Judy and I just got back from the NYS trappers convention yesterday, perfect cool, sunny weather for the show, the first cool spell all summer. Had a great time yacking with everyone as always, but it goes too fast. Great to see all of our old fur trapping friends and the ADC trappers we have come to know more recently. Most all of the cages we had were gone by Saturday afternoon. Judy had just loaded the few remaining traps when we got word that a trapper wanted to take “whatever we had left,” so we unloaded a second time. Outside of a few sample custom traps, we went home with nothing again.
At the end of the convention a smiling fellow introduced himself as Fran Alzheimer, a name that was a household word around the fur shed many years ago. It was Fran and Phil Clark who trapped beaver in Cold River in the early 1970’s, the earliest actually, 1970, almost fifty years ago, at the same time Johnny Thorpe and Frank King trapped it. Johnny mentioned them many times, so we felt like we knew them before we ever met. Having seen Phil at conventions over the years, this was the first encounter with Fran. So glad he took the time to to say hi as it brings back old memories.
Judy and I will be going to Connecticut October 1 for the Connecticut Trappers Convention. Great time of year to convention, leaves beginning to turn, chill in the air. See you there.