Leaderboard

Countdown has started, I've pushed the sled over the edge of the dropoff, I'm gripping the sides, gritting my teeth and waiting for the feeling that the world just fell away from me! Walked into the Superintendent's office and handed him my notice. My last day of work will be 31 July. On that day I blow the canopy, grab the red handle and PULL! Retirement, here I come!

Look what I got in the Mail

I used to assign names & faces to the targets.

Woke up this morning, made the bed, did my morning routine, and as I was coming out of the bathroom my dog jumped into the middle of the bed, sat down, and barked. I looked up to see her sitting there just wagging her butt off, ears straight up, and the biggest doggie smile ever you did see. She was just quivering with happiness and so proud of what she brought me for breakfast. She was sitting there wanting me to tell her what a good dog she was, which I did, and to accept her gift: the butt and both hind legs of a cottontail rabbit. She was disappointed when I smuggled it out to the trash can and began to pout....right up until I flipped her over and rubbed her tummy, massaged everything made of dog and told her what a good girl she is. I found a few of the remains in the yard, probably the victim of one of the owls or hawks in the neighborhood. She won't get to go out alone for a spell. At 14 pounds she'd be a fine meal for one of those birds. Good girl! Good little dog!.

After receiving my SASS package and reading Hells Coming’s excellent “Thank You SASS” post on May 14th regarding the awesome 2022 EOT Champion buckles I felt inspired to additional observation. I know this comment is not of interest to most but I feel worthy as to add praise to Misty Moonshine, and to her staff at our new headquarters in Akron, Indiana. There was more to this SASS award than just a beautiful Molly buckle. The additional effort to make this awarding exemplifies the leadership we have in SASS. You see, it was not just a Champion buckle in the usual nice Molly box that could have been inserted into USPS padded envelope and economy mailed to recipients. These beautiful buckles came, at least mine, in a Priority Mail box and when opened blue tissue paper with SASS seal was to be pealed to reveal the black/red Molly presentation box laying in attractive brown shredded packing. Not a simple packing job for Misty, Ruby, and additional staff for the 60 plus units. What a way to say, “Congratulations”. As Hells Coming and others have proclaimed, the Champion buckles were a wonderful jester by Misty/SASS and such a show of “doing the right thing”. The purchase alone was such an overwhelming commitment….Thank You Misty Moonshine. My appreciation also goes to Ruby Ruthless and all in connection to the presentation of the award. I am so thankful of SASS for just being such a part of my life for over 20 years.

Based on the info provided....... No Call. BUT, all of us need to be aware of how confusing it is on the shooter when EVERYONE is hollering at them at the same time. When "SAFETY" is not at issue, allow the shooter to run the stage uninterrupted. If he had shot the pistols before the SG, it would have only been a 'P'. A 'P' is no biggie. But all that interference caused an undue and unwarranted penalty..... and an unhappy new shooter experience. ..........Widder

So this happened: I had to go in to the VFW post for a few minutes. I poured coffee into my insulated cup. Got in the car and headed to town. A few miles down the road I realized I had left the cup in the house. Too late to turn around. Well it will be there whenI get back. Went to town then remembered I needed to go to the store and bank. Got home and couldn’t remember where I left my cup. EXHIBIT A. A search proved fruitless. Kitchen counters, both computer desks, both bathrooms, coffee table, bar. Nothing! Refrigerator, cupboards, washing machine top, DVD shelf. Nothing. So I searched a second time. No luck. Decided to make another cup but it needed to be insulated because I was going to sit on the porch. The only insulated cup I had was too tall for the coffee maker. EXHIBIT C So I used my shorter Route 66 cup EXHIBIT B, in the coffee maker. Made a cup full. Went to get my hat and found the original cup where I had set it in the other room while getting my note pad (Yeah the room I had searched. Twice) But the coffee had cooled and I couldn’t put this metal cup in the microwave. So I poured the fresh cup into EXHIBIT C, poured the original cup into EXHIBIT B, nuked it, poured it back into EXHIBIT A, and now had 2 insulated cups full of brown elixir. So I am now drinking my morning coffee on the porch out of the wind. At 2 pm!! This is why, even though I am retired with time on my hands, I rarely get anything done. At least I have no neighbors andcan pee in the yard without having to go back in the house. As long as the wind doesn’t shift. Such is the complex and adventurous life I lead!

