and a strong cup of coffee

While out on our snowmobile ride, we went down a stretch of powerline that was peppered with deer stands.  I envision something like the Dunkin Donuts/snowplow commercial where one deer steps out and there are at least three hunters ready to take aim. I am glad that we hunt on private land! Here are the photos.  Which one would YOU want to hunt from?

Getting ready to ride A couple weekends ago, Dad, Hubby and I went snowmobiling.  It was warm, sunny and the snow was pretty soft.  While winter has no desire to leave Maine, this was probably the last ride of the year due to our weekends being booked. Dad's goal for all trips, anywhere and any time of year is to see deer.  I regularly get reports about how many he is seeing and where.  So we headed out with the goal of getting some fresh air and seeing deer. "If I don't move, they won't see me" And without fail, Dad found us a deer.  You probably can't see it very well in that cluster of trees, but you can make out the round body and an ear.  It was probably the closest that I have been to a deer while not in a tree stand.  The deer stopped and knew that it was hidden well enough that it could watch us without feeling totally threatened.  We sat and watched it for a few minutes before it decided to bounce up the hill away from us. ...

I have blogged before about women's hunting clothes, or the lack thereof.  This year, as I prepare to take on turkey season, goose season and my beloved deer season, I am starting to really look at what I wear and what I need to stay warm and mobile.  I'm a still hunter.  I find a spot and sit. I have also been given fair warning by Dad that come November, I should assume that I will be pulling 5-6 hour stints in one spot.  Last year, with my layers (three on bottom and seven!! on top), it was tough to get my gun nestled into the crook of my shoulder and have control.  I realized that I needed better, thinner layers. Photo from Northern Solstice Alpaca 's Facebook page. So I was intrigued when I spoke with Robin from Northern Solstice Alpaca farm at the Sportsman's Show, about the benefits of wearing alpaca clothes.  Besides being especially warm, water proof and cozy, the fibers are hollow so they wick away moisture (unlike wool that holds it in) a...

If you have ever wondered what life in the Maine outdoors is like, you need to read my friend George Smith's book " A Life Lived Outdoors ". It is a compilation of stories and articles that he has written over the years, so you don't need to rush through the book to get to the end of the story.  This a wonderful book that allows you to read a story and set the book down and think about what you have read.  I am currently dreaming about what my future camp should be like and what it will smell and feel like to step outside early on a summer morning with a cup of coffee. I am only a few stories in, but I have found myself smiling and laughing and yearning to get outside.  I am keeping this book close so that I can sneak in a few stories when I have some time when Owen is napping or while waiting for a meeting to start. This book is Maine and why we love it so much! "A Life Lived Outdoors" By George Smith.  Photo from IslandportPress.com

There is something awesome about attending Sportsman's shows. You get to be surrounded by people who care about the outdoors as much as you do. I had the opportunity to talk with some great people doing amazing things here in Maine when it comes to the outdoors. A few of those companies, I plan to write future blogs about. It is a guaranteed to put you in a great mood when you surround yourself with awesome people. I can't wait to share with you some of these folks and their stories.

After I posted my blog on cyber bullying and outdoors-women, I sent versions out to be published elsewhere.  One place did and it got some great coverage.  The other place did not.  The reasoning, " MY wife has hunted with men for years and has never run into this sort of thing. I have learned not to put much stock in the spewings that come from the cyber world."  Upset with that response, I  headed to Facebook to see what the topics were on some of the hunting groups that I follow.  One had a picture of a woman with the caption, "Honey, I decided to sell those old guns and knifes you have laying around the house" and the man who posted this asked the question, 'What would you do?"  The responses, which were all men, were basically the same - they would kill her.  I sent a message to the guy who ran the page and posted the picture and said how offended I was as an outdoor-woman and how it did nothing but further the stereotype that women can...