Eccles family, Hunting and Back to Sherwin Williams....AGAIN!!!!!!

2009-04-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's been awhile since anyone has heard from me... But between work and everything else I have been pretty busy...Over the last year or so, I have found myself becoming more and more interested in politics...Is this due to the fact that I'm getting older?? I don't know?? I have developed some pretty strong feelings about where this country is headed and the choices they are making--heck, I even attended a tea party. Who would of ever of thought that I would be getting involved!! The tea party was amazing. First it started off with prayer--and then we said the Pledge of Allegiance (which you never hear anymore) and the whole crowd sang in unison the National Anthem--I have never been that inspired--I mean you could feel it in your chest the energy was absolutely amazing--the neat thing was that people did have signs, but it was nothing degrading or demeaning. The party was about how we did not agree with big government spending or the direction we are headed as a nation--I will try to get back on track though, sometimes I get fired up and wonder--

Lately I find myself putting aside some of the things I used to do and enjoy because there really is no meaning in them--They are just cheap entertainment--For example, I have and enjoy satellite radio--I had a few talk shows that I used to enjoy listening to--but now to me they are pretty much pointless--I've tried to listen and all I can think is that there is a lot more important things to worry about than this--and why can't they see what a waste of time---why are we filling our minds with this useless garbage--Another example is music. Some music is very pointless--but occasionally there are songs that have a deeper message and deserve to be heard--I feel myself drawn to these types of songs lately.

I also find myself in deep thought lately. I tend to look for places in which I can be alone and think through the goings on in the world--what will happen--where are we going as a country and why can't more people see it and stand up--why are we so greedy and lazy--what has America become--when I tell people about things why do some of them seem so ignorant? I mean some people don't even watch the news and when they do take a stand it is based on untrue rumors and urban legends they have read on the internet....

Why must kids grow up in a society and school system that is pushing things like global warming and everybody wins in school--Why are politics pushed on 5th graders, why do their teachers push their political beliefs onto their students. That's not what I pay for....

All these things are just running through my head and sometimes it makes me so upset that I just want to stand up and say "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore." The Founding Fathers had it right and everything was done with a Faith in God--And you know what--that's where it is at. I know through my religion that if I have faith in God and do what I know is right for me and my family, we will be ok. Push the values and beliefs that I hold dear onto my kids within the walls of our home and everything will work out--I've been getting the feeling that lately I need to keep a journal--maybe I will start--I mean this was never meant to be 3 pages long--but look where I ended up--Be strong in your foundation and be faithful to your God and everything should work out---If not for you, do it for your kids--

Me and Bubba Killing time until waterfowl season....

2008-08-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well it rained all weekend with flood warnings abundant.....Water rescues and low level flooding were everywhere...Crazy for August but perfect for the upcoming waterfowl season.....Now if I could just finish painting the house, I've got a 40 ft lift rented for next Saturday I hope it clears up by then....Meanwhile me and Bubba decided to get out and work off some prehunting season jitters....

Me and the kids found this cool Caterpillar......In Fly Fishing they would call this a Woolybugger I believe I have a few tied up in my Fly Box...

Some of the things you see in Kansas just have to make you laugh.....This kid pulled in the Gas station driving a 4 cylinder Toyota pickup with this big smoke stack on it.....This thing was louder than my V8 Chevy and it doesn't have a muffler on it......It sounded like a giant lawnmower....

This is me scared to death on the ladder trying to finish the house..( Sorry for the white legs ) (thankfully the BoomLift is scheduled soon).....

Duck Hunting is right around the corner......I can hardly contain myself......

