Anything Special for Christmas?

[gar-dog]

How is Santa gonna be this year? Santa came early for me, so I'll start.

In an antique store in NJ I found four nicely-framed original A.B. Frost Chromolithographs from the series "Shooting Pictures" that came out in 1895. This was a subscription series of 12 different lithographs published as a limited edition, where subscribers got 2 of the prints in 6 different installments. The four I got were "Autumn Woodcock, "Summer Woodcock," "Autumn Grouse," and "Rabbit Shooting." I went to a place here in Manhattan yesterday to verify the authenticity and everything checked out so I am pumped! I got a heck of a deal on them! Here are images of 3 of them I could find online.

[Sharon]

Fantastic!! You are one lucky guy. I'm soooojealous.

[RayGubernat]

My "something special" is the fact that my kids are coming down for a few days between Christmas and New Year. My son and his wife(our new daughter)will be here the day after Christmas. I have a hunt booked on the following morning at a local preserve, with my son and will probably book a second hunt before they return. Melissa, his wife, is strating to get into horseback riding and I anticipate a few rides on the property and perhaps trailering the furballs to a nearby WMA so the kids can have an exended trailride.

I have all the "stuff" I need and if I do need something, I can get it myself. The one thing I cannot buy is time with my son and my family to do the things we enjoy. That as they say...is priceless... and about the best Christmas gift I can think of.

RayG

[romeo212000]

I will be buying myself a Beretta 391. I am rather excited. By the way, I'm very jealous of your lithographs.

[Wagner]

Which print is your favorite? I really like the first one, but all 3 are very nice.

[romeo212000]

I really like the third one.

[Rob]

I believe Ray has it exactly right. We should all try not to get too worked up about things you can buy more of - it is just stuff.

I love those prints by the way. Our family got a puppy for Christmas, and he is special to us. Linden's Family Tradition, "Hank"...

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His favorite hobbies include eating, sleeping, pooping, and chasing my wife's cat under the table and sight pointing it.

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I hope Santa is very good to you all. Merry Christmas!

Rob

Edit: Ok, so apparently I can't post pics from photobucket. Resized and uploaded them. Merry Christmas anyway!

[SwitchGrassWPG]

Picked up my Mossberg 935 today just in time for my trip to Mississippi for ducks!

[gar-dog]

I just haven't decided which one is my favorite yet. I am just taking it all in. My 78 year-old Dad just got here for Christmas with us... the first he has spent with us since I have had my "own family" and moved away. That's pretty neat.

I too have most of the modern "material" stuff that I want. As I move swiftly through middle-age, I find myself valueing tradition and history more and more. I think that is why I had begun my interest in old-fashioned sporting art. I look at these lithographs and some of my other art, and it fuels daydreams. I think about who might have owned these lithos and where they have been hung for these past 113 years, and that they will stay with me for 40 years, and maybe my kids for another 40. They were printed at a time when there was no tv or internet. Most books only had simple illustrations. To the farmer in kanas who had heard of an ocean... how could he even imagine it? Much like the internet today, 1800s printing really opened up the world in a sense for many people. Who could afford the original art? I treasure these pieces, and they are part of a very special Christmas.

Cheers!
G

P.S. Awesome to the guys getting new shotguns!

[Rob]

I totally agree. I too am a softy for the nostalgic stuff, even though it is before my time. I think a lot of it for me revolves around the fact that I have a young family of my own. It is a great big crazy world out there, full of peril. It is a tough balance trying to give your family the things and opportunities you didn't have, yet making them understand and appreciate their roots.

Love the artwork. First thing I thought when I saw it was, "man that would look great in my office"!

Rob

[gar-dog]

I too am a softy for the nostalgic stuff, even though it is before my time.

Isn't that funny? Same here. I try to understand what compels me. I feel like there is still history out there that you can touch, but it is slowly slipping away. America is heading in a confusing direction, and a tribute to simpler times, or seemingly simpler times is attractive.

I found an image of the 4th print from another website: (It may be my favorite, but still not sure.)


You got the puppy pics up... NICE!

[Rob]

Ooooooooh, me likey that last one. They are all nice, but I think that one is my favorite. You are going to be searching all over for that one, aren't you ?

America is heading in a confusing direction, and a tribute to simpler times, or seemingly simpler times is attractive.

This is exactly the way I feel a lot of the time. Then again, I have as many electronic leashes as anyone. I almost feel like a crotchety old man when I make these types of points, but there is definite truth to it. I think a lot of the values that I hold very dear are being slowly squeezed out of our country and I hearken back to "seemingly" simpler times.

Anyway, no thread hijacking intended. I think we all have much to be thankful for this holiday season.

Rob

[Rob]

I just re-read your posts and realized you already have the fourth too. Now I am jealous!

[Wagner]

I Asked for the Garmin Astro, we will see what happens.

[gar-dog]

I Asked for the Garmin Astro, we will see what happens.

fingers crossed...

[Karen]

My BF remembered me mentioning that I really wanted a Filson tin cloth jacket, but I refused to spend that kind of money on myself (I mentioned this over a year ago, way before we started dating). Well, he got it for me for Christmas! It was way too extravagant a gift, but I absolutely love it! He got a Canon SD770 IS digital camera, a riding helmet and horseback riding lessons for Christmas. I'm going to make a field trialer out of him yet!

[vzkennels]

Very nice Karen now if I could only find a girl friend like that.Almost FORGOT I'm MARRIED!! :roll:

[mm]

This is what I am getting however she will not arrive until next week.

[Karen]

Mario she's absolutely precious!!! I can't wait to see her in person!! Any pics of all her markings?

[wems2371]

The pups are awesome.

I don't much get into gift giving at Christmas. My husband and I haven't exchanged gifts in years, and I often feel beleaguered in shopping for others--often knowing they already have what they want and need. From my father-in-law, I usually receive a Wal-mart giftcard.....and we are guilty of usually forwarding an impersonal giftcard to him as well. This year I received a really neat gift. While I know it won't compare to what most of you are shooting, I was given a WESTPOINT 20 gauge model 168. This will be my first shotgun.

I had no clue, while opening the present, what was inside. Even my husband hadn't been let in on it. My father-in-law found out that I'd went to the range this fall and shot some clays with a 410. The 410 was a family hand-me-down, that my husband was handed a couple years ago. After the shooting range, my husband wanted to go get me a 20 gauge, but knew I'd have a fit over spending the money. Somewhere along the way, my husband mentioned the day at the range to his father, and that's where he got the idea to give me his gun. The 20 gauge has been my father-in-laws gun for some 20 years. It hasn't seen a lot of action, but still been part of his collection, and I am honored to be the new owner. I believe all the other relatives jaws dropped as I unveiled the gun, so I felt it necessary to explain that yes this was a great gift and I like to shoot. No one argued with me! Denise

[mm]

Karen
Here is a side view. She is coming after the new year. Hopefully we will get a break in the weather so she can fly.