Recently I drove by a golf course and saw many folks enjoying the sport. It was a beautiful day, sunny and 70, and I was going fishing. I wondered about the people on the fairways and greens and driving around in their little golf carts. To me, golf is a foreign activity that I know nothing about. I don't know the difference between a putter or 2-iron or wood whatchamacallit, or a birdie from a bogey. Nor do I want to know.

So she walks over, looks at the woodpile, and says, "I think you have a problem." I put down my 8 pound splitting maul, thankful for the break, and say, "problem? I have a problem?" "Yes," she says, "and there must be a name for it." She thinks a minute and says, "I've got it. EXCESSIVE COMPULSIVE FIREWOOD DISORDER. ECFD. That's the name of your affliction. I think it fits." And she walks back in the house. I'm sure she's feeling pretty proud about herself for that perfect acronym.

When the two boats finally cast off the ropes and left the dock at the Homer, Alaska harbor, you might say the people on board were a bit excited. It was a dream come true for six of them, all combat veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. They were about to embark on a five day bear hunt/fishing trip hosted by Alaska's Healing Hearts Foundation, an organization that makes many activities available to veterans. The adventure was made possible by the generosity of Mike Flores, who owns Ninilchik Charters. Mike, who has two sons active in the U.S.Marine Corps, made his two boats available for the trip.

THE 2015 NRA convention, held in Nashville, is now history. I haven't seen the official numbers, but I understand it was the best ever in terms of attendance. Because my motel was a few miles from downtown, I took cabs. It was interesting to note the reaction of some of the drivers. They wanted to know what went on inside that building. Were there lots of guns there? Why did people go there anyway?

Most hunters are aware that we have far more big game species now than we did at the turn of the 20th century, when market hunting, subsistence hunting, and habitat destruction took a huge toll on wildlife. That being said, we're now experiencing a profound downward spiral of many species of upland birds, primarily due to encroachment of civilization where rural acres are lost, and habitat alteration or changes due to different farming practices and varying land uses that are detrimental to wildlife species.