2008-08-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's almost here Duck season is again right around the corner. It's time to get the gear out blow off the cobwebs, clean the gun, touch up the decoys, and buy some new stuff.........Here is a sample of what I live for every year, my passion, my calling in life.......The reason why I freeze to death at 3 o'clock in the morning in the middle of winter....There is nothing like first light on the Marsh or int field watching ducks pile into your decoys, watching the dog quiver with anticipation, the smell of burnt gunpowder on the crisp morning air.....Why do I do this you may ask? Why would I put myself through lots of effort for what could be little outcome????......Because When I'm duck hunting I've never felt more alive......or more rejuvenated......That is the moment when everything is absolutely perfect......That is what I Love.............Check out the Videos below.......At the very bottom.....

Limb Lining adventures of 2008

2008-07-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

This summer Dusty made it for our annual fishing trip. We decided to try our hand at limb lining this summer. For those of you who don't know what that is it's when you tie a heavy duty line onto a limb or a pole, ba it it and leave it over night to hopefully catch a monster catfish.....The target species is flathead catfish which in this part of the country can grow to be monsters.....It's very common to to catch 30 to 50 Pounders....we weren't that lucky but we did okay for our first time......ours were any where from 4 to 10 Pounds.....each person can can have 7 lines at one time so between the two of us 14 lines a night for 7 days we ended up with lots of catfish......We also caught some Bass and lots and lots of Bluegills........We had a great time and I hated to see Dusty leave....He is already talking about coming back in Feb 2009 for a chance at the monster Crappie we have here.....Here are some pics of our fun more will soon follow....

THIS VIDEO IS RATED PG-13.......

Painting, Fishing, Rain and Family

2008-07-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

" ODE TO MOUNTAIN DEW " Well it's official the much dreaded Kansas summer has arrived it's Saturday Aug 2nd and it's 103 degrees out with about 97 % humidity, we are in a severe heat watch until Monday night. What am I doing you might ask well I am outside painting my house, (I don't think I have ever sweated this much in my entire life!!!!) A little over a year ago I gave up one of my worst bad habits, drinking Mountain Dew. I would literally drink a couple of gallons a day. One day I noticed I hadn't been feeling very well so decided to quit it. Well obviously I started to feel better right away, and I haven't had a drink since. But today with the heat I want one really really bad. I just know it would taste so good the nectar of life flowing through my veins once again. Oh why did I give up such a wonderful thing.............Please I need help..........I hope I can make it through the day....

Well it's been awhile since I last posted on here, I have been busy at work and with the many things that accompany the summertime. Anyone who knows me knows that I constantly like to work on my house, and that it's almost always under construction of some kind. I really enjoy this, but it seams like most of my hunting and fishing gets pushed aside because i need to get my projects finished. Every spring I tell myself that I am goingto just take the summer off and enjoy myself but it never happens that way. ( I think it might be some kind of self torture)..... Well any way this time I have decided to paint the outside of our house. So far it looks great but it has taken every ounce of time I can spare.....a few hours after work each night and the weekends.......most of this is interrupted by the rain down pours that seem to show up everytime I have a day off or the 100 degree temps coupled with 98% humidity which equals to very slow drying paint......Hopefully I will get finished soon..... I have almost got done everything I can reach, and I am unsure how I'm going to get the high stuff because me and heights don't get along very well.......It's starting to crowd hunting season so I guess I'll get it done somehow...It's all about priorities.......

Here are a few more proud moments for me .............

Kodiak Loves Duck Decoys........

Kodiak's first fish he reeled it in himself.........
From Fashion and Cheerleading to Turkey Hunting???? Who Knew.....

The sunsets in Kansas are unbelievable, They say Kansas is 90% sky.......What do you think???

Hunting Season and Life Continues..........

2007-12-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

To all my loyal fans here is some more of what I promised you......More about me and my family.......Well so far this hunting season has been very slow, no ducks, no deer, no turkeys, there is still a month left so no fear, I just may come out on top yet. All I do is work and hunt, work and hunt, and work and hunt, I am very thankful for my understanding wife and kids......They all know they can join me at any time, but as of now most of them are unwilling.

