Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Hi Gentlemen Penny here.
I am sending this post via Greg, Gail had full intentions of setting down and finding out what is wrong with his being able to access TDR. Anyway there has been several Email's so rather than address each one I thought I could save a bit of time and do it this way. Greg is such a Sweetheart for helping us out until Gail can get back. Jason asked his Uncle for help breaking down Hunt Camp, it didn't take much for Gail to saddle up, is why Gail isn't doing this instead of me.
The question has been if BIG has fallen off the planet, NO!! he has been doing what he loves and dreamed about doing in his retirement. In July he Danny and Alex (Gail and Alex worked together ) went on a loop ride called the Grand Loop approximately 400 miles. Gail went just to go and take pictures and see places in his backyard that he hadn't been before, Danny and Alex had a fantastic fishing trip. The trip took pretty much the entire month of July, they had prearranged re-supply points where we met them mainly for livestock feed. Gail was able to take Mountain Grouse, Rabbit, Danny and Alex caught fish but its still not steak!! and fresh veggies. It was also nice to see his mug every couple of weeks, several of us met up with then on the last leg, and re-supply point to ride the last week into home with them.
Gail then went into full-bore mode with setting up hunting camp for the month of August, with days off here and there to keep me from yelling!! so he says.
Hunting camp was the best time that any of us could remember, I think I told you that he guided 8 older ( 80+) men to fill their Elk tags and most of them filled their Mule Deer tags also, this was done bow hunting. Then the rest of the Family came up for 10 days of hunting, Everyone filled their Elk tags and some filled the Deer as well. It was a Grand time, Gail was looking pretty used up by this time and took some time off to rest. He went back to camp guiding clients for our Nephew Jason for 4 weeks. Its a pretty hard job to take care of the livestock, guide and pack game out and food and feed back, but this is where it seems Gail thrives, the harder he works doing this the better he likes it, to be honest with you he was starting to scare me a little with not getting any sleep and eating right.
He then loaded up his Pack String and traversed the Continental Divide to guide a friend on a Mountain Goat hunt for 2 weeks, upon a successful completion of that hunt he re-supplied and came back to Hunt camp and then home.
Father and Jason tallied up the totals of his efforts, He guided 28 hunters all of them scored Elk, of the 28, 20 scored Mule Deer, 1 Mountain Goat and over a 1000 miles of saddle time accumulated on the seat of his britches, and still putting more miles on with the dismantling of Hunt camp.
Gail and I have talked he confided in me that he's not going to do this again, he loves to hunt and guide (who he wants to) but working like this is just to much. For him to say that startled me, I asked if he was alright? he said im fine but I want to save some *** for when my Grandchildren get old enough to hunt with Gramps, at 61 I just cant keep up this pace. I see him with the Grandchildren, and I think that he didn't ever expect to be holding them, he's the best Gramps in the world In my opinion there is nothing that he wont do for them, and spoils Zachary rotten. He and Gail go out to the barn to do chores, Zachary looks like a Mini Me of Gail, he has his cowboy hat, boots and has is own little tools to help clean the barn, Gail has him sitting up front on the hay wagon driving the mules ( they drive themselves really) Gail saddles up Daisy and they go for rides, they are inseparable the entire time that Zachary is here.
Gail's photography is in competition at an Art Show. He takes some of the most beautiful pictures and gives them as gifts or we hang them in the house. He had been working on this one set of pictures that he called, Seasons, its a set of four pictures all from the same place over looking the valley. He has taken each one of them at a different time of year, Spring, Summer, Fall and winter, they are quite beautiful. Mother and I entered the pictures because he said it was no big deal. So far his pictures are in the top 5, he has been contacted by Art Dealers to show some of his work, he shines it on like its just another snapshot. The dealers bought some of his photos for Calenders and Greeting Cards.
Well that's about it, im leaving lots out but I have things to do while Gail is out having fun someone has to do the work around here. Im kidding he has been working sun-up to sun-down trying to catch up on the things that need to be done before Winter comes.
