Windy Hollow Hunt
Hunting
Activities
Brief
Synopsis of WHH's 2007/8 Trip to Florida
(all pix courtesy of Shayne Haysom)
Marc
Dradge left the kennels Sunday Dec 30th, heading for Tennessee to do
some hound dealing. He acquired an older bitch with great bloodlines
- Kimble from Mooreland and a younger prospect - Factory from
Hillsboro and dropped off two of Virgo's pups, as promised.
Kevin vander Berg and I scooted out in front of the New Year's Day snow storm. We
all arrived Jan 3rd at Palm Beach kennels where huntsman Michael Purdy
showed us around and we had a chance to get the hounds and horses out
for a trot. We met Julie McKee who had brought a bunch of horses from
Georgia. She kept Marc and Kevin mounted.
Palm Beach photo album.
More mounted exercise Friday morning and in the afternoon we were
washing and braiding to get ready for Opening Day.
Saturday morning started at 4.30 am, which allowed us time to get to
the dawn meet. Dozens of trailers found places to park in the limited
open area and the usual Opening Day bustle ensued. We were introduced
to Bob Pelio, Palm Beach Master, and greeted Art, our Field Master,
Shari, a very friendly Palm Beach field, and a few guests that had
come from South Creek Foxhounds. A parade of hounds and staff was led
by a bagpiper then Michael's father conducted the Blessing, after
which we enjoyed a couple of hours of good sport courtesy of Michael
and the Palm Beach hounds. We were very well fed at a sumptuous hunt
breakfast hosted by ex-Master Rick Safir at his beautiful home on the
Intercoastal Waterway.
The following day we met at the same location, to hunt the Windy
Hollow hounds where we had a rip-roaring good hunt disproving all
those theories that you can't take hounds from the north and hunt
them in the south. Palm Beach members came through again with a great
picnic.
Wednesday we were joined by our Sally who rented a horse from Julie,
and we rode behind the Green Creek from South Carolina in Palm Beach
country and on Thursday, a joint Green Creek/Four Winds pack in Four
Winds country, all followed by the customary good food and good cheer.
Four Winds photo album.
Saturday we were out again, this time a joint Palm Beach/Windy Hollow
pack. They were awesome together. We were cold trailing for the first
hour or so then pushed out a coyote that was viewed by a couple of
whips and gave us a great runaround. They must have been
uncomfortably close because they pressed him across a fairly
substantial river where we could not follow and hounds had to be
called off. Fortunately none was taken by alligators as they crossed!
By the time we got the pack reassembled it was steamingly hot and we
went in.
A polo game in Wellington scheduled for Sunday was cancelled for rain
and Marc headed north to collect some more hounds from Bear Creek in
Georgia. Monday morning - Kevin caught a flight home and I loaded up
my horse and hit the highway in the direction of Bear Creek and
Midland, where Julie and I hunted on Wednesday and Thursday.
That is the bare bones of our trip. Let me add that we were wined and
dined every step of the way, parties, trips to the beach, alligator
farms, balmy 70/80 degree weather, and the Windy Hollow huntsman and
hounds were outstanding.
Thank you, thank you to Bob Pelio and Palm Beach for their wonderful
hospitality, and a personal thank you to Sue and Marshall for putting
up with me, Art and Shari for entertaining all of us and lending me
their Jeep and many Palm Beach individuals who opened their homes to
us, and to Julie who kept everyone mounted.
For those of you that were on the fence about coming, too bad, you
missed a good one. Think about taking some time off next year, we
might just go back, if they will have us!
Shayne Haysom, MFH