For now we have decided to stay in our house in Eureka, we did not want to trade a big house with a small payment for a small house with big payment. I have always enjoyed living in and working on old houses and I think it is starting to rub off an Sharea. It may get messy sometimes and I may lose my enthusiasm for it right in the middle of a project, but we just might get this one finished before we move. So far we have finished one bathroom and two and a half bedrooms.......The upstairs is almost finished and then we will work our way down the stairs. It's always some kind of project with us.

You may be wondering whats on tap for me this summer, well obviously as the hunting season winds down the fishing will start up, I am looking forward to a visit from my good friend Dusty who will come down in June for a week or two of fishing, Hopefully we will catch more fish than we did last year as now i am more prepared. We might even head down to Oklahoma and do a little noodling for some big Flatheads. When we signed back up for Sherwin Williams insurance I made sure that we got accidental dismemberment policy on me so no fears....Lose a finger and make some money........Lose on arm and make even more......I heard those catfish can get big so I'm not taking any chances and beside I always look out for my family. For those of you who don't know what noodling is take a look at some videos that I found.......

With the coming of spring also comes the chance of storms. That's right another Tornado season with another chance of Fury on the plains. And yours truly will keep you updated. With camera in one hand and my cell phone in the other I will diligently chase any storm that comes my way. Documenting it with pictures and calling my Wife at the house to tell her when to take cover. I will be doing all this solo this year because of the absence of my brother, so it is all up to me to keep everyone informed of how we fare during this season of living in Tornado Alley......

Oh and by the way here are some commercials me and Sharea get a kick out of see what you think?????

