Redneck Skeet Shoot

We had the most awesome weekend!



First we visited the Cabella's in Buda, where John got to visit Miss Opal. Miss Opal is an 82lb catfish that his cousin caught and she currently lives in Cabella's aquarium. We had so much fun looking at all the stuffed animals, aquarium and gun displays.

Then we traveled to Neiderwald to see my friend Holly and her brother, Cody, and go to Cody's Redneck Skeet Shoot. In case you haven't heard of Neiderwald, it is a tiny little place that is the most perfectly situated little town. It has back-in-the-boonies vibe but is just off Hwy 35 between Austin & San Marcos. So its less than an hour to the outlet mall & Austin resturants. And only 10 minutes from the Cabella's in Buda. Holly is a good friend of my from back in my Ernst & Young days. She & her husband, Jeff, are raising a beautiful bunch of kiddos - Madylyn, Beckham & Bristol. And while she is a sophisticated grad of t.u., she also loves the redneck side of things - shooting, Nascar, Cowboys football, etc. Despite what John claims, she did not name her youngest after a Nascar race, it's a family name. It was fantastic to see her again and catch up. Cody's skeet shoot is the most fun - friends and family over for brisket, washers, skeet and an all around good time. This year they 'borrowed' Holly's satellite and brought it out so they could watch the race.


(Holly & I)


(John & Cody)


(Bristol has the cutest smile but wouldn't mug for the camera)


(Skeet setup)


It was super hot so there wasn't much shooting til later in the day but Cody has big stadium-type lights so we kept shooting after dark. John says that technically, we're shooting trap but I still call it skeet shooting. I got to show off my 1st anniversary present - a 20 gauge over&under shotgun. It sure gets the job done. John used his 12 gauge coach gun most of the day. We found out this week that his gun is so old you're not supposed to put modern ammo through it because it might blow up - good to know... There were only 3 competition rounds while we were there. Dollar elimination rounds, shooting from 3 positions, with 6 to 15 people participating. It was really exciting - John won the 2nd round and I won the third. I was only up against 6 other guys but it was so exciting! I love to shoot and while I'm not a stud, I do pretty well and most of the guys out there were really nice & encouraging. I went through a little over a case of 20 guage and John shot at least 1 & 1/2 cases so our shoulders were sore the next day. But that's one of the best measures of a good time - when you're battered & bruised the next day and you don't even care because it was that much fun.

Thanks Holly, Cody & family! Looking forward to the next Redneck Skeet Shoot!


(John had to do double-duty on the thrower because I'm not stout enough)


(John with his coach gun)


(Christy with over/under and pink John Deere hat)

Just when you think...

"There is nothing new under the sun" (from Ecclesiastes). Hollywood and MTV have the best recycling programs around. The number of remakes and sequels the past few years is proof of that. Even Pirates of the Carribean was generated from a theme-park ride. But just when you think there isn't a new, innovative idea out there, especially not one that's unique and simple in execution, some creative person surprises you. Not being a creative person myself, it is a trait I really admire and honestly feel that the creative spark is something given by God. For the record, I am not saying that this video is a message from God. I am saying that creativity is a blessing and I do think He gets a kick out of what His children come up with (just like any parent). I'm sure most of you have seen it but this video is so neat that I had to post it.

As Promised

As promised, a plethora of fishing photos:
John shot a needlenose gar when he went bowfishing with his buddy Chris. The photo's a little off since he went swimming with the elf in his pocket (both the elf & John survived - this is why he doesn't get to use the Nikons near water).

The next one is John & I on Lake Nacogdoches in May. We didn't catch much beyond a sunburn but it was fun. Oh wait, John did catch a little fish. And we saw a gator.

The last three are from the tournament. Although John did not take a photo of his friend's boat or the fish they caught, these give you an idea. The airboat is one of the big impressive models. I loved the name of the next boat Ridin Dirty (redneck-style). Ridin Dirty is an apt description of these guys after they come home too. The big bucket of gar is just part of one team's catch. John & Doug shot 55 gar and 9 carp and they placed 7th.

Unjustly Accused

So, I try to get back on blogging track and Blogger says I'm a spam blog and won't let me post. Seriously, its like the universe conspires to prevent me from posting. Of course, some of you probably think that's a good thing...

Yes, I've been a procrastinator. You know, the whole I'll wait to post when I get pictures, which means I have to actually scan or download the pictures, then tweak them, then actually write something about them. I finally broke down & said forget it, I'll post now and add photos later, and Blogger starts hating on me. But really, I am glad they're trying to block the spam because I've seen the spam comments on other people's sites and that's not cool.

So what's been going on with the Wood's in the past month since we've posted. Well, for John, bowfishing, bowfishing, bowfishing. (pause while everyone gasps with shock) He's fished in Lake Summerville, Lake Nacogdoches, Toledo Bend, and in other assorted rivers & swamps on his boat, a swamp boat & a pontoon boat. It's a good thing he loves the art because the fish weren't there most of the time. He did get to go to a big bowfishing tournament in Anahuac. His buddy, Doug, has a swamp boat and they had a blast. They placed 7th of approx. 30 in number of fish (which was great considering they had a two-man team instead of 3). Their d'oh moment came when they passed up weighing in their top 10 - they would have placed 2nd & won $$$. Some of these teams had $50,000 boats with 502cu and 700+ horse-power engines (apparantly that's impressive - our truck is a 350cu). I didn't realize that swamp boats were powered with auto engines - when you see even a small one in person, it is impressive.

As for me, nothing too crazy - went on a spree in Barnes & Noble, then the local library. I toyed with the idea of keeping a list going on this site of them but that would take time away from my busy schedule of reading and watching Project Runway. I'm not normally a fan of reality tv (other than HGTV) - never got into Survivor, etc because to me, those shows usually show humanity at its worst (lots of greed, backstabbing,etc) and I find it a little depressing. Maybe that's why I enjoy HGTV, Project Runway and Extreme Makeover Home Edition, because the focus is more on creativity and making beautiful houses/clothes. Sure sometimes drama queens win out over actual talent (why Allison got kicked off instead of Vincent the wackadoo) but overall I think these shows demonstrate more of the positive aspects of the human condition and I can really get behind that. I could also get behind someone coming to my house and giving me pretty furniture and/or clothes. ;)

We did get to see the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus when it came to College Station. It was John's first circus ever! So much fun! Whether you've got kids or not, it's a great show - we really loved it.

We're planning on attending the (usually) annual Redneck Skeet Shoot at my friend Holly's this weekend. Hopefully we'll have some good pics to share from that & I'll get off my duff and post some fishing/circus pictures too.