I was watching this show and there was this woman telling about a bunch of fun stuff to do. After a few minutes I realized I was watching one of those religious shows and she was listing out sins. Dang it.

My son and I made this video yesterday based off a Facebook conversation. It was a good excuse to be on the range with my oldest boy.

I'm sitting here, with another glass of Irish, remembering May 25, 1968 and the beautiful girl who married me. I visited with her today; brought her a card, some long stemmed roses and a bottle of sparkling, non-alcoholic "Champagne" in the LTC home. She was pretty doped up, waking up occasionally, to sip through a straw, but at least she knew me and wasn't scared or in pain. Fumble fingers typing this and enough Irish in me to be even more maudlin. I better go to bed.

First PROCEDURAL was earned and assessed for Shooting targets in the wrong order. (SHB p.21) Second PROCEDURAL violation was for First offense in the same match for “shooting out of category.” (SHB p.21) Procedural penalties cannot exceed one per stage. (SHB p.21). The first "P" committed on that stage is the one scored against the shooter. Second offense, in the same match, for “shooting out of category.” (i.e., on a subsequent stage) would be a SDQ even though the PROCEDURAL for the FIRST offense was not assessed due to the "one per stage" rule. The correct call was made by the TO.

Last evening, I was visiting TN Williams and his lovely 'Stagecoach Driver' when the subject came up about death and remarriage. Let me just say that poor ole TN don't know when to keep that hole in his face shut. His 'Lovely' was telling him that should she die first, she would like for him to feel free to remarry. Of course, in his hesitation, he agreed that it would probably be best should he find the right lady. The lovely Ms.Williams ask him..... "do you think you would let her live here in my house"? TN replied...... " Well, I would consider it. It is a nice house and I would hate to move anywhere". Again, she ask..... "Would you let her sleep in my bed" TN replied..... "Well, probably. Its a new bed and I would hate to give it away and buy another new one". And again, the lovely Ms.Williams continued..... "And would you let her shoot 'MY' guns". of which TN replied..... "No. No way. She prefers the .45 Colt calibers". I think ole TW has a dental appointment this morning..... ..........Widder

Put some paracord on my walking stick. Gives me a better grip when I’m counting coup on squirrels and pokin bears.

Shot qualifications for my Police Department Sunday. Most everybody shot one time, then exited left. I qualified with six different guns. Shot 100% with four of them, 98% with one and 96% with the other. This was my best qualification, with a S&W Model 10 round butt with 3" barrel. Course starts with 12 rounds at 25 yards, then 12 rounds at 15 yards, 14 rounds at 7 yards, and 12 rounds at 5 yards. Times go down as distance decreases. So, when I say "get off the lawn", I mean it

Posted this photo of my Dads WWII medals up a little while ago in another thread and it brought tears to my eyes. I was a late boomer baby, the fourth of four sons by 11 years with a 16 year split between myself and my eldest brother. My parents had a marriage made in heaven, I can't remember anything but love between them and never a cross word. Everyday I try to be half the man, father, grandfather my Dad was, he was and always will be my hero.

Where it goes plaid, is when you're a match official. On the line, you're trying to make a call, and no one is content, even after you read something book chapter and verse, until they can call or email @PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L to make sure you really are right. If you are a baseball fan, He isn't our proverbial New York and just sitting there by the telephone waiting for all of us to call him from the range with our problems. At some point, we have to appreciate that we may not get them all right, no matter how hard we try. But we must also appreciate that we are all doing the best that we can.

As we do on every Memorial Day weekend, the members of my VFW post put flags on each veteran’s grave in the Dove Creek cemetery. We also have two vets funerals to do this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, and then the Memorial Day ceremony on Monday. Duty. Honor. Country. https://www.cem.va.gov/history/memdayorder.asp

