Wife’s brother shot many years ago. We have had this head hanging on our wall for a long time and to this day it confuses me. I can see both Blacktail and Whitetail traits in these antlers.

Jan1, 2012 Moon

Jeff — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:29:42 +0000

The first night of 2012 was cold, but beautiful here in SW Idaho. The half moon was nice too.

Happy 2012

Jeff — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:13:30 +0000

I am looking forward to the year 2012. It is so hard to believe that we are starting 2012. I remember as a kid thinking that the year 2000 was so far in the future we would never get there and now its 2012. I am going to make the most of this year. I plan to spend a lot more time taking pictures and enjoying the outdoors this year.

I now know what is wrong with this country

Jeff — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:48:26 +0000

I figured out today why our country is going to hell in a hand basket. This realization came to me suddenly and it was all clear to me.

I had to pick up a few things at the store on my way home, and as I stood in the express check out line looking at the heaping cart of the lady in front of me and the sign that said 20 items or less it dawned on me that its the new math that is ruining our country. Being the dumb backwoods redneck that I am I learned to count at a young age using my fingers and toes. I have gotten quite good at that over the years and only rarely need to take my shoes off to make sure I don’t have more than 20 items when going through the express lane. As I waited in line for my turn to pay I tried to figure out just how this new math thing works to make that cart full of stuff add up to less than 20 items. I never did figure that out, so I would like to ask that anyone explain to me just how this new maths works?

Gem County Rod and Gun Club

Jeff — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:50:22 +0000

This weekend I joined the Gem County Rod and Gun Club. The club is located in Emmett Idaho and has both rifle and pistol ranges. I spent some time there looking over the ranges Sunday while a Cowboy action shoot was going on. The Cowboy action shoot was a lot of fun to watch, however I was a bit exasperated by watching all the shooting and not being able to participate. Cowboy action is one of the competitive shooting events I am interested in trying. I will be making many more trips to the range and I will write up more about my time there as well as the events that are going on at the range. IF you want to know more about the range, or are in the Treasure Valley area and looking for a place to shoot check out their web page.

Shakespeare Travel Mate – Product review

Jeff — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:55:29 +0000

I have been looking for a inexpensive yet reliable travel fishing rod. I want a rod that is compact and can be kept in my truck so I have a fishing rod with me at all times. My search has led me to the Shakespeare Travel Mate rod.

This 5 1/2 foot light action telescopic rod and reel combo comes in a hard plastic case that has two compartments for tackle so you can keep a few spinners, or other lures you like with the rod. The size is small enough to fit easily behind or under the seat in your vehicle and will not take up a lot of room in a back pack for a hike into the high country. This would be a great kit to take along on a wilderness camping or hunting trip.

The reel with this combo comes spooled with 195 yards of 4 lbs. test mono filament that is perfect for the size fish that you will typically catch in the ponds and creeks here in Idaho. We are fortunate to have many Family Fishing ponds around the treasure valley that are stocked frequently by the game department with Rainbows in the 8 to 12 inch range. These fish grow quickly in these ponds and can get a lot bigger fast, but they are still easy to catch on 4 lb test line. Most of the ponds are also loaded with Bluegill and the 4 lb test line is perfect for the small jigs and egg hooks that are used for these little pan fish. The reel also has the easy cast feature that I like. This feature is a lever mounted on the line winder that is easy to grab with your finger as you grab the line to cast. The lever flips the bail out of the way so you can make the next cast. The reel is designed so that the easy cast lever will always line up under the rod in position for the next cast when you move the handle backwards. After a few casts with an easy cast reel you will not want any spinning reel without the easy cast feature.

This morning I took the Travel Mate to the Family Fishing pond just down the road from my house. It was a cool, rainy, windy morning so my wife and I had the pond to ourselves. There were fish jumping and boiling all over the pond. We spent a few hours fishing and caught 3 nice 12 inch Rainbow’s The Travel mate was easy to set up and easy to cast. The reel is smooth and quiet during both the cast and the retrieve.The rod is sensitive enough to feel even light strikes and the light action makes the fight all the more fun.

Overall I am pleased with this new rod so far. I intend to put this rod to the test many more times this summer and see just how well it works in all situations. If you are looking for an inexpensive travel rod to keep around I recommend you check out the Shakespeare Travel Mate kits.

Nifty Fifty Friday – 4\1\11

Jeff — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 02:39:20 +0000

This is the first installment to what I hope will be a regular feature here on the blog. This is the view from the parking lot as I arrived at work this morning. The sliver of moon looked good and I felt it would be a good way to start Nifty Fifty Friday.

1 Long month today

Jeff — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:07:57 +0000

One month ago today I smoked my last cigarette. I have struggled with my addiction for many years, and over the last month I have struggled with my resolve to quit. The biggest thing I have realized over the last month is just how ingrained smoking is in my life. I have smoked for the last 25 years and that habit is ingrained in every waking moment of my day. Until you decide to quit you do not realize just how much everything you do is centered around smoking. The addiction to the nicotine is not what is the hard part about quitting, it is the process of retraining your brain to do things without involving a cigarette. I have been doing really good at suppressing the habit for the last week, and then yesterday I pinched a nerve in my back and was experiencing some serious pain from my lower back down my left leg. It hurt to sit, stand, walk or even lay down. All day as I was trying to find the least painful position my brain was looking for the cigarettes. I finally was able to ease the pain by lying on a heating pad on the bed. Once the pain eased so did the urge to smoke. As I thought about that I realized that before now when I was in pain I would usually smoke more to help me relax and to help ease the pain. I am feeling much better today and the urges are back to their normal level. Every day I feel a lot better about my chances of success with quitting this time and as each day passes that success does come easier.

Yellowstone is Dead Trailer

Jeff — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:24:34 +0000

This is a preview of the documentary from Rockholm media group that will be coming out soon.

To find out more go to Save Western Wildlife.