Good Appleseed Weekend at Douglas Ridge Rifle Club, Oregon...

  Leave home too ear
ly Saturday Morn, 0125, only 162 miles to go in the dark. Would spend about an hour waiting beside the gate to go inside. Didn't know the code, sleep just fine in Pacifica. Janer shows up and opens the gate I follow her in and park to change clothes. Kenjo comes and sets up the Appleseed direction signs, too many decision points to make choices.  We move the target stands to the line, I notice how old and worn the backers are remembering long ago when they were new. I also have my first fall tripping over my backer and feet. I try our improve and not scare anyone more. Notice! that except for Flipper and Nat the entire crew is older than the shooters.

Mike on target on time

    The morning cold slows the shooting down a bit, but we are using a great PA system, and we get the first Red Coat done and start the roll. Cliff reintroduces himself, met in 2009, and he took an IIT hat and helped a lot of early Appleseeds, he is shooting a loud centerfire, tanker rifle I call it. Two strikes of the match during lunch and the three legged stool to get the shooters back on marksmanship. New positions and we roll along. The sunshine warmed us the remainder of the day and like always goes so fast, One AQT and one new Rifleman, Michael Ross.
 I gave the Third Strike of the Match, and rolled right on into Janer's tale of the telling. We get a Cease Fire, Cease Fire, Cease Fire for wildly wandering game, two fat does that think we won't bother them. Won't see them come hunting season. They will boldly return but not when they could have added to the known distance presentation with practical exercise in distance estimation. Final Redcoat target and Flipper gives Seventh Stepping points. Everyone is safe had a good time and is coming back in the morning, we clean up and pack out, leaving the target stands under the firing line roof for possible rain.

   We all went to dinner, I found a place to sleep in too much comfort, but warm and dry. And I do. At dinner we talked about the good the bad and the ugly... trying to be prepared for the next day and the after action reports. Meal was great, I got large glass of water, then many cups of coffee. Hot Shower and sleep. Motel breakfast and to the range.

   Not everyone came back, the weather is windy and still cold, we do reviews and the third Red Coat of the weekend is shot, three by two posted and sights are verified, with more review to prepare the day. The day marches on, I get to tell the Dangerous Old Man story of Samuel Whittlemore. the After noon period is AQT grind with some peppermint popping. River delivers on a drill, and then scores Rifleman.

   Cliff scores his AQT and requests another look at it and add it up. I do start and then recalculate about three times getting the same answer, five less points because I never find that other bullet hole. That seemed to be when I was falling out of reality. Should have taken a nap. but want to be valuable. The Shootboss reminds me that I can go early, they have plenty of local area instructors.



After River gets his Rifleman patch and I catch the picture I am departing.

  Cliff tells me that it was good to see me, beating on my chest in his joy - right on  top of my pacemaker - as he says he heard I have been having some health issues. I laugh and tell him it isn't that bad. I think I have presented a wasted away appearance, causing some strange concern. Tionico says goodbye and just before I get ready to jump in and pull out Flipper comes up and gives me a hug??? She always does a great job of instruction and I think will have nailed this her first ShootBoss Progress Check. I tell Janer that her clipboard and cheatsheet were left behind and I roll off the range and out of Eagle Creek, OR.

   As soon as the first Rest Stop shows up in Washington, I pull over and sleep for about forty minutes then back on the road, one more stop around Castlerock, then on home. Safe again, unload and prepare for other things that need attention. Life is good.

Day before an Appleseed at Eagle Creek, OR (DRRC)..

  I have packed out the Pacifica, yesterday. Had to get Shooting stuff and my needs out of the way of the kitchen remodel. It has been a busy week, and there is a promise of maybe by Wednesday it will be our home again. Small job. I have to stop at the Credit Union this morning and move a pile of money, moved some myself last night then went to the YMCA and knocked out twenty more miles on the Expresso.com bicycle competition. And two of the staff that seem to be trying to promote this (which means to me that their periodic evaluation will be better if I do something) head to head competition... their voices pitched wrong and they were not paced for tired fat old men - I didn't get it. Did talk a little lightly with my heroine, She is in the lead by a bunch and was working evening clean up/maintenance crew. But I do feel I have done well, self promotion and lying to self at the same time. But if the link works just see: Earl Dungey, a couple of years older than claimed. Many years ago, when younger and sporting I was always pushing my friends to join road races and 10ks to get t-shirts and honor for the units. Finally one of the troopers said why don't we just contribute the money, and have a beer instead of the running. He knew the answer, I was there for the run.

   Goal for today, tidy (reconstruct) a functioning computer system desk and William's work area. Best get to doing, bye!

So what wakes me up in the night? a dream...