This cart was commissioned by a new shooter last fall. I really wasn’t planning on building anymore but he approached me a few times at the Escondido Bandidos matches and talked me into it. One of the reasons that I was intrigued with the potential build was the theme involved, Tex Willer. I knew that, given the chance, Double Diamond would come up with the perfect leather art work to make this one special and he did. I’ve been told that his leather work artistry is like putting makeup on a pretty woman and I truly believe that that’s a fitting description. The bin in the bottom of the chest will hold 10 loading strips of the type that Double Diamond builds or 5 of the other types made by different makers. Pull one out and go to the loading table and when you come back after the unload table stick the strip back where it came from and pull the next one out when you’re ready. Works very well. The narrower chest tray has a SG shell well that accepts a box of shells, just fold the flaps back and drop it in and when it’s empty lift out the box and drop another one in. There is also a soft sided ice chest and room for more SG shells and other match essentials in the bottom of the chest. The cart is built out of black walnut with through dovetail and sliding dovetail joinery and mortise and tenon joinery where needed. There is a hinge pin at the bottom and back of the cabinet interior that when pulled allows the cabinet to be easily removed. I used two coats of Danish oil and 6 coats of lacquer for the finish. The seats, chest handle liners and barrel liner are leather. The locking bar in the cabinet is held in place by rare earth magnets in the up and down position. You’ll notice below the holsters on the door is a fixture to hold the SG brush and swab.

Quitting the game is a big and difficult decision that at some point we will all have to deal with. I have been involved with a few episodes. I don't personally agree with those that say "You'll know when it's time". In most cases (not all), people just don't want to admit it. It's not just here in this game... how many people are out there driving their cars putting others at risk because they just don't want to give it up. I don't blame them, but there comes a time when someone other than the person involved must get involved. To that end, I have ALWAYS done everything possible to kick that can down the road as far as possible. When the same old fella just could not walk from the loading table to the stage without sweeping everyone on the range, we finally made the decision that we would stage his firearms for him. When things got even tougher, we would have him shoot the stage from just one position. When he kept dropping guns, we finally had to end his action shooting, but we got him involved with some Bench rest shooting. Your peers and your friends will know when it's time for you to step back.... the only thing I can see your doctor deciding on is whether your physical situation can take the abuse that a Shotgun or such can deliver on recoil. We owe it to ourselves and to others the help each other to enjoy life as much as possible. We also owe it to everyone to ensure that we maintain a safe environment for everyone. Bottom line is this..... if the people your shoot with have real concerns that cannot be addressed, then, and only then should you consider stepping aside. Snakebite

We finally made it! This morning the Up the Creek Gang had our Grand Opening of our brand new cowboy town that many of you contributed toward (THANK YOU THAN YOU THANK YOU!) and we and our guest shooters had a blast! Below is a short video from this morning. It starts with a walk through of the town before the shoot and continues with one shooter shooting at each of 6 stages. I hope you enjoy the video and also that you will come join us. In addition to our twice a month matches (2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at 9am), our annual match, Bayou Blast, will be March 17 - 19, and here's a link to the schedule and registration form: https://www.upthecreekgang.com/bayou-blast-2023. There is a discount for early registration and registration is limited to 110 shooters. This is one shoot you don't want to miss!

What is this "...they assessed him a SDQ" stuff? The Spotters call Misses and provide input to the CRO (TO) on other possible infractions. He then assesses said input or NOT, based on his own observations and interpretation of the situation. "WE/THEY" have no part in this. The TO is the only one who makes those determinations and gives them to the Score Keeper for recording. Just as when the Spotters say there were 1, 2 or 3 misses among the three of them... the TO is the one who determines the correct call to the score keeper is 2! As per the directions in the RO guides. AS a TO, I've over-ridden spotters on their claims of Procedurals and MSVs more times than I care to count. I've also called those infractions without any input from Spotters more times than not. Simply because I'm watching the shooter and their gun and handling of same. As a TO, I either take responsibility for the safe conduct of everyone on the stage, or I don't TO. No halfway measures. Some might say I'm autocratic... but, being the CRO on a stage is NOT a team sport! Based on this 3rd hand report... If I were the TO, the call would be and "go to the unloading table unload, and get make back in line... sorry for my interference." (If I direct/advise a shooter of a possible deviation from the stage instructions, I'd damn well better be prepared for them to reverse direction on me and be out of their way, so I'm not inferring with their progress. Added: And if the peanut gallery provides enough of a distraction, I'll stop a shooter in mid-stream and give them the same direction... unload & try again... AND, I'll direct the peanut gallery to shut up... Only had to do this once... (a junior shooter & pops was gettin' a little too vocal...) (Sorry for changing my post... if you need to change your "reactions... won't be taken personal...)

