As I finish the blueberry pancakes my wife made me yesterday...

   ... I have time to think about where I was before she realized I was among the missing.

I had gotten up early, loaded my Marlin LTR into the caravan and driven a hundred and thirty-four miles to Ariel Appleseed. I was early, it was locked up and quiet in green stillness, only a rabbit and I walked the morning on the quiet range. Kenjo would show up to unlock but by then the rabbit and I were ignoring each other. Janer and Shadowman came and everyone started unloading and setting up. Mostly I stayed out of the crew's way. It was their shoot, and I was a shooter.

  The shoot rolled right along, the Shoot Boss loves people, Appleseeds and spreading the word. So as a last comment for the day I told him  "Too many words."  I haven't trimmed my Historic stories enough, unless I am under the time gun - but I have gotten to the point of presenting enough stuff quickly, that they will have to check their research notes, our flyers, and another Appleseed to see it settle into the fabric of their shooting life. KenJo sent (an email) advice and important preparations to the shooters before this Appleseed. And still they come unprepared. Which is the way we meet life, totally unprepared, and we have to adapt and overcome.

  I shouldn't write about others' preparations, my Liberty Training Rifle has hated rear sights since I picked it up at the gunshop missing a set. I bought and replaced them, and found the Loctite works for a little while, and then the evil imp makes life loose and out of sorts. My sights kept moving, although 75% of my first morning shots were not exactly as they should have been, but I could see the sights sliding back. After a ball and dummy drill with Jeff as my coach I was walking my self through the steps of making the shot, in rifleman's cadence on the NPOA, which brought me back to making better shots by the AQT, only one for record for me. I did fire the final Redcoat, but sure enough as I got out of the sling, the rear sight was on the matt saying, Liberty or death.

  I was very pleased with my magazine switch, and picking up NPOA, and getting all ten rounds off on stage 2 and 3, and most were where I needed them. My standing was adequate, all ten rounds in the dark 4 and 5 areas. So I need more dry practice on positions and rifleman's cadence. I did very well on the stove pipes and one attempted double feed. If you are paying attention clearing them and settling back into NPOA and rifleman's cadence comes quickly and you will be done in plenty of time. I did shoot Jeff's target once, but caught myself after the shot and went back to my target.

  I got hit by Jeff's brass many times but it didn't stick, when in the standing position one of my 22lr brass ejections hit my relaxed support fingers, bounced and settled in my palm to cool. I continued my shot after I turned my support hand up ninety degrees to allow the brass to drop free and returned to cadence.
Two minutes is a long time, plenty of time for great shots and adjustments.

   I really enjoyed the time spent practicing what I preach and proving to myself that it all works and it is the way. I still get a kick out of listening to others tell the three strikes, to meeting the shooters and seeing what they are shooting, and how well it is working for them. Families sharing their skills and just doing stuff together in the great weather, it is all good stuff.

This day is ending well, I have mounted and am sure that the rear sight is no longer going to slip off, I will keep watching it. Another day I will zero it again and make sure it is hitting where I have set it. IMC the only way to make proper corrections.

I was right, sitting here on a beautiful day, a holiday...

  I heard the rumble and lift and dump of the garbage truck coming down the street. It is the day the nation celebrates Independence. But we are still going about our business, cause we can. Happy Fourth of July! comes from Facebook friends and family... but England has a fourth of July, and if my memory were better I could tell you Germany has a fourth of July, they just spell it better. No, today is not about the date - today is about the idea that was written commented upon, edited and finally approved. So we could hang together as men with unalienable rights? You have to be prepared to die for your beliefs - you don't want to but you know the price of tyranny thwarted.

  Or do you? Do you really know what the words meant then, what the words mean now, or are you content to allow others to tell you what equal means? The Declaration of Independence

  Well, I have to go to the YMCA, trim and cut the grass, clean my rifles and get ready for shooting at an Appleseed tomorrow in Ariel, Washington. So you can see I won't have time to fire off rockets, although I will watch the fireworks from home on the cable with a glass of onion wine. I do believe in those ideas expressed on 2 July, 1776 in Philadelphia long ago and so far away. Hope you do, too. Liberty is so much more than just freedom.

