I first met Jim on a very cold Sunday ten years ago after a foxhunting friend asked me if I would be going out with the Skycastle French Hounds the next day on the property adjoining mine. At that point I had been involved with foxhunting for just under 50 years, but had never gone out with a foot back, even though I was aware of footpacks. In fact, I had briefly met Jim’s predecessor Mrs. Streeter at her Skycastle Farm during an extra stop on a quest to buy a horse around 1970, but had no idea she was master of a footpack. Jim and Skycastle have provided me a way to continue to hunt with hounds for the past 10 years. Jim not only looked the part of a great master, he proved to be everything a master could be. Jim was great with the hounds; great with hunting; great leading the hunt. And he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the lore of hunting, and the people and the hounds involved with hunting over the years. When I visited Jim for the last time at Barclay Friends in early January 2019, we had an extensive conversation in which once again I learned quite a few things I had not known previously. I am grateful for the 10 years I knew Jim, grateful for the sport, and will miss him.
