Posted by Fred Totts on October 13, 1999 at 12:28:51:
Hey All
I have been chasing these winged critters simce the ripe old age of about twelve.
An old fellow who lived up the street from me caught me "borrowing" watermelons from his garden
one evening. Well, I thought that I was a goner but instead he said that he knew that they
tasted better when they were stolen. He also said I could have a couple to take home and to come back when
it was daylight so we could talk. That man never raised his voice , ever. And so the story goes and
we became life long friends until his passing about ten years ago.
Little did I know that this was to be the beginning of a lifelong passion and education.
After that evening in the garden I was forever changed, this old man taught me to flyfish,tie flies,
hunt anything that walked and or flew and to have a respect for the outdoors and all of its creatures.
I don't think I ever killed a duck while we hunted together but I know that I carried his burlap sack of decoys about
a million miles through a dozen different swamps around town.