Wilson Post Blogs

By JOHN L. SLOAN
I think I was 11-could have been 12. It was hot, so hot the road was sweating. We pulled the old red truck into the dusty lane and shut the engine down. The gate and the cornfield, picked four days ago, stretched in front of us. I got my Winchester 20-gauge and three boxes of shells from the back. Of course, they were Peters High-Velocity. The good ones. The gun was one of the now valuable, red W ones. Wish I still had it.

Sweating like pigs, Uncle Lloyd and I headed for the small pond where we would setup. It was September 1 and in 15-minutes, dove season would open and I would probably shoot my three boxes of shells. Hopefully I would kill a few doves. They make a great jambalaya and just the breasts, wrapped in bacon and grilled aren’t bad either.

How many years and how many shells have I spent since then? From that hot, dusty kid and through the miles of fields and acres of food spreads, years sprinkled with backyard shoots and massive, catered hunts.

Dove season marks the start of hunting season even though squirrel season opens earlier here in Tennessee. The great many of us only hunt a few days at the start of the season. The addicted wing shooters hunt all through the season. It opens here tomorrow and I suggest you consult your hunting guide for exact dates since I am no longer smart enough to figure it all out. What I know for sure is, it starts at noon tomorrow and the limit is 15.

On that first afternoon, if memory serves, I killed five birds out of my three boxes of number 7-1/2 lead shot. Those shells were paper. This was before plastic took over and stopped the problem of swelling from moisture. I had a brand new shell vest with a lined game bag and the pockets of the vest were loaded with shells. A carefully wrapped sandwich-baloney and cheese on white, loaf bread-and a bottle of water bumped shoulders with a couple candy bars

Naturally, the candy bars would melt and the sandwich never was eaten because as we opened the gate, the air was filled with doves.

Uncle Lloyd and the rest of the group, Lester, Jesse, Rip, Frank, Alphus and some I’m sure I can’t remember started the war. That is what it sounded like. Most got their limits. As I said, I got five. Pretty good for the first time, I thought.

I recall an opening day near Portales, NM when I killed almost as many rattlesnakes as I did doves. I was hunting with Winston Ford, the athletic director at Eastern New Mexico University. He was nailed as he reached down to pick up a dove. I rushed him to what pretended to be a hospital. Thankfully, it was not a bad bite, not much venom injected and they handled it.

There was a shoot down in Mississippi hosted by their fish and game department. Birds everywhere and I needed only 18 shots to get my limit. It is possible that field may have been baited but I wouldn’t swear to it. Some folks just plant wheat that way.

There were the great hunts at wade Bourne’s house near Clarksville, complete with fantastic food, some of which I cooked, and enough birds to suit everyone. I usually shot my Remington 870, 20-gauge on those hunts. Good shooting, good food, good companions.

Funny how the action always picks up just as the sun starts to go down and when you go to pick up a bird, another one flies over you.

There was the day it rained. We were in central Louisiana on the Cane River. The big field was behind the restored plantation house and there must have been 50 hunters. At five minutes until noon, the skies opened. It rained as only it can in Louisiana. We were all soaked but still the birds flew.

There was the hunt near Paris when I shared a shooting stake with Hank Williams Jr. He outshot me even with only one eye. However, not by much.  I still run into him from time to time, usually in airports as we go various places. Last time we were going hunting, he for elk, and me for deer. Pretty good wingshot, ole Junior.

In addition, there have been some good shoots here on the Old Hickory WMA. That was years ago. I do not go much anymore. Just lost interest, I guess. I don’t know if I’ll go tomorrow or not. Either way, dove season opens tomorrow at noon and the limit and possession limit for that day is 15.

Hunt safely, wear sunscreen and shoot well.

Contact John L. Sloan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By JOHN L. SLOAN
Bob was barking almost like a man hollering. Then I woke up. Uncle Lloyd was banging on my bedroom window. I had overslept for a squirrel hunt on Alligator Bayou. I may have been 13. I expect it was 1957, and we were going to enjoy one of the state sports of Louisiana- a hunt for tree rats. We were taking Bob, an Arkansas, natural bob-tailed fiest and a squirrel-treeing marvel.

