Friends of feathers

My recent November trip to Wisconsin/Minnesota was one I’ve been anticipating writing about. I returned home to jumping right back into where I left off with Thanksgiving pending, my son’s Birthday party to prep and host, as well as Christmas shopping. I’ve been slightly occupied to say the least. I felt worried that by the time I got to writing about it, that maybe I’d forget something. That could not be further from the truth. I remember every single second of it. Which just goes to say it was THAT special of a trip.

I was invited by my friend, Whitney who gathered and invited a lovely group of women together and named it the “Pretty FeatHERS” weekend hunt. This was the second year, and I’m so glad I was able to make it this go round. In short, it is a group of ladies that spend a weekend bonding through pheasant hunting, cocktails, fellowship, laughs, good food, and games. (OH the card games) … If walls could talk…moving on…

Arrival in Wisconsin: Whit, thank you so much for picking me up at the airport (and dropping me off) and showing me how chores at the kennel and home go. Loved seeing the pups, horses and the bald eagle that flew ever so surprisingly just above our heads.

Evening time: What us girls thought was going to be a limo picking us up turned out to be a LARGE party bus that picked the 3 of us gals up. It prob could have fit 15 more people. Anyways, we stepped onto that bus with a generous amount of mixed cider in a gallon jug. We needed to pick up Jamie, so we bounced around to music and danced as we made our way to her house. To say that we weren’t launched around back there would be a lie. Whit, Britt, Jamie and I were pretty much human bouncing balls spilling our drinks, singing, dancing, and laughing our way to dinner. RESERVATIONS at a restaurant FOR 4 on this particular Thursday Night in November in Stillwater Minnesota was not needed, but hey when you're rolling up on a large party bus for 20 with four of you, reservations look damn good. Dinner was spectacular, the drinks were fun, and we all safely made it back to the Lake house, thanks to BOB and his party bus maneuvering skills.

Day 2: Coffee was needed the next day as a pure pick me up (of course it was Gundog Grind Coffee). LOTS of water too. We had about a 2-hour drive to where we were hunting so we set off from Wisconsin to Minnesota and was on our merry way, but not before stopping at the grocery store to stock up on snacks and appetizers for the weekend ahead. Once we arrived at the private land we were hunting on, I got to meet two wonderful women, who I now can call friends. Wendy (it was her land we were hunting on) and Nikki. Thank you both for being so kind and making me feel so welcome, along with guiding and teaching me about pheasant hunting. The weather was unseasonably warm that day. Wendy and Nikki towards the end of the hunt shot a pheasant and Jamie’s dog Winnie had the retrieve. I forgot to mention we had some other dogs with us. Whit with Purdie, Britt with Willow, Jamie with Winnie and Wendy with Tessie & Daisy. All are labs except for Winnie, who is an American Water Spaniel. The land was beautiful, and it was nice to walk and share it amongst these great girls.

Graciously, Wendys MIL, Karen allowed for us to stay in her home for the weekend. It was a beautiful home filled with so much artwork by her late husband Jim that you would just have to see it to understand the magnitude of how impressive, realistic and beautifully he depicted wildlife and dogs. I will say that every wall and space is filled with things such as his art, friends’ art, sculptures and duck decoys, all things they love and cherish and it is exactly what a home should be. Filled with joy and memories of all the things they love. I got to meet the lovely Erin (as she arrived later than us) upon our arrival to the house. We had an amazing dinner of Lasagna, garlic bread and salad paired with some yummy red wine. Dessert was delicious apple pie and ice cream. We settled in and had some nice evening chats.

Day 3: Of course, Karen could not let us go hungry, so she fixed us up some scrambled eggs with bacon, fruit salad and pastries to satisfy our hunger and fill our bellies for the second pheasant hunting day ahead. Day 2 was cooler and windier. When I say windy, I mean pretty darn windy. We really wanted the birds, but came up empty handed in that department, but not at all empty handed in fun and comradery. A small hometown bar nearby warmed us up and we had some drinks and appetizers with great conversation. We made it back to the house and got to relax a little and get ready for dinner. We had a lovely meal at a very nice restaurant. The drinks and service were great and the lemon drop shots were on point. We then headed back to the warmth of the home and some more drinks and card games. It made for a really special and meaningful weekend getting to know people I have never met and getting to know the ones I do a lot better. We played some games that night and laughed so hard we cried. It was a special weekend, and I look forward to it again.

Day 4: This day was a special day… one because I felt like I was leaving there with some closer friends and some new ones. A light breakfast and some morning coffee and chatting sent us each off back home to our own lives. We may be in different places but we all have a connection to dogs, birds and fun. I also got to come home with a gift of a beautiful art print of Jim’s gifted to me by Karen and Wendy. Unexpected, and greatly appreciated. I thank each and every one of you for one of the best weekends in my life.

Thanks Whit, Britt, Jamie, Wendy, Karen, Nikki and Erin….Until next year girls….

In loving Memory of Jim Killen, peace be with you.