A Father and Son Moment

Eddie has been waiting so long for a moment like this one.  I think every hopeful father or father-to-be probably has some dream of passing some interest or past time or tradition on to his son. Although Eddie loves sports, he was never a player.  His past time was hunting, and that past time was given to him by important male role models in his life.  He was taught to appreciate and respect guns for what they can do as a way to provide food for a family and as a means of protection.  He has some very old guns that were passed down to him that mean a whole lot.  I know nothing about different types of guns and probably couldn't even tell you the difference between a rifle and shotgun, but I could not stand in the way of allowing my husband to teach and train his son in this important tradition.  I am thankful that my husband still possesses the right in this country to do so...I know that some who read this may not agree.  I am not writing this post to start a gun rights dialogue.  I am documenting an important memory in my son's life.  This was the first gun shooting lesson that my son experienced with his father.  Evan will cherish this memory for the rest of his life.  He will have so many wonderful memories of special times spent with daddy when they get up way too early on a Saturday morning, dress in their camouflage, pack their supplies, and climb high into a tree stand to sit quietly and enjoy nature.  While we were visiting Eddie's family for Great-Grandpa's birthday, Eddie decided to take the opportunity to allow Evan to shoot one of his rifles.  Eddie's Uncle Matthew and cousins live in a rural setting surrounded by beautiful and well-managed pine forests.  I actually always love driving through this area (called the sandhills of North Carolina) because they have such beautiful tracts of long leaf pine.  Eddie's Uncle Matthew is also a lifelong contractor and brick layer and builds beautiful homes around the area of Pinehurst, North Carolina (think professional golf here and I am sure you have heard of Pinehurst).  Matthew and his son, Aaron, have built homes for themselves and Matthew's daughter Shannon's family that are just stunning.  They have beautiful masonry and stonework, wrap around porches, and gorgeous handcrafted fixtures.  Eddie and Evan did their shooting lesson behind cousin Aaron's new house while we all enjoyed touring their beautiful new home.  I wish I had taken more pictures of the house.

Eddie bought Evan some ear protection because Evan is very sensitive to loud sounds lately. 

Taking aim at the target. 

Sweet Daddy and son moment

Daddy helped him because Evan's little shoulder could only take so much as the gun kicked back when fired.  It was only a .22 which is supposed to be easier for smaller shooters. 

Checking their progress. 

Holding his target.  He hit the target several times. 

Brody cheesing on the porch.  

A picture of cousin Aaron and Christie's house.  They are still working on the front yard, but they kept a lot of the pine trees in the yard and plan to keep it pretty natural with pine straw covering the ground.  The backyard is more open and grassy.  I just love the wrap around porch, the metal roof, the wood and stone columns, and the big windows.  Aaron said they saved money by salvaging lots of the materials from a big, beautiful home that had caught fire in the Pinehurst area.  

Inside was tastefully decorated with beautiful hardwood floors, a wooden ceiling, and this beautiful stone fireplace centered between the open living room and kitchen. 

The kids' favorite part was this large walk-in stone shower.