Achtung Schützenfest!

Schützenfest was a part of last weekend's activities and will likely persist into the coming weekend as Six Deuce and Sid return to complete repairs of a remaining deer stand, zero their rifles and perhaps indulge in some adult beverages and deer camp-style cooking. 

You may care to know how Schützenfest found its way to the Door peninsula.

As the legend goes a German sharpshooter (schütze) shot an eagle from the sky that had attacked him as a small child.  In the states this act would land you in jail; nevertheless, the people of his village were so impressed by this feat that they crowned him 'king' for the year and a celebration followed.

A more realistic explanation is that 15th century soldiers were returning from war to reoccupy their farms and shops and their return was celebrated with a shooting festival. 

In any event Schützenfest has likely been around longer than Oktoberfest and the German tradition celebrating marksmen and marksmanship occurs from summer to autumn and persists almost 500 years to modern times. 


It's a rather big deal and as evidence of this fact the Schützenfest held in Hannover Germany is such a really huge deal that it has become the largest of marksman festivals.  A parade of 10,000 participants from Germany and other parts of the world stretches about 7.5 miles making it the longest parade in Europe and probably the world.  Of course there are carnival rides, a humongous Ferris Wheel, five massive beer tents along with music, dancing and other entertainment to accompany the feats of marksmanship.

click on my 100 yard 3/4 inch group for a closer look

Around here the event is quite subdued although there is the shooting tradition followed afterwards by adult beverages and some really good food.  The company of friends is particularly enjoyable.

Prosit!



The Garden Chronicles

Schützenfest is this weekend - an annual festival here at The Platz featuring target shooting, deer stand maintenance, barbecue, adult beverages and testosterone.  So naturally I started the day picking fresh produce - Bibb, romaine and read leaf lettuces, spinach, carrots, sweet peppers, green beans and broccoli. 

Everything has been washed and bagged - half for my frau who is joining with some friends elsewhere on the peninsula and half for me and my pals.

It is a good thing that I purchased dill dip to accompany all of this yummy, fresh-picked, sunshine.....

Porta Potty

A couple of months ago I returned from Mississippi to find this prize in my day job office. Hollow stump with a toilet seat. A biodegradable crapper. (I happen to work with some of the most affable and friendly people on the planet.)  

Today we installed it over a deep hole saving a half mile walk back to the house to use the indoor plumbing.  

 When ya gotta go - ya gotta go...

A Second Crapper

It is noteworthy that the ancestral crapper (20+ years of age and aging) is getting a politically-correct, green counterpart for waste management in the woods.

I built the original crapper of treated scrap lumber - a nice, three-sided box with a seat bolted to the top and a lid for aesthetic purposes.  It even has a large hook upon which you can hang your roll of toilet tissue.  Place it over a freshly-dug hole for the season and you're all set.  The view is rather relaxing too (which adds to the relaxing ambiance). Best of all, when nature calls  there is a convenient seat to answer that call and not have to hike all the way back to the house.  Even better than best, you don't have to squat in the woods and leave a deposit for the Labs to discover and gleefully roll-in.  For that we are eternally grateful.  But I digress.

This week I returned to the day job after having taken some time off on family business and upon my return discovered a strange gift from afar awaiting my return.  Upon my third month anniversary I have learned that my new co-workers are generous and thoughtful beyond measure or belief.   I discovered a Custom Country Crapper in my office.  Yup, here it is....

click on image to enlarge

An all-natural, hollow stump, replete with seat and a real roller for your roll of tissue.  Place it over a freshly-dug hole and you're in business.  The best part is it is totally green technology.  The stump will slowly rot and decay - returning to the earth along with the contents of the hole.  And after salvaging the the seat and roll holder all you have to do is locate another hollow stump upon-which to affix these accouterments and you're back in the business of doing your business.

During Schützenfest I'll have the boys fetch a couple of shovels and assemble a detail and pick out a location with a nice, relaxing view for installation.  Probably the north forty - about a half mile from the nearest indoor plumbing.

Raising a toast to composting toilets.   

Blogging About the Blog

Things have been pretty quiet here at the old blog basically because there hasn't been much extra time to sit in front of the warming glow of a laptop and talk about life here at The Platz.

As I tap-out this post things are finally quiet, calm and collected.  They guys have left.  Which was not the case yesterday when Six Deuce got stung by a yellow jacket wasp and went into anaphylactic shock.

I ended-up rushing him to the hospital.  When I say rush - I mean rush.  I was already speeding over the limit and he turns to me and says - It would be okay if you'd like to drive 80 miles an hour.

In any event a dose of epinephrine an EKG and rest pronounced him fit to return.  Back at camp the guys prepared a celebratory feast for everyone when we returned.

I think I roll with a pretty solid group of friends.

Another memorable Schützenfest.


*Health tip if you are allergic to insect stings:  If you are stung and begin to manifest systemic symptoms - hives, rash, itchy palms or balls, tingling lips, trouble hearing, etc. - anything beyond the site of the sting you need to immediately administer a dose of epinephrine with your Epi-Pen.  DO NOT DELAY!  
 

