Todd Duncan Tennyson
Well-known member
I got off work tonight and walked down to the river.
There is a cove and slough down there, and each time I am lucky enough to get 30 minutes free, I run down to the cove to see who's there.
Sometimes geese, swans, maybe even a ringneck.
Today I saw a dozen Canvasbacks.
It is a good thing to take a walk.
I get to see where the stream hits the delta & I guess it helps me to rest my heart, my mind.
My "Spirit," if I have one.
I walked there in the spring and summertime,
In endless days of June.
Carp ran the canal and some were pushing 15 lbs.
Steelhead blew through the shallows,
and a few Spring Chinook.
The grass grew so fast I could almost hear it,
the sweet air curling around heavy maple buds,
blackberries just around the corner of popped white flowers from here to forever.
Seemed like the sun would never set.
when the bad news rolled through that dad was on the hook to die with cancer,
I prayed that the end be swift.
and as painless as possible.
I walked along that stream and thought about all kinds of things.
My prayer was granted, and dad is in the spirit world today, throwing a mean Double Haul and beach in
g Chromed fish on some faraway stretch of river.
As I walked along today, the snow started to mix with wind and some rain too.
and I guess i got to thinking, maybe hoping....
Maybe praying..
In the early hours of morning,
As you drive that drive to the launch,
Your dog eager,
unafraid and excited for a new day.
May your trailer lights work,
Your winter tires grab the road, and your buddies show up on time.
May your lunch be in the bag that you brought along, and not the one you left at home.
Same goes for your licenses and shotgun.
May you have a moment (or make a moment) to tell the guys that you choose to share your time with,
that the place you are,
the process of getting there,
and the entire experience is something that you really cherish.
That there is significance in this event that you have endeavored to undertake.
It is like a religion for me.
Sounds silly,
But the act of "the hunt" is sacred in my little book.
may it be sacred for you.
When I drop that boat in the water and we leave the single 50 watt light that is "the dock"
I am no longer the man that I was on shore.
I'd like to think that I am a better man.
may we all be better men.
I am the Captain of the ship we are on,
and the men that are aboard are not passengers,
they are my crew.
I can't get out to do the run without them...
I could get ot the spot, but I couldn't hunt, and I couldn't experience the real esssence of the hunt.
Couldn't set the deeks and lines and weights (not safely).
and the joy that I might find on my own,
would be a hollow joy if I couldn't share it with my crew.
Something about being on a big river, or a bay....
It is kind of like being in the middle of a desert.
A Guy starts to realize that alone, he is pretty insignificant.
If the boat sunk.
No one would ever know.
but with a crew,
A good crew,
There is significance and meaning, and justification.
More importantly,
There is kinship, friendship, and brotherhood.
The men I hunt with, I'd trust with my life.
They are cut of the best cloth, and If there was a medal I could pin upon them, I would.
May you all be fortunate enough to find brothers like these.
May we all be lucky enough to have a dog that chooses to hunt alongside us.
May we all have Silverbacked Drakes in the spread.
and may we be safe and sound
at the seasons end.
There is a cove and slough down there, and each time I am lucky enough to get 30 minutes free, I run down to the cove to see who's there.
Sometimes geese, swans, maybe even a ringneck.
Today I saw a dozen Canvasbacks.
It is a good thing to take a walk.
I get to see where the stream hits the delta & I guess it helps me to rest my heart, my mind.
My "Spirit," if I have one.
I walked there in the spring and summertime,
In endless days of June.
Carp ran the canal and some were pushing 15 lbs.
Steelhead blew through the shallows,
and a few Spring Chinook.
The grass grew so fast I could almost hear it,
the sweet air curling around heavy maple buds,
blackberries just around the corner of popped white flowers from here to forever.
Seemed like the sun would never set.
when the bad news rolled through that dad was on the hook to die with cancer,
I prayed that the end be swift.
and as painless as possible.
I walked along that stream and thought about all kinds of things.
My prayer was granted, and dad is in the spirit world today, throwing a mean Double Haul and beach in
g Chromed fish on some faraway stretch of river.
As I walked along today, the snow started to mix with wind and some rain too.
and I guess i got to thinking, maybe hoping....
Maybe praying..
In the early hours of morning,
As you drive that drive to the launch,
Your dog eager,
unafraid and excited for a new day.
May your trailer lights work,
Your winter tires grab the road, and your buddies show up on time.
May your lunch be in the bag that you brought along, and not the one you left at home.
Same goes for your licenses and shotgun.
May you have a moment (or make a moment) to tell the guys that you choose to share your time with,
that the place you are,
the process of getting there,
and the entire experience is something that you really cherish.
That there is significance in this event that you have endeavored to undertake.
It is like a religion for me.
Sounds silly,
But the act of "the hunt" is sacred in my little book.
may it be sacred for you.
When I drop that boat in the water and we leave the single 50 watt light that is "the dock"
I am no longer the man that I was on shore.
I'd like to think that I am a better man.
may we all be better men.
I am the Captain of the ship we are on,
and the men that are aboard are not passengers,
they are my crew.
I can't get out to do the run without them...
I could get ot the spot, but I couldn't hunt, and I couldn't experience the real esssence of the hunt.
Couldn't set the deeks and lines and weights (not safely).
and the joy that I might find on my own,
would be a hollow joy if I couldn't share it with my crew.
Something about being on a big river, or a bay....
It is kind of like being in the middle of a desert.
A Guy starts to realize that alone, he is pretty insignificant.
If the boat sunk.
No one would ever know.
but with a crew,
A good crew,
There is significance and meaning, and justification.
More importantly,
There is kinship, friendship, and brotherhood.
The men I hunt with, I'd trust with my life.
They are cut of the best cloth, and If there was a medal I could pin upon them, I would.
May you all be fortunate enough to find brothers like these.
May we all be lucky enough to have a dog that chooses to hunt alongside us.
May we all have Silverbacked Drakes in the spread.
and may we be safe and sound
at the seasons end.