Squirrel hunting is almost a state sport in Louisiana. It ranks right up there with alligator hunting, fishing, pig roasts and crawfish boils. In proper circles, football is not even mentioned. With Bob, on a good day, in the right place, with good scenting weather, you could tree 50-75 tree rats.

Hunting with a squirrel dog is a lot different from still-hunting where you slip quietly through the woods, moving slowly and stopping often to listen for the sound of falling acorn or hickory husks or a shaking tree branch. “With a dog you drag your feet. Still hunting you barely set them down,” opined Uncle Alphus, the senior member of our crew.

I grew up and learned woodcraft and how to hunt and a variety of things squirrel hunting the swamps of Louisiana. The season opened in mid-October and there was no school that day, should it happen to fall on a weekday. It wouldn’t matter if it had, nobody would have gone.

There were few if any deer and the ducks weren’t “down” yet, still hiding up North. Therefore, we hunted tree rats. Since squirrels are a part of the rodent family, the name is not improper.

By  RAY POPE
I don’t know about you, but the Wilson County Fair made me feel like an old government mule. There was a lot to do, and it seemed like for every step forward, I would slip two steps backwards. It was great to see so many friends again at The Wilson Post booth. The most asked questions were concerning the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Ants, ants and more ants are fast becoming a real problem to some of you. If you happen to be in the Mt. Juliet area, stop by Garr’s Feed and Rental and pick up an ant moat for your Hummer feeders. It hangs on your hooks and the other end goes on your feeder. It has a water hazard where the ants can’t cross to get to the good stuff.

Almost like some of our golfers. You have to be careful because small birds like Carolina Chickadees will use them for a bird bath. Remember to keep fresh water available at all times in this dry period.

Angel Kane and Becky Andrews spent some time at our booth, meeting and greeting some of their fans, and there was quite a few of them. I am already looking forward to next year’s fair, and I am in hopes that I will get my old location back next to Sherry Thompson and her daughter Miranda. It just wasn’t the same with someone between us.

I received a letter from Mrs. Grace Farrar who lives out in the northeastern section of our county. Grace is a devoted reader and actually saves my articles so she can look back and learn about our feathered friends. She was in California back in July and was able to see Ravens up close and personal. Grace was watching a pair of Ravens on a pole when a Mockingbird dashed out from a clump of bushes and demanded that the pair leave at once. After a little dive-bombing the Ravens headed for a much safer location.

During the fair I was able to meet Laura Beery who had a tale to tell. Laura had out five bluebird boxes, with only one Bluebird family that decided to stay. You must remember that Bluebirds are very territorial and will not tolerate another family of Bluebirds within sight of their home. With the chance of another family of Bluebirds moving in was slim to nada. Instead in a few days, Laura noticed something taking an interest in the other vacant houses. After further looking, she discovered four families of Tree Swallows. One way you can tell Tree Swallows are building a nest is to look for feathers inside.

I wish that I would have thought about gathering some feathers from the chicken area of the Wilson County Fair. Maybe sometime this week, I’ll try to get back there and look for some. Also Laura had two Cuckoo’s fly into her window. One was killed outright, and the other was stunned and soon flew off.

I was asked probably a dozen times how to make the Hummer Juice. You take one part granulated sugar to four parts hot water, mix well and let cool. Please do not add red food coloring to the mix as their tiny bodies can’t digest the stuff.

I would love to hear from you as to what’s lurking about in your neighborhood and at your feeders. You can write me at 606 Fairview Ave, Lebanon, TN, 37087, or call me at 547-7371 or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dear Ken: Who were the stars in “The Big Chill?” I seem to remember that most of them were relatively unknown when they made the picture but most of them did pretty well for themselves.
Your 1983 flick indeed had a stellar cast. Those on their way up the Hollywood list included Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger and Jeff Goldblum. The plot involved seven old college friends, now in their 30s, coming together again for the funeral of another of their college-day pals. The irony lies in the fact that dead friend was played by none other than Kevin Costner, who appears briefly as a corpse, and he probably has had the biggest career of the lot.

