The Patriot Day's Appleseed Shoot Boss Report

  Get up early Saturday morning, packing the Caravan for the Appleseed while brewing coffee. How much coffee does a Shoot Boss need to get over the 'what ifs'? Have everything including the prepared t-shirt box with stuff for handing out. Really I do have to fix the demonstration rifle's front sight and the holding of the green laser for NPOA, although when I demonstrated the effect of adjusting the relaxed body on each of the corner squares of the sighting squares I do thing they got it. Eat my breakfast on the move up the highways to the ferry boat, pull in just a bit early, pay my round trip and wait to load at six.

   The weather is beautiful this weekend, and I will stay in wonder of it all weekend, just perfect.  I get to the range, pull over and start adjusting things in the van, soon Tracey pulls up with the trailer and she opens the gate and we get started setting up.

   Nikki is back from college for the weekend with a friend willing to shoot, and Nikki will do all the demonstrations and coach her friend... since she wasn't signed up it was another indication of favor upon the event. We can only be so lucky. No strange twists in my COI, but as I was explaining to the crew, no one even knew the ferry would run, the Shoot Boss would show and how would they have done without me? The other Red Hat (full instructor) Nick would get a shoot box of material in clear containers to carry around just in case from a retiring instructor paulw.  Paul gave me his battle road maps and old Appleseed banner, and a flintlock musket with all the stuff (yes, even the powder horn, possibles bag, and powder and ball and flints and patches and tons of graciousness).  It was really good to see him again, many great shoots we had done together, will be praying for his continued success in his retired life.

   By keeping the instruction simple and less wordy, we got the second sighting square done in the morning and posted the Appleseed qualification target (AQT) for training on after lunch.  I gave a brief pre-April 49, 1775 history, Nick gave the First Strike of the Match, and Fixer the Second Strike.
Ball and dummy drill, then continued working on shooting positions, NPOA, six steps in making the shot. Good demonstration of transition commands and getting down into the prone position for the third stage of the AQT, with magazine change and four NPOA verifications and shooting in rifleman's cadence to make the time limit.  Then sitting position, and having the shooters do the sitting positions without being slung up with rifles worked pretty well. Fewer distractions. We would get our first Riflemen of the day with the two AQTs that followed all the training which would seem like the program is marvelous, but Andy and Alfie were shooters before they came to Appleseed, and Andy had done some serious rifle competitions in Enfield Competitions, and loves to shoot. We had two repeat Riflemen, Kevin is always looking for that two fifty score, and he really wanted to do it on a Red AQT, which we had this weekend.  Matt was still on, just not on every stage every AQT. Happens to the best of us.

   Final Redcoat target was much improved over the morning one, passed out the Homework packet of knowledge, the t-shirt bundles (three styles - change is). Told everyone to prepare for Sunday shooting, and the Memorial Volley. Range cleaned up quickly, many hands make work light and fast.

   Off to Bob and Tracey's place for cookout and bonfire! and sleep the wear away. Waking to coffee hot shower and breakfast, duck eggs! Bob and Tracey seem to do life really well and are so sharing I am always happy there. How do I get two great weekends in a row? 

    Back to set up, prepare and greet the shooters, second day, quick refresher training on everything, as bit too quick, but we back up and cover what was sped over, and the first Redcoat target goes pretty well, now we work on making the shots the same, repeatable. The groups should look very similar in each target engagement, the distance isn't changing, no wind.  Young Gabe gets some help adjusting into a loop sling, he has conquered the shot upon respiratory pause, now he needs the trigger control. Many of the shooters need working on the trigger control. I think the idea of the rifleman's cadence is sinking in, as more and more shooters are getting all their rounds shot on the transition phases. But they need to trust their NPOA more and not squeeze the trigger until at rest, all the bullet hole between targets are only zero point shots. 

   After lunch time Dangerous Old Men stories we prepare to fire the Memorial Volley fourteen rounds for fourteen names from that day two hundred and forty years ago. Not military precision but very good for a people in Liberty the volley roars as the names are read. Ralph had brought center fire rifles for the crew to fire, the only one not shooting was the Shoot Boss, Line Boss (me!). Imagine that was happening at the same minute in time zones across the country. That is cool.  I would cover the Known Distance training since Alfie had set up demonstration targets.  We shot peppermint, we had team shooting, 

   Bill gets a 210 a repeat rifleman, and a ceremonial wetting down with the Charles River water...
and we had Red AQTs to shoot before it was time to allow the shooters and their rifles one last time on the final Red Coat target of the day. We hadn't lost any shooters through the day, most of the instructors had an opportunity to shoot.

   Clean up, hand out of targets, business card and material to encourage future attendance at Appleseeds.  Hoping everyone would have a safe trip home and that they would tell everyone what a fun time they had.

