Special Edition
Jim Casada
Web site:
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
1250 Yorkdale Drive
E-mail: jc@jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Rock Hill, SC 29730-7638
803-329-4354
 New Book,
Some Welcome Recognition,
and Something Special for Turkey Hunters
I’m just back from an event which is, for this old son of the Smokies,
one of the highlights of each year—the annual meeting of the
Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA). The organization is my
professional family, so to speak, and its 500-plus membership ranks
include some of the nation’s finest communicators. Many of them are also
dear friends, and the chance to see them, exchange stories and ideas,
all done in a festive atmosphere which blends solid professional
seminars with the chance to examine some of the latest products in the
world of the outdoors, is an exercise in pure joy. Add to that a couple
of late-night pickin’ and grinnin’ sessions (rest assured yours truly is
strictly relegated to the grinnin’ side of matters—I couldn’t catch a
tune to save my soul), fine food, and the sheer inspiration which rubs
off any time you are around multi-talented folks, and you may have an
inkling of why SEOPA means so much to me.
This year was particularly memorable for yours truly. For starters, I
was the winner of the annual storytelling contest, and believe me, there
are some talented liars and stretchers of the truth in SEOPA’s ranks. My
prize? A singularly ugly “Golden Chicken” made of rubber and
manufactured in China. When squeezed, this exquisite work of art
produces a plastic egg through the anal passage. This should give you
some indication of just how much fun is attached to the storytelling.
Incidentally, my tale focused on one of many memorable experiences with
my paternal grandfather. Those of you who have received my e-newsletter
for some time will be familiar with Grandpa Joe.
Also, I was fortunate enough to win three awards in SEOPA’s highly
competitive Excellence in Craft award. Here are brief details:
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First Place
in the Outdoor Entrepreneur Category for my monthly e-newsletter.
-
Second Place
in the Book Category for my work, Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park: An Insider’s Guide to a Pursuit of Passion.
-
Third Place
in the Weekly Newspaper Category for “An Ode to October,” which
appeared in the Smoky Mountain Times in October of this past
year.
Upon
my return home I found a big batch of my most recent book, Carolina
Christmas: Archibald Rutledge’s Enduring Holiday Stories, awaiting
me. Those of you who ordered pre-publication copies should be receiving
them in a few days. They went out in last week's mail. For others, this
is a great gift, especially for sportsmen, which you might want to keep
in mind in connection with the upcoming holiday season. It’s Rutledge at
his best, topped off by a chapter of traditional Carolina Christmas
dishes featuring foodstuffs of which he wrote with recipes offered by my
wife, Ann, and me. Signed and inscribed copies of the book are available
for $29.95 plus $5 shipping and handling.
Finally, my good friend and fellow turkey-hunting enthusiast, Jim
Spencer, brought copies of his brand-new book, Bad Birds: A
Collection of Mostly True Stories Starring the Gobblers We All Love to
Hate, to the conference with him. I managed to corner him and
procure some signed copies to offer to those of you who, like me, can’t
get enough of good writing on turkey hunting. Spencer is as good as they
come, and this work, an outgrowth of his long-running “Bad Birds” column
in Turkey & Turkey Hunting magazine, complete with a Foreword
from Brain Lovett, that publication’s editor, is a dandy. It is
insightful, well written, and comes from a fellow who really knows his
stuff. Of course once he reads these words I know I’ll have to put up
with a whole ration of literary gobbling, but for once I’ll give the old
bird the credit he deserves. Copies of the 236-page book, nicely
illustrated and with a lovely cover from talented photographer Tes
Jolly, are $15.99 plus $5 shipping. I’ve got them ready to ship.
Order online now through PayPal,
or
by personal check made to me and mailed to 1250 Yorkdale Drive, Rock
Hill, SC 29730.
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