Catching up

© By Othmar Vohringer

Today I wanted to write about my last scouting trip and show you a few of the amazing wildlife and landscape pictures my wife took on that trip. But then I discovered that I am a little behind with several things and it might be a good idea to catch up with this post.

The problem with living in close proximity to some of the best hunting and fishing in British Columbia is that you find yourself spending a lot more time outdoors than indoors. Which is a good thing I suppose, like taking my wife on her first fishing trip ever in our new boat. What an enjoyable trip that was on so many levels. My wife catches her first fish and me, the so called expert, catches nothing. Well I was busy paddling the boat. I was a fishing guide. You will soon read more about the trip on the BCFishing Blog.

I am afraid I have to admit that I violated one of my own blogging rules. That rule stipulates that I answer every single comment made by my readers on any of my blogs. I haven’t done that recently and I would like to thank you each and everyone for you comments and kind words you leave me. I appreciate that very much. While I am at it, I would like to thank two readers that leave the most comments. Thank you Tom and Arthur .

That same courtesy rule applies to visit blogs and say thank you that say something nice about my blog or highlight one of them with a link. And I haven’t done that either. But I am going to do it now right here.

Kristine, as everybody knows by now, has a feature on her blog called Community Wendsday. Each week she features a few blogs that have peaked her interest and this week she liked What’s the rush. Slow down. Kristine thinks that this is a timely article for her. For those that don’t know. Kristine is moving to her new house so she is busy packing and organizing. We did that too in June this year and so I know how she feels and what she goes through. By the way Kristine, congratulations on your new place and I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do ours.

A few weeks ago Kristine invited me to a new forum and I went and consequently signed up as a member. The small business forum is not about hunting, fishing or anything to do with the outdoors. Yet for me, and any blogger or small business operator it is fast becoming an invaluable resource for new ideas, tips and advice on how to become a better, as in successful, businessperson. In the two weeks I read the information available on the forum I have picked up many tips that will help me to improve what I am doing. So if you want to learn more about how to run your business or just chat with fellow small bisiness folks head on over there.

In 2006 when I started this blog there was only a handful blogs that wrote about the outdoors. I remember searching on Google for days and couldn’t find much. The first blog I found and linked to was the Deer Camp Blog, written by the, by now famous, Editor a.k.a. Rex. Boy has time changed since then. In only three years there are so many outdoor bloggers that it has become near impossible to keep track of them all. Then on a day like today out of the blue I get an email from a new blog writer asking me if I were interested in sharing a link.

I always check the sites out before committing. Some blogs are just a rip-off of other bloggers, that’s how I found one that copied every single post I made and posted it on his blog. But most times I go. “Wow that is a real neat blog, I would be as pleased as can be to have that one in my blogroll.”

Today is such a lucky day. This morning I linked to Whitetail Woods written by Rick Kratzke, some of you may know him from his former blog “Tails and Trails” that he wrote for Skinny Moose Media. Reading through his blog I discovered that Rick and I have some things in common. Rick writes in the short bio, “I live in the northeast corner of Connecticut with my wife and two son's and have been hunting whitetails for the past 18 years. It has become quite the passion/obsession of mine and absolutely love to talk about it and share what I know with others.”

My blog Whitetail Deer Passion will give you a hint what we have in common. The moment I read the words “…It has become quite the passion/obsession of mine and absolutely love to talk about it…” I knew I had a winner. Mind you all blogs on my blogroll are nothing but winners. But having another blog writer that shares my passion about whitetail deer is something else. Now if I could find somebody that shares Wild Turkey Fever with me my world would be complete. Not that I am greedy. Actually I have a lot to be thankful about.

For example I am thankful for the absolutely wonderful and flattering feature Blessed wrote about my wife’s blog 12monthsOfWinter and my small blog network. It is things like that that makes my day. Knowing that there are people who appreciate what I do on my blogs fills me with pride and gratitude. Thank you Blessed that was wonderful and in leaning on your signature I feel blessed too with so many outdoor friends on the Internet. Outdoor bloggers are one big family.

Ah! I have been asked what’s up with the name of my wife’s blog “12MonthsofWinter” I think I am at liberty to tell you – looks over his shoulder to see if wife is in the same room - how that name came about. Back when my wife and I traveled a lot because that was what my profession demanded, we had at one point a very interesting coincident. At the time we lived for three years in China. When we left we arrived in Illinois, my former residence, in the bitter cold winter. We left Illinois just before spring for Brazil, way down south where they have winter when we have spring and summer here. Then in the Brazilian spring we left and went to Canada and you guessed it, it was winter in Canada. That year it was winter where ever we went, 12 months of winter.