CONVERSATION WITH GEORGE
Thats Ruff!: Reflections from Grouse Country. This is one of the original patches for the Ancient and Honorable Order of Brush Worn Partridge Hunters.
On Saturday, December 1, 2012, as I was barbequing some ribs on my smoker grill in the cold and snow, I received the following email:
Dear Mr. Wayment,
I just found your wonderful review of my book and would like to say thank you in person. Hope this reaches you. Please email or call me.
Best regards,
George King
Below the name was a phone number. For those of you who don’t know, George King is the author of the excellent book, That’s Ruff!: Reflections from Grouse Country, which I recently reviewed on Upland Ways. Of course, I was delighted to know that Mr. King had read and enjoyed my review. I typically am the type to shy away from famous people, but for some reason, I thought: What the heck! I’ll give him a call.
Only seconds later, George answered the phone and I tentatively asked, “Is George there?”
He replied. “This is George.”
“Hello, this is Andy Wayment.”
He instantly thanked me profusely for the book review. I replied that it was my pleasure and that I meant every single word. I told him that I was thinking earlier that very morning what a shame it would have been if he hadn’t finished the book (which he admitted he almost did not) and wondered how many other hunters out there experience all of this excitement and beauty, but then take it to their graves without sharing it with others. I thanked him for finishing the book and told him that, in my opinion, it is the best work on grouse hunting since Burton Spiller. He felt honored by the compliment.
We talked about Burton Spiller and how neat it was that George got to meet him shortly before he passed away. George told me that in addition to being a writer, Burt was also the grower of award-winning gladioli, which I had previously read about Spiller. I expressed that Spiller is my favorite because he was not only a good writer, but also a good man and that I aspire to write like him. I thanked George for his efforts in bringing back Spiller’s works and told him that I realized that if it wasn’t for his efforts, the classic Spiller works would not be so readily available to my generation of sportsmen.
George asked me how I can be a practicing attorney and still find time to write for the Upland Way and Upland Equations blogs. I replied that I have six kids so that further limits my time. I explained how writing about my hunting and fishing adventures is very therapeutic for the stress that I endure as an attorney and that writing is a significant part of who I am.
George told me about retiring early and enjoying his farm and grouse hunting. He then expressed his philosophy about enjoying oneself before it’s too late. As far as I can recollect, George’s exact words were:
Quit as soon as you can while your health is still good. I have people ask me all the time if I wished I would have worked longer before retiring so that I would have had a bigger pension. I tell them, “Heck no.” How can I put a price on all of the time I’ve spent doing what I love? You can’t measure that.
George’s words reminded me of some things a few of my favorite writers had written. Havilah Babcock’s motto was to: “Work hard and quit suddenly.” Likewise, the great Idahoan, Ted Trueblood, wrote of pursuing his outdoor passion: “Don’t wait too long. If you wait until tomorrow, tomorrow may never come.” Lastly, an acquaintance of Burton Spiller actually took him to task on his constant sporting endeavors and asked, “Did you ever count the cost of your hunting? . . . Of the time you have lost and the money you spent?” This question sparked the timeless response by the Poet Laureate of Grouse Hunting:
I replied and truthfully too, that I never lost a moment’s time in hunting: that I counted only that time lost which I spent working. . . . You think the days and weeks I have spent afield were wasted. Well, let me tell you this. If such a thing were possible, I would not trade even the memories of those glorious days for all the money you will ever possess.
Now we can add George King to this list of wise sages.
Old Gate Ruffs by Ross B. Young.
One of the most thrilling parts of our telephone conversation came towards the end. To set the stage for this, I wrote the following in my review of That’s Ruff!:
King created the Ancient and Honorable Order of Brush Worn Partridge Hunters (or “Brush Worns” for short) and when a person subscribed to Grouse Cover, they were issued a certificate and also could order a patch showing they were officially a Brush Worn. To my understanding, after almost 40 years, Brush Worns still exhibit their certificates and patches with pride. I want some of those for myself!
I also wishfully proclaimed: “So many years later and I already feel as if I belong.”
As we were wrapping up our conversation, George said something I will always treasure:
Before we hang up, I do not want to forget that there is something important that I wanted to tell you. You are the exact sort of guy I had in mind when I created the Brush Worns. In gratitude of your wonderful review of my book, I am hereby dubbing you an honorary Brush Worn.
I heartedly responded, “This is truly an honor. Thank you so much!”
For me, visiting with George was very enjoyable. I was amazed by his humility, his likeability, and his generosity. I felt truly honored to be inducted into the ranks of the Brush Worns. Talking with George was like tapping into that great tradition of our outdoor writing heritage, if only for a moment. As I said in my review of That’s Ruff!: “Mark my words, this book is a sporting classic and will go down in history as one of the greatest upland bird hunting books ever written!” After talking with George in person, I can attest for youdiehard ruffed grouse hunters, George is the real deal. Like Spiller, George is not only a great writer, but also a good man. Thank you for everything George.
