On the Hunt in Winter: For Geese, Not Fish. Good Times in the Pit. Some Notable Firsts

By Jim Field

A few Saturday's ago (January 8), Andrew and I traveled to Dan's neck of the woods to hunt for Canadian geese and duck. For years Dan has talked about "The Farm" on Maryland's eastern shore, located about 15 minutes away from Dan's homestead in Bear, DE. Dan, Fran Sr., and a handful of hunting pals--including Jon Kitchen--lease The Farm, a 250+ acre rural tract, from a local land owner. Each year Dan has extended an open invitation to me to hunt--something I've never taken him up on before. However, with Andrew now 14 years and wanting to hunt (i.e., shoot weapons), an open weekend presented an opportunity, and north we drove.

Departing Alexandria at 4:00 am Saturday morning, we proceeded up 95N in snow squalls through Baltimore, across the Susquehanna River, and into DE to Dan's house. Once there, we donned camouflage hunting attire--courtesy of Dan's extra inventory--and hopped in his truck for the brief drive to The Farm. On the way, the scenery was quiet and beautiful: open cornfields, tree-lined boundaries, a dusting of newly-fallen snow. The country.

Having now seen The Farm, I can attest to its beauty and attractiveness to hunters. Rolling fields, trees, all spread out, with a large creek constituting the entire southwest border. Dan and group have built two blinds on the creek, and a single firing pit in the center of a large cornfield, with stalks remaining. This morning we were manning the pit: Jon, son Austin, and Tim Mazol (also a Sea Ya Bea veteran) were on station in one of the blinds on the creek. We would also be joined in the pit by Travis, who I had never met before, and who turned out to be a great guy and outdoorsman, fun and knowledgeable at the same time--and an expert goose caller.

From the truck Dan shuttled Andrew, me, and the gear to the pit using his new 4-wheel toy (sorry, piece of essential equipment). We found the 30+ decoys snow-covered, and so spent time brush-cleaning and re-arranging the artificial flock (positioned face-first into the wind). Dan then instructed Andrew in firing a 12-gauge shotgun--the first time he would do this, or, to be more explicit, fire any gun above a 22 calibre. Dan set an empty cardboard coffee cup on a cornstalk at 20 paces and showed him how to site down the barrel. Andrew fired once: a hit. He fired twice: a second hit. That was that: ready to go.

We next entered the pit--perhaps 15 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet deep, and took our positions. Tied bundles of corn stalks were positioned overhead to serve as a roof, through which we would emerge--like jack-in-the-boxes--to fire at unsuspecting geese, assuming we could entice them into our field ad directly in front of us, within range.

As it turned out, the early snow had grounded the geese; when they started to fly, the activity centered in the field next to ours; it appeared that this would not be our day. That said, Travis worked the call constantly and we ended up attracting a small grouping, perhaps 10-15 birds. Dan, Andrew, and Travis stood up, got their bearings, choose their birds and fired. We got four, one of which was scored by Andrew.

By noon we were done and packing things up. It was one of the best mornings I'll ever have. Hunting with my son. His first experience with a bird gun, and exposure to the sport and the men who practice and carry on this way of living. Come on, does it get better?

As usual, Dan was a great host. Showing me, once again, something very special, passed down through families and friends, in the great outdoors. Andrew absolutely loved it--everything about it: the gear, the weapons, the surroundings, the companions, the pit conversation, and the kill. He wants to come back and "get really into it." We'll have to make this happen.


Dan begins instruction with Andrew


The young man takes it all in


Ready, aim, fire....for the first time


In the pit--Andrew peers upward


Travis and his caller


Andrew and Dan discussing Greek philosophers


Andrew and his first goose


Retrieving kills from the field

Student, instructor, morning's bag, pit

The two Fields

The essential piece of hunting gear--how cool!