2007-12-18T14:58:00.001-08:00

Beau Arndt
A polite young man who loved to hunt and made friends everywhere he went.
It shouldn’t be so easy to sum up 18 years of life in a few simple words, but talk to enough people who knew Beau Arndt, and that’s the picture you’ll get. What’s harder for those who love him is realizing it’s time to sum up just 18 short years of life.
Arndt, who would have turned 19 today, was killed Saturday morning doing what he loved most, his family said — hunting with friends.
“No one in our family is interested in hunting,” said Chris Arndt, Beau’s mother. “He had to get it on his own.”
Arndt was 8 years old when he got a BB gun and camouflage clothing for his birthday.
“All the papers he wrote in college mentioned that birthday,” his mother said.
Arndt started hunting around his own property west of Americus. Originally, he started with a slingshot, his mother recalled. A bluejay was his first successful shot. Chris remembers her husband, Bob, telling her about it.
“I asked, ‘Was he upset?’” Chris recalled. “Bob said he got this grief-stricken look on his face when it fell to the ground. But when Annabelle, Seth and I told him what a great shot that was, he changed his mind.’”
Chris also recalled her eldest son’s first squirrel. He’d shot it on their property, then used a book to show him how to skin it and dress it.
From there, Beau Arndt reached out to other hunters in the tight-knit community of Americus.
“He could just strike up a conversation with anybody,” Chris Arndt said.
They taught him how to hunt, and he returned the favor as he got older, teaching his friends and other youth how to hunt.
And he tried to get his family to hunt. One year, Chris Arndt recalled, everyone in the family was going to help Beau get a turkey.
“He had me dressed up in camouflage,” she recalled, and they tromped across a field. Chris was making too much noise.
“He said, ‘Quiet, Mother, quiet.’”
This year, the teen took his first deer with a bow. He’d killed deer with a rifle, but had never tried bowhunting. He donated the deer meat to charity.
But hunting waterfowl was Beau Arndt’s favorite sport.
“Duck hunting and goose hunting were his very favorite,” his mother remembered, “which doesn’t make sense to me because it’s a whole lot of work.
“They haul decoys, 100 to 150 of them, set them up in the field, set up the blind and use calls. He loved that. He’d call in 100, 200, 300 in a flock of geese.”
And Chris Arndt knows about those decoys. When Beau was in high school, he broke his leg. The next day, he wanted to go hunting, crutches and all.
“He said, ‘Can you drive me out?’” Chris said. “So I did. That’s when I helped him get the decoys out.”
On Saturday morning, Beau Arndt was back in the field hunting geese. He’d moved back home Friday when the dorms closed at Emporia State University, where he’d completed his first semester. He hadn’t declared a major yet, but everything he did was planned to push him closer to his goal.
“He wanted to move to Canada and be a hunting guide,” Bob Arndt, Beau’s father said.
On Saturday, Beau Arndt was supposed to unpack. Everything he’d brought home from the dorm was piled on the family’s back porch.
“As soon as he got home, he was going to put all that stuff away,” his mother said.
But hunting came first. And he was headed out with two friends, Derek Jackson and Tom Glass, one of the hunting mentors in Beau’s life. Chris wasn’t worried, because safety had always been such a large part of hunting for her son.
He’d taken his first hunter safety class as an elementary student. His parents insisted he repeat the course later when he was older. And Chris Arndt laid down her own rules.
“I used to not allow him to hunt with other people because of safety,” she said.
Eventually, she said, when Beau was 16, she let him hunt with one other person with a shared gun.
“They’d tease me,” she said. “They’d say, ‘There are three of us and we only have one gun.’ I said, ‘You’re safe like that.’”
To those who know and understand safe hunting, Beau Arndt’s death seems even more senseless. He was hunting with two friends in a farm field. They’d put out their decoys and Arndt and Jackson got ready to call in the geese. Glass was a little ways away following prairie chickens.
That’s when a pickup truck drove by and slowed down. A rifle shot rang out. It hit Beau Arndt in the chest.
“Beau screamed,” Chris said. “Derek jumped up and ran to him. Tom jumped up and ran to him.”
Beau Arndt, just three days shy of his 19th birthday, was dead.
His hunting friends want it made clear that he wasn’t killed in a hunting accident.
It’s illegal to shoot at game from a vehicle; it’s illegal to shoot into land without the landowner’s permission; and it’s illegal to shoot at gamebirds with rifles. That spells poaching, not hunting, Randy Smith, an Americus hunter and friend of Beau’s, wrote on The Gazette’s Web site.
Beau’s family hopes the shooter is found. His father, Bob, hopes it doesn’t turn out to be a young kid whose life could be ruined. Chris said she carries no hate.
“There’s no way he can pay a price,” she said. “No time spent behind bars is the same because my son is gone.”
Today, Beau Arndt’s family is living what his mother calls her “worst nightmare.” His younger brother, Seth, and sister, Annabelle, have put together posters of Beau’s life for the funeral service. His parents have met with funeral directors and florists.
Through it all, they said, they’ve been bolstered by those whose lives Beau Arndt touched.
“I can’t tell you how much that means,” Chris said. “Between 10 and 30 people have been in the house; it’s been a continuous revolving door.”
And they’ve started walking that long series of “last times.”
Chris Arndt on Monday remembered her son as the kind of man who lit up a room with his infectious mood.
“When he’s happy,” she said, then stopped.
“When he was happy, the whole room was happy.”
He was polite, she said, something she heard time after time from other parents.
And he was particular.
“I always ironed his T-shirts and clothes for school.”
She paused.
“I did that for the last time,” she said, with tears in her voice, as she remembered picking out Beau’s clothes for his funeral.
And her son will get a final birthday present. On the morning he left for his last hunting trip, he’d bundled up to spend a day laying in a snowy field. He’d borrowed long underwear from his mother because his was still packed. And he tried to wheedle the new hunting boots he knew his parents had bought for his birthday.
“I said, ‘No, those are your birthday boots.’ I made him wait.”
Beau Arndt’s funeral is at 11 a.m. Thursday.
“He’s going to get to wear his new boots,” his mother said softly.

Close Call................

