It Must Run in the Family

Chris Funk aka Feral-One, chasing frogs

It’s really odd the way life can scatter family in so many different directions and they end up never knowing each other. I’m an only child but my folks both came from some huge broods (the Duggers have nothing on my mom’s family).  I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea how many cousins I have.

Thanks to the way the internet has bridged miles and made our world seem much smaller than it used to be, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a family member I may never have otherwise known.  I haven’t met my cousin Chris in person but I’ve come to the conclusion that we must have been “twin cousins separated at birth” or something like that.

Chris first got my attention through Facebook with the beautiful outdoor and artistic photography he posts on a consistent basis.  I’ve always dreamed of being a photographer but have never taken the time to learn.

After watching Chris’s photos for a few weeks my jaw dropped to the floor when one day he posted a picture of him and his son, Ethan fishing from kayaks. I was elated to find out I have a relative that doesn’t think I’m undeniably insane for fishing from such a little boat!

Chris, Angie and Ethan, the family that yaks together...

Since that day Chris has inspired me to try to learn how to take a better picture. He says I’ve inspired him to break out his fly rod again.  His wife and son now have kayaks to fish from, and I think that’s a great family activity! He recently told me I was the closest thing to a female version of him that he’d ever known. Funny, I thought he was a male version of me.

Chris just posted some photos of a kayak fishing trip he took down the Flint River with Henry Jackson of Flint River Kayak Fishing of Columbus GA. It seems they had a great time. Many fish were caught and more beautiful photos snapped.

Feral-One Photography — Flint River, 2011

After you browse the photos from this gallery, be sure to take some time to look at some of his other work while you’re there. You’ll find some spectacular outdoor photography including wildlife photos, bow fishing, hunting, hot air balloons, and airplanes among other subjects.  His “drop shots” (and I’m not talking about a fishing rig) are simply amazing.

To view these others galleries go to Feral-OnePhotography.com.

I’m looking forward to meeting Chris and his family, Angie and Ethan in the not-too-distant future.  I think it will be pretty cool to meet a new relative with whom I have so much in common that it seems we grew up together.

If you think about it even our screen names show a kindred connection — Feral-One and ShesAManiYak. The two seem to imply that we’re both a little left of normal, whatever that may be.