Dear Ken: How old is Joan Collins of TV‘s “Dynasty” fame? How many times has she been married?
The London native is 78 and is married to hubby No. 5. Her sister, writer Jackie Collins, is 73. In Joan’s next movie, “Dogs in Pocketbooks,” she plays a high-powered Hollywood agent. Her troubled client will be portrayed by Lydia Hearst Shaw.

Dear Ken: Did TV legend Andy Griffith ever make any western movies?
Griffith, 85, starred in “The Second Time Around,” “Hearts of the West” and “Rustlers’ Rhapsody.” Only the latter was a true western, and all were comedies.

Dear Ken: What is singer Patti Page, famous for “The Tennessee Waltz” and “How Much Is That Doggy in the Window,” doing these days? Does she still perform?
Page, 83, who was born in Claremore, Okla., has sold approximately 100 million records. She has not yet retired as she keeps on singing and singing. Her birth name was Clara Ann Fowler, while her nickname is “The Singing Rage.”

Dear Ken: I just saw the movie “Cowboys and Aliens” Where have I seen the cowboy who played Wes Claiborne before?
That was Buck Taylor, famed as gunsmith Newly O’Brien on “Gunsmoke.” His pop was character actor great Dub Taylor.

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

By JOHN L. SLOAN
Man, it is hot! Sweat is rolling down my cheeks and the heat from my face is blurring the scope. I sight the TenPoint carefully and get the green dot in the center of the crosshairs to rest on the white spot 30-yards away. I push the second safety and slowly begin to squeeze the trigger. Whop! The arrow quivers dead center in the circle.

I am ready.

Each year, no matter how well your crossbow shot last year, you need to sight it in and make sure it is on. Then, shoot a few practice shots. My TenPoint, Phantom is ready. The string has been inspected and well waxed. All the cables are perfect and there is a new battery in the scope.

Dear Ken: What can you tell me about Robert Mitchum? Where was he born and how many movies did he make? How tall was he and how many children did he have?

Screen legend Mitchum, who was magnificent in film noir, was born in Bridgeport, Conn. His father died before he was 2, and the youngster was in and out of schools due to discipline problems. As a teen he rode the rails around the country, working odd jobs and even spent time on a chain gang in Georgia. In 1936, he went to California to see his sister and found a job with Lockheed Aircraft. Then in 1942 a director hired him to play the villain in a couple of Hopalong Cassidy westerns, and the 6-foot-1 Mitchum began to make a name for himself. He made more than 120 movies including “The Story of G.I. Joe,” “Out of the Past,” “Night of the Hunter,” “Thunder Road,” “Cape Fear,” “El Dorado” and “Ryan’s Daughter.”  The actor, who died in 1997 at 79 from emphysema and lung cancer, had two sons and a daughter. His ashes were scattered at sea from a yacht the family borrowed from his long-time friend, Fess Parker.

Dear Ken: Is country singer Tompall Glaser of Tompall Glaser & the Glaser Brothers still living? What was the trio’s biggest hit?
Nashville outlaw singer Tompall will be 78 on Sept. 3. He and his brothers, Jim and Chuck, hailed from Spalding, Neb., and had their biggest hit with “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again),” which went to No. 2 on the country charts in 1981. They were the Country Music Association’s vocal group of the year in 1970.

Dear Ken: What has happened to Connie Stevens of “Hawaiian Eye”? What other TV shows and movies was she in?
Born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia in Brooklyn, N.Y., the singer-actress, who just turned 73, has taken a new turn in recent years. In 2007, she co-wrote and directed her first move, “Saving Grace B. Jones.” She is now in pre-production on her second film, “Prairie Bones,” a western. Stevens was in the movies “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” “Susan Slade,” “Palm Springs Weekend” and “Grease 2” and next works in “The Summer of Shoulders and Noses.” She starred in her own TV series, “Wendy and Me,” in the mid-1960s and has been a guest on lots of TV westerns and such shows as “Baywatch,” “Eight Simple Rules” and “Murder, She Wrote.” She has two actress daughters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, from her short marriage to singer Eddie Fisher.

