Nice "eulogy" to the '25-'26 season, Paul. Isn't it wonderful to still have the enthusiasm to begin counting down the days until the '26 dove opener?

In the last few weeks since the ending of duck season I have busied myself with some gun projects that I had been planning . . . . refinishing some gun wood, and making plans for the metalsmithing repair of the 30" barreled 16 ga. AE grade AH Fox I bought from the son of a dear fiend, now deceased, that many of us remember from this board, Doug Woodin (PA24). It will be getting a micro-welding job on the forend lug by a friend about an hour and a half from me, then I will refit the forend iron to the action knuckle and the repaired forend lug, then spot blue it. The first time I took that gun to a dove field it seemed to have a life of its own, so to speak. Man, it wanted to knock doves out of the sky, and did so, rewarding me with a quick 15 bird limit. I can't wait to see it in action again this fall.

I took my Allison boat to the river yesterday afternoon for the first time since last September. The 260 hp two stroke was running rough so I popped a new set of NGK plugs in it and then she ran like a top. Lots of trash in the river, logs, etc., so I kept her under 60 mph. Summertime will be here soon and we'll be basking on the sandbars and "letting the horses run" every now and then.

[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]

Good to hear from you. Don't be a stranger.

May God bless America and those who defend her.