Mississippi - Quail Hunting - 01/2009

Oh what a long day. Left Hattiesburg on Friday bound for Jackson, and the Mid-South Mens Rally at First Presbyterian. Rick Phillips was the speaker and did a great job challenging men to be biblical men, fathers, and husbands. I left the Church at about 9:15 pm and made it to Oxford about mid-night. Had a taste with Hale and crashed. Next morning, Cynthia was off to the hospital, but she left us with a great egg casserole and grits. Hale was a speaker at a seminar and not able to go bird hunting with us. So Jason and I head off in the Jeep.

Jason is keeping an eye on his new puppy, Ace, a German Short Haired Pointer.

A versatile hunter and all-purpose gun dog, the German Short Haired Pointer possesses keen scenting power and high intelligence. The breed is proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, raccoons, possum, and even deer. A medium-sized breed, he has an aristocratic bearing and can be solid liver or liver and white in color.

The breed is streamlined yet powerful with strong hindquarters that make it able to move rapidly and turn quickly. It has moderately long flop ears set high on the head. Its muzzle is long, broad, and strong, allowing it to retrieve even heavy game. The dog's profile should be straight or strongly Roman nosed; any dished appearance to the profile is incorrect. The eyes are generally brown, with darker eyes being desirable; yellow or "bird of prey" eyes are a fault. The tail is commonly docked, although this is now prohibited in some countries. The correct location for docking for GSP is after the caudal vertebrae start to curl, leaving enough tail to let the dog communicate through tail wagging and movement. The docked tail should not be too long or too short but should balance the appearance of the head and body. The GSP tail is carried at a jaunty angle, not curled under. When the GSP is in classic point stance, the tail should be held straight out from the body forming a line with the pointing head and body. Like all German pointers, GSP have webbed feet.

Hale and Jason got Ace from a local man, Tom Bates, who raises German Short Haired Pointers. Tom also trains the dogs and raises quail. There are almost no wild coveys of quail in Mississippi, so if you want to hunt them, you have to raise them and set them out for the dogs to hunt. Tom buys about 1000 quail eggs every year and hatches them, feeding them to maturity. When you get ready to hunt, you tell Tom how many quail you want, and he goes into the coop with a net and catches them. The birds are put in a box and taken out to the hunting spot, a patch of woods, with an open field on either side - great for bird hunting. After putting the birds out, he comes back to pick up the hunters and the dogs. Then its off on the hunt. He put 8 birds out for us today. Jason is getting pretty good with that over and under 20 gauge.

Remember, this was a training session for Ace, so he had to stay on a lease and watch an older, experienced dog find the quail, point, and then retrieve the dead birds.

Whenever, we kill a bird and the older dog retrieves it, Ace gets a taste of hunting and gets to practice gently holding the bird in his mouth.

Was a great day for hunting and walking the woods.

In case Jason missed a bird,

I was there to scare it.

You know I couldn't talk about the woods without mentioning pigs. We found this pig trap. Tom told us about catching about 15 pigs in here one time. It works like a roach motel, they check in for the food, the heavy door drops, and they don't check out.

This is Tom's Mule that he uses to drive us from the parking area to the hunting area.

Here are the happy hunters and Ace.

After the hunt, we head back to Tom's place and watch him clean the birds. This is really civilized.

That's Beaudreaux watching Tom clean the birds. He gets the necks and gizzards, and sometimes a claw or two. We killed 6 of the 8 birds, not too bad.

Jason got his drivers permit the day before, so I make him drive us home.

He's not used to so much torque or the big knobby tires. He has to work pretty hard to drive the old jeep.

North Carolina - 10/2008 - Day 6

We depart Highlands and head to Atlanta to drop me off for my Standing Judicial Commission meeting.

Along the way, we plan a stop at the Dillard House.

Welcome to The Dillard House Restaurant and Resort. It is located in Dillard, GA at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. They are home to a multi-year award winning restaurant and over 90 beautiful hotel rooms, 4 cottages and 25 fully equipped mountain chalets.

Carrie and Arthur Dillard initially established the present-day Dillard House in 1917, when their first guest was a circuit-riding minister named Rev. Henry Byrd. Carrie Dillard was a woman of high values, strong work ethic and keen business sense. She was a wonderful cook, gifted gardener and very accommodating hostess. Every guest was treated like family, and Carrie taught that practice of hospitality to her children and grandchildren, alike. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of guests have enjoyed wonderfully prepared Southern style home-cooked meals at the Dillard House in the same family tradition as when Carrie first put up her jams and relishes. Now in its 87th year, The Dillard House Inn and Restaurant have become famous throughout the area for its traditional home-style meals and authentic Southern hospitality - the unique result of our 200-year heritage.

Nestled on a plateau in the picturesque Little Tennessee River Valley of North Georgia, The Dillard House boasts a breathtaking view of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Known as the oldest mountains in North America, Blue Ridge gets its name from the enchanting blue-gray fog that wisps through the hills, sometimes obscuring the sun. Guests of The Dillard House can enjoy this natural spectacle from the front porch and, depending on the season and available light, will witness colors of blue, gray, purple or silver. No matter the time of year, it truly is a memorable vision.