My new Cimarron Richards Type II Transitional 1860 Army factory conversion in .45 Colt/Schofield. It came home today after 10 day Commiefornia jail! The Fairweather Christian belt I had David Carrico make custom for me with 52 canvas loops, the holster is from Texas Jacks (Cimarron) custom for the Richards, the badge is an original late 1800s, early 1900s Tuolumne Co. Deputy Sheriff badge, the original .44 Colt rounds are from my collection, and the 44. Colt ammo boxes are from the seller on Ebay. My 5.5" barreled Richards should ship tomorrow. I would love to have a custom original 44 Colt cylinder (for .44 Colt with their .451" heeled bullet rounds). The .45 Cimarron's bore would be perfect! That would be really authentic! The .45 Schofield loads with 230 grain RN lead bullets are REALLY close to the original .44 Colt rounds. The Schofield is the one in the middle.... The RN .451 bullets I am using in the Schofield brass is closer to the original .44 Colt rounds (.451 heeled RN bullet) that Black Hills .44 Colt, with its .429' flat nosed bullet. Their case is the same as original, though.

A friend of mine had a nice home in an HOA neighborhood. They sent him several letters saying that his car, I which had advertising on it, could not be parked out of the garage or it would be towed. He ignored the letters. So they called a tow truck. The tow truck driver showed up, looked around for the offending car but didn’t see it. So he knocked on the door. “Where’s this car I’m supposed to tow?”, he asked my friend. Herb pointed to it. The driver laughed, shook his head, got in his truck and left. The police car stayed in front of the house until Herb retired.

You know...SASS didn't have to do this...and I'm grateful for their generosity. Received mine today. It's very nice! Thank you SASS. Phantom

For many decades I have heard of that mythical Flash of Green at sunset. And long have I gazed at the horizon hoping to experience it. From the desert sands, to the ocean. From the hills and mountains I have waited patiently for old Sol so slowly sink while the golden light began to both fade and intensify as the moment of truth approached. Then tonight as I watched the life given star drop beyond the rage of the Earth north of the Abajo range. I saw it!! A brilliant green suddenly flashed across my retinas, a bit darker than the bright Kelly green I had been led to expect! But Green for sure!! Then I realized with sinking heart that the green flash was a mere reflection off the pickle I was eating. Oh well. The wait continues. Maybe tomorrow.

Tomorrow we celebrate our 45th anniversary! I'm a lucky guy, found a wonderful bride the first time. Love you Ellie (Candy)

I have several hobbies/interests that keep me off the streets chasing wild women. Those are S&W double-action revolvers, reading military history, 15mm miniature historical wargaming, and for the last year I’ve taken up the hobby/interest of smoking a pipe. Miniature Wargaming Since 1982, I’ve been collecting, painting, and wargaming with 15mm miniature WW2 figures and predominantly 15mm Napoleonic figures. Also I do miniature wargaming with 1:1200 scale ships of the fighting sail period (circa 1750-1815). I have my little battles on either a 6x4 foot or an 8x6 foot table. Pipe Smoking Last May, 2021, I asked the wife, Sharon, if she would object too much if I started smoking a pipe again. I last smoked a pipe about 50 years ago. Sharon didn’t object but asked that I don’t smoke in the house. Now I have a dozen pipes and several blends of pipe tobacco that I enjoy out on the patio. I don’t inhale and figure at the age of 75, something other than pipe smoking will put me under. I again enjoy this hobby/interest. My wife gave me this Danish made Neerup pipe for Christmas, 2021.

One of our members spent about 5 nights doing some great artwork on our range......gives such a great atmosphere and he's got plans for more!

My wife and I got our holsters, belts and shotgun belts just a little while back, mines a little (lot wider) than my wife's Took awhile to get made but worth it as the workmanship and the quality of the leather is just fantastic! Info on the artwork next to my wife Jenorado -

Too dang windy for a charcoal so I did thisn I under the broiler in a cast iron skillet. Just fine..

