Answering the question

Why?

The question is inevitable. I’m a fortysomething guy with numerous interests and hobbies. So why pursue hunting?

The naysayers might say it’s because I have some latent desire to “be a man.” Others could say I’m giving in to peer pressure. Or is a longing to recapture some youth? Do I need to gather my own meat, a throwback to frontier times?

None of these are correct and many aren’t even close to the real truth. First of all hunting animals does not make me a man, nor does any other singular activity. For me, manhood is defined by taking responsibility for oneself, being a leader of a household, making a commitment to one woman (a vow that is to last for a lifetime), putting in an honest days work, and keeping your word. No, shooting animals doesn’t promote any of these traits.

For me, the reasons to take up hunting are simple. For starters I like to be outdoors. I’ve hiked, backpacked, four-wheeled, and mountain climbed (not a fourteener in Colorado, but a “twelver” in New Mexico). Since the onset of adulthood I haven’t had the leisure time to enjoy a lot of these activities but I also admit I haven’t made them a high priority for much of the time. Earning a living, going to graduate school, and raising a child all take a toll on one’s time. But the good old outdoors is still there, unchanged, ready for me to participate once again.

Second, moving to this area did stir up a desire deep inside of me to hunt. Something about being away from a city or suburbia environment and finding myself smack dab in the middle of pheasant and deer habitat here in NW Kansas ignites a deep-seated yearning to head out on foot and challenge my skills against those of Mother Nature.

Third, while there is no peer pressure on me to join up with friends and acquaintances I do see hunting as an opportunity to connect with others around here in a different way. From what I hear hunting seems to further friendships and gives everyone a way to share a common outdoor experience. Add to that that 97% of the land in Kansas is privately owned meaning no National Forest or BLM land on which to enjoy the great outdoors, and hunting just seems like a natural activity.

To round out my list of reasons I’ll also cite an affinity for shooting. I first did target shooting with a .22 over 30 years ago at summer camp. I liked it then and my thrill of hitting the bullseye hasn’t diminished with time. In fact Geogal and I gave little Geoana a Daisy BB gun for her birthday this year and she seems just as inclined to use it as I am to practice my marksmanship now.

So while I won’t go overboard on this hobby (I just plan to procure the right equipment over the course of time) I do look forward greatly to the fall and the coming of deer and pheasant season. Just this morning there was a crisp feeling to the post-dawn air with an outside temp of 49 degrees. Won’t be long now.

Reward Trip

Yesterday I took the truck and headed for Nebraska. Destination Kearney. Cabela's to be specific.

Not that it takes much to get me through the doors of that establishment, but this journey was special. You see, I spent all of last Saturday completing the Kansas Hunter's Education Course. As I was successful Geogal granted me permission to make a trip to Cabela's to load up on a little gear.

Before I proceed further with purchase details I need to dispel your myths about the hunter education. It isn't a "pay your fee and get a certificate" classroom. (There was no fee, this is taxpayer-funded.) In order to get my certificate I had to complete an extensive online curriculum covering everything from firearm types to hunter ethics to "after the shot." By extensive I mean it took me an entire two evenings (staying up late) to complete before the Saturday classroom portion rolled around. 14 different sections. I had to be familiar with each one or no certificate for me. No Hunter's Education Certificate, no hunting license. No hunting license, and I'm staying home come November.

I had to pass two written tests and an oral one, plus some time at the shooting range. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday but this wasn't all fun and games. (I did, though, get to skeet shoot for the first time in my life. I liked it!!) Was all of this education worth the effort? Yes, I can say without reservation. I know so much more now that I did three weeks ago.

Example: Three weeks ago someone might ask "What kind of shotgun do you have?" My answer back then, "A single-barrel, single-shot."

Now, same question. My response: "A Stevens 16-gauge 2 and three quarter inch, break action, vintage late 1940's or early 1950's."

