Do Deer Pee in the Woods?

Of course they do.

And  the does squat just like female dogs do.

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The Twins

I had mowed a quarter mile trail directly through the middle tree plantation from west to east and east to west.

I was figuring that if you cut it someone will travel on it.

Here are some twin fawns who still have their spots.

They're obviously smitten with the trail camera.

click on images to enlarge

Lingerie Football League

How is it that I missed this news?

There is a new football league? 

Yes there is.  The LFL.  The Lingerie Football League you doofus.

Head Coach Gilbert Brown and the Green Bay Chill is bringing the LFL to town. 




Scantily-clad young women and contact football - what's not to like about that?

Learn more about it here.

Huck Finn

As a little kid my mom read me this book aloud.

Later, I read it countless times as I grew in my childhood.

I read it, again, in college for an American literature course.

Each time it was the real deal.  Not a sanitized version.

I picked it up again - a copy from the Sturgeon Bay Public Library.

It still works the same magic.  I couldn't put it down.  Finished it in four nights.

Homegrown American literature is awesome.

Bone of Contention

I'm sure you've heard of that term before.  It is quite apt when it comes to canines.  If you have two canines and each has a bone one of them will eventually covet the bone the other dog possesses.

If you have two canines and only one of them has a bone you get the same result - only a little worse.

Where it gets bad is if you have two Labrador retrievers and one of them (the larger of the two) has a yummy deer skull.

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Oh brother.  That's real trouble.

Happy Birthday Besse Cooper

Today is Georgia resident, Besse Cooper's birthday.  Ordinarily you wouldn't think that a birthday from someone in Georgia would be worthy of mention here at The Platz - except that this supercentenarian was born on August 26, 1896.


That makes her 115 years old today.


The oldest person in the world.

Happy birthday Besse Cooper!

Hire a Personal Trainor

No, that is not a misspelling in the title of this post.

Trainor is the last name of the guy that runs this business.  A cleaning business.

Kevin (and wife Laura) run a small business that happens to include car detailing.  Only they come to you.

How absolutely and incredibly convenient.

Wash, wax, shampoo, interior, tires, the whole enchilada.  Two of our cars and the Chevy pick-up haven't looked this good in years.

I give this Door County business a thumbs-up for quality results and affordability.  And  will probably make it an annual ritual.

Learn more at - http://trainorsofdoorcounty.com/home

A Couple of Peas in a Pod

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two girls.


The picture is somewhat deceptive - Girlfriend (on the left) is twice the weight of Sister (blond dog on the right).


Nevertheless, Sister is growing quickly into a fine dog.


In a week and a half Wisconsin's dove season opens.  Shortly thereafter is woodcock and grouse.  The plan is  to take a shell vest and shogun on our daily walks and let the young dog learn from the  big dog what upland bird hunting is all about. 

Schützenfest 2011

OK.

Here's the video.

Schützenfest 2011

Some additional action shots from this year's Fest.

I whacked a two-and-a-half pound Star Target with a single shot from my Ruger .270 deer rifle.  We had it out in the field at roughly 75 yards atop an empty cardboard box.

I checked afterwards and could only locate a three inch shred of cardboard in the crater.

click on images to enlarge

Schützenfest 2011

This year's Fest was a resounding success.

The ingredients to a successful fest include barbecue, firearms and camaraderie.  It also doesn't hurt to include binary reactive targets.

There is hardly  anything more satisfying than connecting with your target and being rewarded with a big KABOOM!

Here is a sequence of shots.

click on images to enlarge

Long Knife

You know the  old saying about over-compensating don't you?

Mennonite is sporting a very long knife at Schützenfest this year

Use a Towel - Save a Tree Farmer

I found this tastefully-framed suggestion posted above the blower-driven hand dryer in the men's lavatory of a hotel recently.

Ahem.

I would like to remind my readers that it's okay to use paper towels. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable and sustainable product made from trees. Growing and harvesting trees provides direct employment for millions of men and women, and millions more in secondary, related employment. Working forests are good for the environment, providing a renewable resource, clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and carbon storage.

Since there were Georgia-Pacific paper towels available - I washed my hands and dried them with the towels.

Twice.

Schützenfest!

If you're like me you like the smell of smoked meats.  

You would also like the smell of spent ball powder in the air as it would sweep you back to your childhood and firearms instruction at the range at Camp St. Michael.

Then there is that nagging problem of all of that testosterone in the atmosphere what with all of the guys here at The Platz for the weekend.

The fellas will be arriving today.  Burdened by weaponry and ammo.  Plus their appetites.

Schützenfest 2011 has arrived.

Check-in over the next few days for an update on what's happening. 

More On The Downgrade

Only about one in four states (26%) enjoy the top AAA rating from Standard and Poors.

The two states with the lowest credit ratings are Illinois - rated at A+ and California with an A- rating.  I happen to think both of these states are train wrecks on their way to happening.

Source: Standard and Poors

Preparing For Deer Camp

Last weekend Brau and New Guy pitched-in to  begin getting everything in good, working order for deer camp.