Great weekend, wasn't it?

  Friday, about nine in the morning I started driving across Washington towards Troy, Idaho. I didn't have the correct address for the GPS, but if I could get to Troy I would remember the remainder of the way to the Redneck Manor. Stopped for an hour's nap then continued in to Idaho and the Redneck Manor, where I was warmly greeted by friends.

  Nice dinner and lots and lots of catchup talking it has only been since the last time I had motorcycled through, the wedding in Moscow, so there was much. And life goes on, everyone had an early call in the morning and we went to sleep, until coffee time.

  Breakfast and carpool to the range, which meant I didn't bring all my stuff. Only the t-shirts would be missed. Six shooters to teach, four instructors and away we went. Official report is to the left, one Korean War veteran, a Marine, who would decide he can't do it the way he once did and will be selling his firearms. He had some beauties and for a man that thinks he can't do it any longer, he was hitting targets fine, just getting up and down was a challenge. We did get two scored AQTs in on the first day, and Ben made 210 points exactly and was awarded his Rifleman patch.  Bob, the host range member working the grill and the chili pot, made us a fine lunch, much appreciated. The glass on his grill shattered when cold water hit it from the roof, he would replace it the next day, a man has to have the proper tools.

  Back to the Redneck Manor for food and sleep and more talking. Saw something new to me, cup cakes ready to take somewhere, with what looked like an apple in the middle - and I couldn't figure that out. Why? Until I stood beside and above them, and noted the ceramic applelooking thing was holding the plastic wrap above and away from the icing on the cupcakes, perfectly. Always learning.  More conversation, the baby refused to miss anything and hadn't slept all day nor into the evening.


   Up the next morning to do the miles to the range and set up, taking all vehicles because we wouldn't be coming back, we would go straight home. As much as I don't think much about the smarter super deluxe phones, they sure do catch some great pictures while no one is minding. Thank you very much, Ed, that is the happiest I have been caught in awhile.

  Short one shooter in Ethan, our eight and a half year old shooter from yesterday but the remainder were on and attempting to put it all together, the most difficult thing to do is to build a repeatable pattern in your target engagement. They were all better shots on the second day, but no more Rifleman scores, although the Redcoats proved improvement. Another hamburger and chili and we were cleaning up and closing up. I left at about three, knowing six hours on the road was ahead of me, I had had a wonderful weekend just full of good people and good shooting and great stories about Liberty.

Meetings of minds...

  So day two of YMCA in April, and still doing light workouts, between exercises I say hello to one of the regulars and another man spots my Rifleman t-shirt from Fred's M1A Stocks, and he asks if I like shooting. Which gets me to expounding on how wonderful I am and the RWVA and Appleseed and the next two weekends traveling to clinics in Idaho and up in Coupeville. I even take him to my locker and give him my business card and a trifold.

  Then I go to the bicycle machine to do 13.5 miles, while there another rider says hello and some stuff about exercise, he talks to a girl and an older man and the second is a long conversation and he isn't pedaling by this time I have knocked out 15 minutes of my ride.  When he does get started he gets a three point something trip and away. So then we talk, about exercise and talking and spirit and doing good. I think he is practicing his preaching, since I am the third in a line of conversations and there is a thread there he is sharing. Nice way to spend the forever on the bicycle, even if it is my favorite trail.

   By evening I am testing computers and Skype.com so I call a cousin in New Zealand, it is about tea time. She gets off her device and we chat a bit, and sure enough in comes the tea for tea time. And that was a cool thing, and I got to meet some one that almost knows something about me, since she had been reading some of those weekly letters I had thrown out in email chains to keep my mother connected. Those did seem like the good old days.

  So I close down a bit, and start watching the Lego Movie, but missed a large chuck of it due to falling eyelids.

What do you think, a cup of tea before brandy?

  Today started very early, so after I ate breakfast, after the weighing and measuring and medicating, I hit the recliner to watch Winged Migrations, and it did sooth me to sleep again. Then I got ready to go pick up more medicines, and go to the YMCA, which didn't work as I had forgotten to bring my gym bag with the stuff. Back to home, wife has gone line dancing and then I did a light workout at the Y, 3.1 miles rowing slowly - wondering why that muscle in my shoulder is protesting, and then 9.54 miles on the bicycle. Feel like a real animal, a fat animal but (that is Bigelow Vanilla Chai) I am started back on course. Dropped off three DVDs and picked up three.

  So Rand Paul is officially a Presidential contender. But the party elite won't support him, the Democrats won't support him, and for some reason he isn't showing why I should support him, I will have to give him some time. Is there anyone I would support? Yes, but they aren't running -- do remember that you may write my name in William Earl Dungey, I just won't spend millions on advertising and promises I won't keep. I will just get out of your way, like a great government should. You can tell I have been watching Atlas Shrugged, John Galt might have been correct.