Why an old firearm? I might have written elsewhere in this blog that my Dad gave me his old shotgun and a 30-30 rifle when he visited last fall. He hasn't hunted since before I was born and these bang-sticks haven't been fired in decades. But that's about to change. I have them with a gunsmith right now, they're in good shape overall, just in need of some cleaning.

So, officially hunter-educated and getting everything ready for autumn, I went to Cabela's yesterday, something of a reward for completing the course. Not to mention I needed gun cases for transportation as well as some way to securely store the firearms (Geogal isn't worried about our little one but her friends might be a concern.) Found both items, plus a blaze orange cap to ensure I won't be shot by another hunter. Hunting is just like any other hobby or interest. You can spend as little or as much as you desire. For now I'm keeping it simple and will stick with the firearms I have. I did look at 12-gauge shotguns yesterday as those are more widely used in hunting, but Cabela's does carry some 16-gauge shot (both lead and non-toxic).

I'll be ready.

Page is up!

Go here to see some more pictures from South Dakota.

The fix turned out to be easier than I expected. Maybe a good night's sleep was the difference.

The Best of Intentions

I'm working on my companion site, one where I have greater freedom to intersperse pictures and text. But with freedom comes responsibility and creating pages over there takes more time and effort.

Last night though, I decided to finish up the South Dakota trip project and have a nice colorful web page ready for publishing. Only the publish function didn't work. A jaunt over to Apple's tech support site provided a possible answer but I was tired and ready to hit the hay by then. Tonight is out too, as I have a previous commitment that will take most of the evening.

My goal is to have the page up for viewing sometime Friday. Wait a minute...going out of town on Saturday. Hmmmm, how do I get the midnight oil burning?

Just a sampling

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I figure I will save myself a lot of typing and let the images speak for themselves.

Back from Black

Just got back from a short getaway to the Black Hills of South Dakota, plus a side trip to Devils Tower, Wyoming. Got to visit some friends of ours from Arizona and let Geogal try some tent-trailer camping. (She's a hotel snob and generally doesn't stay in anything less than a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn.)

I'll be posting some photos later today.

Wrap-up

The Fourth here was great. Block party, meeting folks I've seen but don't really know. Fireworks fireworks fireworks. Both Geogal and I lived in places where they were verboten save for the legally-sanctioned public fireworks display. Not here. Fireworks stands are ubiquitous in this locale and they seem to do great business. Case in point: Our next-door neighbor had an ample supply of the noisy and bright stuff yesterday, but still felt the need to go get more. There was popping and flashing and ooohhhing and aaahhhing until nearly midnight last night.

My guess for the dollar amount of fireworks ignited on our street last night? In the thousands of dollars range.

Did I mention the block party featured grilled burgers, hot dogs, and brats? Guess who spent a lot of time tending the vittles? Yep. I was manning three grills at once. I was "The Man!!"

And the fun ain't over yet. Tonight is the last night the town allows folks to shoot off the loud, made-in-China, don't burn yourself products. And I've still got a few of my own to fire up. There will be some sulfur smell in our neck of the woods tonight!

Happy Fourth of July!

Gotcha on film! (digital media storage, actually)

For those readers who don't believe me about the fauna purported to frequent my back yard and parts beyond, a photo.

Relaxing with my coffee this morning I saw her again. This time I grabbed Geoana's camera, snuck out the front door, circumnavigated around to the rear of the house using a maximum of stealth, and she still retreats (just a bit).

But using the zoom I managed to capture the moment. Only now I have that "Sound of Music" tune going through my head: "Doe, a deer, a fe-male deer."

Enjoy the peace wherever one can get it

I like the early morning. Quiet, the gals of the house are still asleep, they won't be up for quite a while.

I like the early morning in a small town. Quiet, the folks that are already up are going about their business with a minimum of noise or fuss.

I like the early morning living next to a creek. Today I saw a doe not in the creekbed, but in my back yard. Munching on a few crabapples that fell from their tree of origin. She was there for some time, eating to her heart's content. Then she headed for Geogal's garden, particularly the herbs.