Dear Ken: Where is Elizabeth Banks, who plays Avery Jessup on “30 Rock,” from?
Banks, 37, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. Her film credits include “Spider-Man,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Seabiscuit,” “The Baxter,” “Slither,” “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Meet Bill” and “W.” She has three or four films coming out next year and recently signed to star in the romantic comedy “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.”

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By  RAY POPE
Many of you are probably tired of me mentioning my vegetable garden each week. I had hopes of entering some of them in the Wilson County Fair, hoping for a repeat of my success from last year.

Karen Franklin, along with her daughter Anna, picked me up to go with them to enter some of Karen’s pictures in the photo contest at the fair. After returning home, I started over to my next door neighbor, Ashley Boyd, when I noticed a stalk of my corn lying on the ground, uprooted. It hadn’t been too long after we got the rain storm on Saturday, so maybe the wind had caused the problem.

After I walked back to see what had happened, I found all the ripe tomatoes had been taken by someone. Also a large bunch of my sweet peppers were gone too. The watermelons and cantelopes had been confiscated by some unknown thief. There were many hours work and many dollars spent to produce these fine vegetables for someone to just take them.

The thief made a return trip on Sunday about 3:30 in the afternoon to get more stuff and took my butternut squash which I could kick myself for leaving it on the vine for a couple more days so I could enter it in the fair. Is nothing sacred anymore?

The last couple of weeks, I have been talking about Swallows. Another Swallow we have in a few choice locations is the Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). This species is considered the streamlined harbingers of spring, especially in the California area. Each spring colonies of master masons return here from deep down in South America flying several thousand miles to reach their ancestral home.

At chosen locations, the male will select a spot and stake his claim and drive off hovering neighbors. When the female alights, the pair begin building their bottle shaped nest with the entrance at the neck. A mud puddle is located and groups of swallows surround it and gather little drops of mud in their beaks. They return to the nest site and carefully place each little drops of mud against the wall. Clusters of nurseries grow out from the verticle bases on the preferred surface. Bickering Swallows steal mud from other birds’ houses, while birds that fail to breed form roving gangs that harass other members of the colony.

The birds colors are a pale forehead and rump, black crown, dark brown throat and cheeks streaked back with a square tail. Now that’s a mouthful.

Before the birds place the roof on the structure, the female lays four of five brown spotted white eggs in the nest. A colony often raises its family in the same nest year after year unless the nest deteriorates and falls to the ground.

I myself have never seen Cliff Swallows here in Wilson County, but I haven’t checked under every bridge on every creek, but maybe some of you can. I was fishing for large mouth bass over in Granville several years ago when I spotted a small colony of Cliff Swallows nesting under the bridge on Highway 53 where the creek intersects the road at the Jackson County line. Maybe our resident fisherman John L. Sloan has noticed these birds at this location. I admire Mr. Sloan because he is a nature lover with many years of experience and cares about all wildlife.

Melissa Turrentine, please contact me where I can forward an e-mail to you from someone at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama about a sighting on the lake there.
I received an e-mail from a dear friend, Barbara Manners, telling me about her Bluebirds. Barbara said that her Bluebirds raised their first brood and left the nest, then came back to do it again.

The nest was built, but no eggs were laid. I am afraid that his mate must have perished before the eggs were laid. I must have been living under a rock back in late May as Barbara’s husband of 44 years, Joe, passed away. I have known Joe for several years and got to visit with him at one of Roy Garr’s seminars on Bluebirds and Purple Martins. He was a special person with a happy disposition and really loved his birds. Barbara, the best thing I can do for your loss is to keep you in my prayers.

After Church services Sunday, my cousin Traci Walker was telling me about her cat that is fearful for its life when she puts it outside. It’s not a large dog but a pair of Mockingbirds that chases the bird, pecking it on the head when they do a fly-by.

The cat has a very fluffy tail that also grabs the pair of Mocker’s attention, so it is losing its hair at a faster rate than I did.

