Dogmeat Dad, SASS #48563L

I included it in the last Cowboy This Week Newsletter and will announce it at the two Damascus Matches (April & May) before your match.

We are looking forward to it, once again. One of these days though, I'm gonna bring the "Little Cart". Good lord willing, we will be there around noon on Friday, give or take an hour, so hopefully it won't be such a scramble on Saturday morning for us. Of course, if I brought the "Little Cart" that wouldn't be an issue anyway! 25 years is a heck of a milestone! Here is hoping that they have a sell out crowd! Dogmeat & Holli

Well another Ides has come and gone and Holli and I had a fantastic time. A huge shout out to the Lake County Pistoleros, Greta Dee, Blazing Saddles, Smart Asterisk, OTJ, and the entire Cracker Crew. They always make us feel welcome at what we consider our Home Away From Home Club. Rolled out of Dunedin, FL about 7:30am headed for our home in Maryland, and should arrive there around 11:30pm give or take traffic and weather. See you all Next Year!

Setup is done and the range looks incredible. Going to be a great match. Weather might be a little toasty this weekend, but I can guarantee there will be No Snow.on the ground!

Ugly, I shoot ugly all the time even without the surgery! . Always glad to have another FCGF in the mix.

Setup starts TODAY! Heading north from Dunedin, FL in about an hour. Dropping Holli off with some friends then off to the range to help where I can. See everyone soon!

Last day before we hit the road. Far too many things left to do, so let the triage begin....

I figure, as long as I don't have to go through the Weigh Scales, I've done good! Now, if I can just squeeze in time for a haircut...

Well, EOT is over and folks should be heading back home. The Ides of March starts in JUST 9 DAYS! Are You Comin? Last of the Truck maintenance stuff will get done today and the gathering of gear will begin. Trying to get a little more efficient with our packing. We always overpack...

Holli and I signed up a while back and already have our confirmations. Looking forward to it once again! Should be a great time.

Beautiful, Simply Beautiful. Yul, while I may be able to build things that are structurally sound, I'm not worthy to sweep the sawdust off of your workshop floor. Amazing, as always!

Two More Weeks! Seems like it's never going to get here. Started gathering the gear for the trip. Trying to get everything staged in the living room this weekend so I don't forget anything important. Packing the truck next Thursday and hitting the road Friday the 8th at 06:00 to get south of the DC Beltway before the insanity begins. If all goes well, we will be crossing into NC about 10:00 and then it should be smooth sailing from there on south. Sure wish I was already on the road!

You guys should have a Great Time! Great folks down there, and I suspect the weather will be better in Florida than it is in Illinois this time of year too!

From home in Mid-Maryland to about Mid-Virginia, the roads were solid ice. Between the ice layer on the bottom and the compacted snow with a layer of ice on top, the DC Beltway and I-95 were like the Ice Capades. There were cars and trucks sideways everywhere. I counted at least 15 in one pile up as I inched by. I expected to be rear ended by a truck, crunch the battery, set off the gas, and then cook off the ammo. It would have been spectacular. Parts of me may have still made it to Florida... I hear you on the Old Pickup. My '96 Tahoe (309K Miles) finally got the point of no return 5 years ago. Still runs good, but the garbage they spread on the roads around here in the winter just eats the vehicles up. It seems to get into places even air can't reach and they corrode from the inside out. Recently replaced it with a '07 Expedition XL as my "New" Beater Truck. Ended up buying a '17 Suburban in 2018, it had a lot of miles for the age (it was a "Dealer" vehicle) but it was 50% of the price of a new one. I've added another 80K to it since then and kept up with all the maintenance, so the transmission failure surprised me a bit, but they are so complicated these days it is not surprising. Added an external trans cooler and I will change the fluid/filter more often then specified so it should last another 200K. By then, they may not even let me drive anymore! Still miss my first truck, (Actually my Dads) a 1968 Chevy 3/4 ton, with a 1 ton rear axle setup for hauling a camper. it had a 275HP 327 with an auto trans, 4:10 rear gears, and No Power Steering. That thing was a BEAST. Of course, it only got about 8 MPG, Downhill, with a tail wind, but it was awesome. Sadly, by youngest brother wrecked it and, at the time, it was not worth repairing. Man would I love that truck back today! Well, enough sidetracking on Trucks! T-9 Days Until We Head South To Florida T-10 Days Until Fort White Cavalry Match T-15 Days Until The Ides Of Match So, Who's A Comin?

Got my truck back from the shop end of last week. It's been on the fritz since last September, but life got in the way of getting it fixed. (Torque converter decided to eat itself and take the rest of the transmission with it!) That was SERIOUS $$$$$. But she seems to be running good again. Got to put 500 miles on it before I am comfortable making the trip south, but I can't jam everything we need in the Prius! Did that once, on Ice. 1200+ rounds of BP ammo, in a gas/electric hybrid, I'm still surprised it didn't turn into... 10 Days from right now we should be in Alachua, FL, resting for the evening and getting ready for our first match of the season at Fort White the next day! YaaaaaHoooooo!

Looking forward to seeing you as well. It's time for a Good Time!

That sounds like an awesome plan! We will be taking it a little bit lighter than that with maybe a little playtime with the derringer on Sidematch day and then the main match. Holli is still rebuilding her stamina after her surgery this past December, so we are just easing back into it one step (or should I say Stage) at a time. We are both looking forward to seeing you two again! Dogmeat & Holli

And the Party Grows! I've been waiting for this since I fired my last shot last year at the end of September at the West Virginia State Match.

Awesome! Gonna Be A Hot Time at the Ides for sure! Dang, I don't think there will be anybody left in Maryland for the Damascus Monthly Match!

That Makes 4! We've got a shooter and 3 spotters!

Wow! I guess it's just me and Holli! Gonna make spottin' difficult, but we'll manage. LOL I guess everybody is probably out at EOT. Travel Safe! See everyone soon, maybe!

Well, the Ides is just three short weeks away and I know Greta is not one for posting Who's Coming Lists, which is OK, I just personally like to see the list so I can make sure I catch-up with some long time friends, many of which retired to the Southern States years ago. So Who's Comin? You can put Holli Docaday and Dogmeat Dad on the list (Of People To Avoid ) If plans hold, we will be heading south on March 8th for our 948 mile journey to our southern escape in Dunedin. We will be stopping for the night in Alachua and, if I have enough ammo loaded by then, shooting the Monthly Match at Fort White on Saturday, March 9th, so be warned! Then we will head south for a few days to our place, then back to Tavares-Leesburg for the Ides. Should be there on Wednesday (Maybe Tuesday) to help with setup if things work out, and we will be somewhere running a Side-Match on Thursday, so stop by for a visit! I am sure looking forward to getting out of this roller-coaster weather pattern we are having up here. Snow one day, 55 degrees and sunny the next, 30 degrees the next, it is insane. The plants don't know what the heck to do! Looking forward to some sunshine and warm weather! I'm Ready To Leave Now! See You All In March! Dogmeat Dad and Holli Docaday.

OMG! Our deepest condolences go out to Chance and her family. I am in shock. Holly and I spent many an hour with her on the Derringer Sidematch at countless FL State matches from the Last Stand to the Ides. I will never forget the year it snowed at Last Stand. When Holly and I showed up (our kids in tow at the time) she was at registration bundled up so tight I could barely see who it was. It was only about 40 degrees, but having just come south from the sub-teens it felt like summer to us. Even through layers of clothes and gloves, she had a welcoming smile. She was absolutely part of our extended SASS family. Damn, just Damn...She will be missed.

Better double check your calendar, I think you are off by a week. I count only 3 weeks. You Don't Want To Be Late!