Time for me to stand up, let her see me through the window. She did, and didn't seem to care. Yet I think she got the hint and headed further toward the creek.

A few minutes later, she's gone. Vanished back into the thick vegetation that she no doubt adores. Sustenance and cover.

And all of this before I even make my morning coffee.

I like this.

Lazy (Father's) Day

Yesterday was cool, gray, rainy, gloomy.

Today? Hot, sunny, bright.

Lazy both days. Maybe the week was more taxing than I thought. Anyway, if I have an excuse to be docile, today is the day. Leisurely morning followed by a BBQ meal later than lunch but too early for supper (lupper, perhaps?). The grass is still growing but who wants to mow on Father's Day? The closest I'll come to doing any chores today will be taking the garbage to the curb for tomorrow's pickup.

I can always resume an active lifestyle tomorrow.

More to come...

What happens if they shut off analog and there's no outcry? No uprising? No reaction at all??

Checking the different media outlets online, there just isn't much coverage of yesterday's role in broadcasting history. Somehow the sun came up just the same this morning and everyone is going about his or her business.

In my area there was virtually no news coverage, given just about all full-power stations in western Kansas and southern Nebraska switched over months ago.

BTW, I did look at my recording of KABC's analog shutoff which can best be described as anticlimactic. Simply the anchor indicating the countdown had started ("In about ten seconds from now.."). Then a normal join to "All My Children." Evidently DirecTV made the proper arrangements sometime yesterday morning.

In one market, though, Dish Network was caught unprepared. See this. And feel free to laugh as he clicks through the other local channels toward the end of the video.

Analog shut-off, for real this time

You know I had to chime in regarding today's place in the history of television broadcasting. For now, though, I have just one thing to share. After my normal routine of getting up and showering, I went down to the basement and turned on the DirecTV. (Because we live in the middle of nowhere we are able to get the New York and Los Angeles network affiliates on the dish as DirecTV doesn't provide this area with the Wichita channels.) Since the NY stations were already into the national morning news shows I just went straight to the LA channels, who were starting their local news for the day. Couldn't find any news items regarding the switchover but I acknowledge I didn't have a lot of time to sit, watch, and wait. However on KABC there was the crawl saying "If you are seeing this, your TV is not ready for the transition..."

Does DirecTV take its national network feeds directly from the stations' over-the-air transmission? I guess so, although I hope they give the Los Angeles market viewers the digital signal of KABC and the other locals otherwise some viewers in the Southland will be mighty confused.

Yes, I set the DVR to record KABC's analog shutoff at noon Pacific time. If I am indeed getting the analog feed it should be an interesting view.

A drive to Salina

Sorry, no pictures to go with today’s entry. My adventures from two days ago didn’t involve tower hunting. (There likely won’t be any of that until I get my truck into the mechanic--it needs a little attention.)

Saturday. The first 24-hour installment of a long holiday weekend. And what am I doing? Heading to Salina for some retail activity. Yes, it’s shopping, but since I’m by myself this day I get to do the male version of capitalism. In short: Go find what I need, pay for it, get outta there. None of this standing and staring silently for five minutes, then asking “does this make me look fat?”

Sorry, that’s the offshoot of being the only male member of my household, not to mention having two sisters and no brothers. So don’t get to thinking I’m lonely on this trip--rather just the opposite. Plus the drive helps rid me of some of my nervous energy.

As over-the-air TV broadcasting is heading into its final days of analog transmissions (maybe), I wanted to take the laptop and DTV stick with me and see what’s on (and off) the air.