  Maybe the English do celebrate our Independence Day, after all, we aren't dependent on their bounty nor the crumbs from their table, I have to believe that Abraham Lincoln's father was pleased when his son got his majority, at twenty-one, but would always miss the income Abraham gave him from his work. He was still family and a father has pride in the children's accomplishments. Maybe England does celebrate.

I am about done with Facebook but I have to wish a cousin a happy birthday...

No, I won't quit Facebook, but I stopped my gaming on it, and got someone upset that I thought the government shouldn't be telling people what they have to do. I am in such a minority.

I did get to see all the pictures that Matthew took of the Appleseed, they were great.  So I grabbed about five to decide what my new avatar on Facebook would be, allowing all my FB friends and family to chose the one.

 Just coolin' out watching the line.

                                                    About to demonstrate the Hasty Hasty sling.  This is the one that many thought was most like they remembered me. Notice the fine gun control, as I talk to the shooters behind me following AS first safety rule. Always keep the muzzle in a safe direction, and the third, keep your finger off the trigger until the sights are on the target.

My sister liked this one, I thought it was a bit preachy, but she said it was most like our father. I was honored.

This one talking targets with Jasmine, represents what I think is greatest about Appleseed, and I really like this picture. Smiling, all my reward in their faces, especially since I remember how hesitant she was before the first shot. She showed steady improvement both days.

The one for places they don't know my face. I have an idea they have all the pictures for photo recognition they need, and since I do so little to annoy them I am not concerned when they notice me.

My perception of reality is strange enough without it following me into my dreams...

Woke to a very strange dream, I was in this age but much younger and foolish -

Sorry, I stopped to get one thing from the Caravan and unloaded it since it is the quiet of the morning here. Got my first mug of coffee, and am sitting thinking of how strange it is that I have a DOE-15R target among my memories of this weekend. And I placed those nine holes in that target, yes I did.

For all my foot draggin' 'I don't like that two bays dividing my shooters and crew' and it is going to rain all weekend.... well, there wasn't a shred, not a smidgin' of BAD both days. Two and a half hour drive, PaulW and CubFlyr already parked in the lot waiting when I showed up. Tracey and her crew/family arrive, Ralph comes in - the whole crew is here and we haven't even opened the range yet.

First great news is the Club hosting is waiving the range fees, providing the bays as a community service, or because we did well the last time we were here. The heavy users are the local Federal and State law enforcement units for this range, it is the last one on the way to Canada so it has the location locked. The other thing is Kerry, one of the board members, gets the doors between the bays opened and we put the target boxes under cover where both bays can get them and we can walk back and forth at the equipment line, coordinating or just saying hello. We also get the club house for the lunch and telling of the tales and strikes of the match. So we have cover over everything except the firing line - just in case it rains, which it doesn't. Just cloudy and cool enough to be a very fine day for shooting.

All training and demonstrations presented, the highlight of my day was my NPOA laser, green, demonstration where I fell into my NPOA on the lower left target then muscled my way to a nice lock on the lower right target and then after proving I was on target, I relaxed and the shooters watched my laser wander back to the lower left target - where my relaxed body wanted to take the shot. Two Riflemen made on the first day, one on each bay, and of course KEVIN repeated his Rifleman several times. One more Rifleman on the second day and several shooters scoring well just needing a few more adjustments and lots of practice. Three scored AQTs on the left bay and two on the right bay on the first day, and the second day there were six scored on the left bay and six on the right bay. Known distance was presented by not fired because the range doesn't have the immediate capabilities.

After day one instruction was over and the shooters departed, the crew that wanted to shoot, did. Ralph had brought his ancient weapons, 1903, Enfield, M1 sniper rifle (D?), and provided the DOE-15R targets. We had a ball, I even pulled my M1 out to fire - am looking forward to shooting KD in August, need to work up my skills to match the rifle.

