LIVE BOLD. » Outdoors

Along Comes a Spider

Steve — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:37:23 +0000

By: Steve Fandel

I’m often amazed and in awe over the beauty and intricacy of creation. I find that this is a real side benefit and blessing of getting into nature photography. I’ve been delving deeper into this enjoyable hobby of mine, creating digital images of the beauty all around us. Sunrises and sunsets are my personal favorite.

Try as I might, even the best camera with the largest number of pixels couldn’t fully do justice to the splendid colors that God mixes on his great palette in the sky. Still, I find myself pausing during these “Kodak moments” to give thanks for the beauty that I too often take for granted.

But while it’s usually something like the breath taking sunsets or majestic mountains that evoke such feelings, I credit a spider for my latest creation chill bumps.

Crazy as it may sound, I found myself with my camera lens (and my hand) about two inches away from a rather large spider on its web. It seems that three such large spiders (I don’t know what kind) have decided to spin a web alongside our house, near one of my flower gardens.

I decided to try and snap some “macro” shots of these spiders while the sun was setting one day this week. As any photographer will tell you, that “magic hour” before and after sunrise/sunset is the best time for getting that perfect (God-given) light to take pictures.

With the beauty of digital, I snapped about 40 images of the spiders, then went inside to upload on my computer and admire my photos and God’s creation. I was amazed at the level of detail in a few of these shots.

Again, I don’t have that expensive a camera (but I’ve got my eyes on one) but it was good enough to reveal the tiny detail of this scary spider. I found myself wondering how God could create such intricate detail in this rather small creature.

The web itself is another work of beauty that the spider spins for its prey. As I paused to ponder the furry legs of the spider, I recalled the verse of scripture that talks about the minute detail that exists within God’s creation.

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
-Matthew 10:30

While checking out that verse on line, I came across a commentary from John Wesley that speaks to the fact that God is indeed concerned with the smallest of details in his creation and in our lives. Wesley writes:

The particular providence of God is another reason for your not fearing man. For this extends to the very smallest things. And if he has such care over the most inconsiderable creatures, how much more will he take care of you. (provided you confess him before men, before powerful enemies of the truth) And that not only in this life, but in the other also.
- John Wesley commentary

The next time I go to thinking that God doesn’t care about this or that happening in my life, I hope I’ll remember that spider. A creator that goes into such intricate detail in creating a spider, must surely be mindful of the attitudes and actions of man.

No Shot Was Fired

Lee — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:17:53 +0000

The alarm went off right on time it was opening day of gun season for deer in November of 2002.

When I got up that morning the usual excitement that comes with opening day was missing this time. My family had been going through a tough period over the last few years that came to a head on October 15th of 2002. My father in law had passed away on that day after a long battle with cancer.

On this particular morning… it was supposed to be my daughter Ashton’s first hunt where she would actually be the hunter and not just the spectator. My father in law had been planning this for a year. He had picked out her a Remington .243 and told her she would be sitting with him on his private stand known as The Dog Leg. She had been extremely excited about that hunt, but now things had changed and I would have to try to fill in the best I could.

I woke up my little girl early that morning and we left for the hunting camp while it was still dark. We drove to the camp in a heavy, sad silence in the truck with an occasional sniffle instead of the usual hunting talk about the weather and how many deer we would probably see. We stopped at my father in law’s favorite store on the way to get some biscuits, cold drinks and snacks. I was determined to do my best to make sure that everything he had planned on doing for her that day got done.

We pulled in to the camp house and we could smell the smoke from the old stove and we heard the familiar low hushed voices from inside, and yet we both knew that something was missing. Most of the people that hunted with us were either family or long time friends of my father in law, and they too were trying to cope with the loss of a father, grandfather, uncle, boss, hunting club president, and trusted friend.

After spending some time inside the camp house, the time came when all of us drew a number for a stand except my daughter. We all knew where she would hunt that day. After a prayer was offered for the safety of our hunters everyone went to their stands.

My daughter and I climbed up into the Dog Leg while it was still dark. As we got situated for the hunt I quietly said a prayer to God that just maybe Ashton would get her first buck that day or that we would at least see some deer. You should know that I don’t usually pray to God for me to have a successful hunt, but this was my little girl’s first hunt and with all she had been through I was really hoping it would be a good day for her.

