Good old days
 

Dad passed in 2004. He used his VH for many years and so have I. I have been going through some neglected piles of his stuff lately. Technically, the hunting referred to was with a Janssen Sons & Co 12 ga and a Winchester 30.30 but given a VH eventually became involved I'm taking the liberty of sharing here rather than off topic.

What I came across was sort of a poem he wrote to his sister on the occasion of her 50th wedding anniversary in 1982. He wrote of the early days of the 1930's. I'll only copy the portion regarding hunting, just beyond the log cabin home in northern Saskatchewan.

There was no electricity - just coal oil lamps or a lantern bright
... and yet that log cabin at night
Looked like a palace shimmering under the aurora borealis bright.

Much food was gleaned from the wild.
Blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, Saskatoons
All Mother Nature could yield;
Fish, ptarmigan, spruce and rough grouse, ducks, geese and moose,
Deer both mule and whitetail or elk on the loose.
Food.... it was there for the taking.

That was Dad's world and he never really left it in his mind even when he lived in the city. Pretty clear why I became a hunter, being raised by this man and being allowed to carry the Parker VH as gun bearer prior to being old enough for my own licence.

I have slowed up and just chase upland now. Even though I have a few nice doubles these days, Dad's VH remains pretty special. I passed along the octagon barreled '94 to a deserving young hunter.

Cheers,
Jack

Thanks for sharing

jack thanks for the read...i think i ve been to that cabin in another life....charlie

Ok I have to ask, what is a Saskatoon?

Berries
 

Try this: http://www.canadasfood.com/history_p...on_berries.php Bob

Rich - are you near a computer? (redundant question) I found this by Googling "Saskatoon"...

http://www.canadasfood.com/history_p...on_berries.php

High-five Bob :rotf:

Thanks those look good esp baked into some pancakes with Maple syrup.

Rich,
I'll bet you have some of these berries in Michigan. In some places they're called June berries or service berries. Usually they aren't all blue as in the photo.
Best Fishes,
Steve

Charlie: There is a legend up at the old homestead of a reclusive old codger that was seldom seen. Scared the kids a bit if they saw him. He was always carrying the biggest darn shotgun anyone had ever seen. Sometimes a kid might find a missed brass empty that could easily hold a big chunk of garlic sausage. Kids called him "Big Brass Billy Goat" but never to his face. One day he just disappeared. Rumor had he headed south - waaaayyyyy south. So, maybe you were there in another life and kept the hankering for the big guns.

To all the Saskatoon gents: They are a great tasting berry for sure. They aren't as plentiful now as when I was a kid. Loss of habitat hit them too. We used to go on family outings to pick them. The day was done when the '47 Pontiac trunk was full of berries. All the ladies would put up preserves and Saskatoon berry pies were a kid's dream dessert. The farm mentioned in the link is near here and they actually supply Costco. But.... they can't match grandma's jams that's for sure.