  If you expect productivity from me, I have been killing moss, spread the crystals and what it turn black, then die... going to thatch it and then rake it and then mow it. Thursday I would guess, Appleseed in Idaho this weekend, near Lewiston the home of 22LR ammunition.

My new improved MS 8.? is a trial, but once I learn new ways I will....

So I woke early enough, from dreams not worth remembering and my wife is off to morning prayer, once there was a story that started with the prayer wheels stopping, and when they did bad things happened. As I got up, weighed, measured and medicated for the future I had time to read Psalms 37 and be content.

Then I could go to the computer and Facebook, finding my sister thanking a cousin for posting about the Blood Moon, or Eclipses visible in Tacoma, Washington. So going to the page, I find I am on time and take my coffee and wander walking down the road to see behind the tall trees and outside of the noisy porch lights. There it is, cool, so cool. Normal would be heavy cloud cover but not this morning in that direction. Thank y'all for sharing. My wife was scraping the ice off her windshield and had locked me out of the front door, so I put my clogs in front of the door and walked bare foot to the garage door to go inside.  Back on Facebook I find one of my friends has recommended just watching it on the computer monitor (????) when the clouds break, get outside and look!

I am getting a lot of error messages from the improved software and its opportunities for me to be wonderful in lock step with the system, but I have time, and I have books with pages and I could actually go somewhere and do something with my body and stuff. Keep that thought, I could actually go and shoot this morning, although I have two weekends of Appleseed in this month, or I could wait. Still dark except for the Moon in its recovery from being behind the Earthball, or were we acting like an Eight ball?

A particularly Good Friday

Good Friday, a very good day to remember what government is all about. Remember Jesus was crucified today long ago, and with all the college education and historic references I often wonder how it becomes that humans don't see that nothing has changed, unless their heart has.

So there is a group of fools that want the mob and the church and the government to bend to their will and their way. Doesn't matter what the group is, doesn't matter about what they are called, doesn't matter what their point is... they will not be different from the historic normal. They will destroy all opposing voices, no matter the logic, the science, the faith, the kindness and goodness - they will destroy all that show another way.

The groups and peoples that they must destroy are following God, believing in eternity, and working for love, selflessly, join them or attack them, the stronger their beliefs the more they will resist the government and those that seek to destroy them. And all they should be doing is loving their oppressors more and praying for them, and living an example that is based on their leader, who died at the hands of a government without a soul, without a heart in perfect political posture. Good Friday, and nothing seems to change, except your heart.

Cost effective weapons... for the poor nations and the deep indebt pretending to be rich ones...

 The whole basis of the Anti-Gun Goofs, get rid of the guns and death stops immediately -- doesn't work in real life and if you are an oppressed people or group, being defenseless means trusting in the hereafter which comes sooner than it should in many cases.

Now the nuclear weapon option is the same as that favorite automatic firearm - something to make the big guys, or those you fear more than life itself, afraid of you. So the same simpletons that want to disarm the law abiding, want to control the nuclear weapons, but they don't want to go to war over it.

Nuclear weapons sound so cool, but they do cost money, you have large expenses defending them and they could become a target that would hurt your country more than your enemies if you weapons are in your own country. Kind of like storing dynamite in your kitchen pantry, not a great idea.

So, knowing how stupid nuclear weapons are, an honest assessment, I would never buy one, I think guarding them is the most boring service I have ever participated in. Still, because we have them, the Russians have them, the Chinese have them, the Indians have them, the Pakistanis have them, Britain has them, the French have them - the Swedes, Germans and Japanese could have them in about two shakes of something's tail, if they were stupid countries, which they definitely aren't... but then the United States and its allied partners were the good guys with big guns on the block. What happened to Ukraine? Well, they gave up Soviet nuclear weapons and got raped soon after, in historic terms. They were dis'd by big Gun toting Russia, once a family member. So now countries have to decide on GUNs (Big Guns) or Butter, cause the USA doesn't seem to be very strong and certain, suffering from old age. Can't remember what it came in the room to get, and got distracted, it has been a long time since it was in its prime...

I am not going to worry about who has the guns, nor the nukes. They have to use them and die, otherwise not use them and find a better way to get along in this little place called Earth. Take away the nukes or the guns, and the peoples of the earth which hardly think they are the same or equal with those others living so strangely over there... or they may just build a different kind of weapon to kill all those they fear. Fear, ah, they may never ever conquer that - the most frightened think they can buy better protection, the lowest and most humble know they have nothing to fear, nothing to lose and so little time to enjoy the beauty all around them. For sure the best laid plans of mice and men... same result.

Hope all have a beautiful life, live in love and practice the best of your humanity daily for it will keep your balance as we all go flying off the edge, following the lost into the pit.