Our 2023-2024 hunting season officially ended with a bang on March 23rd. Once again, the finest guests in the world came through our doors to enjoy world class hunting, woods, dogs, guides, food, and service! I often wonder what people think of as they prepare to enter eternity. I somehow doubt that any of them would say that they wish they had spent more time in the office or working on that big project.   I just have to believe those folks would wish that they had spent more time with their families and enjoying God’s creation in the woods behind a pair of well-trained dogs or on the ri ..read more

This is not my normal blog, but it’s a subject that is very much on my heart. I buried a friend yesterday. Thomas (Tommy) Gaines funeral service was yesterday in a beautiful church that he was instrumental in getting built. I grew up with the Gaines and Williams families. For many years, those two families formed the nucleus of Riverview’s most valuable employees.   Mine and Tommy’s friendship was formed in the hard manual labor of my dad’s tobacco fields. There were three Gaines brothers, Sammy, Tommy, and Junior. While none of the three had ever touched a set of weights, all three looke ..read more

Dang, one of our Yankee guests must have forgotten to close the back door when they headed south to hunt with us. BRR, it is colder than a well driller’s butt in the sunny south. Our wind chill temps came close to single digits, and we have more cold weather on the way.   I’m certain that many of you folks who live north of the Smith & Wesson line are thinking, what’s the big deal? You must remember that we southerners don’t put as much antifreeze in our systems as y’all do. Even our bird dogs are snuggling up with each other at night, but they do love the cold weather for hunting. Al ..read more

Well, I just finished my 4th Thanksgiving meal. I now look like a bull buffalo, and for some reason, my pants have shrunk! Tomorrow begins a day of reckoning for my fat fanny. My weight loss goal is to be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.   However, we have so many blessings to count this season. Despite current events and protests from the ignorant and uneducated, we still live in the greatest nation on earth. I have always been reluctant to name my blessings when I’m talking to my God for fear that any, I forget could be taken away from me when I wake up. One t ..read more

As the old Roman philosopher once said, “Tempus Fugit “, or “Time Flies” for those of you who didn’t have to endure three years of Latin in high school as I did. Well, for me, it’s fugiting a helluva lot faster than it once did. We will open our 2023-2024 hunting season this Sunday, and I will be in the mountains of north Georgia for a two day trustees meeting. I feel somewhat like the old coal fired locomotives in the cartoons. The coal is stoked, steam is pouring out, the wheels are turning, but they aren’t going anywhere. That would be me, but I take great pride in my son, Cader IV, and the ..read more

Activities at Riverview have taken on their normal pace since the end of the season. All of the cottages have been cleaned and put in sleep mode for the summer. We even know how many towels we are missing. I would hate to think what the number might have been had we put our logo on them. Years ago, I learned the hard way that the Ritz Carlton doesn’t give away their fluffy bath robes. I still have mine at the price of $200 back then.   Jerry and the burning crew had a safe and productive controlled woods burn, and we got beneficial rains shortly after finishing which diminished needle dro ..read more

As we approach Easter Sunday, I am reminded of what Jesus said on the cross when he uttered, “It is finished”. We ended the 2022-2023 season with a bang rather than a whimper. I must admit that I am getting most of my information about this past hunting season from Cader IV since I was noticeably absent for most of the season. However, since he owes me a fair amount of money, I try to stay in close contact although I have absolutely no doubts about his ability to run Riverview which is now his to own and operate.   We finished hunting season with an almost full house. Due to a light Octob ..read more

Someone once asked me if I looked forward to hunting season beginning and ending. I replied that the day that I failed to be excited about the opening of our hunting season was the day that I would retire. Likewise, the day I failed to look forward to it not ending was the day that I should be committed to a mental institution! We have only four more days of the 2022-2023 hunting season remaining, and it has been an outstanding season! The guides, dogs, and guests have been FANTASTIC.   The last two weeks in October and the first week in November were slower than usual for us. I believe t ..read more

As the old hippy song from the 60’s goes, “I just dropped in to see what condition, my condition was in.” I just had lunch at the Lodge with Cader IV, Jerry, and Andy. They told me that the hunting had been excellent during this last half of the season. However, we do still have a few openings left before the end of this season. But, very few.   I am amazed at the weather pattern for this first week of February. It was actually colder in October and November than it has been this week. However, it is predicted that we will go back to freezing temps this week. South Georgia weather is like ..read more

Well, I never thought I would say it, but this retirement gig isn’t so bad. I get free meals now and then, and every so often I get to visit with some of y’all. However, I do keep up with what is going on at Riverview.   We are now over the halfway mark of the hunting season. The first half of the season has been a good one, but the birds are still winning the battle over the hunters from what I can see on our stat sheets. There is still time in this last half of the season for you to visit and flip the charts. According to Cader IV and Jerry, the hunting has been excellent and challengin ..read more