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Spaulding Smails

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Everything posted by Spaulding Smails

  1. Ahhhh yes. Finding the oasis on the 40 was wonderful. I found one in the recesses of MBB that was perfect. The building had just opened, and nobody ever went in there. Always clean. Always empty. Fast forward to my career in sales, and I developed a move called the "Hampton Inn Pit Stop". There's always a one-holer just past the lobby in a Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, etc. And no guest in their right mind uses a lobby restroom when their room is a few feet or a few floors away, so it's almost always spotless. Walk in like you're headed to your room, take a right just past the elevators to the shitter, do your business, exit out the side door, and get back on the road. My office shitter sucks now. Men's room with one toilet and one urinal. And, we're almost all guys with three ladies, so it's not like we can use the women's room. And I'm too cheap to pay a cleaning lady, so we rotate who cleans it. Which usually means that it's nasty until someone caves. Good news is, I'm out of the office >50% of the time. When I do go straight to the office, it's early and I'm the first one there, so that's acceptable. I usually just clean it and have an immaculate throne to decimate. And Imma let you guys in on a little secret. If you're ever downtown and need a place to shit, go to The W. Individual restrooms just off the bar / lounge area. Always spotless. Nice music playing. Each one has a different Austin icon photo. Walk in. Do your business. Walk out. And have the door held for you. That'll be $9.95 please.
  2. 2018-2019 license. Quail season runs through Feb 24. I get what you're saying. Does the 2019 thread start when dove season kicks off?
  3. I'm a very seasonal drinker. Fall / Winter / Early Spring = Bourbon. I rotate a few different brands. Usually on the rocks. Beam and Dr. Pepper in a styrofoam cup if I'm at the ranch. Shiner Bock or Negro Modelo if I'm day drinking. Duckhorn Cab with beef. Late Spring / Summer = Tequila and Topo Chico with lime (aka Ranch Water). Cruzan Silver Rum with Sprite in a Tervis Tumbler if I'm at the beach. Pacifico or Dos Equis if I'm day drinking. Steer away from wine during the summer months. Throw in a wide variety of meal or event specific cocktails (Bloody Mary, Moscow Mule, Margarita) that have no seasonal boundaries.
  4. I like your style. Just might take you up on that.
  5. When does the 2018 thread officially get put out to pasture? I have one more quail hunt scheduled for next weekend, then hanging it up until spring turkey season.
  6. I have not done the Chandeleur trip, but we did a Louisiana Marsh trip aboard the Southern Belle about ten years ago. I think we went in October. Here was my itinerary: Leave Austin on a Thursday at 6 AM. Rendezvous with my buddies in Houston around 9 AM. Stop in Lafayette for lunch. Make it to Biloxi for supper and gambling. Win a few bucks. Board the Southern Belle at midnight. Sleep for a few hours as we head south. Wake up Friday around 6 AM at their private dock in the middle of the Louisiana marsh with four idling skiffs fueled up and purring. Drink coffee and eat breakfast. Catch reds and specks. Eat bad ass cajun food for lunch. Drink beer. Fish more. Eat bad ass cajun food for dinner. Drink bourbon. Pass out. Repeat Saturday but add college football on the satellite TV that afternoon and evening. And add poker Saturday night. Fish more Sunday morning. Ride back to Biloxi Sunday afternoon watching NFL football while one of the hands cleans all your fish. Drive back to Houston then to Austin. That drive back suuuuuuucked, but otherwise, it was an amazing trip. Damn, I need to do that trip again.
  7. @Cajun that's a sweet ride. The interior is immaculate. Hit up Texas Hitch in Austin. One location south, one north. They can handle the lift and will treat you right. Owner is a buddy of mine from UT. I believe he posts here as well.
  8. @RPM I agree. Guineas and peacocks are fine if you have 10+ acres and they mingle and roost far enough away from your house (and your neighbor's house). My wife's aunt has both, and they of minimal nuisance. My next door neighbor at work, however, has several peacocks. Fuck them. They're constantly on our property, roosting on people's cars, etc. And noisy.
  9. This is the correct answer. Way before my time, but my dad got to know George a bit. He played drums in a different band in San Marcos and had some interaction with him back then. Would be awesome to see him in that type of environment. I'd say it would never happen, but if Paul McCartney can drop into a dive bar and perform, then maybe there's hope with George (yeah right).
  10. Based on the updated feedback from @tigol and your comment, Jobell may be worth a shot. As would Tillie's. I'd suggest a reservation at either of those if you choose that route.
  11. Interesting. I guess we need to give it another shot. The experience that time was literally so bad, it seemed to be indicative of a fundamental shift. I guess I shouldn't have been so judgmental.
  12. Leaning Pear is always solid. If you don't mind a bit of a drive, head to Tillie's at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs. Awesome venue and unique food. Service is still working out the kinks, but is getting better every time we go there. Two years ago, I would've said Jobell Cafe & Bistro on RR12 just north of town. We loved that place. Not sure if it was new ownership, change in management or what, but we went a few months ago and it was literally one of the worst all-around dining experiences I've ever had. Flippant service, cold food, shitty music. I felt like we were eating re-heated Sysco at a shitty Chili's.