First stop: a rest area on I-70 just east of Russell. And I wasn’t disappointed with this break in the driving. A little background before I share the reception info. Based on my research from TV Fool and the FCC CDBS database I knew that KSNC-DT and KOOD-DT should come in clear as a bell. The one I was curious about is KOCW, licensed to nearby Hoisington. The FCC documents indicate their intent to discontinue analog broadcasting as of March 17. Yet there is another document in the public file showing it will terminate analog broadcasting on June 12, late morning. Hmmm, I wonder which one is correct? (As an aside, KOCW has no companion digital channel as they were licensed after the DTV channel allocations. They will have to flash-cut to digital.)

After scanning, KSNC and KOOD showed with good signals. No KOCW, though. Switch over to analog, do another scan. Question answered: KOCW is still on analog so it appears their plan to flash-cut on June 12 appears in place. They aren’t even operating on reduced power right now (like so many analog channels do before they switch off for good). In fact their analog signal came through as one of the best I’ve ever received. Real clear, no static, no snow.

Pack up, now it’s on to Salina (for those of you outside the state, it is the largest city in the area and the location of the nearest Sam’s Club, Kohls, and Lowes). It’s also home to Hickory Hut, great barbecue. I was under orders from Geogal to bring back some smoked meat, beef and pork preferred. I also did the necessary shopping (new polo shirts as the tie-required dress code at my workplace is suspended between Memorial Day and Labor Day). And since I’m here of course I’ll fire up the computer again. KAAS-DT was the only discernible signal on the digital side, the analog gave me KAAS’s analog version and a translator of Wichita’s KAKE.

In my entry regarding the DTV signal of KWNB, Hayes Center, Nebraska, I pointed out that its PSIP identified it as the parent station. Same thing with KAAS-DT. KAAS (and the aforementioned KOCW) are full-power satellites of Wichita’s KSAS, branded as Fox Kansas. KAAS was showing as KSAS-24 on the PSIP. Interesting, I thought all full-power stations had to use their original analog channel assignments as the PSIP identifying channel. Maybe not. Or perhaps there is an exception for satellites which fully repeat the on-air programming of the parent channel. I’m sure this doesn’t matter to most folks, and certainly not in the long run. I believe the channel identifying numbers used by digital stations will soon be irrelevant, but that’s another blog entry. Still, I thought this oddity deserved mention.

Shopping done, I head toward home. Decided to go a different way, north on US 81 then turn left on the 2-lane highway for a far piece. Still, it’s nice to drive another way as I enjoy variety. This is definitely one advantage Kansas has over Arizona. To drive differently in the Grand Canyon State sometimes requires going many extra miles. (If an alternate drive is feasible at all!) And this time of year even western Kansas is a nice shade of green.

Thoughts come together in the oddest way (sometimes)

Yesterday morning, before little Geoana and I left for school and work (respectively) she asked me if I knew of a baseball player named "Big Apfel" who played for the Red Sox. I said the name sure wasn't familiar to me and asked where she heard it. Turns out she was reading (Geoana is a voracious reader) a book titled Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume and this player was referred to by one of the characters.

Then I started to think some more. What Red Sox players do quickly jump to my mind? First is the obvious one, Ted Williams, even though he was way before my time. Who else? Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk. And that's about it. I'm thinking of players that will be associated with the Red Sox and no other team. That leaves out all of the current and just-recently-retired superstars.

And no, I will not make this entry a rant about how there is no team loyalty anymore, blah, blah, blah. Times have changed and I accept that.

But back to my mental wheels turning. I then thought about the 1975 World Series which led to images of Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in Game 6. You know the one I mean--the famous footage of him waving his arms as if to coax the ball to "stay fair." If you haven't seen it, go here (the video clip link is on the lower right side of the page).

Then I recall having met the guy who threw Fisk the pitch, Pat Darcy. (This was years ago at a work-related event for my wife's then-employer.) I shared with him my being an Astros fan and he answered that he played for that very club before being traded to the Reds. I'll never forget his comment: "I went from a poorly-run team to a very well-managed one."

I can't argue that point, but having teammates such as Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Ken Griffey probably didn't hurt, either.

