Gramps was MUCH more than his guns.
At various times over his 90 years, Grampa pursued archery, hunting, fishing, bowling and golfing. Of these, fishing stayed with him the longest. He fished up into his late 80's. When asked why he would not go anymore, he'd say his old fishing spots were being encroached upon. But I am certain his declining health was a factor too.
Grampa must have fished with all of us at some point, so it seems. He practiced the shore, boat, and ice varieties. He and his father even made the local paper back in the day (Jan. 6, 1953 to be exact), ice fishing one day.
Fishing, in all it's forms, was unquestionably the outdoor interest where he had invested in the most gear. More on that later.
The true constant though with which he occupied much of his later years was woodworking. He had enough tools and gadgets for three people. Funny, because that worked out well for me, my brother and my Uncle. Good thing my dad didn't want any of it.
The volume of Gramp's wood projects, both finished and unfinished, is both impressive and problematic. What are we supposed to do with all of it? That too is for another time.
There were of course other smaller, shorter lived passions, like a stamp collection and a handful coins, which were noteworthy for only being old, but not for much else.
Where am I going with all of this? Well besides laying out future things I need and want to talk about, it is clear to me that the sum of all these parts still does not equal the whole man. The things left behind are mute testimony to an aspect of a life lived. Hopefully of a time, or times shared and enjoyed.
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