My Outdoor Adventure in "3-D"

One of my favorite hobbies that I don't get a lot of time for anymore is archery. I have been target shooting my bow for close to 20 years. It all started when I was a kid and my dad started bow hunting. My brother also started hunting. I didn't have the patients to sit in a tree and wait for the deer to come in. So I began just target shooting in the backyard.

Of course when I got my drivers license I was way more interested in chasing women, and cruisin' town. Then college came, and didn't have the time to shoot like I should. But about three or four years ago, I started shooting again.

3-d outdoor shooting is my personal favorite. This is a course set up usually in a wooded area, with targets that look like real animals. It may be deer, bear, turkey, alligators, and I have even shot at dinosaurs. Each target has a scoring ring. 11 or 10X is what most would call a "bulls eye." Inside the bigger ring is a 10. If it is the "vitals" of an animal it 8 points, and just for hitting the target it is 5 points. Courses vary from 20-40 targets. There are stakes in the ground to mark where you shoot from. When we shoot, it is anywhere from 20-40 yards.

About three years ago, I was on a league that shot every week. It lasted about 16 weeks. It was a lot of fun. I placed 14th. Which sounds pretty good until I tell you there were only 16 in the league. But I did beat my dad.

My brother is the shooter of the family. Over the past few years he has really gotten into the tournaments and leagues. During the summer he is usually traveling to shoots with friends. And during the winter he is in an indoor league that just target shoots.

I told him I would love to be able to shoot more, so for my birthday he bought a gift certificate for Adventure Outdoors. He has been trying to get me to shoot there for a few months. Well, last weekend I finally had the time.


We head up to Adventure Outdoors, just outside of Warren. We head in the shop, and pay for our outdoor shoot.

After a few shots on the practice range to see if I still have my form down, we head to the targets. Now, Adventure Outdoors has a 30 target course that leads you through their woods. I would say the total walk is between a mile and a half to 2 miles. It is a beautiful course, up and down hills, along creeks, through the woods, and along the edge of fields.

Plus they set up a mean course. Some the shots make you wonder just how far it is. You even have to take a chance or two. I mean, shooting through the "V" of a tree to get to the target. That was one of my favorite shots. Adventure Outdoors has a beautiful course, and really cool set up. If you are into archery at all, give them a try. They have the outdoor range, the 3-d course and an indoor range. If you are looking to get into it, they have a shop there to get you set up. I guess this time, you learned about my life "out" of headphones!

Time for an Eli Update.

So it seems like forever since I gave you an Eli update. He is now almost 16 months old and turning into quite a ham! He is getting to be so much fun. He has his funny face that he loves to make. As you can see it is pretty funny!


Most recently he has started climbing. And when I mean climbing, I mean, climbing onto anything he can. Our huge ottoman is one of his favorite things to stand on. Any chair, table or person that doesn't move too quick he is going to climb all over it. So instead of writing too much, I thought I would just post a bunch of Eli Cuteness!

Crusin' on a trike / Sittin' in his Elmo Chair

Chillin in the outdoor furniture in Meijer / Showin' his favorite team!

Helpin do dishes!

So as you can see he is getting big and fun.

Time for change in my life

Well, it is with heavy heart that I write this blog.

For the past year, my wife and I have been struggling with a very hard decision. After the birth of our son, we have had a hard time financially with a radio income. That has been a factor in this decision.

For the past ten years I have been in the radio business. It is a career near and dear to my heart. From my first days at the former country station in Wabash were I spent 4 years of my life doing afternoons and then mornings, to the past 6 wonderful years at WCJC playing today's best country, I have to tell you I LOVE what I do. Everyday is exciting and new.

My passion for radio came at a young age, when I use to pretend to be a jock in my bedroom talking into the small built-in mic on my boom box, and mixing tapes of current songs. I was "Jammin' John" on WJON. Then in high school radio class is where I was convinced that this was what I suppose to do.

Now, 10 years later, I have met some of the greatest country acts in the world. Shared the studio with some of the best radio people I will ever meet, and spoken with some of the best listeners in the state. I have to say thanks.

