I don’t usually have much reason to shop at outdoor stores like Bass Pro or Gander Mountain or Academy Sports. Though the Spouse is always up for an occasional hike or a camping trip (so long as I’m not a whiny, wimpy participant in either), he doesn’t hunt, or fish, or boat. And, while this is not newsworthy, I also don’t hunt, or fish, or boat.
My earliest and only experience with fishing resulted in the fish swallowing the hook and thereby creating a bloody, harrowing scene on the pier of a campground known as the Cross Eyed Cricket. As I recall, my sister was severely traumatized by the whole experience. To say that our fried fish dinner at the onsite restaurant that evening was distressing would be an understatement. Sadly for me and luckily for serious sportsmen everywhere, things were never really redeemed for me in the “outdoor sports” category.
So… as you can imagine, I’m like a fish out of water (no pun intended) at the aforementioned stores.
However, on rare occasions such as this past weekend, I conjure up reasons that I need to venture into these woodsy retail outlets. So, Saturday we stopped off at one such place in search of some water-proof shoes for the Spouse (since Tennessee continues to have “dustings” of snow). Alas, we did not find the shoes, but we did find the following things I feel certain I will never be tempted to purchase:
Maybe it’s just me, but I find it a bit strange that you can be perusing the Northface rack in the middle of a store, turn a corner, and suddenly behold a hunter coming toward you, weapon in hand. Even more unusual is that there’s a Starbucks planted square in the middle of the store. It’s a classic illustration of city meets country… or field… or wherever you look for whitetails and turkeys.
Clearly, I need to get outdoors (or at least out of the suburbs) more often and deepen my appreciation for the wild…
Too funny!!