Hello, 2020, and let’s keep the blogging rolling with plenty of ideas for another year.

First up, before the regular “Friday Flashback” posts kick into gear next month, I am going with a different series of turn back the clock submissions. For each of the Fridays in January I am delving into the archives for a revisit of some ground that I originally covered beginning back in 2008.

As shown in the snapshot above, I have thousands of outdoor photos contained in albums and baggies or stored on hard drives and devices.

From such a collection how in the world would a guy be able to pick out his five favorite outdoor photos of all-time?

After all, these pictures span the 1970s to present and cover various pursuits including fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, hiking, nature and more. Not only are the hobbies varied but so are subjects as they feature a wide range of family and friends.

Well, back in 2008 I did select my top five favorite photos from the collection on hand after spotting a copy of one of them on the mantle at my sister’s house. The picture (below) immediately brought a smile and inspiration simultaneously struck in that good old cartoonish light bulb fashion. That particular moment, frozen in time by the photo, brought to mind the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Sounded like it was worth a try.

First, I set about mentally selecting my all-time favorite outdoor photos (scattered here throughout the post) which did not prove to be too tough. In fact, I was pretty certain after electing to pursue the project as to what pictures would make the cut. However, when the image of a group of hearty young trappers/coonhunters (below) proved to be more elusive than I anticipated, I found myself combing through decades of family pictures. My search was not in vain as the image in my mind truly did exist on paper. And while the other four photos proved to be much easier to track down, the search for the lost photo was quite rewarding and entertaining. In the end though, I found that my five original selections were still my personal favorites for the series.

What is coming your way are examples of the type of pictures that stay imprinted on your brain, magically transporting you back through time in the mysterious way that memories get stored upstairs. Four of these pictures were originally from my collection while the fifth was borrowed from Mom and Dad and has since been added to my stash. These five photos span nearly 30 years, from the fall of 1976 to the fall of 2004. Coincidentally, or possibly subconsciously, their stories also represent much of what my writing has evolved to encompass since I took up the hobby back in the spring of 2002: fishing, trapping, hunting, camping, family, friends, tunes and sports.

Be warned that you will encounter a decent dose of nostalgic tangents along the way, but in my world that’s all part of the picture. If you’ve been around this blog for any stretch, you are already aware. If not, or if you would like a refresher course on my blog, click on any of these 2017 introductory posts: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why.

This updated version of the “1,000 Words” series did require a few slight edits to make it current. However, the personal thoughts, emotions and memories that each picture brought to mind during the original write up are all intact.

Tune in tomorrow and each following Friday this month for the tales behind the snapshots. For as Rod Stewart crooned, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” I’m all about that and I’ll leave it up to the beholder as to whether it rates “1,000 Words.”

But who’s counting? Talk to you later. Troy