(Thanks Dan--great time, man)

Washington State: Alderbrook, Bremerton, Puget Sound, Seattle, Pike Place Fish Market. Part II

By Jim Field

After departing the ferry (see post immediately below, Part I), I drove to Pike Place Market to eat lunch at a favorite place and walk through the long line of vendor/product stalls--which include the famous fish stalls. If you've never been to this market, you MUST go--it's one of the most remarkable places on earth, particularly if you like to look at and eat seafood. But first things first: I was famished and headed straight for the Market Grill, a hole-in-the-wall joint, right off the main walkway, where I visit/eat every time I travel to Seattle, no exceptions. What this place offers is uncomplicated: grilled wild salmon, halibut, shrimp, or chicken, presented as a platter or sandwich; clam chowder; and a beverage of choice. I typically order the chowder, a salmon platter, which comes with rice, diced tomatoes, and garlic bread, and then a side order of the grilled halibut. Given that the fish is fresh, one can imagine how good their food is--simply delicious. After eating a ton, I walked to the fish stalls and photographed the incredible variety of fish, shellfish, and other goodies from the sea that are offered--at prices about half of what we pay on the East Coast. Notably, other vendors sell exquisite fruits, vegetables, flowers, and then a vast assortment of other beautiful things, such as local honey, carved wooden objectives, jewelry, pottery, knitted clothing, etc. If only this place was right down my street...

One of my favorite places to eat, anywhere


The owner and chef (never seen anyone else grilling in 10+ years)


Part of my lunch order: the grilled wild salmon platter


Alaskan wild sockeye salmon and halibut fillets


Dungeness crabs lined up all in a row


Next up: king crab legs


Whole Alaskan halibut in ice chips


Wild salmon waiting patiently for a buyer


A view of the meat


Smoked salmon of every type, also jerky (I sampled a lot of this)


Fruit and vegetables...as far as one can see


Unbelievably beautiful (and edible) chili ornaments


You can't imagine the abundance of gorgeous flowers


Flowers, and more flowers...

Washington State: Alderbrook, Bremerton, Puget Sound, Seattle, Pike Place Fish Market. Part I

By Jim Field

In early November (11-12 to be exact) I traveled to Washington State to work with the Providence Healthcare System and, specifically, give a presentation on health care reform to the boards of directors of a half-dozen of their hospitals located mostly in the southern half of the state. The retreat was held at the Alderbrook Resort and Spa--a beautiful and somewhat isolated place located on a southern branch of the Hood Canal, southwest of Seattle and across Puget Sound. My flight landed at SEATAC around 9:00 pm and I drove about 2 hours in the dark to reach Alderbrook. Once I had traveled to within one hour of the resort, I passed only two cars the rest of the way--so we're talking boonies. About 11:00 am the next day, having finished with my duties, I decided to take the scenic route back to Seattle, given that I was taking the Red Eye home, which didn't depart until 10:30 pm that evening.

My plan was to drive to Bremerton, WA and then board a ferry for Seattle for a ride across Puget Sound. I wanted to see Bremerton--having never been there before--because it is a major homeport for Pacific Coast submarines, and being a former boat sailor, I am always on the lookout to gaze at these machines and see what the various naval bases looks like. The surrounding country is spectacular: pine forests, blue water, and snow-topped mountains. (The photo at top shows a Trident-class nuclear fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) transiting somewhere in Puget Sound.) Driving around the base on the way to the ferry, I was able to spot a few submarines along the pier, only their small black sails barely visible.


One section of Alderbrook Resort, with early morning rain and fog


Map showing Puget Sound's labyrinth of water, islands, channels


My timing was perfect: the ferry to Seattle loaded and departed only minutes after I had arrived and purchased my ticket. The sun appeared and burned the fog away, and a beautiful yet chilly day emerged. The ferry transit to Seattle took about an hour. The passage through a series of relatively narrow channels was absolutely beautiful--again, the 360 degree view of wilderness, water, mountains, etc.

Incredibly, we rounded one point of land, and there, off in the distance, appeared the Seattle skyline, looking every bit like the Emerald City. We tied up at the downtown piers, right next to the pier where we moored back in 1977, when I visited Seattle as a crew member on the USS Blueback (SS-581).

Departing the ferry, I drove up the hill to visit Pike Place Market, the subject of my next posting.


Onboard the ferry Kitsap


Bremerton US Naval Base and shipyard

Transiting down a channel in Puget Sound


Simply stunning scenery in every direction


A sister ferry headed to Bremerton


A first glimpse of downtown Seattle in the far distance


An impressive skyline perched right on the water