And the winner was???

Remember last post, where I was trying to decide which Mel Brooks flick featuring Dom DeLuise to watch? So which one won out? Here's a hint:

"You'll be surprised, you're doing the French Mistake, viola!"

I confess, I just used the DVD menu to watch the part referenced above. Hey, it was late and I was tired!

_______________________________

As the media (print and broadcast) continues to bleed red ink, maybe this piece will help explain why newspapers and journalists in general are mistrusted by the general public. News gathering appears to be a dying art.

A tough choice

To honor Dom DeLuise a day after his passing, do I watch Blazing Saddles or Spaceballs?

(Don't suggest Smokey and the Bandit II or Cannonball Run--I don't have those in my DVD collection.)

Quick notes

1) I'm enjoying the spring thaw. Mild winter? Not for me, it wasn't.

2) Barely a month into baseball season and all of my favorite teams are stinking up the place. (That's the Diamondbacks, Astros, and Angels in case you were wondering.)

3) Little girl now knows how to ride a bike. As I said to Geogal: "Now we've really lost her forever."

4) There is rhubarb growing in our backyard. Evidently a delayed housewarming gift from the previous owners.

5) Little Geoana only has two and a half weeks of school left and I don't know who's more excited, her or me.

6) I have to learn to cherish this time of year. The evenings are not hot, humid, and mosquito-infested, and they aren't bitterly cold, either. As Goldilocks herself might say: "Just right."

7) Learning how to balance my evening routine to get some blogging time in remains a challenge. By the time I figure it out everything will change!

8) Those home improvement shows on HGTV are addictive.

9) Long, sunlit days rule!

10) And finally, I am developing my list of the "Top Ten Science Fiction Movies That Are Not Star Wars Or Star Trek Related." (I think "Independence Day" might be near the top.)

Tower chasing

One of the many positives about living in this part of the country is the variety of tower chasing one can pursue.

What does that mean in English?

Simply this: We who are obsessed with broadcasting in its many forms often enjoy visiting transmitter sites and seeing what these behemoths actually look like. Back to my first sentence, this means that I have the opportunity to drive around and view towers in several different areas. Sometimes these transmitters are even in different TV markets and I don’t have to put in several hours’ driving time to enjoy the variety. Back in the desert southwest there might be hundreds of miles between full-power transmitters and those are usually grouped together on a mountaintop. But with the rolling prairie terrain of Northwest Kansas/Southwest Nebraska TV stations locate their towers in numerous places and often not together. In fact the only transmitter tower in this region which shares two stations’ antennas is the stick between Kearney and Hastings which houses KGIN-DT and KHGI-DT. All the others are on their own.

So, with this explained, I headed out of town three Saturdays ago and made a leisurely drive to North Platte.

Why?

Why not? I haven’t been there yet and this is a nearby burg that is considered its own television market, albeit one of the smallest in the country. In the bottom ten for sure. That was part of the appeal even though I knew I wouldn’t be there during the timeframe in which they air the local newscasts (actually that should be newscast, singular, which I’ll explain in a moment). Still I knew I would get a shot at seeing the DTV transmissions in that area and as a curiosity factor learning what else occupied the dial on the analog side. The FCC database indicates there are numerous translator and low-power stations in that vicinity. How could I resist?

Once I arrived in town and got my fill of Kentucky Fried Chicken (they don’t have one in the town in which I live and sometimes I find myself jonesing for Original Recipe) I parked in the Menard’s lot and set up my gear. Antenna on top of the truck, power up the Macbook inside.

Rather disappointing. The scan picked up only KPNE-DT, the local NET station. No KNOP. All my information on this market showed KNOP already has shut off analog and is digital-only on channel 2. WIth the rabbit ear setup I was using in an outdoor, unobstructed area I should have been able to see that station. Oh well, no matter. The analog tuner brought in a few signals but none that are worth going into detail here.

