One of Heff's favorite days of the year was yesterday, September 1st which marks the Opening Day of Dove Season. He claims he's never been to school or to work on September 1st :) We are up in Red Bluff for the long weekend and spent most of Saturday on the hunt for the birds. We got in Friday night and had dinner with the Flynn's and other eager hunters Gus Kerry and Mike George at a mexican restaurant in Red Bluff (Quite a different meal than the Manresa 8 course, 6 wine flight meal we had in Los Gatos with Mike and Donya George and some of the lawyers from Brian's old firm the night before).

We were up at 5am to meet the guys at Nine Mile Hill before sunrise when dove season officially began. We brought the four-wheelers out and were ready to shoot by the time the sun came up over the hills. It was still dark, but already warm enough for a tank top and my new hunting capri-pants Janet bought me for the weekend (who knew Maternity stores made clothes just for 37.5 week pregnant girls to go out and shoot birds in!)

Looking for dove after the sun came up

My husband shot a limit of birds in about 20 minutes, they were flying everywhere and he's a pretty good shot :) I, on the other hand, had fun going through three boxes of shot and had only two birds in my vest by the end of the day... one of them Heff shot and wounded but it wasn't dead so I got the honor of pouncing on it and "twirling" it's head off to finish the job... he let me keep that one :)

Dave and Mike making the rounds happy to be out and shooting birds (and nice to let the pregnant girl tag along)

One for Cletus the Fetus Baby Book... hope he/she's not offended but I don't think we'll be breeding any vegetarians in this family. We had asked our OBGYN if it was okay to A) go up to Red Bluff for the weekend (answer, you are 37 weeks pregnant but I guess so) and B) go out with Brian for "Opening Day of Dove Season." She first asked us if that was a sports team, then said in shock "You want to shoot little birds?!" Heff replied "They're not that little." And when she asked if we pull off their little feathers I explained that the feathers and skin actually rip right off the breasts to clean them. I guess most of her Palo Alto patients don't have the same questions we do!

We went home for a nap after the morning hunt (Mary napped, Heff went out for breakfast with the guys) and we were ready to hunt again in the late afternoon. We went out with Greg Weber and Trish, Tyler, Brendon and Greg to Weber's family's ranch... the same place Heff and I got engaged and Heff ahs been going to hunt since he was a teenager. There weren't as many birds, but more beers and hanging out enjoying the sunset and cooler air.