Once a simple and modest mountain home of just 6 rooms, The Dillard House has grown into a modern hotel than can accommodate hundreds of guests at a time. With 70 guest rooms and suites, more than 25 cottages and chalets, a modern business center and all the standard amenities, we can provide comfortable and beautiful surroundings as well as exquisite hospitality and service for every guest we receive. In our history, we've enjoyed the company of famous folks, such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and Walt Disney. Arnold Palmer and Larry Bird Johnson once took a break from their game to stay with us. Even politicians such as President Jimmy Carter, Senator Max Cleland, Mayor Maynard Jackson and Ambassador Andrew Young have all honored us with their visit here at The Dillard House. No matter who the patron may be, every visitor to The Dillard House is more than a guest - they're part of our extended family.

At The Dillard House you'll not only enjoy true Southern hospitality, great cooking and accommodating service - you'll be surrounded by a beautiful landscape with the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. The grounds of The Dillard House are both serene and exciting. Whether you want to take a morning walk through our lovely gardens, enjoy a poolside lunch, to spending the afternoon fishing for that trophy trout, we can promise that your stay with us will make it hard to leave.

The Dillard House prides itself on family style Southern dining. Sitting down at the table is more than just a meal for us - it's a culinary event. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday, year-round. Our menus consist of generous proportions of delectable Southern dishes from recipes handed down to us from generations of Dillard House chefs.

Our vegetables are farm fresh and grown mostly in the surrounding area and our main dishes are prepared exactly to your specifications — with our own twist of Southern charm. Satisfaction and hospitality are our main concern at the dinner table. We prepare every plate to the utmost detail and leave no guest hungry. As long as you keep asking for more, we'll keep it coming. Take a look at some of our sample menu selections. If you don't see something that excites your pallet, we'll go to extremes to find something that does.

Full as ticks, we head on toward Atlanta.

We make it to the PCA Office Building, where my meeting will be.

The folks drop me off and visit our former pastor, Roy Taylor,

who is now the PCA's Stated Clerk and the Coordinator of the Administrative Committee.

North Carolina - 10/2008 - Day 5

While Momma is getting the spa treatments,

we will spend a little time outdoors.

We get out for a little hiking and take on Sunset Rocks. Trail head: Horse Cove Rd., across from the Highlands Nature Center. Features: A rock outcropping overlooking Highlands and Horse Cove; trees marked and identified as part of the Town of Highlands "Highlands Trees" project.


A little color.

Jon Mark and Tom.

Tom doing some rock climbing.

The hikers.

We return from our exertions and take refreshments on the Balcony.

After resting up, we start thinking about dinner.

Our evening sustenance is provided by Wolfgang.

They must not have liked our looks, as they put us way back and down in a sunken area, that was a little musty. Food was pretty good though.

North Carolina - 10/2008 - Day 4

We make our way from Asheville to Highlands.

Situated at 4118 feet, Highlands, North Carolina is a charming mountain town surrounded by breathtaking mountain vistas, mesmerizing waterfalls and wooded forest. In town, stroll up and down Main Street and take in unique shopping, or head for outdoor adventures including biking, hiking and horse back riding on nearby mountain trails. For the water enthusiast, rivers and lakes offer canoeing; fly fishing and white water rafting.

Highlands, with a year-round population of 3000, is known for its beautiful seasons and whether you visit in springtime when native rhododendron blankets the forest in vibrant pink or the winter when snowfall creates a quiet stillness, the pristine mountain air and scenic backdrop provide a delightful respite from every day.

On the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Edwards Inn and Spa has welcomed guests to Highlands for more than a century. While preserving that rich history and elegantly ushering in the future, we strive to exceed your every expectation.

We get checked in at The Old Edwards Inn. We were welcomed to an extraordinary destination spa resort in the charming, historic mountain town of Highlands, North Carolina to experience mountain resort lodging, great shopping, indoor wellness & fitness activities and outdoor adventure.

Upon arriving at the Old Edwards Inn and Spa, you'll leave your cares behind. Relax in the cozy ambiance of the Hummingbird Bar/Library and enjoy a welcoming libation or High Tea as we ready your room. The married folk got rooms in the old part of the Inn, with a balcony overlooking Main Street.

A view of a balcony bedroom.

Peggy overseeing her domain.

We take afternoon refreshments here.

The Old Edwards Inn was pleased to announce the opening of The Lodge at Old Edwards Inn. Formerly Kelsey and Hutchinson Lodge, the property has recently undergone extensive renovations and enhancements. Momma and I check in at the Lodge, which is a newer addition, with very nice rooms.

Momma checking it all out.

Our room even had a place for me to work on some Standing Judicial Commission business.

The view from the Lodge.

And some colors.

We take Dinner at Ristorante Paoletti

Chef Kevin Paoletti's life-work has been compiling a repertoire of dishes. Some are time-honored classics while others are new renditions of regional preparations with a more modern flair. Ultimately, the goal has been an to produce a consistent menu that offers bright, clean flavors with elegant simplicity. We enjoyed fantastic regional Italian dining in an elegant old-world atmosphere. An array of specialties is complimented by one of the deepest wine cellars in the Southeast. The menu is printed daily reflecting seasonal and locally grown ingredients. Pastas, Desserts, Salads and fresh coastal seafood and meats are part of that ever-changing menu.

We end the evening with Tom performing in the Hummingbird Bar/Library. He can really play the piano. Sorry no photos.