"I woke at 2;30, from a dream of parking my bicycle in a rack, looking up and seeing WlaP, tired and harried, telling me he had messaged me and I had't answered.That was when I woke up to ponder and get a glass of warm milk to help me sleep. Now I am only lightly interested in the NRA leadership, the organization is so far off of the track it will really take heavy lifting to get back in the shooting activity lines and training and the best gun folks on the planet. A lot of heavy lifting. There are real experts out there struggling to ignore that fake beacon about 'political power' and gratitude ahead that lays everywhere around the swamp. Floating endlessly around DC, just more swamp gas. I am taking this and expanding it on my blog... don't follow - only my dream started by other stuff in my life. Keep up the good work, all the heavy lifting. Our country and our passions and Rights all need our attention, but I have little left and will have to use it where gentle old men Do Not Need to be reminded of the danger of not living under the rules. Implied threats against open speech (free speech) seem to be all the rage now. I will go back to basics and leave y'all alone."

I left the above paragraph (?) on a comment string on Friends of the Second group on Facebook. Seems like I can't write to please others, I based my not getting a distinguished award in my military career on the fact I spoke freely too often and always when not wanted, so 'they' got me back. Poor CSM Underwood, we had shared the same special quarters in Korea and talked but he thought I respected his judgement and advice because of his position and title. The poor man had to wonder why I listened but not well. Respect is tough when you might not be right, or living really wrong in my face. My problem not the young CSM's.

So, we all know I have never nor expect that Wayne would message me, and I am not sure of the Wayne's on my Facebook Friends would expect better behavior, we went to high school together apart once. And I was a little bit different then too. Not enough to not be accepted as human, which seems a society reaction now on social media (unsocial more often than not)

What a terrible Appleseed, Dude, can't you keep it together?

  No I can't.... but I can feel bad and complain to myself. Great heroic day of riding the Expresso.com bike at the YMCA on Thursday 32.7 miles, getting a dime a mile and accolades from their staff. But I am in demand. Yanni, our Project Contractor for the kitchen remodel, and new flooring wants me and my wife in Seattle. I hate Seattle, stupid Liberals Anti-Gunner central. I don't want to go, but God and my wife love me and my bad attitude won't get better driving around with my imagination of the evil there. The shopping went well and Yanni wants money on Monday, put it on my to do list, get ready for the Appleseed in Redmond, this weekend. No one ever knows the burdens we bear, how old we feel or don't feel until...  Must have been hiding my hate on my face or heart, my wife flees to her friends for food and talk and I sleep on alone, big home for two living as alonely.

  So quick review of the letter from guest Green Hat, the shoot boss. He wants us in Red Shirts and presenting a professional appearance... I think he is arrogant and I add him to the list of AntiGun Leftists in the world, can't be right he is a real competitor in the rifle and pistol world, isn't he? Never met the man... Car loaded out and on the road before six will be there at seven for the instructor meeting, lots of familiar faces. I am late, they started the briefing without me, and I feel the undercurrent from others about the shoot boss, he is going to straighten us out... perceptions and expectations aren't like our normal. But he has his way of making us better. And we aren't the others, we are the ones that showed up, I toy with driving back home and signing up for helping the Appleseed in Oregon at the end of the month. I don't, because I am reminded the event isn't about me or any of the instructors, it is all about the shooters. So I get to go hand out t-shirts and help Flipper get folks signed in. There are very nice name tags laid out, so everyone has a familiar label to be called by name, pin to hats and we will all be a fine shooting community of no longer strangers.

  Some very familiar faces on the firing line, they all remember me and I get some smiles and hellos. The tension between instructors and Shoot Boss isn't noted that I noticed, but I do see waiting by the crew for the shoot boss for 'what are we doing next/' Eighteen rounds by lunch? One Redcoat and a five rounds on the sighting square?  Part of our getting our ducks in order is presentation of Pistoleer Award to two shooters and one daughter of Ben, another winner. Not cool for rifle shooters looking to earn their own awards to see something that they can't get here, by folks they don't know, but are instructors and safety folks, I would have waited on getting the shooters and instruction crew working as a team before a pleasant sidetrack for past performance. Maybe someone might die before the unit gets together again as a whole. A reason we award thanks and note valor when happening in combat, can't wait for return to Base Camp nor Star Trek Enterprise.

  I get the prehistory and the First Strike of the Match, and it was only supposed to be twenty minutes, but I get the hurry up sign from the Shoot Boss - cause I have so much to share as the tale teller. But they march out of Lexington leaving eight dead and many dismayed Rebels behind...I think I was closer to thirty-five minutes than twenty.

   I find my first weakness, I can't get up from the demo position, and not having worked with the instructor before his 'don't get ahead of the instruction' was disconcerting I was waiting for him to tell me what to model next, a demo person doesn't speak until after if asked by the instructor.  Anyway, I was being helped to my feet by a young woman and two men - how do I get so old? You know I didn't want any help just some space and my walking stick. I don't accept the young ladies help, cause I don't accept the men's much either, attitude and stupidity on my part, which I note isn't getting anyone shooting safely on target again. Sigh...

