Hey where is Oregoncarl? have not heard from him on here in a while...is everything OK? I hope so...

He's got a thread going and just posted on it on April 23rd. It just seems like he really needs to go ahead and go on that hunt though... ;-)

http://forums.wildsheep.org/ev...=157104624#157104624

I coulnd'nt have said it better RamDreamer! If not Carl how about you? I sure could use the company.
Bryan

Hi Bryan,

I've got that Tur already, but do "need" the others. Would love to hunt with you sometime, somewhere though.

That sounds like my luck in trying to find a partner for this trip RamDreamer. I do plan on making trips for the other turs in the comming years so we'll have to stay in contact.
Bryan

This note is to provide some insight about my decision to not do a tur hunt this year since at least one person has opined that I should do the hunt. It is all about life's priorities. If you don't want to read this love story, then sign off now.

In 1993 I was an attorney with the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service working in Seattle. I was also in a very depressing and stressful marriage. That summer I was on extended detail to do the legal work for the INS office in Portland, Oregon. On August 31, 1993 I met Anna Lukasik, an INS employee in Portland, when she came to the District Counsel's office to check an alien file. That day was Day 1 of a fantastic new life for me. We married in 1995. My Mom and my extended family (5 aunts and over 20 first cousins just on my Mom's side) took to Anna like ducks to water. And she to them. Through the years we have been through many deaths in our families including my Mom, her father, four of my aunts, 2 of my uncles, 3 or 4 uncles-in-law, several cousins and several others. In December 2003 we moved my Mom down to live with us for 6 months while she got some desperately needed medical care. Anna was an absolute angel for Mom. In March 2006, the doctor opened me up and did 6 bypasses. Anna took care of me like her life depended on it. In May 2006 my Mom died. Mom's death was very hard on Anna. In January 2010 Anna's mother suffered a heart attack. Anna has been in Brooklyn all but 6 days since then taking care of her mother. I am writing this from Brooklyn. I head home Sunday night after spending a week with my wife and visiting her mother. Hopefully Anna will be home in Portland by mid-May. A 4 month separation is not much fun.

When I decided to do the tur/chamois hunt, it fit in with my plans and priorities. But my priorities for this year are now quite different. Hunting is not and will never be more important than Anna. She provided so much love and care to my Mom and now to her mother that this year is about what she wants to do. And in the scheme of things, an August-September hunt conflicts with what she wants to do. Next year for which we can plan further ahead will undoubtedly lead to other things including maybe even an overseas hunt for me. Maybe I'll find something that she will do with me. But if she doesn't want to go, I'm sure she will encourage me to go. But this year is a quite different situation. Tur/chamois maybe next year if no one goes with Bryan and Profi-Hunt agrees to carry it over.

I am 69. Anna and I celebrate our 15th anniversary this summer. I am hoping for at least 25 to 30 years more with her. She has always been extremely supportive of what I like doing, financially and otherwise. I need to support her as well. Anna is an extraordinary person.

I fully agree with Bryan. Going with someone from the states makes for a much more enjoyable adventure. But for Anna's mother's heart attack I would still be headed to North Ossetia. But that is just how the cookie crumbles.

OREGONCARL@AOL.COM aka Carl Phillips of Portland, Oregon

Bless you and your family Carl. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you that you have made the only decision there was to make. I'm happy for you and the life you have with Anna. I can relate as I am in a similar situation and July 1st will be 10 years for me and my bride. I have never looked back since the divorce from #1 and my life has been better in every way since that day. I admire people who have a lifelong marriage to one person, but for some that is not in the cards. Hope things improve for your mother in law, but it sounds like she is in good hands. Here's to a better remainder of 2010 and a fantastic 2011 for your family!

Huntinman ... we both know what those long Alaska nights are like. I am glad to hear that you, like me, found someone to tolerate an old curmudgeon.
Mountain hunting is a great way to get some relief from civilization even while we are being pushed to the extreme in a quite uncivilized environment. I am happy for those who don't have family issues that lead them away from the hunting they love so much. I may be upper middle aged, but I still have many years and mountains left to go as I have a strong heart. I am a plodder because of my short legs not my heart condition. The need for the bypass operation was a real surprise to me as I always kept my weight and physical condition within reasonable parameters.
I strongly encourage anyone having even the slightest interest in the tur/chamois hunt to communicate directly with bryan bailey at starbaileyranch@aol.com. Bryan has all the info on this adventure. I have posted all the guidance that I have to offer.