Author Archives: Gary Sanderson

A South Deerfield, Mass., native, Gary was the longtime sports editor at the Greenfield Recorder, a daily newspaper in Greenfield, Mass., where he retired in June 2018, having worked parts of five decades over 39 years. A senior-active, nearly 40-year member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America, his Thursday column "On The Trail" ran for nearly 40 years, ostensibly focusing on fish and wildlife, conservation and issues pertaining to them in the Connecticut Valley, where his roots reach deep into its oldest burial grounds. He and wife Joanne live in a historic Greenfield Meadows tavern today known as Old Tavern Farm, which has a rich history dating back to the mid-18th century. The home, which became a National-Register-of-Historic-Places building on his watch, served as a small, seasonal bed and breakfast from 1999-2015. Gary's other interests include history, anthropology, archaeology, literature, genealogy, Americana, country auctions, and early-American architecture and landscapes, as well as hunting, fishing and especially reading. His primary focus is the Pioneer Valley, its people, places and critters.

Indian Ridge

My Filson woolens — Woodland-camo, toasty-warm and oh-so silent through winter thickets — are still hanging where I placed them in the carriage shed after Thanksgiving to air out in autumn winds. Yes, and the rugged, insulated hunting boots I twice dressed with different waterproofing oils are ready to go if I get the itch, […]

Last Call

Tuesday morning. Gray and wet. Forecast: clear and cool later, a great time to go out back, get the dogs and break free for a robust hunt through a saturated bottomland swamp of my choice. My guess is that it’ll be t’other side the Connecticut River. Lily and Chubby are restless. Chub-Chub was limping Monday […]

Deerly Departed

Gray and raw, storm brewing, stiff wind blowing from the frigid north: perfect for hunting on the day following an election I’m happy with. So here I sit, dry-docked, pinned to this weekly chore, thinking of late buddy Tommy Valiton, a man who glowed with a boy’s enthusiasm every time he exited his red truck […]

Election Season

Whew! What a morning. It started OK after a restless night’s sleep. I arose a little late, poured black coffee and went to my favorite chair, where natural morning light through the southern window illuminates whatever I’m reading, even under cloudy skies. An hour or so later, my thoughts turned to the dogs, Lily and […]

Adjustments

Finally, a cool gray day on which to chase the dogs through a tangled, thorny swamp, though I must admit Wednesday was still a bit warm for me. I guess I could have chosen the easy route today, having written 850 words Monday, following a pleasant, windy, sunny hunt in an anonymous place. Two robust […]

Airing It Out

Finally, my bird-hunting gear is hanging in the open carriage shed. I pulled it out Tuesday morning, under cool sunny skies, white clouds, a blustery wind sweeping yellow maple leaves across the yard. By the time I sat here to get started, a ladybug invasion had bloomed. Looks like a banner year for those little […]

Telephone Ramble

I’m upbeat on a gray morn, steaming Tom White cup of black coffee on the Queen Anne stand beside me, killing time in front of the boob tube before my daily morning walk with the dogs. The phone rings. It’s a dear old friend who’s had a tough go the past year. We share a […]

This & That

Whew! What a whirlwind week. I feel like a dark funnel cloud has swept me away. Maybe I’d best just go limp and let it drop me where it pleases, totally at its mercy, hopefully depositing me in a freshly harrowed field. But first, as I brace for the landing from this dizzying spin, a […]

Understudy

The mellow yellow glow from empty sunlit seed-heads glistening over a dense, light-green, chest-high timothy field makes it all the more beautiful to watch Chubby doing what Springer Spaniels are bred to do — locate and flush bird or beast with blissful enthusiasm from tangled cover. The furious sight and sound of thrashing brush highlighted […]

Godstones

What a difference a day makes. When I first sat down for this weekly chore Tuesday afternoon, my intentions were good but the mood was wrong, a gray and somber day, windows closed to seal out moisture, downpours splashing loudly off my hidden flagstone terrace. I found it difficult getting started, my mood dark and […]

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