Tournament tomorrow

Shooting sports of a different kind: Disc Golf. Like regular golf, only cooler. Anyway, this will be my first Singles tournament since I started playing the sport last summer. I doubt I will place, but it should be fun. Weather forecast is mid-60's with severe thunderstorms likely in the morning. I love a good challenge!

Disc Golf Tourney today

Played a Doubles tournament today at 2 nearby courses. My first tournament, and we placed 'in the money'. It was a good day's exercise, and I got to meet some really nice people. I think this is a pretty good second hobby. And, discs are cheaper than ammunition. :D

Newbius

DC Area Blogshoot

The Miller is hosting a blogshoot at the NRA Range in February. Go over to his place and RSVP. If you are local to me, we might be able to carpool if required.

I plan on going, The Good Lord willing (and the creek don't rise).

Good times.

Smoke and Noise

Click to Embiggefy

Newbius

Mixing up the mischief

Click to Embiggen


A special thanks goes out to the good folks at Tannerite. They went above and beyond and got an order out to us in time for the blogshoot. A great company to deal with. A fun product to play with.

Newbius

FTC Note: We paid full retail price for the product.  Go pull the wings off of some flies.

Home again

Arrived home and have unpacked the car. Lots of guns to clean, maybe some pictures to post later. Thank you Breda, Heath, and Amanda for everything. NorthCoast II is in the bag. I hope to be able to play again next year

Packing Lists

Food:
Pizza Dough - check
Pizza Sauces - check
Pizza Toppings - check
Sandwich Makings - check
Beer - check
Wine - Check
Water - Check

Fun:
Rifle - Check
Other rifle - check
Other rifle - check
Shotgun - check
Shotgun - check
shotgun - check
handgun - check
handgun - check
handgun - check
handgun - check
ammo for all...oh yeah! - check

Clothes, snarky T-shirts, grooming kit, pillow... - check

Spouse - Hell Yeah! CHECK!

Off to Northcoast Blogshoot II...See you there!

Vicious Circle 106 - Disaster

Yep. That about sums it up. It'll fill some time for you.

Newbius

In the heat of the Summer

So here we are, in the heat of the summer, in the heat of passionate argument about the future path of our nation. I am watching the proceedings in Washington with bemused detachment. The Evil party wants to spend us into oblivion, in order to retain power over whatever is left after they destroy our structure. The Stupid party just wants to do the same, but more slowly, as long as they get to keep their jobs too. This delicate balance is upset by the TEA party who just want...well nobody is really sure what they want, except it better have a lower price tag on it.

And me? I am going to the range to meet up with my friends, trade some stories, and then have lunch. I might meet with a couple of 'subversives' while I am at it. Got to keep them guessing, you know.

Know who you are. Know what you stand for. Stay alert. Maintain your networks, because Tribes are important. Remember to have some fun. The bastards hate it when you are smiling...

Newbius
|||

Joining the 21st century

Thanks to my family (Happy Birthday to ME), I am now the proud owner of a new Kindle 3G. Alan might be right. This eBook thing might have something to it after all.

I am off to go read something.

Vicious Circle - Fast and Felonious

Find it HERE. The usual disclaimers apply: Not to be considered legal advice, may cause pain and swelling, if your "condition" persists for more than 4 hours, seek medical help immediately.

NSFW, of course...

What are YOU doing on Memorial Day?

I am pretty sure I am going to be in Knoxville. LuckyGunner.com is sponsoring a blogshoot, and will be providing the ammo, guns, and FUN. Oh, did I mention that they were FULL-AUTO fun guns? Yeah. Like I said. FUN.

Plus, Tam is going to be there, and maybe JayG, and possibly RobbAllen...so you know that the snark will be going as rapid-fire as the machine guns. :)

Count me IN.

Newbius

Saturday Range Day After Action

Saturday's dawn greeted extremely windy conditions, so much so that we decided to scratch the trip to Clark Brothers and instead go to the local indoor range.

Prior to departing, I conducted a safety briefing with my kids to remind them of the rules. I also went over the operation of each of the guns we would be firing. We then picked up my son's girlfriend Cheryl, who had never handled a firearm before but was eager to learn. On the drive over, we again covered the Rules, grip, stance, and expectations.

Arriving at the range, we discovered a line to the door with 12 or more people ahead of us. Thankfully, after checking we only had to wait another 30 minutes for our lanes to open. We got set up, and then everyone got one more reminder about safety and operation and then we were shooting.

Cheryl really enjoyed the Walther PP .32 ACP, the Savage Mark II .22LR, and the XDm-45. In fact, she kept going back to the XDm time and again for her recoil fix. Big grins all around!