Achtung! Schützenfest

Sniff Sniff.

Do you smell what I smell?

There is a whiff of spent powder, barbecue and testosterone in the air.

 

Schützenfest

The last photos of Schützenfest 2015 were taken by the trail cameras.  Mennonite has gone native, Braumeister is toting a big, 'ol bag of 19-19-19 fertilizer and Lawyer, New Guy and Diva Dog are hoofing it south at the crossroads...

click on images to enlarge

Porch Sitting

From last weekend's Schützenfest...

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Porch sitting with your friends, the dogs and a refreshing adult beverage is a totally reasonable and acceptable way of not doing very much except for the visiting.  Someone suggested that it is chillaxing - chilling-out and relaxing.

The evenings are beginning to arrive sooner now and the nights are growing cooler.  There is definitely a whiff of autumn in the air.  Nevertheless, when you catch a sunny day chillaxing on the porch is most definitely called-for.  

Schützenfest

The Schützenfest menu options are all very guy-centered.

We have our Bloody Mary Bar set-up with homemade Uncle Dick's tomato juice and my signature crispy, crunchy dill pickles...

  
And Six-Deuce made a great pile of ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds) - jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled until crispy...

And this fine selection of venison loins (grilled rare) along with pork tenderloins grilled medium rare... 

click on images to enlarge

Although we did eat Quiche Lorraine on Sunday morning.

Schützenfest

Schützenfest would not be complete without an accident of some sort.

Mennonite nicked is knee with a chainsaw (a VERY lucky close call) and he was doing fine until he knelt on the driveway opening the wound again.

Nice work, eh?

Wait until he gets my bill...

Schützenfest

Schützenfest 2015.  

Nine guys working on our deer stands, eating real well and enjoying some firearm competition.

click on images to enlarge

Love the smell of spent powder, barbecue and testosterone in the air...

Hatching a Plot

During Schützenfest weekend the guys did trail and deer stand maintenance and worked on the wildlife food plots.

Several clover plots were over-seeded and fertilized and three other plots were disced, fertilized and seeded with rape, turnip and clover.

The rape and turnip will germinate quickly.  Because they are frost-tolerant they will provide forage for the fall and winter.  The clover will persist for several years as it's a perennial plant.  It's also real easy to maintain - mow it once a year and broadcast fertilizer over it.

Clover is terrific forage for browsing animals and attracts insects for the birds.

click on images to enlarge

All the critters like clover.  

Schützenfest!

The Sixth Annual  Schützenfest (shooting festival) closed yesterday and was an exceedingly safe and fun time.

Some photos...

click on images to enlarge

 

Schützenfest!

Sniff, sniff...

Do you smell what I smell?

The smell of spent powder, testosterone and barbecue in the air.

You know what that means.

Schützenfest!

An opportunity to ramp-up for the hunting season, demonstrate prowess with a firearm and revel in our manliness...

An Honest Day's Work

Not the day job but the chores on the tree farm.  Work, work, work.

Last weekend I finally found the time - and the opportunity - to prep some wildlife food plots.  I've either been preoccupied with the vast garden and other chores.  Or waiting out the rain.

click on image to enlarge

Fifteen gallons of Glyphosate (generic version of RoundUp) on three locations that will be planted into a combination of rape, turnip and red clover.  The rape and turnips are brassicas that will provide forage into the fall and winter.  They grow fast and are cold-tolerant.  The clover is a perennial and will persist into the years to come.  

A low maintenance planting all you have to do is mow it and fertilize it once a year.  The flowers attract insects for the birds and all the critters like munching on fresh, sweet clover.

The weekend of Schützenfest is an opportunity to plant the plots...

Slippery Bandit

This weekend was Schuetzenfest 2013.  There was the annual smell of spent powder, testosterone and barbeque in the air. 

In any event the other day we dragged the turkey fryer out to make a big meal of fried catfish and hushpuppies.  If you are going to deep fry anything it is best to do it outdoors where you won't get greasy oil on anything but the grass.

Sid made a remoulade sauce to go with the frijoles, tortillas, homemade garden salsa and other assorted sides.  The meal was fantastic.  After we cleaned the place-up we put the lid on the fryer and left it outside to cool-off.  The plan was to filter the oil the following day and make a humongous batch of onion rings.

Morning dawned.  Padding out the garage with a steaming cuppa joe I notice the lid off the fryer and oily spatter all over the driveway. 
 

I'm thinking - What the heck.  Were we that messy last night?

The tip-off that it wasn't us came with a close examination of the greasy, oily trail of the slippery bandit.

A raccoon actually climbed into the pot.  Feasted upon the bits and scraps of fried fish and hushpuppies, climbed back out (without tipping the pot over), shook-off on the driveway spraying oil everywhere and sauntered-off leaving oily footprints in his wake.

Needless to say we pitched the oil.  No onion rings.

Schützenfest 2012

Schuetzenfest 2012 was a resounding success.

Here is some nice off-hand shooting at a binary reactive target...

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