Sometimes the “SHIRT” says it all!!

Susan and JRoger, our good friends from Florida, sent this neat T-shirt to Ms. Pat the other day and she wore it to the Ladies Pistol Shoot yesterday. Needless to say, she LOVES the shirt and I can assure you it speaks the truth! Above is a picture of her and Nancy showing off their shirts……

Here is a picture of Ms. Pat during one of her Tactical shoots from behind cover . She has to be careful not to expose herself to the bad guys because those guys in brown might shoot back. Wonderful training, as Nancy keeps score and Caryl works the timer and is the RSO (Range Safety Officer).  This Ladies shooting for defense is really getting popular.  Six new ladies showed up yesterday to begin their training.

Now today I have to get to work.  Ms. Pat shot over 150 rounds yesterday and I shot over 100 at the Saturday tactical match. Plus, we have another organized practice shoot tomorrow and a steel shoot Saturday.  That will take another 100 rounds each, at least, for each shoot. A real shortage of reloading components is beginning to develop. We are all needing primers and most all dealers are “out of stock”. Those that do have some are limiting the amount they will sell to you. 

I presently need at least 10K large pistol primers and a couple of my buddies need 25K small primers. A special hazmat shipping charge of $27.50 on each order makes a small order very costly. We were going to team up on an order and split the shipping and Hazmat charges, but when I tried to order they would not sell more than 10K. We are still trying to figure out how to handle this shortage.  It is said to be brought on again by the election, just as it did 4 years ago. .

 


Here are a couple of the .45 Cal ACP reloaded bullets I make.

That is my reload on the left and a factory load from Spear on the right. One costs .40 cents, the other costs about .12 cents, you guess which is which.


These are all manufactured on my trusty Dillon RL550B reloading press. I have made well over 5000 rounds on this press at the present time.  That’s a lot of handle pulls, with a lot more to come.

That is about it from North Ranch here in the desert of Arizona. The weather continues to be outstanding, with 50 deg mornings getting up to the mid 70’s during the day....with no humidity whatsoever! Can’t get much better that that!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!



Thanks for stopping by.  Come on back Sunday or if you're in the area, Happy Hour is at 4 !

May God continue to shine a light down on you and your loved ones.

Be Safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Wow…Here It Is December Already !!

Last Blog I commented on how fast Wednesday’s came.  Well, that’s true for Decembers too!  Yes, it's December already.  Seems like it was just December a short while back. But it's here again!!!

We have been back to North Ranch here in Arizona one month today.  I have been wanting to get my wheel covers on the motorhome because this side takes bright sunshine every day, all day!! The direct sunlight and the dry air here is hard on tires and dries them out especially fast.  It's not much of a job putting on the wheel covers and only takes a few minutes, but I didn’t want to put them on over dirty wheels.  So I wanted to wash and polish the wheels before I put them on.  Now that is a job! I don’t seem to get up and down from my knees like I used to, so I sorta put off the job longer than I should have.  You know, other more fun things to do.   But you can only put things off so long.  They don’t seem to go away.  Here I finally got the wheels all washed and polished and the covers ready to install.


There they are all shined up pretty!!


There, my pretty shinny wheels are all covered up and the tires are protected from the damaging ultra violet  sun rays.     Finally!  Whew, that only took me a month…


While I was at it, I put on the mirror covers too. These mirrors seem to be favorite spots for the birds to land and roost…..and do you know what. These seem to discourage them from doing that, plus the covers came with the Motorhome so I might as well use them.


When we're traveling, Ms. Megabyte spends a lot of time in the Motorhome alone while we are out gallivanting around. So we got this little sign from the  "Two Crazy Ladies” and keep it in the window near the door.  To HECK with the Motorhome, but PLEASE save our little kitty!!


I wanted to show this picture so that Gina and Rollie could see how much the Cacti haVE grown in the beautiful Rock Garden that Gina made for us while they were here in 2010. All these cacti were mere babies back then and you could hold each one in the palm of your hand.    It is still beautiful and I enjoy it so much… I think of Gina every time I look at it.  She and Rollie would go out in the desert and hunt rocks for hours and hours.  Then they would come back and Gina would spend hours and hours putting them just exactly where she wanted them. She also did the one up by the house in front of the porch. That one required that they haul many, many buckets of sand and rocks. She also fixed up the back yard.  I haven’t touched a one of them.  Nobody better move a one unless Gina wants to move them when she comes back to see us…  Gina “ROCKS”!!


