When I was young
Til I grew old
I got my joy
From dogs afield
Dogs seeking birds
To point with style Read more
When I Was Young
Category: Poetry
A Fall Derby Stake
I love a fall derby stake
For the chance it uncovers a great
The chance may be slim Read more
I Miss the Mountains
I miss the mountains whence I came
The Blue Ridge of Southwest Virginia
The Parkway ribbons along their top
From Afton to Fancy Gap non-stop
In April they turn from brown to green
Redbuds and dogwoods declare spring
In October they blaze yellow, orange, red,
Under myriad sunsets, moons full and new
Night skies lit by stars or gray with rain Read more
Joe
He was the best I ever owned But in truth he owned me A setter pup from Flash and Pat From their first litter of a dozen more Joe Prince gave me Joe A weanling gift for Christmas I’d got Flash for him from Bill Anderson And Pat for him from Arthur Bean She a daughter of Alamance Pride Runner-Up to Hilmar for Arthur in the Eastern Open ‘76 Flash Read more
I Hate But
I hate the shortening of the days
When fall drifts in at summer’s end Read more
I Wish
I wish I could ride again
One more time
Ole Leonard
Over course two
On Chinquapin
See Silverwood Read more
When January Comes
When January comes
I will be here at home
First time since 1994
Won’t be at Chinquapin
The second week
Of that cold month at home
I spent in North Florida
From 1995 through 2022 Read more
Of All the Gifts
Of all the gifts they gave me
And there were many
None were more rewarding
Than my boyhood on a farm Read more
What if?
What if there were no more field trials?
Soon there would be only ankle warmers
For only competition’s testing leads to better breeding
It’s not a way-out theory
It’s the truth Read more
Days Remembered
I was twenty three to thirty
Care worn and sometimes depressed
But grouse season opened
So I put my setter in the plywood box I’d built Read more