re: Best outdoor memory with dad or grandfathers

I am extremely blessed to still have my father with me and in pretty good health. We still get to enjoy fishing together, but he is not a huge hunter. But it is so weird this thread popped up, for some reason recently it has hit me that my father will not be around forever and am so grateful for all of the things he has taught me and the patience he has displayed. The song Even Though I'm leaving by Luke Combs gets me everytime.

The best memories I can think of my dad and the outdoors:

1. We used to have a "camp" on the tickfaw river not far from Hammond. It was only like 3 acres and the house was too decrepit to sleep in, but I loved going up there and looking at wildlife especially snakes. Well every week I would beg my dad to please take me to the camp, and a few times I would ask him when he wasn't paying attention. So I would wake up early Saturday morning load the truck with my fishing pole, machete, stick (every kid needs a stick), some big pickle jars for the snakes I would catch. I would go wake him up, and he would say he didnt remember telling me we were going to the camp. I would throw the biggest fit. We went a lot but as a 10-12 year old I wanted to go every weekend.

2. I think my coming of age moment with my dad was right after Katrina, we came home to luckily very little damage to our house, but our neighbors huge oak tree fell into our yard. I remember him telling me for insurance purposes we needed to get rid of it soon (I dont know if this was true lol) But I remember working so hard for two straight days. That was the first time I worked like a grown man. I just remember admiring his work ethic and trying to keep up. We didnt complain at all. It was kind of weird. I remember listening to the LSU Tennessee game around that time too on an alarm clock radio because we didnt have TV yet and us falling short in the fourth quarter. I think that was the first time we really bonded as men.