I did have one casualty though. My Astra A-100 failed. The gun locked up out of battery and would not close. I dropped the mag and didn't see anything obvious. When I tried to re-insert the magazine, it would not insert fully. I took the slide off and walked out front where the light was and examined it more closely. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious that the gun was done for the day. The barrel stop had broken in 2 places.

This gun, while not expensive, has a great deal of sentimental value. It is no longer in production and some parts are scarce, especially magazines. I called European American Armory (EAA) this morning after a quick check of their website, and they do have the part in stock. Hopefully, I can have this one back up and running shortly.

On the whole, it was a pretty good day. I got to scrape the rust off of my skills and get some recoil therapy. My oldest son and my daughter got to have some fun. And, a new shooter got to see that guns are fun when used properly. Sounds like a win to me!

Pax,

Newbius

Album Meme...

In answer to a couple of friends' requests to play:

Band: Cardinology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinology)

Album Title: "The endurance of the human bladder"

Album cover art: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvain-emmanuel_p/5339012550/

:)

Newbius

Restaurant Recommendation

Texas de Brazil Churrascaria in Fairfax, VA (the website has music, turn your speakers down before clicking). This place has beautiful decor and a lively atmosphere. The food is amazing. This is not a place to go to if you are a vegetarian. (If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them so tasty!)

The format is pretty simple...get seated, understand the explanation about your red/green chip in front of you, and try not to load up on the salad bar. One price covers all you can eat of salad and MEAT (~$50/per person); and drinks, dessert, tax, and gratuities are extra.

Place your drink order and go get a plate at the salad bar (try the Lobster Bisque!). Leave some room when you do because when you turn your chip from red to green, a swarm of young men with long spears full of roasted meats will descend upon you as if you haven't had a meal in weeks. :)

I flipped my chip over, and the guy with the perfectly-roasted leg of lamb shows up and carves a slice, followed in rapid succession by the bacon-wrapped filet mignon, the garlic-roasted top sirloin, the chicken parmesan, the pork parmesan, the brazilian sausage, the plain filet mignon (!!), and the flank steak. I had to turn my chip back to red because of all the attention.

Pace yourself here. As long as you can find room in your stomach for more food, it will be brought to you. Late in the meal, a skewer of perfectly-cooked lamb chops made the rounds, but I was too full-having just finished my (mumble) filet mignon. One of my table mates did get a lamb chop though, and her contented purring told me all I needed to know about it.

All of the meat is salt-crusted prior to spit-roasting to a perfect medium-rare. You can request no-salt, and can also request overcooking medium, medium-well or well-done. With the quantities you can eat here, the price for the meal is quite reasonable.

I highly recommend this restaurant. Maybe we can do a blogger dinner here in the spring? I will definitely be going back there again.

Pax,

Newbius

Driving Across Country, Part 3

Saturday morning dawn broke over Monument, Colorado to crystal blue skies and temperatures in the low teens. Our hosts woke us up to the smell of fresh coffee, bacon and eggs, and hot pancakes. We had had a good night's sleep and were well rested, ready to begin the final leg of our journey.

We tooled around the local farmlands, taking in the sights while on our way East to connect with Interstate 70 in Limon. On the way east, we passed a school zone: "50 MPH when flashing". Now that's the kind of school zone I could get used to. A couple of dirt roads and a state highway or two later, we connected with the interstate for the long haul East.

Rolling hills gave way to vast expanses of flat farm land as Eastern Colorado ranch land became Western Kansas farms. I have never understood until now just what was meant by "America's Bread Basket". Now I do. For the next 400 miles, all you could see in any direction, horizon-to-horizon, were farms. Vast expanses of board-flat, freshly harvested fields of wheat and corn, with an outbuilding or farmhouse every couple of miles, or so. I was in jaw-dropping awe at the vastness of the farmlands in Kansas. For the next 7+ hours, the view was an ever-changing variation on the same theme.

As we neared Topeka, the farms began to gain the occasional oil pump, and a few more cows, too. It was time for more fuel, for the car as well as our bodies. Steak 'N Shake was good, the gas was ethanol free, and we were ready to head to St. Louis. We fired up the car as the sun set in the west and re-joined the procession of people traveling into Missouri. The Kansas City turnpike runs you through an interesting set of twists, turns, and transitions until you are across the river and into Missouri. Royals Stadium is lit like an empty crown this wintry city night as we blast through town.

The road is still crowded this Saturday night as we continue on arrow-straight to the east to our next driver change in St. Louis, 3 hours away. I had never seen the Gateway Arch in person and intended to stop there and take it in. The trip to St. Louis was uneventful, and a bit uninspiring in the dark. Just tail lights and troopers to keep you on your toes.