But today is the day I will give my resignation to the boss. It is time for a change. I do not know where my life will lead from radio, but it will always be a special part of my life.

One last thing....











APRIL FOOLS!

Are ya kiddin' me! I would never leave radio! I love it too much...

But I gotcha, didn't I!

A sad day at the Morgan house...

So when we moved into our new house about two years ago, one of the first things we wanted to do was get a dog. Before we had rented, and we were not able to have pets. Sarah and I had both grown up with dogs, so we both wanted one.

We went to the shelter and found a lovable little mutt. We think Alli is a beagle/Jack Russell mix. We got her home, and she quickly became a part of our family. She was a little klingy, but sweet. We were a little worried how she would act around the baby when we brought him home.

So Eli comes, and we bring him home. The dog sniffs him a little and that was that. They got along great! Oh what a relief. Well that all changed as soon as Eli became mobile. He would want to chase the dog. And when he was just crawling, that was okay, because the dog could easily get away from him. But after Eli was able to walk, the dog avoided him most of the time. Now there were times they would play with Eli chasing the dog through the kitchen, into the dining room and then to the living room. Then back to the kitchen. Around and around they would go.

Then a couple of weeks Eli discovered the dogs tail. We tried to keep him from grabbing her tail. But one time he held on a little too long. She turned and nipped at his hand. We punished the dog, and thought maybe Eli had learned his lesson. He DID! He stopped doing that.

Then about a week ago I got a call from Sarah. She said, "The Dog IS GONE!" So of course I said what did she do. Unprovoked she bit Eli while he was just petting him. So we called a rescue near us, and gave up Alli.

We dropped her off. It was very sad. As we walked away we could hear her whining. It was really tough on us both. But when it comes to my child's safety we can replace a dog. And at the rescue they will be able to find her a home where SHE will be happier.

So I thought I would include a little slide show of our little pup we miss...so here's Alli...

My First Winery...

I have to start by saying I have NEVER found a wine I like. And I have tried many. My mother-in-law likes wine. And I would make fun of her over and over again for drinking wine. Call her a wino, ask her if it tastes better out of a brown paper bag. All the wino jokes I could think of. Over the past few months my wife has tried different wines, and found a few she liked. I would try them, and usually either spit them out, or need to rinse down the taste with something better.

This past weekend she asked what we were doing. I told her I had no idea. For the past two weeks she has been looking at the Indiana Winery directory online. So we get up Saturday and drop off Eli off at Mamaw and Papaw's house. And we are off for a date day.

I looked at the directory and tried to decide where to go. I decided to go to Modoc, IN. Modoc is south east of Muncie on Highway 1. Now when I was a kid we went camping in Modoc. They had a nice little camp ground with Chucker Golf. So I look at a map, and come to realize that the winery is just about a mile away from the camp ground.

So we head south on Highway 1. (actually when I say that to my wife, I sing it like the Journey song) and make it to Modoc in about an hour. We follow the directions to the winery, and pull up to this farm house, past the barn to the winery. Wilson Wines!

It was a small building with a stage out front. We go inside and begin talking with one of the wine makers. We tell him we are both new to this wine thing. I tell him I have never found a wine I like. He says that he is on a mission to find a wine I like. I have to tell you I had my doubts!

So he starts pouring samples of some different white wines. Most were awful to me. My wife found a couple that she liked, but I still was sticking to my belief that I hate wine. So John, the wine maker asked what drinks I like. I tell him, like John Wayne, I want Whiskey or Beer. A smile crosses his face..."I know the wine you will like, but we are not going there yet...Let's try a couple more first."

The red wines come out, and I found one that was really good. It was called Richard Red. I say..."You found it!" John responds, that's not the one I was thinking, try this. It was an Elderberry wine. It was fabulous. It was strong, about 19% alcohol, so it had a little of the burn of whiskey, but was sweet with a great aftertaste. So we buy a couple of bottles. The Richard Red and the Elderberry.