  13. I agree with you for the most part. The peripheral school districts in the Coastal Bend (GP, Calallen, Tuloso-Midway) are decent, but CCISD is abysmal. I was there through middle-school. Even at that age, I knew it was bad. And according to most of my family that still lives there, it's gotten worse. My cousins all went to King or Incarnate Word, so they were spared the worst of it. Based on the stories I've heard, I can't fathom going to Miller or Moody. One interesting contradiction to your theory, however, is Austin. I believe AISD has declining enrollment, and although I wouldn't consider it a shitty school district, it's certainly not a banner system. I don't want to derail the thread, but that generalization seems to be more aligned with small to mid-sized cities where the anchor school district for that geographic area constitutes the majority of the enrolled students.
  14. This is the correct answer. That school board and city council are beyond laughable and have been since my parents were kids in CC. That city should be overflowing with financial success stories based on it's proximity to natural resources, location on the gulf / major waterways, military presence, tourist potential, affordable housing and affordable labor. Instead, both the city and school district are perpetually teetering on the brink of bankruptcy due to corruption and bad decisions.
  15. That is bad ass. Only thing that would have put icing on the cake would be to pan to a frightened elderly white woman in the corner of the subway clutching her purse.
  16. @Anton Chigurh @Biff Tannen thank you for the recs. I haven't even ventured online or to REI yet. I figured I would check here first. I'll be traveling with my 11 year old son. Just the two of us. I wish we could bring our lab, but it seems like Big Bend frowns upon that. Regardless, I like the idea of a larger pack and larger tent. Especially when my daughter gets older and is able to join us. My son will just have his daypack and hydration pack, so I'll be carrying the tent, sleeping pads, food, jet boil, etc. I'll probably put some stuff in his pack, but I'd rather him be light and nimble to enjoy the trip. Keep the recs coming.
  17. Planning a three-day hiking trip with primitive camping over Spring Break with my son (11 years old). At first glance, I'm thinking of doing the outer loop. Any recommendations on that or other trails? We can stretch it to a four day trip if needed. What are priorities to see / do? Go for one loop, or break it up into other individual trips?
  18. Starting to get set up for our primitive camping / hiking trip to Big Bend over Spring Break. Looking for a recommendations on a good multi-day backpacking pack and 2-man backpack tent. I should have everything else for the trip, but need to upgrade both of those. Our hiking has been limited to day hikes thus far. I have an inexpensive dome tent and day pack, but both are due for upgrades, so this is as good of an opportunity as any. Budget is $600 or so for both together. We're planning on doing a three day trip around the outer loop. I'll ask for more details about the trip specifically in the Big Bend thread, but if anyone has any recommendations on gear lists for a three-day hike, it wouldn't hurt to double check my inventory.
  19. That's the exact question I'd expect from your avatar.
  20. Agreed. I think he was trying to save meat, but that doesn't do any good when you don't find the animal.
  21. Damn. I never thought about that. We have a kiddie pool, and I just empty it once a week down the back hill. Never dawned on me to put it in the garden. Thanks for the idea.
  22. That's well said. And thanks for the illustration. I agree on neck shots as well. I'm fine with them, and to your point, it's an easier target than the head. I guess my stance is there's a justification for heart / lungs, front shoulder, neck, and head. And each depends on the weapon, the shot and the shooter. I shot a nice 10 point 15 or so years ago and HAD to shoot him in the neck because I couldn't get him to stop as he meandered through the brush. Then, I HAD to shoot the largest buck I've ever shot (11 point, scored in the low 150s) in the chest because I had to shoot him right handed and didn't trust myself on a smaller target.
  23. This exact topic came up this past weekend. My dad and I own the property (my dad owns majority), and he pretty much asked for two rules to be followed. 1) Don't drive off the existing dirt roads. 2) Shoot your deer in the shoulder. I didn't give the second rule much thought, and honestly I'd shoot a doe or spike in the head without pause. My BIL was out at our place this weekend. He's shot a few pigs there this year (we just bought it in January), but hadn't harvested a deer yet. He's very cognizant and respectful towards my dad. He had a big axis doe come out Saturday morning. I was texting with him from another stand and gave him the green light to shoot it. He shoots an AR platform 6.5 Creedmoor. Nice Vortex scope. Great rifle. Shoots straight and fast. Well, he shoots her right behind the shoulder. He said she dropped a bit then ran off. We let her sit for an hour. Got down. Found bright red blood, so we're thinking lung shot. We followed it for 100 yds, saw where she probably stopped for a second (pool of blood the size of a coaster), then nothing. We searched the area for a few more hours and couldn't find where the trail picked back up. The stand he was in is probably 400 yds from the back fence line and the blood trail was heading that way, so there's a chance she hopped the fence onto the neighbor's property. We have his number and tried to call but no answer (older guy, lives in San Angelo). The best we can figure, the shot went straight through. My BIL was kicking himself for not shooting her in the head (<100 yd shot). After a few beers, my dad started ribbing him for not shooting a "man's rifle". He shoots a 30/30 or a 30-06. It was all in good fun, but it sucks to lose an animal for sure. I'm of the opinion that every shot is different, and as a shooter, you should take the shot that makes the most sense and can take the animal down quickly and efficiently. If you're comfortable with a head shot, then take it. If not, aim for the front shoulders and live with a little less meat. I think the loss of an animal like that did give my dad pause and understand that a shoulder shot isn't always the right shot.
  24. Dude. That is very nice. You went all out. R panel roof and masonry flatwork? Seriously. Nice job.
  25. That's damn near the exact same one I built earlier this year for my sister and then a second for my mom. Same finish and everything. Yours looks great. Nice job.
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