Life is Good (Up in The Northwest)

[El Destructo]

Hey Frank.....when they say Hunting.....nothing says that you have to use a Gun or a Bow.....I have always been partial to the Shutter myself!!

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[Sparrow]

Margie Anne had never seen the sage grouse before and they let us drive right up to them for a picture,Also the wild rooster pheasant let us get close,same with the barbwire buck.He was distracted by a half dozen does,was'nt paying us much attention.We walked up on some nice deer and got very close.The rut really puts them at a disadvantage as far as paying attention to predators like me.We saw hundreds of deer. We came up on a ancient kill site.The bones were totally fossilized and were washing out of a gully,that was pretty exciting and then I saw a nice flake right in there with the bone.That put me over the top.I had to call Margie Anne over to see it.She thought it was of course,way cool.I did'nt have the camera with me 'cause I was serious hunting at that point.We were miles from the rig.So,no pictures.There was alot of petrified wood there also, but none of it was agatized,so no knapping stone. One of the reason's I love that country is because it's history and pre-history is all right there to see.I love the bad lands,That is where all the cool stuff is eroding out all the time,(Dino. bones included).Lots and lots of lithic's laying around in some spots.I wanted to take pictures of some teepee rings while over there,but we went places I'd never been and did'nt stumble on any.We saw hundreds of antelope as well,but no really big bucks(Over 14") they were still pretty antsy as the season had only been over for a few weeks. We came back to Idaho yesterday to spend thanksgiving with my sisters and brother.On the road out of missoula,there was a freshly whacked whitetail doe laying a few feet off the side of the road,(A really big one) The hiway was really busy or I would have salvaged her.(Probably against the law these days) Really a shame to let her rot.We saw alot of whacked deer in the two thousand miles we've put on the van since getting here. I love deer.Just seeing them is exciting.Margie likes seeing them too so we were constantly bringing them to each others attention.She had never seen antelope either and rally liked them.  Frank

[cowboy]

Those are some very nice pictures Frank. That doe sure does look tasty cooked just the way you described . Sounds like your having a blast - the kind of trip I wish I was on right now..

[bootboy]

this is the tastiest vacation i have ever seen Can I come??

[Sparrow]

 Hanging out with my friend in Benton city,Wa. Coach has a place right on the Yakima river and so I have been sitting on a bucket knapping down there for the last two days.The whole stream bank along here is an archy site. Several tribes lived up and down these banks for thousands of years.Yakima's,Wanapum's,palus(Created the Appaloosa Horse) Umatilla's,Cayuse,others.No doubt about the paleo occupation of the area,Kennewick man was found just a few miles from here. Alot of fresh water mussel shell middens and knapping flakes and fire cracked rock to be seen.My other friend,Clint came by yesterday and brought 3 chunks of glass buttes to break up and make spalls.It was good.We knapped for several hours and got a bit chilly,then coach showed up down there with a bottle of rotgut and we warmed our innards for an hour.Really benefitted from the little knap-in I attended at Puyallup fairgrounds last month.Thanks again to all them guys.The Reduction techniques I learned there are really coming in handy and I am turning out the best work ever.I've even made a couple good enough to send to Keenan (Point swap) which I will do in the next couple of days. Leave tomorrow for Long beach washington to spend dec. with Margie Anne's mom.Will be doing some renovating for her and hopfully some stave acqusitions for me.Also want to work on my BL bow and make some arrows. Been a good vacation from the rainy southeast Alaska weather.Mostly warm and dry.   Frank

[Allen7]

HI Frank:     Glad you had a good trip and enjoyed your time along the Yakima River.   I live in the country about 8 miles from Benton City, WA.   Sorry I missed Ya.   A good friend of mine in Benton City is also involved with primitive skills, archery, and a beginning knapper.  He does a lot of the mountain man rendezvous stuff.   I am more focused on primitive archery and horseback archery .   I spend a lot of time with my horses and bows.  Let me know if you come down this way again.   

Allen

[D. Tiller]

Allen, I have got to see you shoot arrows from your horse one of these days. Sounds like it must be a lot of fun!

