A family tradition

Joshua joined Mindy's dad and I for the afternoon portion of a really cool family tradition. Mindy's grandpa, her dad and 6 of his brothers have been getting together on opening day of pheasant season for over 60 years now. Since I am "legally" part of the family now, I have carved this date into my yearly calendar as one I hope to never miss. This year Mindy's grandpa joined us again as a 92 year old hunter. He trudged through the fields with the rest of us and kept up his constant joyful attitude! The hunt always begins at one of the uncle's barns about 7:30AM. We get our thoughts together about where we will hunt, Mindy's grandpa prays for safety and a good day, and we head out about 15 (or so) strong in orange vests and pickup trucks. We take a morning coffee break, hunt some more, eat lunch, and normally wind up with a coffee break around 3 PM. This year Joshua joined the crew with me in his camo clothing, orange vest, hunting boots and orange cap. He was so excited to get to join this tradition with me. He is holding a rubberband gun in the picture and is prepared to send a pheasant to his early grave! I actually gave Joshua a chance to shoot my dad's old double barrell 20 gauge shotgun. This made Joshua feel like he was really part of the moment. I'm looking forward to this time again next year. - E