We arrived at the Gateway Arch right at 11:00 PM local time. The park was officially closed for the evening, but we parked in the lot next to the historic church and walked over to see the arch up close. It was beginning to get a bit cold out, high 20's, but was still clear with no breeze. My bride and I held hands as we strolled through the park to take some pictures up close.

The Gateway Arch. Click to Embiggen

When we got back to the car, I had to get my hard case out for my XDm-45. We were about to drive across a firearms "no-man's land" as we were to continue on through Illinois. I popped the trunk and got my keys, case, and my vitamins and pills out and brought them up to the cab of the car. Immediately after (rapidly) securing the gun, spare magazines, holsters, etc. into the case and closing it in the trunk, a police car drives up to the front of my car. The park police cops get out on either side of me, flashlights drawn, and start asking questions...

Actually, nothing bad came of it. They wanted to know if we were OK. I kept smiling as I told them we were changing drivers, and I was just taking my vitamins and prepping to go to sleep while my wife drove. Flashlight #2 asked where I was going...I told him home to Virginia, at which point Flashlight #1 noticed the plates on the car and told his partner (who was closely examining my Gadsden Flag sticker in the back window) that we were OK and then they left. An interesting encounter. Even though at that instant I was no longer armed, it still felt like an official "contact". And, while Missouri states you have no duty to inform the officer about any weapons, I was not absolutely sure that I wasn't on Federal lands at the time. I kept my mouth shut about any guns, and this meeting was quick and professional.

Once we cleared the park, we crossed the "Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge" into East St. Louis, IL to get a cuppa and some go juice. I am not sure what should be said about East St. Louis, except that it felt like I disarmed too soon for my own good. Ah, well. As a law-abiding citizen, I do what I have to do. Even when it feels wrong...

I would tell you about southern Indiana, except that I was asleep through most of it.

More in Part 4

Driving across the country

Last Friday, my beautiful bride and I set out on a cross-country trip. We drove straight through, along Interstate 40 to California, arriving Sunday evening.

I learned a few things along the way. I learned that my wife can sleep in a moving vehicle at the drop of a hat, and that I cannot unless fatigued far beyond normal endurance. I learned that the forests of Arizona (yes, you read that correctly) are beautiful, especially when it snows. I learned that Americans are still gracious, polite, and friendly in the main. And, I re-learned that I really do love long-distance driving.

The trip west was interesting. The mountains and hills of Tennessee gradually gave way to the foggy swamps of Arkansas. We didn't see the sun until we got to Oklahoma. And then we didn't see a cloud again until Albuquerque.

California is still beautiful, and I don't miss it much. Actually, I should say that I miss the climate, and my family, and my friends out here. I miss In-N-Out Burger and Del Taco, and the Pacific Ocean. I especially miss Catalina Island, my "happy place". But, I don't miss the traffic, or the socialist politics, or the entitlement mentality.

Sometime either late tonight or early tomorrow, we will begin the return journey. Our planned route will be east along Interstate 70, through the heartland of America. We will start in San Diego, head up the I-15 through Las Vegas to Utah and Western Colorado, then pick up the I-70 east. We have friends to see in Colorado, and I have never seen the St. Louis Gateway arch. I am looking forward to this trip. It will be an adventure. Please be safe out there during your Holiday travels, as we plan to be.

Pax,

Newbius

Vicious Circle 73 is up

Vicious Circle 73 "Crank of the Ancients". Another long, slow-motion, alcohol-fueled train wreck. 3 1/2 hours of, well, Vicious Circle. Go get you some.

Newbius

Do Want

I love my rifle.  It is fun and easy to shoot, and is adequately accurate.  There is one little thing about it that I wish were improved and that is the butt stock.  My rifle has a standard A2 butt stock, and for me the length of pull is a little short and makes the eye relief on the scope difficult to master at some magnifications.

Here is the solution: MagPul PRS 308 Gen 2

I think that this, along with an Accu-Shot Monopod should do nicely to fix the problem.  Then, I will be finished with the upgrades, at least until I am able to afford the really nice optics that have been infiltrating my dreams lately...

Pax,

Newbius

Best Gun for a Woman?

Breda asks the question. I think the answer is "Whatever she will shoot".

In Breda's case, this is just about anything (once). But, her real love is rifles. In her post "zen of the rifle", she eloquently describes the mental aspects necessary to master the rifle. So, when she posted that her favorite gun of the day at the North Coast Blog Meet was my DPMS LR-308 rifle, I was blown away.



Thank you, Breda. I am honored. Let's do it again some time.

Pax,

Newbius