I would love to hear from you as to what’s lurking about in your neighborhood and at your feeders. You can write me at 606 Fairview Ave., Lebanon, TN, 37087, call me at 547-7371 or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

y JOHN L. SLOAN
The sun was going down. It seemed to hover just above the trees. I was sweating bullets just from reeling. I felt the boat rock and knew the first fish of the night was battling my partner in the back of the boat. It turned out to be the largest fish of the night, close to five pounds. That was a year or so ago but I thought of it on this night.

Then it got dark.

Just because it was dark did not mean it was cool. There was not a tendril of moving air. I could hear the blue/black jig hit the water but I could not see it. It was past the scant light from the black light. At the third crank of the reel, I felt that flutter that signifies a fish has picked up the jig. Then the line tightened and I set the hook. It was a smallmouth of a pound. Even the little ones fight-smallmouth.

We worked our way through the dark, the rear boat light and the black light providing just enough light to work by. Now, a breeze hit our faces now and then and not only did it cool us, it kept the bugs away. The insects were not bad, just enough to make you aware of their presence. A jet went over low, preparing to land at the airport. A siren blared somewhere in Nashville.

Big Bird caught another bass of about the same size. I was afraid that was the pattern for the night-small fish and nothing of any size. About then I caught another one-pound smallmouth. The color of the evening was the blue/black combination that I have come to favor at night. I was using a crawfish imitator from Stanley Jigs. They make a good product and in the weight I like. Most jigs today come in weights of over ¼-ounce. That are too heavy for the type of fishing I do. I wish I could still find the black or dark brown ones in bear hair or fox hair. The smallmouth seem to prefer them.

I drag and hop a jig across the bottom. I do very little, make that, I do no flipping and vertical jigging. Therefore I want a jig light enough for me to handle easily on the 6# line. My choice is 1/8-ounce and if it is deep water or windy, I’ll go to ¼-ounce.  I do not want a heavy jig that stays on the bottom and usually hangs up on something. I want one that hops up and floats down.

You do not lose many fish on these jigs. Not only are the hooks good, most of the time, when a fish hits a jig and you set the hook properly, they get hooked in the top lip. It is a tough part of the lip and they don’t throw many lures when they jump as smallmouth do. Of course, bass aren’t all you catch at night. Stripers and Hybrids are not uncommon in lakes where they abound. Catfish are a regular night time catch. An experienced fisherman can just about tell what he has by the way he fights.

I enjoy night fishing. I always have. I like the dark, even on land. I don’t night fish at much as I once did. For a while, starting in late May, I used to fish four or five nights a week. Mostly I fished Center Hill. I like fishing the hill because the high ridges make for good landmarks you can see silhouetted against the sky. Makes for good running in the dark. You are required to have boat lights-a white light on the back and a red/green one on the bow. Now and then you might use a spotlight to check your location or spot a landmark on the bank. Now I mostly fish Percy Priest and there is usually enough ambient light from the area businesses to allow you to run. I try to go on nights when it is not loaded with boats. On this night it is almost deserted.

I make a long cast across the point of the island. I start bouncing and hopping the jig slowly across the point Halfway back, the tap comes. I set the hook hard, the rod bows and the drag clicks. All signs of a good fish. I can’t move him. He runs sideways toward the back of the boat, not acting like a bass. Then the line goes limp. Lost him. I think probably catfish. Then Mark and I both catch the same piece of discarded line. I save my lure, he does not.

It is now close to one a.m. Five hours is long enough. We have caught a respectable number of small fish. Even though night is when you are supposed to catch the big ones, on this night, Big Bird and I did not, just the drillers, the bank runners. However, it was an enjoyable night.

A hot night. A hot night for fishing.

Contact John L. Sloan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Dear Ken: Actor Peter Falk of “Columbo” fame died recently? What were some of the movies that he made? How many episodes did he make of “Columbo”?
Falk, who died June 23 at 83, made more than 40 films from 1959 to 2008. Twice he was nominated for Oscars, and he earned five Emmy Awards. Among his movie credits are “Murder, Inc.,” “Pocketful of Miracles,” “Robin and the Seven Hoods,” “The Great Race,” “Anzio,” “The Brink’s Job,” “The Cheap Detective,” “The In-Laws,” “The Princess Bride” and “The Thing About My Folks.” He made 69 “Columbo” TV movies. Just one more thing, he was a master of his craft.