I have a pretty good crop of oranges going this year if a hard freeze doesn’t get them.  These oranges won’t be ready for harvest until early Spring.

These two trees are navel oranges and they are producing now.  I’ve already gotten some mighty fine oranges off these trees, especially the one on the left. That is not snow you see under them, it’s a special kind of citrus tree food that I give them ever so often. I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a citrus grower, I just ask a lot of questions at the local nursery and from folks that are experts.  So anything I say, is definitetly “hear say”!


Here are some of the oranges we are getting and enjoying, They are super delicious.  Oh, that’s a tennis ball on the right just to show you the size of the oranges. Didn’t want you to think is was a lemon or something.  We don’t have a lemon tree but our neighbor has a Grapefruit tree, and that supplies us and several other neighbors with all the grapefruit we can eat.


The weather has been wonderful every day.  It's about 50"* when we get up and it gets up to the mid 70’s during the day. Just about perfect.  We know it won’t last forever so we are enjoying it while we can. Last year at this time, it was Snowing We Have a New Cat.

Yesterday Ms. Pat spent all day in a Quilting class at the Wickenburg quilt shop and I spent the morning at the Pistol Range shooting in a Tactical match…….shot a little over 100 rounds at 4 different scenarios.  Then I came home and cleaned guns.   Finished up just in time to go in and relax in my recliner and enjoy two championship football games of our favorite teams....Univ of Nebr and Florida State. 

Then the TV wouldn’t come on.  I worked on it until Ms. Pat came home and then she worked on it and called a few people… Hummm, its BROKE!!!   Of course its on a weekend and no one can fix it until Monday.   But Wait, were saved.  The Motorhome has TV.  Yep, out there I went and the TV  fired right up.  So, I got to watch the Game, that is until Ms. Pat came out and woke me up and told me I better come in to bed.  Those late games do me in and I seldom see the end…..

Thanks for stopping by and remember something I haven’t told you for a long time....”Be sure to tell your loved ones you love them”, they may not be around forever…..

God Bless

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Wow...Here It Is Wednesday Already!!

Like I said, Wednesday comes around awful soon after Sunday.  I get my Sunday Blog put out and just sit back and think...aw, now I can relax. Then Wham, it's Wednesday!!  I guess they say “No rest for the wicked”, right?  So, on with it.  Sure glad I don't publish every day. :-)

Last summer my attraction to the 1911 model pistols came about with the new sr1911 that Ruger manufactured.  It was in high demand and hard to find one. All dealers were “sold out” and if they did get one it was gone in a heartbeat; however, I set out to find one.  It was said that it was so popular that the Ruger factory had received over a million orders and they were running way behind in getting it out. Most gun shops that I went into and asked for one, would laugh and say “Are you kidding, you can’t beg borrow or steal one of those”!

I studied the internet reviews on the gun from the few people that had been lucky enough to find one. The reviews were fantastic…..everyone loved the gun and since it was Ruger's very first venture into the 1911 market, I got my mind set on having one.  I looked and I looked.  No luck. I had about given up when I finally found a dealer that had one in stock.  Great!   I said,"Can I put my hands on it?"  ”Sure” the dealer told me as he got the brand new Ruger sr1911 out and handed it to me.  Oh My!  Wow… I loved it.

I had never even shot a 1911 before.   It was one awesome feeling pistol....one that just feels like it “should” be in your hand.  I just felt like I could hit a fly on a telephone pole with that baby!!  OK, I was sold.  "How much?", I asked the dealer. Instantly he told me “Well, that one is SOLD and I probably won’t be getting anymore for months as Ruger is way backordered on them".  I was disappointed but more determined to have one than before.  I went home and continued looking and checking dealers across the US. They were scarce, to say the least, and of course the price was rising daily.  

Finally after a lot of looking, I found one at a dealership in TN. I bought itand had it shipped to a local gun dealer in South Dakota where I picked it up.  Above is a picture of the gun after I had put a different set of grips on it. I loved it and it was everything I expected it to be. What a dream to shoot....perfect trigger release right out of the box. Ruger really out done themselves this time.   I was proud to own this pistol.  Ms. Pat by this time and with her keen interest in pistols and pistol shooting had taken notice of what I was experiencing, She checked my new Ruger out and, of course, she loved it. It just has the feel of a real gun, a gun you just feel like shooting!  I was definitely in the 1911 corner now,,, I see why people love these pistols. 

