We unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our beloved Uncle Ad. The kind, goofy patriarch and backbone of the Crable Clan. There are a few people in your life that guide and put you on the trajectory you’re on, and Ad was one of them. A professional outdoor writer for over 40 years, I was in awe of him as a kid. He was my hero. That you could make a living with your own voice and craft. He never wavered from a commitment to dedicating his entire life to the outdoors. Living in trailers and eating squirrels because he was so broke - all to work as an outdoor section writer for a small West Virginia newspaper.
He was the undisputed King of Deer Camp and keeper of the tradition. Always there to meet you at the door when you arrived. “Another deer camp is here!” he would say. The same level of excitement year after year. A 70-year-old man who was still so excited he couldn’t sleep the night before opening morning. He would then STAND in a tree stand from sunup to sundown. “I only move my eyes,” he would say. Only stopping for lunch, which always consisted of a Lunchable. And up until last year, his tree stands were always incredibly far away and challenging to get to. I got too lazy to try to get to them years ago.
In a letter to his daughter over 30 years ago he wrote this:
“My motivation was to expose you to the wonders of nature. It’s something that profoundly brings me peace and shows me order and hope in the world that is often hard and confusing. I wanted to expose you to it, not indoctrinate you into it. You sorted through my religion, embracing what has a place for you and discarding what does not.”
“At the very least, I hope they will enlighten you as you look for your roots. Perhaps, as they were for me, they will be powerful images. Maybe, even, the outdoors and its glory will be a place where you, too, can find peace, beauty, refuge, and hope.”
- Ad Crable
I’ve learned so many things from Ad - things that incredibly impacted my life. How to truly live a life worth living. The best gift of all. A legacy of passion and kindness. Now I will hand these teachings down to my son.
Farewell, old friend.
The most beautiful boy was born this week, to the most beautiful momma. Both are happy and healthy. Welcome to this crazy, loving world. My son, my brother, my Augie ❤️🤝
The people at @doritos are fools!! Made a commercial for the Doritos Super Bowl contest with the talented Mike Woolf from @beefandpieproductions & @peterl.tv . Fortunate to have made it past the first round but alas. This is an actual conversation with my grandma (Sippi). I called her to ask what the commercial should be and she gave me pure gold. Sound on and enjoy. Personal projects are always fun! #doritoscrash
Almost a year since I started at @poncho_outdoors . Here are some of my favorite 2024 shots from the wide and expansive Poncho universe I creative directed. A small few are my shots but mostly made up by some amazing photographers I’ve had the pleasure to work with this year! I could only include 20 but there are hundreds more I wanted to include. For those about to rock, I salute you 🫡