Dear Ken: I see where there is now a “Smurfs” movie. Who did the voice of Smurfette in the Saturday morning TV series and who does her voice in the movie? 
Lucille Bliss, 95, supplied the voice of Smurfette for the TV series. Among dozens of other characters, she was the voice of Crusader Rabbit, the star of the first made-for-television cartoon. Katy Perry voices Smurfette in the new movie.

Dear Ken: Whatever happened to Johnny Crawford, who played Chuck Connors’ son on “The Rifleman”?
Crawford, 65, who was one of the original Mouseketeers on Walt Disney’s “The Mickey Mouse Club,” has been the vocalist and band leader of the Johnny Crawford Orchestra since 1992. His group performs vintage dance music and released its first album, “Sweepin’ the Clouds Away,” in 2008. He has said of his working with Connors, who played his TV dad, “Well, it was a great childhood, and he was bigger-than-life, a wonderful guy, very intelligent and a big influence on me, and a great supporter, too. He was always interested in what I was doing and ready to give me advice or help me and he would call me out of the blue, and I really miss him. He left us in ’92, and it’s still a shock to me to think that he’s not around because he had so much energy and loved life and loved people, and he was ‘The Rifleman.‘ He was that and a lot more.”

Dear Ken: When and where were Eskimo Pies were created?
The U.S.A.’s first chocolate-covered ice cream bar was concocted by Christian K. Nelson at his home lab in Onawa, Iowa, in 1920. The inspiration came one day while he worked at a confectionary shop, and a boy came in wanting ice cream, but then changed his mind and purchased a chocolate bar. Nelson asked him why he didn’t just buy one of each.
The youth answered, “Sure I know. I want ’em both, but I only got a nickel.” That caused Nelson to work on a formula would allow melted chocolate to stick to frozen ice cream. Once he did that he sold his “I-Scream Bars” at a local picnic and discovered he had a hit. He went into a partnership with a chocolate maker, Russell Stover, in 1921, and they changed the name to Eskimo Pie. A year later Eskimo Pies were selling like cold cakes to the tune of a million a day. Stover soon sold his share of the company and then created Russell Stover Candies.

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By  RAY POPE Checking out my garden the other days, the Bluebirds started dive-bombing me again, so I opened up their nesting box to find four babies, mouths wide open, waiting for mom and dad to stuff something into their gaping little beaks.

By KEN BECK, The Wilson Post On Aug. 6, 2009, three weeks shy of his 36th birthday, Lebanon’s Chris Price was gliding down Interstate 75 South with six other members of the Nashville Steel Horsemen bike club.

Dear Ken: In the 1940s there was an Indian child actor named Sabu, who starred in “The Jungle Book” and “The Thief of Baghdad.” Is he still living? 

Sabu was the son of an Indian mahout or elephant driver, so he proved a natural to star in a 1937 British film “Elephant Boy.” He made about 20 films, including “Black Narcissus,“ between 1937 and 1964. He became an American citizen in 1944 and joined the U.S. Army Air Force, where he served as a tail gunner during several dozen missions in the Pacific. He died young in 1963 of a heart attack at age 39.

By JOHN L. SLOAN Sometimes there is healing power in just a drop or two of water. Add fish, good company, warm sunshine and expand that drop to a three-acre pond and you may have a healing pond.

Dear Ken: I remember a 1970s Saturday morning TV show called “Secrets of Isis” that starred Joanna Cameron. What happened to her?

Cameron, 59, a native of Aspen, Colo., was discovered by Bob Hope. In the 1965-1977 TV series, she played a high school teacher who possessed an enchanted amulet which allowed her to morph into an Egyptian-themed superhero. She used her speed, strength, gift of flying and telekinesis to take down villains. After leaving show biz in 1980, she worked in home health care for about 10 years and then did marketing for hotels.