Monday, October 27, 2014

So my weekend was great! how was yours?

 There is a real world outside of what Earl sees from his viewpoint. When I returned home to homemade bean soup and toast with coffee yesterday evening, I noted my wife had slept in the TV room, on the floor with her alarm makers to frighten the badmen off, if they rattled the door. The thought of them already had her rattled. Of course, she is working on the Korean fantasy that making the burglar aware you are awake and alert will make them go away quietly, which has often worked traditionally (in Korea)

- more modern monsters influenced by Hollywood movies are not as quiet nor nice.

  I had gotten up at 3am on Saturday, to drive to the MukilteoClinton ferry, hoping to catch the first run of the morning. Success! First car in line. I had been held up by having to stop at the ATM to transfer some more money into my account. Seems when getting cash I found that I only had $46.79 in my draw account and I had a restless night worried about why it was so low and how to fix it quick (without resorting to Clyde Barrow). So I transferred the money, then looked at the receipt and total amount. So it was $666.79, and I only transferred $120.00 - looking at the yesterday slip I realized that I should only read with reading glasses.  $              546.79 is not what I saw ---       S46.79 was, tiny print doesn't fall into Earl's view.

   So, I am third in line awaiting the gate key keeper to open at the Central Whidbey Sportsmen Association, and she shows up as I am greeting the other instuctors and organizing my thoughts in line with the shoot.   Drive to the range, unload and start set up. Being the fourth Appleseed event on this range in two years, and having a majority of the crew well trained in the Appleseed and the range and POI - I had little to wonder or worry over - and seldom had to say anything except 'thank you' and 'good idea'.

   Because of the rain and the wind, the soaked paper targets melting off their staples or map pins, the shooting only had one scored Appleseed Qualification Test for the first day (and one Rifleman made on that, Logan with a score of 212), two Redcoat targets, two sighting squares used to shrink groups and adjust sights upon. One unscored AQT to train positions, magazine changes, and transitions with, as well as the Ball and Dummy drill of five rounds and many false shots for skill improvement. I would tell two of the Strikes of the Match, and PaulW would get the second strike.  A final call to action, volunteering and commitment to the Revolutionary War Veterans Association seventh stepping - was given, might not have been immediately effective because no one jumped up and hollered for a hat, but they might mull it over in their minds.  T-shirts and homework study packages were handed out and clean up of all equipment - strong gusts of up to sixty miles per hour expected during the night. I would sleep through them and the excitement - but they did happen.

  Second day begins gentler, working on only one large mug of coffee we reviewed everything, shot sighting squares for group shrinkage and new rifles and sights and then knocked out three AQTs before breaking for lunch, only light rains, very brief - like the gusts of wind.  Dangerous Old Men stories told, morning Riflemen honored with grip and grin shots and LOUD HUZZAHS! Grant and Logan repeat their past performance, and Mike has stepped up, not only helping the line boss and the shoot boss, but making his Rifleman with a 210, which calls for christening with the waters of the Charles River. Yes, three more LOUD HUZZAHS!

 
  Two more AQTs after lunch, the scores are shivering along with their shooters. Break to Known Distance instruction then back to the line for two round mags and a peppermink candy to burst (or not and know why), one final AQT then Redcoat, final summation and clean up.  Hand shaking and good wishes passed out along with targets and materials requested to spread the word and work of Appleseed.  Four fine Canadians had crossed the border to shoot with us, and by the end of the weekend I had figured out which one had labeled himself on the forum as 'Cheekyredcoat'.

1 comment:

  1. Very nice! I on the other hand, slept... Trying to get the body clock in the USA...

    ReplyDelete