The Birth

Found in Grandpa’s sketch book

To say I was born into it would be false, though I was certainly surrounded by it. Not surrounded firsthand, but through illustrations depicting the pursuit. These illustrations were done by my late grandfather, Robert Birchall Stewart.

Though I missed out on hunting with him, my father has fond memories of a few hunts with him. I’ve heard these stories many times over, they never get old. No story about Grandpa could ever be told too much. Whether those hunts were stocked or natural birds, I’ll leave that to your imagination. Still, looking at the old photos of them post-hunt with an old Budweiser can, a half-dozen pheasants on display, and smiles ear to ear, I can’t help but smile and feel a sort of jealousy.

I was never presented with the opportunity to hunt with my Grandpa, but I don’t blame him. I didn't have much patience as a kid, and “babysitting” me likely would have taken all the joy out of the field for him.

Even so, his illustrations always made me wonder what it was truly like out there in the field behind a working dog. That’s what I think sparked it all… that simple curiosity for the pursuit, subconsciously queueing the birth of Albright’s Feather & Fin.