   The lunch time shows up. I wisely stay as line Boss to watch the rifles on line as everyone else goes up to the club house for the Second Strike of the Match and lunch, bathroom breaks become a chore, seems the plumbing isn't free flowing enough, going from two restrooms to one. One of our newer IITs brings me a hot cup of ramyon noodles. I thank him for his thoughtfulness and repay him later. Over all we are teaching or listening to the shootboss instruct everything at his pace and to his standards, and we aren't working well together, starting to look for his mistakes, how we are falling behind and not emphasizing safety. There are also way more instructors than normal, which should be great but we are almost in each others way, the smartest of us start shrinking back and gently correcting the shooters trying to get them to stay on process completing each step and not forgetting anything as the fire on targets. Only one AQT finally on the first day and we clean up to go home and a meal. I can't stay for the instructors dinner, where I understand the having a beer will be pounced upon as totally unacceptable. I wasn't there and don't drink beer unless I have just completed a marathon, ha, ha. That was long ago and when I wasn't drinking anything. Lot of old time memories coming back up, I did mention to the Shoot Boss the old conflict between the back East Headquarters and those of us on the line in our home country or states. He quellshed me quickly, but I have been poking headquarters and staff pukes for too long, I know when my opinions aren't needed -they already have all the answers. Just do it their way, they will go away soon enough. Sigh.

  I did make it home, my wife was talking on the phone, a lovely supper waiting for me, I could get cleaned up, check FoxNews or Japanese Public television to find it hadn't all gone to hell while I was away. Bloomberg was still promising to spend a fortune disarming the peaceful public or at least getting them down to three round bursts. Forgive them, LORD, they know not what they do.

   I do wake up to knowing I hurt and need to move, and the second day begins in the dark, did y'all see that Moon Saturday night? WOW! no cloud cover where you are. Did I mention Saturday was many downpours or steady drizzle and wet is cold. Second day has same beautiful Full moon and not clouds after the morning mist burns away, and I am sick. I pack out much Appleseed extras to give away, lots of reading and notebooks and patches and hanging maps for Will to use in instructing and advertising. Ah, my pile of stuff to move out is getting smaller at home, keep moving, get there again by seven thirty cause we are so set up already. Alexa is really working with me, Blues at night and Southern Gospel in the morning, the Lord loves me. I pick up an instructor sweat shirt to give to ctorg since he needs one to cover his arms against the cold and slingloop.

Kevin is so close but only close.

   Except for being a beautiful day, having lost a couple of shooters over night, maybe their bodies didn't take the wet cold, and weather any better than mine. I finally accepted I was ill, the day sped by and I remember I caught some shooter faults but wasn't effective since we had a round fired from a rifle into the berm, when it shouldn't have been loaded. Process and sequences were not at work, maybe because we still weren't a team going in the same direction. We did get some fine shooters making Rifleman scores, and taking up the IIT hat so I was okay going away early to get home and die quietly, or allow my loving wife to beat me back to better health. I left a shooting mat behind and Andy picked it up and messaged me.

  It is six on Monday morning here, I can go back to bed for a nap, and I will, being retired retired means no one needs me... but then Bloomberg doesn't know I and my millions exist does he? American! armed and at Liberty under the LORD. The two days of the Appleseed we had an Asian couple watching us through the wire fence, I talked to them the second day and told them what we were doing - they thanked me for the information. But I did remind them that we are Americans, we have guns and we shoot them. One of our shooters said his wife is Chinese and she had a relative that learned to shoot an AK in high school, but the rifles all get locked up by the state after the training is over. Yep, that sounds correct, and in Russia on the farms they still have their guns for wolves and lonely state agents of agitation.


 

Well, another week gone, Appleseed in Renton tomorrow...

  Don't forget folks, don't live in fear... all your worst fears will grow because you don't know the truth, or you fear what might be true, or you are too afraid to learn how you shouldn't be so. The government love fearful folks, so easy to control. And if you can, take some Anti Gun folk to a range to get over the idea that a gun makes anyone powerful and deadly. They have no idea how much gunfighters had to practice to maintain superiority... and bullets cost money. Why I swear by dry practice my marksmanship skills and then use 22 lr for perforating paper targets.

  They are going to repair my U of Maryland class ring so I can wear it again.  And today we picked out the style for the kitchen cabinets, floor and hardware. Had to drive to Seattle, for some strange reason I went but it was so stressful carrying all those ideas of liberty, guns, voting the way I want, I was sure they would ask if I minded disarming while I was in town. I have the box to send to my son for my grand or great grandsons or daughters. Of course it is one of those boxes full of stuff that will have no bearing on the world that far in the future - but it is all me and where I was when. Should I include the high school and other books? Ha, ha.

Add some more stress and I should fold up under the pressure, I keep thinking that has a lot to do with questions about me having enough insurance. Ha, ha. Be good folks, better than anything else.