SUPPLEMENTAL
December 2010 Newsletter
Jim Casada
Web site:
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
1250 Yorkdale Drive
E-mail: jc@jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Rock Hill, SC 29730-7638
803-329-4354
Some Personal News, Tips on a Couple of Interesting Web Sites, and a
Note of Heartfelt Thanks
My Grandpa Joe was about as humble and unassuming a man as ever graced the
face of the earth, although he also was a man of pride and fierce
independence. Any time I indulge in a moment of self-congratulation or
self-promotion, as I’m about to do, I look back on our time together and
wonder how Grandpa might have reacted. In the end he probably would have
resorted to one of his favorite ways of assessing matters and their
likely impact. To wit, his thinking would have been along the line of
“things ain’t always what they seem” or “you’ll learn.” The latter
invariably came when I questioned some action of his or when I wanted to
take one about which Grandpa had some doubts.
Anyway, I’m about to indulge in a possibly unseemly bit of horn tooting,
but if I don’t toot my horn I reckon it won’t get tooted. Thanks to
gracious folks such as those of you who receive this newsletter, in
recent weeks I’ve been blessed to receive a bevy of excellence in craft
awards from two writers’ organizations in which I’ve long held
membership, the
Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) and the
South Carolina
Outdoor Press Association (SCOPE). Here are the awards, and notice
that the list leads off with recognition for this newsletter. Thanks!
Each and every one of you are a part of that reward.
SEOPA
-
1st place in the Outdoor Entrepreneur competition for this Web
site and its newsletter
-
2nd place in the Outdoor Book competition for Fly Fishing in
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insider’s Guide to a
Pursuit of Passion
-
3rd place in the Best Weekly Newspaper Column competition for
“An Ode to October” in the Smoky Mountain Times
SCOPE
-
1st place in the Newspaper Feature competition for “Living Off
the Land: A Vanishing Way of Life” in the Smoky Mountain Times
-
3rd place in the Magazine Feature competition for “Reflections
on a Marvelous Madness” in the NRA’s American Hunter magazine
(the article was on turkey hunting)
-
1st place in the Magazine or Newspaper Column competition for
“In the Good Ol’ Summertime” in the Smoky Mountain Times
-
2nd place in the Magazine or Newspaper Column competition for
“Musings on ’Coons, ‘Possums and Other Destructive Critters” in
Predator Xtreme magazine
-
1st place in Non-game Outdoor Enjoyment competition for “A World
of Wonder: Wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway” in Smoky
Mountain Living magazine
-
3rd place in Non-game Outdoor Enjoyment competition for “The
Pleasures of Pickin’ – Wild Strawberries, That Is” in the Smoky
Mountain Times
-
1st place in Editorial Opinion competition for “Only Hunters Are
Able to Save Hunting” in The Herald
-
2nd place in Editorial Opinion competition for “Economic Woes
and the Sportsman’s World” in The Herald
I’ve recently picked up a new writing gig, something which is always
welcome in a world where it seems freelance work is increasingly hard to
find. In this case, the focus of the publication and its geographical
span of coverage are both right up my alley, and I think any of you who
share my love of Appalachian ways and life as it was in yesteryear will
agree. Moreover, like this newsletter, the price is right – free. I urge
you to visit the
Tuckasegee
Reader and check out my column along with other offerings. While
some of the coverage is intensely local, centering on the Tuckasegee
River drainage in Jackson and Swain counties, other material is more
generic in nature and will have a much wider appeal. For example, my
most recent column (my contributions appear every Thursday) deals with
the literature of mountain hunting and just might give you insight on
some books you didn’t know about. At any rate, I would encourage you to
visit
www.TuckReader.com and check it out.
Likewise, you might also want to do a bit of browsing on a site I’ve
mentioned before, Tipper Pressley’s blog on The Blind Pig & the Acorn.
Tipper is a true daughter of the high country with a deeply rooted love
for the old ways and an abiding respect for tradition. Several times
each week she offers a piece (it’s still difficult for me to use the
word “blog,” which somehow sounds like a word belong to that little
shack out back with a door adorned by a representation of a new moon) on
a wide-ranging array of topics. Among the grist for her literary mill is
mountain cooking, Appalachian writers (if I’m lucky she’ll feature me
one of these days), mountain music (a plus is you can listen to
wonderful music, much of it provided by her brother, father, or twin
daughters, while you read), crafts, seasonal material such as Halloween
pieces on ghosts and mysteries, and my personal favorite, the occasional
vocabulary quiz focusing on words and expressions distinctive to the
Appalachians. It’s fun and educational. Check it out at
www.Blindpigandtheacorn.com.
Finally, an apology, some news on upcoming events, and some words of
heartfelt thanks. In the “I goofed” category, a reader who also happens
to be a classmate from high school days long ago rightly took me to task
for ending my December newsletter with “Happy Holidays.” He e-mailed me
to suggest, in no uncertain terms, that the phrase smacked of political
correctness, abject forgetfulness regarding the true meaning of
Christmas, and general stupidity (he did so in a bit more diplomatic
fashion, but that’s what it amounted to. Simply put, he was right, and I
apologize. MERRY
CHRISTMAS!!
Take a moment, especially if you live in my part of the world, to
check out my upcoming schedule. I’ve got a
bunch of book signings in the next couple of weeks as well as an
appearance at The Fly Fishing Show in a new location, Raleigh, N.C., in
January. I hope to see some of you on one of the occasions.
While I wish you the best in this season of good will to all men and time
of deep religious meaning, I would also be remiss if I failed to thank
you for your support, the most welcome e-mails letting me know you enjoy
the newsletter, the orders for books, and general appreciation of my
efforts. It’s what keeps the literary juices bubbling, and I’m happy to
say that
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com is on track to have more than 100,000
visits (again, I have trouble with the word “hit” – to me that’s a term
to describe what happens when a shot at a deer is on target or when a
steelie taw knocks a cat’s eye out of the circle – if you don’t know
what that’s about, take a fast lesson in shooting marbles). That amazes
me, even though my long-suffering and wonderful webmaster,
Tracy Watt,
told me it could, over time, happen. She may have pulled me along
dragging and kicking into the world of modern communication, but I’m
glad she did. It gave me a chance to have contact with each and every
one of you.
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