Take Care Guy's
Penny
I am sending this post via Greg, Gail had full intentions of setting down and finding out what is wrong with his being able to access TDR. Anyway there has been several Email's so rather than address each one I thought I could save a bit of time and do it this way. Greg is such a Sweetheart for helping us out until Gail can get back. Jason asked his Uncle for help breaking down Hunt Camp, it didn't take much for Gail to saddle up, is why Gail isn't doing this instead of me.
The question has been if BIG has fallen off the planet, NO!! he has been doing what he loves and dreamed about doing in his retirement. In July he Danny and Alex (Gail and Alex worked together ) went on a loop ride called the Grand Loop approximately 400 miles. Gail went just to go and take pictures and see places in his backyard that he hadn't been before, Danny and Alex had a fantastic fishing trip. The trip took pretty much the entire month of July, they had prearranged re-supply points where we met them mainly for livestock feed. Gail was able to take Mountain Grouse, Rabbit, Danny and Alex caught fish but its still not steak!! and fresh veggies. It was also nice to see his mug every couple of weeks, several of us met up with then on the last leg, and re-supply point to ride the last week into home with them.
Gail then went into full-bore mode with setting up hunting camp for the month of August, with days off here and there to keep me from yelling!! so he says.
Hunting camp was the best time that any of us could remember, I think I told you that he guided 8 older ( 80+) men to fill their Elk tags and most of them filled their Mule Deer tags also, this was done bow hunting. Then the rest of the Family came up for 10 days of hunting, Everyone filled their Elk tags and some filled the Deer as well. It was a Grand time, Gail was looking pretty used up by this time and took some time off to rest. He went back to camp guiding clients for our Nephew Jason for 4 weeks. Its a pretty hard job to take care of the livestock, guide and pack game out and food and feed back, but this is where it seems Gail thrives, the harder he works doing this the better he likes it, to be honest with you he was starting to scare me a little with not getting any sleep and eating right.
He then loaded up his Pack String and traversed the Continental Divide to guide a friend on a Mountain Goat hunt for 2 weeks, upon a successful completion of that hunt he re-supplied and came back to Hunt camp and then home.
Father and Jason tallied up the totals of his efforts, He guided 28 hunters all of them scored Elk, of the 28, 20 scored Mule Deer, 1 Mountain Goat and over a 1000 miles of saddle time accumulated on the seat of his britches, and still putting more miles on with the dismantling of Hunt camp.
Gail and I have talked he confided in me that he's not going to do this again, he loves to hunt and guide (who he wants to) but working like this is just to much. For him to say that startled me, I asked if he was alright? he said im fine but I want to save some *** for when my Grandchildren get old enough to hunt with Gramps, at 61 I just cant keep up this pace. I see him with the Grandchildren, and I think that he didn't ever expect to be holding them, he's the best Gramps in the world In my opinion there is nothing that he wont do for them, and spoils Zachary rotten. He and Gail go out to the barn to do chores, Zachary looks like a Mini Me of Gail, he has his cowboy hat, boots and has is own little tools to help clean the barn, Gail has him sitting up front on the hay wagon driving the mules ( they drive themselves really) Gail saddles up Daisy and they go for rides, they are inseparable the entire time that Zachary is here.
Gail's photography is in competition at an Art Show. He takes some of the most beautiful pictures and gives them as gifts or we hang them in the house. He had been working on this one set of pictures that he called, Seasons, its a set of four pictures all from the same place over looking the valley. He has taken each one of them at a different time of year, Spring, Summer, Fall and winter, they are quite beautiful. Mother and I entered the pictures because he said it was no big deal. So far his pictures are in the top 5, he has been contacted by Art Dealers to show some of his work, he shines it on like its just another snapshot. The dealers bought some of his photos for Calenders and Greeting Cards.
Well that's about it, im leaving lots out but I have things to do while Gail is out having fun someone has to do the work around here. Im kidding he has been working sun-up to sun-down trying to catch up on the things that need to be done before Winter comes.
Take Care Guy's
Penny
