My buddy Luke
Is feeling low
In hospital now
For rehab and a fix of heart beat slow Read more
My Buddy Luke
Category: Other Things
An Open Letter to the American Field
As a long time lover of bird dogs and the field trial sport, I wish the American Field Publishing Company only success. And with that success in mind, I urge it to make available to subscribers (perhaps as a premium subscription to give it additional revenue) online access to one of its treasures: the annual records of all field trial results sanctioned by it printed in the back of Field Trial Stud Books from 1901 through 1948. Read more
1961 to 2021: Reflections on Sixty Years as a T & E Lawyer
On May 1, 2021, I will celebrate sixty years as a practicing T & E (Trusts & Estates) lawyer. Here are some thoughts at this milestone.
First: my good luck, so much of it. I grew up on a small sheep and beef farm in Virginia’s mountains. My father died when I was fifteen, leaving my mother and me to carry on with the farm. (His federal estate tax return revealed an adjusted gross estate (net worth) of $29, 946.28). Read more
Merry Christmas!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday Season! Read more
Staying Sane
On May 1, 2021, I will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of commencing law practice, Lord willing. Why has he not retired? you ask. Read more
What Field Trials Have Given Me
Folks like to talk about what someone has given to field trials, especially when Hall of Fame voting time rolls around. This is about what field trials have given to me. The short answer is, much happiness. Read more
One Who Gave For Us — And Paid A Price
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
President John F. Kennedy, inaugural address, January 20, 1961. Read more
Hope for Quail in Virginia
As a dedicated quail hunter in Virginia from the 1960s through the 1990s, I have since been in mourning for the bird. Wild quail seem to have virtually disappeared from the Old Dominion. But there may be hope for the noble species, at least in the coastal plain, thanks to joint efforts of the Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Read more
An Open Letter to the American Field Publishing Company
Dear American Field management and ownership:
I have been a loyal subscriber and contributor for six decades. I understand and appreciate the economic reasons for your leavIng behind the world of print media. I write to urge you to pursue excellence in the world of internet publishing. I will gladly pay for on-line access to your priceless records of the pointing dog world going back to 1874, and I believe others will also. Please do not let your (and our) heritage slip away. Read more
How I Came to Write About Bird Dogs
I came by a love of stories, written and oral, by inheritance. My father and his father loved them too, and from an early age turned me to reading stories. They were both fans of O. Henry, Jack London and James Thurber, among others. My father liked particularly light verse, especially that of Ogden Nash, which appeared regularly in The New Yorker Magazine Read more