Ducks Unlimited

I must admit, I'm no hunter...I've tried it, and I have a hard time actually killing animals for sport (except cockroaches, of course...lots of fun there!) When we visited my Dad, Ray, after Christmas, he decided it was high time we saw what his duck club was all about. So, Steve and I joined him for dinner at the club, and an informal shuffleboard tourney. And then, at the break of dawn on a cold December morning, I traipsed along behind him to shoot ducks my own way...with a camera.

If you know anything about hunters and their relationships with their retrievers, you'll understand the connection my Dad has with his dog, Katie. She may be getting old, but it's absolutely amazing to watch the way she works when she's out in her element...in this case, at the Salinas Duck Club, in the wetlands of central California. Selective breeding is evident when this old, arthritic girl gets out into the marsh and starts to do her job. Not a single movement is missed by her keen eyes, yet she immediately knows the difference between a duck and some other marsh bird! How does she do that? She knows just when to jump up and run, and doesn't hesitate as soon as the gun goes off. She doesn't give up, either. She'll work a long time to find a bird that's gotten lost. She absolutely loves her job and puts all her heart into it!

It was really a great experience, Dad. We enjoyed the evening of dinner with the bunch and learning to play shuffleboard. You've got a great bunch of friends at the duck club, and I'm really glad we got to go. Thanks for sharing a bit of something you enjoy so much with a couple of total novices.

The Rohrs finally have a web presence

Welcome to the TerryRoars blog. Publication of this blog marks the first time I have published anything on the web. 'Bout time. I've been standing in the shadows for far too long, and though "Roaring" is not my style, I thought it would be a fun way to play with our last name.

I had an old friend who used to always make a roaring sound when he ran into me in the halls at UTI. Maybe it was corny, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

If you have any topic you'd like to know about, feel free to add a comment. Who knows, maybe this is a great way to interact with family and friends without having to wade through chain mail, frightening messages about computer viruses, and junk mail about drugs and Rolex watches.

I promise to try to keep up with this blog as much as possible. I want to emphasize one caveat: if you need to hear back from me right away, or get me a personal message immediately, please DO avail yourself of the old fashioned phone or e-mail. If you know me, you have it.

Thanks, and if you like this blog let me know.
(I've placed a picture of our new dog companion, Tater in this post just to test my image placement capabilities.)