Gal my wife used to work with has a grand daughter named Nora. I could make a REAL long post about all her health problems including a heart transplant and several near brushes with death. The latest was a 40 day stay in the hospital with a code blue that lasted a long time. Thought AGAIN that she was lost. She went home today. Lots of prayers answered. She just turned 5 years old. If you are so inclined please send up prayers for God's continued healing for this little girl. Personally I think He has some kinda great plan in store for her. Sus amigo, JHC

Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it the most never use it. My tolerance for idiots is extremely low these days. I used to have some immunity built up, but obviously there's a new strain out there. It’s not my age that bothers me; it’s the side effects. I’m not saying I’m old and worn out, but I make sure I’m nowhere near the curb on trash day. As I watch this generation try and rewrite our history, I’m sure of one thing: It will be misspelled and have no punctuation. As I’ve gotten older, people think I’ve become lazy.The truth is I’m just being more energy efficient. I haven't gotten anything done today. I've been in the Produce Department trying to open a stupid plastic bag. If you find yourself feeling useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars, and four presidents to replace the Taliban with the Taliban. Turns out that being a "senior" is mostly just googling how to do stuff. I want to be 18 again and ruin my life differently. I have new ideas. I put my scale in the bathroom corner and that's where the little liar will stay until it apologizes. My mind is like an internet browser. At least 19 open tabs, 3 of them are frozen, and I have no clue where the music is coming from. Hard to believe I once had a phone attached to a wall, and when it rang, I picked it up without knowing who was calling. She says I keep pushing her buttons. If that were true, I would have found mute by now. So you’ve been eating hot dogs and McChickens all your life, but you won’t take the vaccine because you don’t know what’s in it. Are you kidding me? There is no such thing as a grouchy old person. The truth is that once you get old, you stop being polite and start being honest

Last weekend I went to the indoor range to try out a new toy. As I was shooting I became aware that someone in the lane next to me was shooting an AR. I looked over and saw his target placed at the 7-yard line. Sure enough, when I looked around the divider I could see the dude was resting his elbow on the shooting table to steady himself, putting round after round from his 5.56 AR into a group the size of a large watermelon. At least he's trying.

Hey , Yul!! Take your recorded video and pass it around on the internet and show it to the local news, telling them that you have presented the evidence to the authorities and they’ve done nothing! Most of these “Channel whatever Investigates” are starving for something to criticize Law Enforcement about. He’s probably local, so do everything you can to expose him to the public and embarrass and convict him in the public eye!!!

Abraham Lincoln posted it on Facebook so everyone could see it.

My band was asked to open for another group at an outdoor venue this past Saturday. Really cool venue. Local brews and wines, and super good pizza. Dog and kid friendly. They asked us to come back on Sunday May 29, from 6-9 for Memorial Day Weekend. Here's a link to a clip from a somewhat funky tune:

Didn't want to hijack Perro Del Diablo's thread. Spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday with members of my home club, the Thunder Mountain Shootists, putting on a demonstration of cowboy action shooting for 100 ladies from across the country. Four sessions per day at 1 & 1/2 hour each with a short history of SASS, info on where to find a club, operation of our various firearms and each participant then got to shoot a double tap sweep on 5 pistol, 5 rifle and 4 SG. What a blast!!! Across the board the ladies walked away with huge smiles, hugs all around, pictures and videos of their stage and lots of excitement. This was our second year performing this at the A Girl and A Gun conference and the event organizers were thrilled with the feed back from the ladies as they finished the session. Last year we got back 60 responses, all positive (66% of participants) which we were told was the highest return rate and highest satisfaction rate of all the sessions presented over the week long event. Just a quick plug as well, the event caters to women (obviously) and there are events around the country each year. Further there are chapters in almost all states so if there is a lady in your life who would like to be around women shooters, with lots of women trainers and events geared to a womens point of view this is it!!! The conference hosted approximately 500 attendees and I would certainly say the organizers provided real value for the ladies. Other sessions included optics, maintenance, field stripping and cleaning, long range (300 yards), trap and skeet shooting as well as instruction by a number of professional trainers. There was even a helicopter flyby and shoot with an AR15 at targets while in flight. Thank you to Paladin Pete and Gateway Kid for providing ammunition, and all those who allowed the use of their firearms. Especially thank you to the members who gave up their weekend to share and teach others about our sport. BTW we had at least seven who were already looking up CAS clubs back in their home state before they even left the venue! Regards Gateway Kid