Outdoor Guide
Page 6
July-August 2021
Book Corner
Larry Whiteley offers a smart and meaningful book of stories
By CARL GREEN Editor
It’s taken our friend Larry Whiteley more than 50 years of writing and broadcasting about the great outdoors – and the difference it’s made in his life – to finally get around to writing his first book, called “Seasons – Stories of Family, God and the Great Outdoors.” If you’re accustomed to reading Larry’s column in the Outdoor Guide, the voice you will hear in reading this book will be very familiar – warm and welcoming but also both knowledgeable and fun-loving. A guy you could stand to spend some
time with, and come away the better for it. The book is just becoming available this summer, in plenty of time for Christmas gift-giving. Its first appearance was on June 10 on Amazon’s Kindle E-reader for a bargain price of $5.99. On June 20, it was available as an actual paperback book from Amazon and other retailers for $12.95. An audio version was in the works. HIS GREAT CAREER The afterword of the book gives a summary of Whiteley’s estimable career as an outdoor writer and broadcaster, including the past 33 years
as host of the award-winning, syndicated Bass Pro Shops World Radio. For 30 years. he has prepared the Outdoor World print items for newspapers across the nation. Not to mention that his column, “Tips and Tricks from the Great Outdoors,” has run in the Outdoor Guide since the magazine was founded. But for all this success and public exposure, Whiteley’s essence is that of the outdoors and country life – a fall hunting trip, a winter walking expedition, a spring wonderment at the rebirth of life, and a summer reunion of family, with thanks given to the God who makes it
OUTDOOR
GUIDE
July-August 2021
MAGAZINE
HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING • SHOOTING • TRAVEL Volume 29, No. 4 • Published six times a year Office: 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis, MO 63103 News department — 618-972-3744
www.outdoorguidemagazine.com e-mail: news@outdoor-guide.com COVER created by Kathy Crowe, graphic designer.
Carl Green, editor – carl@labortribune.com John Winkelman, associate editor — ogmjohnw@aol.com Bob Whitehead, editor emer. – ogmbobw@aol.com Lynn Fowler, circulation manager Kathy Crowe, graphic designer — Account executives — Dan Braun, marketing director 314-256-4136 Lauren Marshall 314-614-5175 — Regional and specialty editors — Darrell Taylor Ray Eye Brent Frazee Brandon Butler
Curt Hicken Bill Cooper Thayne Smith Steve Jones
Bill Seibel John Neporadny Jr. Rick Story T. J. Mullin
Larry Whiteley Ted Nugent Ron Bice
– In Memoriam —
Joel Vance • Ron Henry Strait • Jared Billings • Charlie Farmer • Richard Engelke • Mark Hubbard • Spence Turner • Hank Reifeiss Kay Hively • Bill Harmon • Barbara Perry Lawton • Danny Hicks • Ron Kruger • TJ Stallings • John Sloan
Scott Pauley Tim Huffman John Meacham Bob Holzhei Jeannie Farmer Jerry Pabst Ryan Miloshewski
— Staff writers —
Claudette Roper Brad Wiegmann Mike Roux Craig Alderman Randall Davis Jo Schaper Jed Nadler
Kenneth Kieser Gerald Scott Russell Hively Roxanne Wilson Gretchen Steele Larry Potterfield Tom Watson
Don Gasaway Terry Wilson Bill Keaton Charlie Slovensky Michael Wardlaw Tyler Mahoney Richard Aites
possible. Add in a touch of comedy, and that’s Larry. SEASONS OF LIFE And that’s this book, too, split into four sections – spring, summer, fall and winter, naturally, with precisely 10 short stories and vignettes per season, ranging from two to five pages each, so nothing takes too long to read, but nothing is left incomplete, either. The essence of the book – and the man – can be found in Whiteley’s introductory statement: “I’m lucky to live in an area of the country where we experience the different seasons, and I get to do that with family, friends and those special times alone in God’s great outdoors. Something would be missing in my life without the sounds of the spring peeper frogs, lightning bugs on a summer night, the autumn tapestry, animal tracks in a winter snow, an eagle flying in a bright blue sky or the beauty of a rainbow. “Changes in the seasons, and all the special things that happen during those times, make up our lives. They add to it just as special times and special places, like seasonings added to a recipe, make life so good.” He’s lived in Springfield all this time, with his wife Maryann, and near many relatives, plus those in Wisconsin and Kansas. He makes no secret of his belief in and love for God, but readers who quality as religion-phobic need not fear – this is a book of evangelism, but only for the natural world he prefers to inhabit. In the acknowledgments, he thanks his wife, their three sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren, and others including Outdoor Guide founder Bobby Whitehead and one of its fine writers, fishing guru Tim Huffman. He also thanks Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris for helping him get started on radio 30 years ago and being there ever since. To give an idea of what this book is like, some of the short chapters, among many
others, include:
• Sitting on a Big Flat Rock • Deer Camp Characters • Night-time Fishing • The Old Barn • Tracks in the Snow • Grandpa’s Shotgun
IN HIS VOICE One of the vignettes, “Signs of Spring,” covers bats, peeper frogs, buckeye trees and much more in just a few pages. To demonstrate Larry’s writing voice, here’s a quick sample: “To some, the first sign of spring is a robin in their yard, or leaves starting to bud out, or flowers beginning to bloom. To cabin folks like us, it’s the mating call of the peeper frog. “I sit down on an old log to pause and enjoy this moment in time. My eyes catch the graceful, rippling flight of a Mourning Cloak butterfly as it emerges from its winter home in a tree cavity. A bee buzzes a wildflower. A spider is spinning his web on a nearby bush. A cricket walks up my pant leg. “The world is coming to life again and I’m thankful
I’m here to enjoy it. All the sights, sounds and activities that are beginning to happen remind me that we humans weren’t the only ones waiting for signs of spring.” If that sounds poetic, there’s also at least one outright poem that I found in the book. Tim Huffman, himself an award-winning writer and photographer, has an interesting suggestion for readers of the book. “Larry tugs at every heart-warming emotion when he details a beautiful morning sunrise from a deer stand, the smells, sounds and visual impact of a crackling campfire and the importance of skipping rocks with grandkids,” he said. “I recommend reading this book one story a night, to enjoy and savor every outdoor memory and moment he shares.” That about sums it up, folks. To submit books for Book Corner, send them to Carl Green, Outdoor Guide Magazine, 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis MO 63103 or send email to carl@labortribune.com.
