Thanks for following along. Someone once asked me why a gun/outdoor writer would live in West Virginia, and I told them it was because that was where all my stuff was at. Truth is, I don't want to live anywhere else.
Richard--I enjoy your material consistently and often find myself nodding silently in approbation of what you have written. This time though you've touched on a subject particularly meaningful to me. Two, three, and four decades ago I walked a lot of the literary roads you are now traveling, although your knowledge of guns blows my tiny insight on the subject away like a thistle seed caught up in a windstorm. But I did a lot of hunting and fishing, wrote a lot about it, and was greatly privileged to do so in a lot of special places (including New Zealand).
You obviously had the misfortune to cross paths with one of those rich, all knowing, arrogant SOBs whose only real qualifications are that they hold a doctoral degree in assholery. Like you I come from humble and poor mountain roots, but I was raised right--i. e., brought up to respect every individual for who they were and how they approached life as opposed to what they owned or the size of their bank account. To me a strong work ethic and deep respect for one's fellow man and the good earth transcend any and all accumulation of wealth and status.
Kudos to you for pointing all of this out, and I'd add one thing. The arrival of Prince Prick and his Priceless Princess may well have been a blessing in disguise. It gave you material for a column AND an evening with a fellow who had clearly walked the walk.
The wisest and most experienced people I know certainly don’t flaunt themselves or their economic status for the world to see. They use their wisdom gained through experience, and their wealth to quietly grow those experiences, and to share with others in a humble, down-to-earth manner. None of them give any inkling of their wealth by their appearances or vehicles they typically drive. Their hunting experiences are vast, but you would only discover that after a visit to their homes, if one was lucky enough to go inside. They like international hunting experiences not for collecting trophies, but to go new places and meet new people whom they learn from.
I have met a number of very nice people from West Virginia, and someday hope to travel there and learn from them. I have an interest in coal towns, the history of such, and how folks in that industry go about things. I suspect we have a lot in common.
Please keep writing these neat articles; I really look forward to all of them.
Thanks for following along. Someone once asked me why a gun/outdoor writer would live in West Virginia, and I told them it was because that was where all my stuff was at. Truth is, I don't want to live anywhere else.
Sometimes you find the diamonds in the dungeon.
Richard--I enjoy your material consistently and often find myself nodding silently in approbation of what you have written. This time though you've touched on a subject particularly meaningful to me. Two, three, and four decades ago I walked a lot of the literary roads you are now traveling, although your knowledge of guns blows my tiny insight on the subject away like a thistle seed caught up in a windstorm. But I did a lot of hunting and fishing, wrote a lot about it, and was greatly privileged to do so in a lot of special places (including New Zealand).
You obviously had the misfortune to cross paths with one of those rich, all knowing, arrogant SOBs whose only real qualifications are that they hold a doctoral degree in assholery. Like you I come from humble and poor mountain roots, but I was raised right--i. e., brought up to respect every individual for who they were and how they approached life as opposed to what they owned or the size of their bank account. To me a strong work ethic and deep respect for one's fellow man and the good earth transcend any and all accumulation of wealth and status.
Kudos to you for pointing all of this out, and I'd add one thing. The arrival of Prince Prick and his Priceless Princess may well have been a blessing in disguise. It gave you material for a column AND an evening with a fellow who had clearly walked the walk.
Jim Casada
The wisest and most experienced people I know certainly don’t flaunt themselves or their economic status for the world to see. They use their wisdom gained through experience, and their wealth to quietly grow those experiences, and to share with others in a humble, down-to-earth manner. None of them give any inkling of their wealth by their appearances or vehicles they typically drive. Their hunting experiences are vast, but you would only discover that after a visit to their homes, if one was lucky enough to go inside. They like international hunting experiences not for collecting trophies, but to go new places and meet new people whom they learn from.
I have met a number of very nice people from West Virginia, and someday hope to travel there and learn from them. I have an interest in coal towns, the history of such, and how folks in that industry go about things. I suspect we have a lot in common.
Please keep writing these neat articles; I really look forward to all of them.