Collectively we accomplished the following:

Prepped (disced), planted and fertilized one large, one medium and one small wildlife food plot.

Fertilized and over-seeded three established plots.

Inspected and repaired four tree stands.

The stand you see here is one of the originals and got pretty battered in a windstorm.  It's back in good working order.  Everything level and proper.

Ist sehr gut! 

Kayak Nation

A week ago I was returning to the big city and spotted a vehicle pulled-over on the left hand shoulder and a man in the road.

The next thing I see are a pair of kayaks scattered in the road.

Hitting the brakes I checked my 20 for traffic behind me and carefully maneuver around the man and his (now scratched and possibly dented) kayaks.

I did not have time to grab the smart phone and take a picture.  All I could think of is how dangerous it is to pull-off onto the left shoulder on a busy four lane highway.  Nuts.

This is the second incident of loose kayaks on the roadway that I have been witness to.  Both just outside of Brussels, WI.  You never hear or see of loose bicycles on the road.  Or errant car top carriers.  Canoes. Or Christmas trees.  Are kayak owners careless or prone to cutting corners?

This fella clear has done a better job of securing his vessels to the roof rack.  Nylon straps with locking ratchets.  No simple rubber bungee cords.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

A sudden and large storm moved through recently - over and done-with in a manner of moments.

The Frau snapped this photo of a double rainbow.

Very cool.

Shooting Gallery

It was a gorgeous day for shooting.  Sunny and cool.  Braumeister took the opportunity to break-in the barrel and zero his new Panther Arms AR-15.  He probably disassembled and reassembled the firing mechanism three dozen times. 

Practice, practice, practice.  Before too long he should be able to do this blindfolded.

New Guy warmed-up his SKS and did some plinking with a 9mm pistol.

Me?  I zeroed a couple of deer rifles. 

And nobody took my picture.

Schützenfest 2011 is coming soon.

click on images to enlarge

Deer Central

The deer are still sporting their ruddy roan-colored summer coats.

Here's a whitetail grooming itself -  just like a dog.












Momma and her fast-growing fawn.



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Sunset

Another spectacular peninsula sunset.

Trail Camera Action

A pair of young twins















This is a handsome animal


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What, No Kayak?

This person is obviously a radical non-conformist.

Someone who is willing to buck the tide of popular culture and dare to tread where nobody else dares.

If you can believe it he is hauling a canoe on top of his SUV.

Gasp!

Smile For the Trail Camera

Been relocating the trail cameras to switch it up on the critters. This seems like a hot spot for whitetails with about 150 photos over three weeks.  Caught some turkey and  a raccoon too.

There's nothing here to attract the deer - no scent, no bait, no nothing.

It just seems like a popular gathering place.

The Frau says we're probably going  to struggle to fill our tags is fall.


click on images to enlarge

The Downgrade

It is going to be interesting today to note the impact of the S&P downgrade to AA+ of US debt.  Moody's and Fitch have left their credit ratings unchanged.

According to Moody's there happen to be five states - Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia - that might be at risk of having their Aaa rating downgraded if the United States received a downgrade.

But there again - Moody's hasn't downgraded the US debt - only Standard and Poors.

Stay tuned. 

Door County Fair

Some snapshots from the Door County Fair yesterday.

A word about the Best of Show Kraut that you see here.  I think my kraut is superior to this kraut.  Same for my dilled green beans, bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, Polish dill pickles, rhubarb chutney, my apple sauce, tomato juice, salsa and corn relish.  Don't even get me started on the fresh vegetables. 

The Frau and I used this opportunity to  perform a scouting  mission and take extensive notes about what we will enter in the County Fair competition next year.

Maybe even mom's ancestral cranberry bread recipe...

Strange Dog

This is not my dog.  Girlfriend and I went out yesterday morning to fetch the memory cards from the trail cameras.  There were plenty of critters captured digitally over the last three weeks including this dog that was cruising through about an hour or so before we came through.  It's a male for sure.  Looks like a hunting breed - some sort of short hair.  No sign of a person.

Yucca

The yucca plant next to the barn is in full bloom.

Sweet.

Cabbage

Cabbages are coming along.  The green cabbages are close to being converted to kraut.

More Flowers

The Frau's flowers are doing really well.

Hollyhocks alongside the old pumphouse.

The Clock is Ticking

Paying attention to the debt limit game of chicken?

It's all political theatrics as the end-game has been all so predictable.

Nevertheless, the clock is ticking.  This last spring the International Monetary Fund forecast that based upon current projections the United States would be able to borrow money on the global market for a max of 15 years.  Sure, much can change upon assumptions and economic conditions but a Grand Deal must be struck before time runs-out.

In 2026.

Cluck!

Source:  International Monetary Fund 

The Girls

Sister is really growing into her skin.

Just like Girlfriend - she loves the water.  Which means a periodic visit to LaSalle County Park for a swim in Lake Michigan. 

Hurl the retrieving dummy into the water and fetch.

The bonus is all of the dead alewives washed-up on the shore.  Much fun to roll in dead fish.