At first light the anticipation was high and we were both quietly waiting for the action to start. I looked at Ashton and realized how lucky I was to have a daughter that would hunt with her dad. With the bad circumstances that had put me with her that day instead of her being with Paw Paw Phillips I thanked God for this opportunity. As if on cue, I looked to my left and noticed a decent rack buck walking across the narrow food plot. I quickly alerted Ashton to the buck, but by the time she turned around and got her gun up… the buck was already in the woods. It appeared that our opportunity was gone.

Before we knew it, there he was again… he stepped out. You could tell by the way he walked boldly out in the open with his head held high that he knew he was the boss in that neck of the woods. The morning sunlight was reflecting off his majestic set of almost white antlers. I was witnessing the largest buck I had ever seen and my little girl was fixed on him. She had her gun up and I told her to take the shot when she got ready. After a few moments the big buck started walking out of the food plot. It was at this point I started almost pleading with her to shoot the buck.

No shot was fired.

When he was gone I asked what happened. Without turning around the she said she could not see him through her scope. When I asked her why she couldn’t see him she turned around and that is when I could see the tears in her eyes. She said when she saw the big buck all she could think was Paw Paw was supposed to be here today. Needless to say hunting was forgotten for the moment. I hugged my little girl and when we both had dried our tears we finally were able to talk about how big the white antlered buck had been.

I wish I could tell you that he stepped back out and she got her buck that day, but it did not happen. We sat in that stand waiting on the buck over next few days. Good news is that finally on Thanksgiving morning my daughter got her first buck. It was a young six pointer. My daughter still to this day has a fascination with bucks with light colored antlers, and still sits in the Dog Leg almost every time she goes hunting. It gives her the opportunity to remember her Paw Paw Phillips and wait on the big white antlered buck. She is grown into a beautiful young lady today, but every time I drop her off at the Dog Leg I remember that she will always be my little girl that sometimes just needs her dad to hold her, to cry with her and to tell her it will be okay.

God has a way of teaching us lessons through the eyes and thoughts of our children. In fact, God tells us that we should approach him like a child… full of wonder, trust, excitement, and in an authentic way.

Hunting Buddies

Lee — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:36:08 +0000

As the first day of deer season rapidly approaches I would like to remind you dads out there that this is the opportunity you have been waiting on to spend quality time with your son or daughter. I would also like to offer some advice on how to make your decision to include your child in this past time a positive one.

First things first for you hardcore serious hunters that have to plan each and every detail of each and every hunt- forget it. My father-in-law taught me this lesson… These first hunts are not so much about hunting as it is about making hunting fun.

One of the biggest mistakes a lot of dads make (myself included) is that we get so worked up and focused on the end result of the hunt that we miss out on all the fun we could be having — even if we don’t harvest a deer much less see a deer.

I had been taking my daughter hunting since she was five years old and she was a trooper to put up with me constantly telling her to be still or to be quiet so as not to scare off any deer. Then one day we went hunting with my father-in-law and I noticed how much more fun she had with him. From that day forward I made sure our hunting trips together were all about having fun.

Here’s what you need to focus on: If they want to talk then talk, if they want a cold drink then go get them a cold drink, if they want to move around a little let them move around a little. In other words at first don’t worry about the end result of the hunt, but rather focus on the production leading up to the end of the hunt. If you do this it really won’t matter to your little hunter whether or not they got to see or harvest a deer it will only matter to them that they got some one on one time with dad.

Here’s another very important lesson: Do not force them to do anything they don’t want to do when it comes to harvesting an animal. Don’t rush or force them to pull the trigger until they are ready. Have some self-control…if your child doesn’t want to shoot a doe don’t make them. If they don’t want to shoot a deer at all don’t make them. But when they do decide to take the shot… it is your responsibility to ensure that they’ve learned and understood gun safety rules. It is also your responsibility to ensure that through adequate practice your child is proficient with their gun. Doing this first… will give them the confidence they need when it’s time to make a good clean shot. There is nothing sadder to see than the face of a child who has just missed or worse yet wounded a deer that is not found.

I hope that by following these few tips I have given and by the grace of God to overcome the mistakes we as fathers make you will have the opportunity to raise up the best hunting buddy you could have ever dreamed of having. I know that I have.

Even with all the mistakes I made along the way God blessed me with a great hunting partner — my daughter. I look forward to every hunting trip I have left with her and now that she has grown into a young lady at nineteen. Today, I still get the same feeling of pride and joy when she not only harvests a buck, but when she just chooses to go hunting and hang out with her old dad. I can only hope that your story turns out as good as mine.

I hope you have a successful hunting season, but most of all remember to make it fun and they will grow up wanting to hunt and hang out with old dad.