As I get older...

   

      When I was younger I would get absolutely outraged by perceived injustice...things that shouldn't happen, couldn't happen, not in this or any universe, and yet they did!  Now, as I get older (almost 46 now) I find that not much surprises me anymore and my reaction to those very things that "ripped me out of the frame" when younger is much more measured...some might even say, "muted."  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't feel strongly about injustice, discrimination, or the overall absence of civility in our society... I DO!  It's just that I've come to expect such things and realize now that there is very little I can do to stem the tide of these terrible societal traits.  All I can really control is my reaction to them and how I can seek to keep them at bay in my own little corner of the world.  Really, that's all any of us can do.  Being a southern gentleman is not easy...although now that I've become more temperate in my middle-aged life, I find it much more tranquil and even more appealing  (You see, being a "gentleman" doesn't mean that you don't feel strongly about things...quite the opposite...many gentlemen I've met over they years have been some of the most spirited and opinionated I've ever encountered, but as a "gentleman" you must, at all times seek to control your reactions, which is an exhausting exercise when you're full of youthful exuberance.) 

     Now, along with this "mellowing," I have learned to take great joy in the simple things that I can have some degree of control over...my garden, my interaction with my friends and family, the effort I put into my work, what I choose to eat (life is too short for bad food...or bad wine or bourbon for that matter), what shotguns I choose to use, what clothes I choose to wear, and most importantly how much time and effort I will put forth in furthering my relationship with my God!  These are the things that I now focus on...I will no longer sacrifice my time with my wife and son for the sake of a business convention...I will not take unnecessary time away from my "life" in the pursuit of more money than I need, for as my grandfather (who was a mortician) told me..."David, never once have I hooked up a U-Haul behind my hearse."

     I can always say I wish that I'd discovered all this when I was younger, but you know what?  I knew it then...it's not some critical piece of knowledge that had been missing for the past two decades...it was there.  I just had to arrive at a point where it made sense.  I'm blessed that I lived long enough to get here..

Springtime in the South

Oh how I love Springtime in the south!  Being a native southerner it's a special time of anticipation!  Just a month or so away we'll be hitting up Farmer's markets,  taking trips to the beach,  ejoying evenings where the kids run around catching lightning bugs, and soaking in lots of good quality time with the family and friends!

One of the other things I really love about the spring is the opportunity to get out with good people at the sporting clay's range.  Yesterday was just such a day.  We started in an early fog as we drove south on US 1 to Deep River Sporting Clays, but as we approached the third station of the course the sun broke through and all the beauty of Spring surrounded us as we continued throughout the course.  Of course, never mind that we were all using REALLY NICE Thomas Ferney & Co. shotguns.  Our outing was a hastily-planned video shoot for their spring/fall 2013 lineup of shotguns.  All 4 models were represented and it was a fantastic time!

Next time, however, I need to be behind a gun and not the camera!

Ok...so those who know me understand that I'm a natural-bron skeptic.  If something appears to be true...it must be!  No more to that story...at least until recently.  You see I've been in the market for a new shotgun...something really nice.  I was looking first at all the "B" guns (Beretta, Benelli, and Browning for those not familiar with sporting firearms) and also Caesar Guerini.  So, for those who know, you well understand that I was looking to lay out around $3K for a nice shotgun.  Then, one night as I was rolling my way through the listings on GunBroker.com I com across a REALLY good looking gun with a name I've never heard of...Thomas Ferney & Co.  I mean this gun looked

G   O   O  D!!!  It's price tag was also well within the range of what I'd have paid for any of the aforementioned brands.  Only issue was that I knew nothing about them and couldn't find any reviews on line.  So, with that in mind I contacted the company, thinking that some lower-level functionary would respond to my request for information.  But what I got instead was the president of the company, a Mr. Chris Handy contacting me and reassuring me that his product, while not well known (yet) would  "eat the lunch" of any comparably priced "B" gun in both quality and performance. Now if there's one thing I've come to appreciate in business it's confidence. So, a deal was struck, with the understanding that if the transaction wasn't good for both sides we could part as friends with no harm done.  So, before ever getting the firearm, Chris sent me some of their soft goods to look over...range bags, gun cases, cartridge bags, etc.  I was very impressed...heavy duty leather that was well stitched and not hard like concrete...I mean, really nice stuff!  So, with that experience under my belt I awaited the arrival of the firearm.  Chris told me that although the guns are made in europe (all hand engraving on the receivers) they are finished here, and that his stock guy needed to know how I wanted the stock and fore-end of the gun finished.  I said in a "medium gloss."  