2007-12-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Americus man Killed...........
Beau Arndt, 18, of Americus was killed Saturday morning as he and a friend were hunting fowl on property in northwest Lyon County.
Lyon County sheriff's deputies worked the scene.
According to information from friends of the families involved, Arndt was hunting with a friend on land near Roads 310 and D. They were hunting fowl with shotguns and had deployed decoys.
The initial, unconfirmed report said that the shot, which apparently was from a rifle, came from an old pickup truck that was passing by on the roadway.
Lyon County Sheriffs are looking for a late 1970's Ford pickup with a red cab and three different sized quarter panels and with an orange bed. The truck was seen a few minutes before the incident and within a couple miles of the site and was said to be occupied by four males. The truck has Shawnee County plates.
Arndt graduated from Northern Heights High School in May.
If you have seen this truck or have information, call the Lyon County Sheriff's department at 342-5545.
Comments

The day before this happened I was invited to go along..........I had been trying to go goose hunting with a painter from work for some time.........Finally on Friday he stopped by the store and asked if I wanted to go with him on Saturday morning.......He only has room for 2 other hunters due to the way he sets up his decoys......If I would have accepted his invitation I would have filled the last spot available, but for some reason even unknown to me at the time I declined and said I was busy........Monday morning he stopped by the store and said that I was lucky I didn't go because the guy that took my place was shot and killed by a high powered Rifle.......It is strange to think that it could have been me.........He said that someone shot into the decoys from the road and then this young man start screaming, and shortly after he died while they were performing CPR..........It makes you stop and think...........

Darby may she Rest In Peace......

2007-11-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

Our Black Lab was struck and killed by a car 11/29/07 after escaping from her kennel. She had been with us for 10 years. She will be missed.....For more info refer to my wifes Blog.........

2007-11-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hi to all......

I know it's been awhile since I last posted anything, and I really though about just doing away with this thing....but with the encouragement of my wife I have updated this with new pictures of me my family and my dog.....I have been busy lately with hunting season in full swing, and work back to normal.....We almost up and moved to New Mexico but Luckily the Sherwin Williams store in Emporia hired me on as an assistant manager, Yep that's right to all you nonbelievers......I didn't make it I am back to old faithful, I am back to slinging Paint for a Living.....but whatever pays the bills I guess.....Right now though I am busy looking for my whitetail buck, I have had horrible luck this year.....I lost my permission to hunt some private land at the last minute and had to go public with no success......Luckily I found some more private land and know I have 1 month left to fill my tag before I go insane.....Also as always I still have an eye to the sky looking for every ones feathered friend the Duck.....Many a cold nasty morning I can found crouching in the muck down at the nearest duck marsh, call me crazy but that is when I am the happiest.....So between that and work and family I have been very busy....Oh and I am proud to welcome my 8 yr old daughter Jurnee to the hunting field she has once again been following me to the duck blind, and has been working hard on shooting her 22 we got her last year for Christmas. This winter I am going to try a find her a youth model shotgun so she can go spring turkey hunting with me.....So the race is on who will get the Kansas Turkey first??????? Until next time............

Duckaholics Creed

2007-07-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Step One: I have admitted that I am powerless when it comes to hunting ducks. My life becomes unmanageable when season begins, so do yourself a favor and stay out of my way!

Step Two: I have come to believe that without an opportunity to “paralyze” a duck with a Commander call, life would just not be worth living.

Step Three: I have made a decision to turn my life, my time and my resources over to getting ready for the second split.

Step Four: I have made a searching and fearless inventory of myself, my truck, my shed, my closet, my carport, under my bed and everywhere else I might have some gear. I will always be ready for duck season!

Step Five: I have admitted to God, to myself and to another human being (probably a hunting buddy) the exact nature of my love for duck hunting and why I can’t stop.

Step Six: I am entirely ready to have God remove all my defects of character, as long as He leaves me my shotgun, shells, decoys, dog, boat, duck calls, etc.

Step Seven: I have humbly asked the Federal Government to remove many of their obtrusive restrictions on my beloved sport.

Step Eight: I have made a list of all the people I have irritated because of my addiction (wives, bosses, girlfriends, game wardens, etc.) and became willing to make amends to them, after duck season.