[Allen7]

Horseback archery is pretty exciting, especially on a fast horse.   It is really cool when it all comes together, when rider and horse are in synch, and actually hitting targets.   I have seen some spectators get a little bored.   However, it is ceratinly not boring for the participants.   I train pretty regularly at my place from March thru October. 

Allen

[Sparrow]

 Hey Alan   I am still honey doing for my mother-in -law in long beach,wa. I will be back over to Benton City in about a week and will drop you a line.
Turned winter on us over here.Does'nt matter so far,had a nice day today,so am swapping out an exterior door and casement. Take care all.  Frank

[Allen7]

OK, Frank.   I just got your message.   I was working at Sequim, on the soaking wet West side for a few days.   Been real tough traveling in the NW lately with all the road closures.   Anyway, I gave your buddy a call and left you my number and address.   Let me know when you're available and we'll knap some Obsidian.  I have lots of flakes and small nodules left over from last trip to Glass Buttes.   Got plenty of material to practice on.   

Allen

[Sparrow]

Allen  I was a pleasure to meet you at the sportsman's show.I have been busier than a one legged man....... working for my daughter and seeing a bunch of people I did'nt plan on,oh well. I would have liked to get over and visited.Maybe in the spring before your trip. I will hopefully get to the glass buttes knap-in at that time as well. I want to get to see keenan too. I will try for a primitive turkey when the washington season opens on april 15th.
 My oldest son got in last night from fort lewis. He is mustering out of the army.Get to have breakfast with him this morning and tomorrow morning,my wife and I will drive to Bellingham to catch the ferry up to Juneau.
Got some geese while here.
Took pictures of turkeys over where I will be hunting in april
And.....picture of the sculptures of the lewis and clark camp on Patit creek,at Dayton,Wa.

     Take care all.  Frank

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[Allen7]

Frank:

Sounds like you had a good time here in Washington.  Glad we had a chance to meet at the TRAC.   Hey, I hope you saved some of the wing feathers from the geese.   They make excellent fleathings for our primitive arrows.   I managed to collect a bunch this year from friends that hunt geese.

Allen.

[Sparrow]

 Got back to Juneau,Alaska this morning and had a nice snow storm hit, just as we stepped on the beach. Welcome Home !
 Well Thank you Allen; I had a good time.I will make sure to get some fresh turkey primaries to you when we get those turkey's in april.
 Will be back in Hoonah on friday and probably get to work on a bow.I have to send a few things south in the mail and organize a bunch of pictures I took from the trip south.   Frank

[Sparrow]

 Been back to Hoonah for a few weeks now and gotta say I did not miss the deep snow all that much. It has snowed practically every day since our return and we had about 4 feet out on the flat,until today.Raining today,so now we got a great big pile of white slop. Roads out of the village are all closed for the season. Kinda keeps ya housebound. Had my friend Capt. Erickson over a couple of nights ago and fixed him fried pheasant and gravy,rice,oven roasted butternut squash and baby,whole greenbeans (Brought over from the Juneau,costco) We like to have busted a gut.He had never had pheasant before and now wants to go kill them all and eat them. Washed it down with fine,blended rotgut.
 My wife just finished her projects,freeing up the living room,so I got out a hickory stave to start carving on. D bow in the works. I still have my B.L. bow working,but took it down south with me (Never worked on it ) and it dried out a bit so I've got it laying around getting used to the climate here again. I hope to have a good working bow ready to go south with me in april to hunt turkey's with.(Maybe two ! ) I will take some pictures of this chunk of hickory when it starts looking like a bow. I also got a little project going for a buddy down south and I still have not set a knife blade that Cowboy sent me, into a handle yet. I did cut some arrow shaft shoots while down south and have them to deal with.Plenty to do for the next 2 months so I reckon it don't matter what the weathers doing.
 I heard at the post office today that some of the guys are catching winter king salmon out in front of town right now,so may have to go do a bit of trolling.(Them winter kings taste awfully good this time of year). Bar-b-cue grill has a couple of feet of Wet snow on it right now,I'd dig it out to cook a fresh fish though. Good winter to you.   Frank