Yesterday the gun arrives.  I call Eagle-1 Supply here in town and they confirm that they have logged the gun in and that I can come pick it up.  When I arrive I say to the gent behind the counter, "I'm here to pick up a transferred shotgun"  he says  "what kind?"  I reply "Thomas Ferney,"  "No, not your name, (he says) the brand name of the gun."  My response..."that is the name of the brand - Thomas Ferney."  I point this out to give you an idea just how new this product is.  Once they opened the case, the entire population of the gun store (7-10 people) began to huddle around the counter where I was putting it together.  The collective sentiment was this is a really fine gun and people began guessing how much it cost.  The gun pros behind the counter were admiring the metal-to-wood fit.  So, I'm feeling better...lots of positive feedback, but there's still one more person I want to hear from.  My father.  A 20 year retired Marine Lt. Colonel who's fired just about everything with a barrel.  This morning, he stops by the house around 0900 for a cup of coffee and the first thing he says is "where's this gun I've been hearing you talk about."  I point to the gun case over near the stairs.  He unzips the case, and immediately exclaims that it's one of the best looking and feeling shotguns he's come across.  Ok...now I'm sold!  Dad and I go over the gun from the butt-plate to the end of the barrels...every function, every finishing feature...there is absolutely nothing wrong it, and the price is unbelievable for the kind of quality we're seeing.  

Long and the short of this story is that from beginning to end the people at Thomas Ferney & Co. have delivered everything they said they would.  And being a photographer I've provided some shots for them to use in their marketing (I am that impressed!).  One of those shots is now the cover photo for this blog (my gun).  If I were them I'd think about raising prices very soon as with their limited production runs I could see them running out of product in short fashion!  Good luck to Chris Handy and all the folks at Thomas Ferney & Co.  you are definitely onto something!

It's no secret that I love shooting...especially sporting clays and trap.  It's also no secret that I really enjoy the finer destinations.  Sure I'll settle for an old corn field with a spring loaded hand-thrower but I do appreciate the amenities at some of the top shooting clubs around the nation...therefore I've decided to begin featuring some of my favorites.  First up is The Fork Farm & Stables.

The Fork is located in Norwood, NC and is an absolutely beautiful property.  With not only sporting clays but upland bird and duck hunting (in season) this is a shotgunners paradise.

Here is some information from their shooting page on their website:

Sporting Clay shooting is a timeless sport perfect for friends and family and an excellent option for business entertaining. The Fork offers:

• 14-station Large-Gauge Course (12 and 16 gauge)
• 7-station Small-Gauge Course (20, 28 and 410 gauge)
• Covered Five-Stand
• 4-person, Twelve-trap, 65-foot Tower/Flurry

The courses, designed by British designer John Higgins, are set on 1,600 wooded acres at the confluence of the Pee Dee and Rocky Rivers. The country is rolling piedmont, which affords challenging hillside shooting with shots both above and below the shooter. With minimal coaching, even someone who has never shot before can participate in a round of Sporting Clays while also enjoying the pristine natural surroundings of The Fork.

Sporting clay events and competitions of all levels are staged throughout the year. Ladies and young shooters are encouraged to participate. 

Now this is a room I could definitely be comfortable in...

The iScope

Now those of you who know me know that I'm a bit of a conundrum.  I'm a guy who's in the tech field but from a sensibility standpoint was probably born a century too late.  I enjoy tech and all the benefits, but I'm also one that loves shooting sports, lazy days of fishing, slow cooked meals, being a southern gentleman, working in the dirt, my strong Christian faith, making things by hand, etc.  In short, with all the conflicts running around in my head it's really not very easy being me!  Every once in a while, however, a product comes along that bridges the hi-tech / low-tech chasm that I fight to get over every day.

The iScope is one such product.  This little gem allows you to simply line up the optics of your iPhone with the optics of your favorite hunting rifle.  This is too cool!  With this adapter, you simply slide your iPhone into place so that the optic on the back of the phone is peering down the rifle scope...thus, what's being seen through your scope is being displayed back to you on the screen.  It allows for zooming in on a subject or target and (if you want) recording what you see.  It also gives you a "heads up display" type of orientation from which to take your shot.  (I especially like the ability to record).

The beauty of this product is that it's nothing more than an extremely  well thought out adapter (some of the very best ideas are the simplest).  All the functions are already built into the iPhone.  They're just being utilized in a very unique manner...  For hunting!  I'll bet that's one function that the good folks at Apple never thought that their iPhones would be utilized for.  

Anyhow, if you use optics for birdwatching, hunting, spotting, or simply for enjoyment and would like to have a larger field of view, or would like to record what you see directly to your iPhone, be sure to check out the iScope!

Neat idea that even someone that's as conflicted as me can wrap his brain around!

Until Next Time ...

D. Jeffries

Fall & Rustic Cornbread

Nothing signals fall to me like coming in from the field to a hot bowl of Chili and some homemade cornbread!  Now, we all have our preferences when it comes to both, but I thought I'd take a moment to share my favorite "sweet cornbread" recipe.  It's simple, it's quick and it's just right (for me.)  If you do try it, let me know if you like it...a true southern delight!

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour (sifted) if you don't have a sifter, use a wire egg-beater once it's in the bowl)

1 Cup yellow Corn Meal

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

Combine all these dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

1/2 stick butter - (melted)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

Combine all these wet ingredients in a separate bowl

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl...mix just until the dry ingredients become wet...no more than about 10 seconds.  Mix should still be lumpy.

Pour into either a non-stick pan or (as I like) a cast iron skillet.  Put into a 400 degree oven for ~25 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the center.

Again, hope that you get a chance to try this.  (I've also been known to add bacon, jalapeños, or dried raspberries/blueberries to the mixture to provide a great compliment to other items on the table.

Until Next Time!

D-