The UPS truck came barreling down the driveway, and slid to a stop with dust flying. Good thing I was outside. I made a beeline from the barn to head the driver off from reaching the front door. He had been forewarned that I was expecting a very important box from Bobby Hart, the world class thousand yard shooter and gun maker, and Sugar Plum wasn’t to know about it. (Secret!)

     I grabbed the box and ripped it open right there at the tailgate. It was my new hunting toy, my custom binoculars. "Ryan, check these out! Twenty-five power with 100 millimeter lenses. Heck, these things look like they are two feet long. No chance these will be around my neck when I go on the ATV. They must weigh ten pounds, but no game will escape me now!

      “Here, try them out.”

      “Holy Hannah, Tracker, I am looking across the road and up on that cliff to the left, and I can see a cottontail up there on the rocks, in the shade no less. It must be at least 1,000 yards, and it looks as if it’s about twenty feet away. Some new toy!

      “So, how did you get Sugar Plum to give you the money to buy these?”
“Shush, Ryan, she doesn’t know about them. Remember? It’s a secret.”
“Oh, you’re right. I forgot, but how in the world are you going to hide them? They are too big to stick in your pocket.”

      “I’m not going to hide them at all. Sugar Plum wanted a telescope for the deck to look at the stars, and these are much better. I will tell her they are for her, but of course, they will come in handy for scouting. She won’t be using them in the day time any way.”

      “Tracker, I have to hand it to you. You have all the angles figured out. I hope it works out for you. I’ve got to get back to work. See ya.” I ran into the house and found a gift bag. I wrapped the binoculars up and put a big red bow on them.

     “Sugar Plum, get ready. Let’s go for a horseback ride up to Goat Lake and have a picnic on the bank. I have a surprise for you. It’s such a beautiful day; the horses will really enjoy the outing as much as we will. I bet the leaves have started changing color, and maybe you’ll find some cool branches and wild flowers to decorate the cabin.”

      “Tracker, I’ll go with you, but I can see right through you. It is almost hunting season, and you just want to go scouting, don’t you?”
“Oh no, Sugar Plum, I really do have a special surprise for you. Honest.”
“OK, Tracker, give me a few minutes to put together a picnic and you go saddle Robbie and Coco. I’ll ride Coco; Robbie is too much horse for me.”
Not only did I saddle the horses, but I put the “gift” behind Sugar Plum’s saddle on top of the saddle bags.

      “Here’s our picnic, Tracker. I’ll help you put it in the saddle bags? “What the heck is that package with the big red bow on the back of my saddle?”
“Hee, hee. I told you I had a big surprise for you! I don’t want you to open it here. Wait until we get to Goat Lake.”
“Tracker, what are you up to? You never buy me big presents.”
“Now, Sugar Plum, I gave this a lot of thought before I picked it out for you.
“Come on, let’s get going. The horses are antsy.”

      We set off on the trail with Thumper tagging along. There was no way she would miss the food or the adventure.
“You were right, Tracker, it is a beautiful day for a ride, and the horses are being especially cooperative.”
Romance was in the air. It was like a Disney movie with the butterflies floating, birds singing, squirrels chattering, and all kinds of small animals romping in the woods. You almost expected to hear Snow White singing.

      We got to the lake without any incidents. Even Thumper made it without disappearing to chase big game.
We laid out the Pendleton blanket and had a grand lunch. Then I got the present for Sugar Plum to open. Boy, I couldn’t wait to see her excitement.
“Sugar Plum, for you, my love.”
“Oh, Tracker, how sweet.” Then she planted a big kiss on my cheek which made me blush, out of guilt.

      “Go on, open it up.”
Sugar Plum undid the bow and reached in the bag. A very puzzled look appeared on her face as she tried to pull the binoculars out of the bag.
“Aren’t these great, Sugar Plum? Better than a telescope because you can use both eyes to see the stars! They are called Big Eyes.”
“Well, these are very nice and I can put them to use every night, but that means they will not be stored in your hunting rig.”

      Immediately she started scanning the hills. “Holy Hannah, can you see that mountain goat over there? What kind of bird is in that Ponderosa Pine on that far ridge? I can’t believe all the animals! I can actually see elk and deer miles away. You know I can never see the game like you can. These are terrific. Tracker, you should save your money and buy a pair for yourself for hunting season.”

     I muttered to myself, “Uh, oh. I thought I had bought a pair!” I whispered to Thumper, “Did this just backfire on me?”
“Thank you so much, Tracker. I will really enjoy using these. I can’t believe what a thoughtful present this is and for no occasion!”
While Sugar Plum gathered her branches, flowers and rocks, I worked on a plan to get her to lend me the binoculars. My mind was a blank. I couldn’t think of anything.

      “Thumper, what am I going to do?
“Sugar Plum, we better get going. We want to be home before dark.”
“I can’t wait to get home to use my new Big Eyes to look at the stars tonight.
“Come on, Thumper, it’s time to head home.”

      When we got back that night, and every night after that, Sugar Plum used her binoculars to gaze at the stars. Then she carefully packed them away between her long johns and flannel pajamas so they wouldn’t get scratched.

      As hunting season approached, I was distraught. I didn’t have the nerve to ask to borrow Big Eyes; Sugar Plum was too enamored with them. She even had a jeweler engrave her name on them. What was a hunter to do?

      The opening day of elk season, Thumper and I headed out early in the morning. I was hunting the unit right behind our house. As I sat on a ridge about three miles from home scanning for elk with my puny binoculars, my cell phone rang.

      “Tracker, to your left about three hundred yards, there is a herd of elk with a giant bull. I am looking at them right now with my Big Eyes! Can you believe that? Go get him!”

      I turned to Thumper, and said, “Well, those Big Eyes paid off after all. Let’s go get him!”