One really neat thing that Wilson Wines does is during the summer they have concerts and B.Y.O.M. (Bring your own meat). They have grills to cook on, music, and of course you can buy some wine. Really neat. If you have a day, head to Modoc and check out Wilson Wines! I'm a fan!

Now my wife is ready to head to another winery for our next date day. I am actually excited to go. I hate to say it but, now I like wine.

Walk-A-Mile

For the fifth year our radio station has been a part of an annual event to help the local rescue mission. You might have the same type thing in your community. It is called the "Walk-A-Mile in My Shoes" for homeless awareness and fund raiser. It has been a very successful event.

Now you might be thinking, "Why in the world do you do a fund raising walk in the winter?"

I have a perfect answer. Do those who lose their home have a choice when they are homeless. People are put out when it is sunny and 70, or when it is snowing and 5 above. So this is a great chance for us that have a home to realize, for a little while, what it is like to have to be a victim to the elements.

Like I said, this is the 5th year for this great event. I have been to all five. It looks like they went into my closet for the display of shirts from each walk...

When we started 5 years ago, we had about 85-100 people show up. This year I am happy to announce that we broke our attendance record. This past Saturday over 640 people showed up at the Grant County YMCA for the walk.




It started with a small presentation with from the Director of the Mission, and his wife who organizes the walk.

The Mayor declared it Walk-A-Mile in My Shoes day, and thanks Tom and Debbie Ballard for all the work the mission does over the years. Then we make the mile walk.





The Crowd stretched almost the entire walking route. Here are some shots of the crowd ready for the walk, and then on the walk through downtown Marion.

I would love to tell you that we made more money than last year, but with the tough economic times, even our donations were down a little. But still the Walk-A-Mile raised over $17,000 to help the less fortunate right here in our community. Every penny stays here. So if you have come in the past. Thank you. If you haven't, you are officially invited for next year.

A night away from the family...

Being a morning show host actually has a lot of responsibilities. I know, I will give you a second to stop laughing. This time of year we are vital when it comes to school delays and closings. So I HAVE TO be at work. So Tuesday afternoon I am keeping an eye on the weather. They are calling for another couple of inches of snow, blowing and drifting. Pretty bad forecast. I head home for a little while to see the wife and kid. Every hour or so I look out at the highway half a block from my house. As the afternoon turned to evening I see the cars in town going slower and slower. So I know the 19 miles of "country" driving I have to do must be getting pretty bad. I make a tough call to drive back to Marion to sleep in a hotel that the station hooked us up with.

I pack a bag with a couple days worth of cloths. Kiss the wife, hug the baby and head out for the first night away from the wife in almost two years. The drive back to Marion was not too bad. There were spots where the snow had drifted pretty good. So far I think I could have stayed home. But better safe than sorry. I get to the Hotel Marion, and they set me up with a room. I go check it out. It will suit me just fine. Nothing special.

So I do what I always do when I go into a hotel room. I look through all the drawers. The reason, when I was a kid, we were on vacation in Niagara Falls, and I found 40 dollars in one of the hotel drawers. Now, in over 20 years, I have not found a dime since, but you never know.

After that I kick on the TV and find Fox so I can watch American Idol. Call the wife, and give her all the info about room and phone number. We watch Idol together talkin' about who we like. After that I decided to go see if there is any one I know at the bar downstairs. After about 20 minutes of the smoke, I go back to the room and sit back watch some TV and play around on my laptop.

Finally bedtime. Of course I knew I was not going to sleep as good as I would at home. But let me just tell you...the heater in the room rattled like an earthquake every time it shut off. Which woke me up about every 45 minutes. Ugghhhh! Then at around 12:30 or 1:00am....some brainiac from the bar decided to do laps around the parking lot on his snowmobile. Double Uggghhh...Alarm goes off at 4:15 and I am up for the day.

Ends up the roads were fine for me to drive in that morning, and I could have slept in my own bed. But this is the price you pay to have a "Life in Headphones."