Name: Karl McMichael
Born: Newnan Georgia
Currently lives : Newnan, Georgia
Being born and raised in rural Georgia long before the creation of the pc, cell phone, pager, internet (gasp!) or any form of “social media” allowed the author the opportunity to live a young life OUTDOORS. Real friends were made. Complete days were spent on “Spyder bikes”, stopping for “dinner” now called lunch, at whoever’s house we happened to be at the time, carrying our Red Ryder BB guns and drinking water from whatever garden hose or “hose pipe” we came across. Yes, we shot each other with BB guns. Nobody got their eyes shot out. We fought when we got mad at each other and when we finished, we were still best friends. We ate fried bologna sandwiches. We got a severe butt whipping when we disobeyed, back-talked an elder, or said a bad word. We went to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and to Boy Scout meetings on Tuesday night. We were taught how to handle a firearm at a young age. We were taught how to hunt, to skin and prepare a rabbit, squirrel, or quail and eat it. We were taught respect for our country, for God, for parents, and for family.
This upbringing has lasted, and protected the author throughout his life, and helped to put a lasting, lifelong love for the outdoors, the shooting sports, and a strong burning desire and love for hunting and fishing. Deep respect for God, country, and family were instilled and burned into his personality from a very young age. Nicknames like “The big friendly guy” or later the ” Old pleasant guy” reflect the personality of someone who has a deep respect for what matters in life – God, country, family, work, and the outdoors.
These deep roots are reflected from family research done to reveal ancestry all the way to the often mis-understood and somewhat lost tribe of native Americans, the Timucua. These people lived in the swamps of northern Florida and South Georgia and may very well be the reason for the author’s love of the swamp. And later in life, wonderful years spent hunting and exploring Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nebraska, and Colorado enhanced the love for all of God’s creation and developed an even deeper respect for the land, the animals, and the gift of the outdoors. It is the author’s constant prayer and hope that we pass along that love and respect to the next generations to come.