While I was in Florida, my good Buddy JRoger and I were discussing guns and I was looking at the 5 different 1911’s that he has, when he showed me his “Compact” 1911. A Colt Defender 1911. He let me shoot it.  Wow, another nice gun.  Smaller, but feels just like the full size 1911. Neat!! I liked it.  I started looking for one.  Wow, talk about hard to find…they are scarce, and those that have them want to KEEP them!

On the local internet web site of Backpage AZ, I found a guy that had a Kimber Stainless Steel 1911 “Ultra Carry”. This is a compact and about the same as a Colt defender.  I contacted the guy and he seemed to be a responsible adult that I could maybe deal with.  I asked if he would be interested in a Taurus I had in trade for his Kimber. He said he might, so, like I told you before, I headed over towards North Phoenix where we set up a meeting at the Arizona Fish and Game office..

This is a Taurus 40 Cal 24/7 OSS Tactical pistol, with a match grade barrel that I have had for about a year.  I bought it new from a dealer in Tennessee. Nice gun, it shoots well, extremely accurate, and I have enjoyed owning it. But it was in my trading stock and I would give it up happily for a 1911 Compact…     Lets see if this fellow is interested and if we can get together on a deal…


This is the Kimber Ultra Carry that this gentleman had for sale.   Hmmm, nice gun.  Wow, wonder if I can talk him into a trade??  We will see.


YEP !! He wanted my Taurus and I wanted his Kimber.  We struck up a deal, a little cash changed hands, we exchanged ID’s  and I headed home happy as kid with a new bicycle.  Hot Dog!!……two happy guys and I now have a 1911 .45 ACP Compact Kimber!! Kimber is a well known top of the line 1911. Made right here in USA! Above is a picture of it after I got it home and changed grips on it.  I have yet another set of grips ordered that will make it look even better.

Here is a picture of both 1911’s together. You can see it is built on the same frame design, only smaller…  Thus, it's called a “Ultra Carry”. 



More pictures of the two 1911’s.  I just took the Kimber out and shot it.  I am pleasantly pleased. It shoots wonderful, trigger release is superb, and it is extremely accurate. Shoots every bit as good as the bigger one!!  


Ms. Pat was out yesterday for her weekly ladies gun training class. Here Jerry and Caryl the instructors and great friends of ours are giving some shooting tips and instructions to them.

Here is Ms. Pat shooting one of her scenarios with Caryl acting as RSO (Range Safety Officer) and instructor. That is a timing buzzer she is holding above Ms. Pats head……..

This is another scenario with Jerry acting as RSO and instructor.  This scenario is set up to simulate your house and someone has broken in and you are to shoot them before they shoot you…. Interesting and fun stuff..  Superb training!!

OK enough about Guns and Shooting for this time.   I’ll try to think up something else to talk about next time, but I can’t promise

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

God Bless you all and may the good Lord take a likin' to ya!

Thanks for stopping by……..

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Another FIRST for Me!

Yep, another first for me. But first I want to thank you all for the kind remarks and those of you that came online for the first time and convinced me that I should keep on publishing the Wednesday Blog. Thank you very much....I really needed that.  Now I can’t wait for Wednesday to come so I can give you some more of my HOT AIR!!  It's nice to know you are out there.  As the old saying goes, "I’m definitely not a Writer, or a Writer's Son, but I’ll write til' the Writers come!!" :-) Glad to hear there are a bunch of you that enjoy hearing about Guns and Reloading. To those of you that don’t, well I'll try to throw something your way, too.

My FIRST was yesterday at the Wickenburg Gun club.  It was their monthly 3 Gun Shoot. That is where you shoot 3 different guns in a match.  I went out really just to watch and see if I might be interested sometime in the future.  OK, well I just took my little Ruger 10.22 rifle and my 12 Ga tactical shotgun along with me just in case and of course, the  new Ruger .45 Cal  1911 pistol. Pat and I looked things over and saw the 4 different scenario's they had set up that involved a lot of paper silhouette targets along with a lot of steel targets.   Oh Boy, this looked like Fun, Fun, Fun.  I told Ms. Pat that I thought I would sign up and give it a try. She said “Go for it, you can do it”.  She wasn’t feeling too hot herself and decided to pass this time and just give me moral support. Which I needed!



Let me tell you, 3 hours of solid shooting was literally a Blast!  You lay all your guns on a table,  start out under a timer shooting the shotgun at the steel targets, then run over and get the rifle and shoot several rounds in all the many different paper targets, shooting from different locations, around barrels, through windows and around walls.  Then finish it off with several rounds from your pistol. I had fun!!  I can tell you for sure, Ms. Pat will be out there and participating next month at the 3 Gun Shoot!!