Things for me to improve on -- packing, the paper containers were perfect, the odds and ends containers were too many, too un-used or needed at another place, and what exactly does the Shoot Boss need in a clip board, timer and measurer? Always trying to improve the mix to get it just right. I did lose control of my demo rifle and almost panicked that it had been taken, but Matthew suggested that I might have left it where I used it for the demo. He was correct and I have a rifle that needs some TLC for sand and wet grass issues.

So, another great weekend on Appleseed, many things shared and learned, I will likely be back to that range in the Fall, might not be shoot boss, but we will see.  Custer Sportsman Club, Custer, Washington. Now, to breakfast and a regular Monday.

Finished up? or just finished?

Only the rifles, my food and I are not in the Caravan, the other stuff is. Targets, ammunition, t-shirts, study material, markers, pens, staplers, staples, books, water (and it will rain most of Saturday somewhere). Sunday might be sunny.

As I prepared for this and the other Appleseeds I looked at the long list of the ones I have helped with or attended for a day, and wonder where some of these other RWVA folks are? Wheeler44, RL. OLDGEEZER,. Ducko, Fredness, - shucks I am still trying to figure out where Joe went with IIT hat he took from me only three weekends ago. Not a peep from that new guy.

I guess, like any volunteer organization - churches, Boy Scouts at the very local level - they just keep the volunteers as long as the volunteers volunteer. On April 19th, 1775 - three or more things happened.

The militia was called out, Captain Isaac Davis marched away from his home and family when there were thirty of his Minutemen assembled. Marched off with certainty, courage and resolve to defend all he believed in and to lead from the front. He died suddenly at North Bridge, and remembered ever after by the statue with the hat and the plow beside his feet.

James Nichols, born in England but immigrated to Lincoln, fell in with the militia but was not eager to confront the Regulars, getting someone to hold his musket he went down to talk to the soldiers at the North Bridge. After a brief talk he returned, secured his musket and declared he was going back home. Which he did - a volunteer organization and nothing to defend nor attack that threatened James Niclols.

The third thing that happened was not realizing the Regulars were out at all. No Paul Revere nor other rider came calling in the dark. So the town of Waltham woke to normal Wednesday chores, work and thoughts - feed the family, animals, clean the area, plow, seed, and whatever else one would do in a New England Spring day. There was plenty to do without watching FoxNews or MSNBC. 

I was once the Division NCO of the year, and was flown back to the United States with the Division Commander, Command Sergeant Major and the Soldier of the Year. To the 1st Armored Division annual reunion of those that served in WWII. Around 1980, wonderful stories good men and nice families that supported their get-togethers. But they having served, and having come home and grown older, and older, have continued to pass on to more glory, and pass on the traditions to the younger folks.

Not only the RWVA, but perhaps the ideal of America, the America of the middle of the last century has to find again those volunteers to return it to its potential. Does seem like too many just reclining on the couch.

So after mid week church....

I come home to read "Death in the Long Grass", and when finally my eyes are hardy open, and my wife slips me my glass of onion wine (medicinal purposes only). I slip the Planet Earth DVD into the player, on the Great Plains - grass and all that eats such. And add a glass of some iced whiskey to the mix. Great nite.

Forgotten wars... or at least lessons never learned...

In the Revolutionary War Veterans Association are tales of repeated conflicts between England and France - and since they have been going on since the time Duke William (which is different than his name and title in French) the Conqueror. How to become King in one not so easy lesson...

Today seems to be a memorial day for the invasion of the Republic of Korea by its nasty Communist brother to the North. 25 June, 1950. As the Korean Cable retells the tale, and different people and their lives affected by the event. Interesting... but I was too young.

It did get me to thinking about wars and campaigns missed - but also how many places that faded completely into the darkness as we concentrate on Our Time.  And we seem to think that this time it will be different. I heard the domino theory tossed around yesterday - like it wasn't true that Laos and Cambodia fell to communism as soon as Vietnam fell to the armored divisions of the North. Everyone knows... nothing.