A short while later I headed out of town but rather than leave the way I arrived I chose to head west on I-80 to the town of Sutherland. (Yes, there was a small part of me that wanted to stay on the interstate all the way to Cheyenne but real life and responsibility beckon.) I turned south on Nebraska 25 and received a nice surprise. On the west side of the highway about 7 miles south of the I-80 connection was the stately transmitter tower of KPNE-DT and KPNE-FM. Imposing, I thought to myself. No wonder I could pick up their signal a good 25 miles away as the crow flies (my distance estimate to where I did my TV watching earlier).

Near the town of Wallace I pulled off onto the shoulder and again tried the DTV stick. This time only KPNE-DT’s signal showed on the indicator. Why did I try for another catch at this location?

I was nearing the transmitter tower for KWNB-DT, the ABC affiliate in this part of the state. I was hoping to see their DTV signal from this area, but no go. No problem, I thought. With each mile I’m getting closer to their tower.

You see, KWNB is licensed to the town of Hayes Center. Hardly a town, at that. The official highway marker lists the population as 240. I figure this might be the smallest town in the United States that has a full-power, VHF, major network-affiliated TV license. And this is not new, KWNB has been in existence since the 1950’s. But all of that time it has been a satellite station of KHGI in Kearney. (For a time, there was a third station in the mix, KSNB in Superior, located in the south-central area of Nebraska very close to the Kansas line.) My only guess is that the FCC decided that a station in this area would be beneficial for all the small towns that were otherwise many miles from anything resembling TV. This also may have been from the era before cable TV.

In doing my research I learned the tower is adjacent to Highway 25 just to the north of Hayes Center. Since I wasn’t able to see their signal from Wallace I figured the only thing left for me to do was to head to the tower itself and power up again.

I did just that. And you can be flippin’ sure I got the signal this time. Yet I also learned some intriguing things. First, the transmitter tower itself isn’t all that tall, not nearly the height of KPNE. Second, there is no marker or sign that indicates to whom the tower belongs. Most of the other transmitters I’ve seen in this part of the country have either the station logo or at least the call letters somewhere on the building. Here, nothing. Of course, when you’re in the middle of nowhere maybe you don’t need to bother.

The third interesting piece is this: Their PSIP identifies the station as “KHGI-13.” I was under the impression that the FCC mandated stations to keep their old channel number as the identifier under PSIP. Therefore it should have read: “KWNB-6,” or “KWNB-DT.” Since I am not a broadcast engineer I don’t have much of guess as to the misidentification other than to guess it might be a result of the signal being microwaved to this location from KGHI’s transmitter site.

Next time I’ll be sure to bring the camera. I did snap a couple of pics with my cell phone but as you can see the quality leaves something to be desired.

And taking more pictures always justifies a return trip!

Letter from Kansas

Been a while (that happens sometimes in this blog) and I assign blame for that on my not-much-changing everyday life and lack of creative juices. I refuse to post just for the sake of posting and if this blog ever becomes one of those "today my little baby did this" sites I will end everyone's misery post haste.

What I will do on occasion is write about my exploits in which I travel about and use the Macbook with the DTV stick to give folks an idea of what signals can be picked up where. Regular readers know I tried to install an outdoor superlarge VHF/UHF combo antenna but was unsuccessful in picking up any kinda-sorta nearby signals. Turns out they weren't near enough.

But no problem. If I can't bring DTV to me, I will go to it! My next post will contain an account of driving through west-central Nebraska with varying stops on the way.

Other stuff? Since we're getting a last blast of Old Man Winter here (at least I hope), this was another of those stay-indoor type of days. I made a large pot of green chile and at mealtime I added some green from the Xtra hot bag to my bowl. I am merciful to the Geogal, she doesn't have the heat tolerance I do.

The bag was accurate. Two bites and I felt as if I consumed New Mexico-grown tear gas. I doubt I have anything left in my sinus cavity now. And the chile could not have been better.