Thanksgiving day, as I mentioned, we decided on having a small little deal here at home, just the two of us. That way we didn’t have to get dressed up and go somewhere. We could just relax around home. Well, some of us could relax! Ms. Pat was as busy as a bee in her kitchen making things smell real good!

I'm not one that ever likes to show pictures of food but it's necessary to make an exception on special occasions. This WAS a special occasion!   She took this Turkey Breast out of the oven to turn it over and I grabbed a picture… Ummmm, sure looks and smells good!

Aww, and another one of my favorite dishes was cooking away and smellin' mighty good. I didn’t even know such a thing as “Greens” existed until I moved to Florida in about 1977. We never had these in the Midwest where I was raised the first 40 years of my life.  These are Kale greens, one of my favorites.   But, down South mostly, they have Collards, Turnips and Mustard greens.  I love them all, especially with some good ole hot pepper sauce on them!

Then, of course, there was deviled eggs.....yet another of my favorites. Ms. Pat adds spinach and bacon bits to her deviled eggs, which makes them extra “special” in my book!


Then, as usual, it all came together with a toast of Champagne and few moments to thank our Father in Heaven for all His Blessings.  I ate until I was.....well stuffed!! Thank you, My Dear, for another wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Ms. Megabyte2 enjoyed Thanksgiving with us, doing what she does so well and enjoys so much……SLEEP!! Bless her heart!!  

I put this into my Blog in Ms. Megabyte2’s honor.  When I read it I couldn’t keep from laughing.  We have contemplated giving Ms. Meg2 a bath several times, but neither of us thought we could survive it!   We thought the solution would be to get a vet to do it.  Well, we can’t find a vet that will even touch it!! I guess that tells you something, doesn’t it?   This is just about what would happen.  I don’t advocate in any way shape or form that this be done for real………. I do not support any type of animal cruelty in any way….. this was just funny!!! 

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Come on back Wednesday and I will tell you how my gun trading went………

*Note……Butterbean.....Thank You so much for the invitation to your Ranch.   I truly planned on stopping by when we left Nacogdoches.  I even looked your place up on Google Maps and figured it would be just a nice drive from Motorhomes of Texas to your place. However, as I stated in the Blog, we had to go to Dallas this trip for repairs on the Motorhome.  We appreciate the invite, though, and hope to take you up on it sometime down the road.    

Everyone please be safe out there!!  (as my buddy Sam says)

Mike

This Blog is Poster every Sunday and WEDNESDAY..

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Some of you might not be sure how to cook a Turkey, so I found this recipe for you. :-)

Ms. Pat and I had several options for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow but in a unanimous vote we decided to stay home and do our own thing.  Ms. Pat is cooking a small Turkey Breast, Cauliflower Casserole, Kale, Fruit Salad and who knows what else.  Not the traditional Thanksgiving dinner but it will be delicious and HEALTHY!!   As usual, I know it will be outstanding…… I can almost smell the house now.

It seems like Wednesday comes awful fast after Sunday.  I may suspend this mid-week Blog for a while...not certain at this point.  I don't have a lot of interesting material to write about anymore.  We aren’t traveling as much and I guess we don’t do as much interesting stuff.  However, I have never been so busy in my life....which is good I guess, it sure makes time go fast.  Here 2012 is almost over.  Man, where did it go?? 

I may change my mind about the mid-week post, as this blog started out being a diary sort of thing for me to check back in and see the things we have done and places we have been.    The less I travel, the longer it takes me to think up something to write about.   I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing about my guns, loading, etc.   So, we'll see what next week brings.

Below are some of the pictures my "WildGame" camera picked up lately. You can see our latest visitors.




Mr. Coyote was back, The Black Cat is still around, as is the pretty Bengal , he is a beauty!  and of course, lots of “Boids and Wabbits”….. Sometimes the Boids even chase the Wabbits!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

A very good friend sent me the following and I would like to pass it on to you:
May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ' n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.
MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

I have to run.  I found a guy who has a gun that I have been wanting and I just happen to have one that he has been wanting. Isn’t it funny how that works out?  I told him I would take a look at it this morning and he is 50 miles away, even when he meets me mid-point.  I hope his gun is just the one I've been looking for… and vice versa.  Gotta run.

 To all of our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids scattered around in Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Arizona, and other travel destinations, we miss you and love you all very much............

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 

You all travel safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..