My first hunt was in Florida, 35 years ago, with a break open Stevens single shot .22 rifle. Florida grey squirrels.
The man that took me hunting that day was my only paternal uncle, J.D. Helms. He passed away two days ago and his sons and I buried him yesterday. He was 88 years old. And just as cocky as that day he took me hunting. Always had a smirk on his face. Funny. Ready to laugh. So many funny stories. All told seriously, listeners rolling on the floor. His eyes wide in disbelief that you were showing disbelief.
Uncle J.D. was my father's only brother. Dad subsequently took me hunting many times, but he was a 30 year military man and just wasn't there when the time was right for my first hunt. We made up for it later. Like nowadays. He is 76. We're buddies.
Uncle J.D. was a wild driver. He only recently moved to North Carolina from Florida to live with his daughter and got licensed to drive there. Second try. Scared the bejesus out of the examiner the first time. Uncle J.D. has put vehicles in the water (fresh and salt), rolled 'em, jumped 'em, flipped 'em, you name it. He was a menace on the road. He once went around a curve on a sandy Florida country road and rolled six times out into Mr Levy Hardy's tung oil tree grove and took out four young tung oil trees, got out and rocked the car back up on it's feet and jumped in and took off! He never got a scratch. I always thought he'd go out in a curve on a bridge, airborne. No such glory. Died in his sleep. With a smirk. Cousin Joyce (daughter), put his driver's licence in the coffin with him. We are all agreed, that's what he was smiling about.
But Uncle J.D. was a different person around firearms. Safety, safety, safety ... His son, my cousin Jimmy, was on that first hunt, too. But it wasn't his first hunt. Jimmy was an important part of that first hunt. I watched him the whole time. He drove like his Dad. But he handled his rifle like him too. He was two years older than me and I wanted to be just like him. Muzzle down, gun safe. Those old rifles were easy to keep safe. You just didn't load 'em til you were ready to shoot. I still love single shots to this day and still hunt with 'em.
Well, Uncle J.D. was one of the original members of the Statesmen Gospel Quartet, with my father. He had a few arrangements in the Baptist Hymnal over the years. Notably, Amazing Grace, ... few others. He got a few corn meal recipes published. He and my father grew up in Florida when the major industries were fishing and lumber (and leaving home for the military ...
).
He's up there now ... doing 65 in a 35 with the window down, singing some old gospel tune at the top of his lungs ... whispering to me, "Keep that muzzle down, son ... there you go."
Rest in Peace, Uncle J.D. Thanks for the hunt. Thanks for living. Merry Christmas. Wish the Old Man Upstairs a Happy Birthday in person for me.
[Edited by sensop on 12-25-2000 at 04:26 PM]
The man that took me hunting that day was my only paternal uncle, J.D. Helms. He passed away two days ago and his sons and I buried him yesterday. He was 88 years old. And just as cocky as that day he took me hunting. Always had a smirk on his face. Funny. Ready to laugh. So many funny stories. All told seriously, listeners rolling on the floor. His eyes wide in disbelief that you were showing disbelief.
Uncle J.D. was my father's only brother. Dad subsequently took me hunting many times, but he was a 30 year military man and just wasn't there when the time was right for my first hunt. We made up for it later. Like nowadays. He is 76. We're buddies.
Uncle J.D. was a wild driver. He only recently moved to North Carolina from Florida to live with his daughter and got licensed to drive there. Second try. Scared the bejesus out of the examiner the first time. Uncle J.D. has put vehicles in the water (fresh and salt), rolled 'em, jumped 'em, flipped 'em, you name it. He was a menace on the road. He once went around a curve on a sandy Florida country road and rolled six times out into Mr Levy Hardy's tung oil tree grove and took out four young tung oil trees, got out and rocked the car back up on it's feet and jumped in and took off! He never got a scratch. I always thought he'd go out in a curve on a bridge, airborne. No such glory. Died in his sleep. With a smirk. Cousin Joyce (daughter), put his driver's licence in the coffin with him. We are all agreed, that's what he was smiling about.
But Uncle J.D. was a different person around firearms. Safety, safety, safety ... His son, my cousin Jimmy, was on that first hunt, too. But it wasn't his first hunt. Jimmy was an important part of that first hunt. I watched him the whole time. He drove like his Dad. But he handled his rifle like him too. He was two years older than me and I wanted to be just like him. Muzzle down, gun safe. Those old rifles were easy to keep safe. You just didn't load 'em til you were ready to shoot. I still love single shots to this day and still hunt with 'em.
Well, Uncle J.D. was one of the original members of the Statesmen Gospel Quartet, with my father. He had a few arrangements in the Baptist Hymnal over the years. Notably, Amazing Grace, ... few others. He got a few corn meal recipes published. He and my father grew up in Florida when the major industries were fishing and lumber (and leaving home for the military ...
). He's up there now ... doing 65 in a 35 with the window down, singing some old gospel tune at the top of his lungs ... whispering to me, "Keep that muzzle down, son ... there you go."
Rest in Peace, Uncle J.D. Thanks for the hunt. Thanks for living. Merry Christmas. Wish the Old Man Upstairs a Happy Birthday in person for me.
[Edited by sensop on 12-25-2000 at 04:26 PM]