Falling up the stairs, Gravity rules!

  Arriving with a bang at the YMCA yesterday, I tripped and fell up the stairs loudly, catching myself just before face plant. The backpack was annoying in its inability to compensate as fast as my body for the departure from vertical. Still, I now had everyone's attention and gasps of concern for the fat old man struggling to look cool getting back up and on to work out. I did say I was fine, just clumbsy. Yes, I am leaving it that spelling, kind of alluding to the climb... not performed to perfection.

   On I went to row to the MixxFit class below, they have to have the best core work out, and the music is constant for the whole hour. Rowed twice for eleven thousand meters total. Did two bicycle runs for about fifteen plus miles, with about four hundred and eighty more miles pedaled I will be over five thousand recorded miles upon the expresso.com machines. I have miles that I worked out that weren't recorded, things happen. On my second time rowing I was watching two different college age women run laps, they were beautiful, full stride, soft foot placement and seemingly smooth and tireless. A real joy to watch, then one looked over her left shoulder and her right foot got in the way of her left lift and she went down as fast and harder than I had on the steps, she kind of caught herself, but made sure everyone knew she was okay, and then walked on to where she sat and stretched out with the other runner. Gravity rules.
 
  Finished the day celebrating my wife's birthday, at home and dining out. The call from our son to wish his mother a happy birthday, always will be the highlight of our life. Take care out there, gravity rules and we do so much better erect and balanced on our feet than horizontal on our face.

I drink alone...

  Title or theme of a country song, wasn't it? Anyway, I have again decided that I don't drink well, much better than I did in my youngster days but still not professional grade in anyway. So I will make an effort not to drink alone. Survived last night entirely without any demon rum or its brothers, although I had just purchased three bottles of booze with my lottery tickets - giving the government tax monies on two different sin tax levies. Not even tempted by the marigeejauana marketing, and I am positive legalizing prostitution won't get my money either. I do love being so boring.

  Wrote the checks I could have done yesterday, in the mailbox now, have to get one address and send "And the Good News IS..." on for my son to read while he is under way, sounds like the only thing my son has ever written to me in Naval terminology. How cool is that for a sailor approaching his twenty year mark? Watched 'Imitation Game' understood the whole thing, cheered the victory. Watched 'Black Swan' and understood nothing but was very sad, which I began to believe was the point. I have been watching many other movies, but nothing to comment upon.

  Time for shooting this weekend, need to check out two rifles for sighting tomorrow maybe. The neighbor has almost finished his fence repair, so strong now. Staining only remains. My wife is again concerned that Home Depot and the subcontractor aren't concerned enough about her problem so will be beating them up again. And I have put down beauty bark where I have been promising myself I would for the last fifteen years. Gosh, it is almost ten and I am not on my way to the YMCA yet, sigh, move faster, work harder, die younger... so much to do, so much time to get it all in and I am scrolling on facebook, but isn't the art provided making a comment on content?

Go to the range and get pictures...

   ANZAC Day isn't it? I have the DVD Gallipoli ( Mel Gibson and Mark Lee) to watch and end the day. So I should go and shoot the musket and find out if I can safely load and fire it. Must wear a red RWVA cap for luck.

   So I load out and go to the range, and take two shots, one at twenty-five yards, and one at fifty yards. When I get more powder, I will load buck and ball, and get data for twenty-five, fifty and one hundred yards. It was fun, and I got someone to take pictures so I am happy.      I share:





 the hole at four-thirty near the black was twenty-five yards greased patch ball, 75g of FFg powder.

  moving the target back twenty-five more to fifty yards, the hole at the 6:30 point with large drop for many unknown reasons, no sights want to cobble something together. Same greased patch ball and powder charge.

  You do understand this is all about me and how wonderful my day has been, another tool for the Appleseed instructor shoot boss and box.

Life as rated ...

  I have been watching too many movies, and always love that there really aren't any ratings for movies I have long loved and have seen many times before.

  But then I grew up in a G rated era, oh the language would slide into PG-13 when the ten year olds were still figuring out how to cuss up a bit. But in public if you didn't want to thought mentally challenged you just didn't use vulgar, profane or obscene as communication nor for filling voids in your thoughts.

  Romance was more G rated than R, the idea there was an X out there to cross was not to be on the list to ponder. If it was a brief discussion of how many of the graduating Senior girls were still virgin, the thing I was amazed about was that anyone really knew - I had no interest in asking for the truth, I was content that all women were to be treated as ladies, even if they were never going to raise themselves to that level. And as I matured and the culture diseased and rotted, my definition of lady matured with my appreciation of true feminine virtues - I was living in a heavily male environment, just a voice on the radio became sensuous and to die for.

  Before becoming a professional state sponsored killer all my fighting was G rated. Even carrying and studying how to use a knife never made me use one in a fight, it just was on that list of don't kick the man when he is down rules of conduct. All life and limb combatives are at least R, and mass destruction is always X, and being olde means I don't have to go there anymore, everything I could do will come as a complete surprise - to me as well as those engaged and observing.

  Some will argue that X rated lives matter, but I am actually sure that there are more G rated people's lives than there are X, but they don't seem to make profitable story lines for media promotion. I took my wife and we watched Woman in Gold, the movie theater was fuller than most of the movies I normally attend, hmm and most of the audience were old folks like us, and the movie did mention the terrible things the governments did under the NAZIs and since. But then you knew that governments can't be rated X, since they have no soul and believe in only their own divinity.

   Humans are only one type of primate, the more hairless variety, with some humans being a lot less hairy than others. The best type of humans are humble and humane and far above the common animal everyone is - living in G rated with ones eyes open to improving that might be a great thing.

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.