Jay Kemp Swinging for the Fence
"I don't want to bunt every time. I'm going to swing for the fence." Jay Kemp is explaining how his most successful painting came to life. He wanted to paint a big bull elk, he says, running a hand through his hair, green eyes looking beyond the glass doors of his...
Dispatch From the Caribbean 4
At the intertidal zone on the north shore of St. Croix, located on the west edge of Annaly Bay, rests a tidal pool. Access to this rock formation where saltwater deposits pool together, separate from the sea, is not easy, though rather simple: You either hike the 2.7...
Dispatch From the Caribbean 3
The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land. They look at the sea all day. As long as it takes to pass A ship keeps raising its hull; The wetter ground like glass Reflects a standing gull The land may vary more; But wherever...
Dispatch From the Caribbean 2
“Long have you timidly waded Holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, Rise again, nod to me, shout, And laughingly dash with your hair.” - Walt Whitman There are moments when you feel an action. Something...
Dispatch From the Caribbean
We arrived in St. Croix around three this afternoon. The atmosphere was a bit heavy, some weighty humidity. The wind carried in an air of salt — mnemonic zephyrs of days yester. Scents have an uncanny power to conjure old memories. Catch a whiff of the sea when you...
A Week Before Christmas
One morning, a December long-ago, a week before Christmas, Bob walked into a local store in Millerton, New York. The owner, Phil, a friend, was behind the counter taking care of a customer as Bob came in from the cold. “Late night, Bob,” he said. That wasn’t a...
A Deer Hunter is Born – Preface
A Deer Hunter is Born I was only 14 in the fall of 1956, but I was already a passionate pheasant hunter. Once the hunting season opened, while the other guys were at football practice or shooting pool and playing the pinball machines a Mel's Grill, you could usually...
This Is Your Rifle – True Aim
Our Editorial Director, Scott E. Mayer, called me into his office to help him mount and bore-sight a scope on a Mossberg Patriot Predator 308 Win. After a few instructions on the rifle itself and its constituent parts, he handed me an envelope and a blank “Thank You”...
Spirit of Christmas, Mamma Casada
If the Spirit of Christmas embraces things such as love of family, togetherness, warm feelings, goodness, excitement and faith, then my mother was the quintessence of that spirit. Many adjectives seem appropriate when describing her love of life in general,...
Sausage Stuffed Quail, Wine Pairing
A Fall Favorite: Sausage Stuffed Quail and Wine Pairing A season to revel in the cool breeze and crisp lowcountry air, fall is a time for gathering around the table with good conversation. After a day in the field here at Brays, there’s nothing better than cooking up...