Step Nine: I would have made direct amends to the people on the above-mentioned list, but my retriever ate it.

Step Ten: I continue to take a personal inventory of all the latest duck hunting gadgets and products to make sure I’m on the cutting edge of my addiction.

Step Eleven: I have sought through practice and meditation to improve my duck hunting skills and to learn as much as possible from the Duck Commander about how to deal with this life-long addiction to ducks.

Step Twelve: Having been awakened to the fact that there are many other Duckaholics out there, I will carry the message that there is help available and encourage others to join Duckaholics

Another long weekend......

2007-07-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well here it is another weekend...It should be a good weekend though because it's my last one at the grocery store. I handed in my keys and I will be picking up a few extra hours elsewhere. It's about time to start getting ready for hunting season, I didn't draw for Idaho this year so I of course will concentrate more on Kansas and see if I can get one of those big Kansas Whitetails everyone talks so much about. I think I have found some better waterfowl hunting spots as well, having a boat should be a real help in locating some decent duck hunting......Until next time....

No Idaho Deer tag for Todd.......

2007-07-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well it's finally here I got the news I didn't draw for an Idaho deer tag. S I guess I will have to be happy with a kansas deer this year. Besides that nothing new has happened here lately. The kids have been going swimming when ever they get the chance and to the matinees at the movie theatre. Work for me has seemed like it's been picking up lately, so we'll see what happens. I think I have found a perfect house to flip, I am just waiting to get a few bids to see if it is going to be profitable or not.

The weather has been pretty good, acyually pretty mild lately we still get a couple of thunderstorms a week which is nice because it cools things off. Besides that not much is going here, I am just counting the days until hunting season starts. If you know me well that shouldn't surprise you though. Well I have leave for my trek to work....So until next time.......

Surviving the Fourth......

2007-07-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well we did it we survived the Fourth. My parents came down and we spent it just relaxing around the house. They actually came down to move my brother and his family back to Idaho and so they spent the fourth with us....It was fun, but kind of sad to because now we are the only ones in Kansas. It's kind of like we are all alone, I know that we didn't spend alot of time together when he lived here but it was nice to know that he was close by....

Right now Real Estate business is really slow. I am about ready to go nuts, so I got a part time hob as the night manager at the local grocery store, what a joke that is basically my job is to babysit high school kids that don't show up to work call in sick and back talk worse than my kids do....They don't pay me enough for that....As soon as i find a house to flip I'm quitting, no 2 weeks or anything I'm just handing in my keys and leaving.

Well I finally got a trailer for my boat now maybee I will go fishing more. I like to go just not by myself. When Dusty came down i had a blast, but going by myself is just not the same....I was going to start painting the house but I then realized that I probably didn't have enough time with work and then more work, so I guess it will have to wait until next spring....Along with about a hundered other projects....Well it's getting late so I better get to bed..Until next time.....

Real Estate and Rain........In Kansas??????

2007-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well it's been an interesting week here in Kansas. We had 21 inches of rain in three days, ( not what I would have expected when moving to Kansas ) anyway you look at it thats alot of water!!! They closed down several highways and evacuated many towns. I've got enough water in my backyard to float my fishing boat. Meanwhile house selling in Emporia, KS is kind of slow right now, a couple deals that I had totally fell apart and there wasn't much I could do about it except stand back and watch. But I guess that thats part of the game...I am now in the process of looking for a house to rehab and then sell for a profit, this is something I would like to do here for awhile and make use of some of my free time between appointments. I am currently working on the house that me and my family live in and that of course will be an ongoing project. Shortly I will post some pics of the house before and after for all of those who haven't seen it yet. Hunting is still a ways off, but of course I am constantly getting ready for it in some way or another. I am hoping to come back to Idaho and Mule Deer this year, but I am waiting to see if I drew a tag, of course I will also fit in some Duck hunting to......Until next time......