Saw him there tonight (now actually last night on Thursday the 6th) and he was absolutely excellent. I have been hoping to see him again ever since I saw him perform in a place I think was called the Palomino Club somewhere in New Mexico way back in the late 70s. I got my chance last night and took it. The money I spent on the ticket has got to have been the best money I have ever spent on entertainment in my life - I mean that most assuredly. Great , great singer and he was backed by a great band. Funny thing is, I am pretty sure that NYC was not on his 2010 tour. For some reason he played here and cancelled for somewhere in PA tonight (or so I heard someone say after the show who had tickets for the one in PA. Add that to the fact that I found out about the show pretty much on a fluke and you can bet I was one lucky guy.
I've got to hit the hay so I can get up early for my daughter's graduation for her Master's Degree tomorrow, but I will write more about Willie over the weekend. Before I go just let me say, man oh man I am happy to have gotten another chance to see him - great show.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 57 - Accidental Discharges of Another Nature
If you are at all familiar with guns and with firearms safety then you know that the best way to avoid accidental discharges is to keep your finger off the trigger, treat each gun as it were loaded each time you pick it up or handle it, keep firearms pointed in a safe direction and on and on. That way you don't actually shoot someone because you made an avoidable mistake. Then again there are accidental discharges of another sort when it comes to firearms; ones that can come to pretty dismal conclusions and yet are not caused by any violation of the regular firearm's safety rules. I won't go into them all here but will tell you about one type of accidental discharge of which I was a victim earlier today - or maybe I should say that one of my rifles and a gun case were the victims.
In our home we have four dogs. Dogs and guns have always seemed to go together from police and military canine units to Labrador Retrievers and Pointers afield with hunters. My dogs, well they have no particular use for guns, it is not like I take our 2 Chihuahuas hunting nor the 2 mutts for that matter either. I don't think I have ever had one of the dogs around while shooting though they sometimes come to visit me in the basement when I am cleaning them. They give an almost disinterested sniff now and again but that is it. Since they exhibit no love or overwhelming curiosity for them (at least none that I knew of until today) I was never all that concerned about leaving a rifle propped up against a wall or one laying on the floor in an open gun case. Heck none of them are loaded when I leave them around like that so it was not like one of the pooches was about to knock one of the guns over then step into the trigger guard and onto the trigger and shoot anything - like my butt - right? Just say "right" because I can tell you now that isn't what happened.
Today, just before I was leaving for work, I decided to put away a sort of prize rifle that I had out. It was laying there just as described above, in an open gun case , the case laying on the floor. I bent over to grab it without giving it much more than a glance and as soon as my hand was around the barrel just in front of the breech I realized it was wet. I took a look and saw what looked like beads of condensation on the metal. "Whoops", I thought, "I should not have left it out so close to the floor with it having been so humid the past couple of days". I was just straightening up, thinking I would give it a quick wipe off and a dab of oil when my eye was caught by a discoloration on the gray foam liner of the gun case. It was a spot about 2 or 3 inches in diameter and it would have been directly under the part of the barrel that was wet. Then I noticed 2 other such spots. They were kind of amber colored. I knew what it was and you probably know too by now. "Yech" was my next thought, that along with some rather expletive comments that flashed through my mind and somehow also managed to escape my lips.
One of our little darlings, one of the Chihuahuas, decided to relieve itself right there in my gun case and right atop my precious Remington 513-T Matchmaster, not once but three times. My grip was shifted immediately so I was no longer holding the wet part of the gun, you can bet on that and win for sure. Yes, these little demons are housebroken - more or less. The thing is when they are let outside to go, the female needs to be watched until she goes, she sometimes even need be encouraged to go with the word "make" and pushed back out into the yard when she tries to head across the patio to the door. When she finally gets the idea..., well even then she takes her time about it. The male is pretty good, he almost never has an accident but he will sometimes mark his territory inside - something he does with much less frequency than when young (having his masculinity removed did little to curb this behavior either). I figure the female was the culprit because of 3 little circular stains/wet spots. When the male goes he leaves a wet spot and a trailing end to it sort of like a comet - if you don't know what mean you don't know squat about dog anatomy or that adult male dogs (for the most part) don't squat!
I took the rifle in the back room, loosened the single screw that holds the barrel/receiver assembly to the stock and took it apart. Then I wiped it dry and then oiled it down with Breakfree CLP (great stuff because when I came home tonight and gave it an inspection there was not a speck of rust on the metal). After cleaning off the rifle, I just closed the gun case. I cleaned the foam liner tonight in hot sudsy water in my basement sink, now it is hanging to dry. Lucky for me, the foam which got wet was not either the actual liner of the top or bottom of the case but a third piece, a sort of filler piece, that came inside the case and that I never removed. It was still soaked tonight in the same spots but that liner must have super silica in it because it retained the wetness not letting it seep though to the lower layer (which is actually glued to the bottom of the box and would had to have been torn out to clean). That was really a spot or three of luck for me! Now, that middle piece of foam is hanging to dry. Once dry, I will let the dogs have a go at it to see how interested they are in sniffing it. I figure that if they pretty much ignore it then that means I got it cleaned up well enough.
Now the reason this probably happened is because the female, as I said, is sometimes reluctant to go outside and needs prompting. Why - because she is scared of everything. Not terribly so but enough to distract her while she is out and supposed to be doing her thing. So she needs coaching. She does not always get it if just left out for a few minutes and I guess that is our fault. They are my wife's babies, and sometimes i act as if they are not also my dogs so I don't have much to do with em except petting and letting em out back and feeding them now and then. My wife and daughter walk them 99.9% of the time and also let them out back more than I do. just not long enough though. The female Chihuahua needs more time out there and more watching over to make sure the mission is accomplished. Otherwise, accidents happen - accidental discharges at that - and just imagine the damage that could have been done had my rifle barrel sat in that wet spot for the remainder of the day, maybe even more than a day. You can bet the barrel would have been pitted in a short time because it had been pissed on and you can also bet I would have been pissed off.
Something like this could have some miserable results but yet it is easily avoidable. I suppose first and foremost, it is avoidable by making sure the doggies get enough time outside. Secondly, it can be avoided by making sure not to leave any guns around that could wind up in the line of fire of one of those accidental discharges of a different nature. I am taking aim on making sure it does not happen again.
All the best,
Glenn B
In our home we have four dogs. Dogs and guns have always seemed to go together from police and military canine units to Labrador Retrievers and Pointers afield with hunters. My dogs, well they have no particular use for guns, it is not like I take our 2 Chihuahuas hunting nor the 2 mutts for that matter either. I don't think I have ever had one of the dogs around while shooting though they sometimes come to visit me in the basement when I am cleaning them. They give an almost disinterested sniff now and again but that is it. Since they exhibit no love or overwhelming curiosity for them (at least none that I knew of until today) I was never all that concerned about leaving a rifle propped up against a wall or one laying on the floor in an open gun case. Heck none of them are loaded when I leave them around like that so it was not like one of the pooches was about to knock one of the guns over then step into the trigger guard and onto the trigger and shoot anything - like my butt - right? Just say "right" because I can tell you now that isn't what happened.
Today, just before I was leaving for work, I decided to put away a sort of prize rifle that I had out. It was laying there just as described above, in an open gun case , the case laying on the floor. I bent over to grab it without giving it much more than a glance and as soon as my hand was around the barrel just in front of the breech I realized it was wet. I took a look and saw what looked like beads of condensation on the metal. "Whoops", I thought, "I should not have left it out so close to the floor with it having been so humid the past couple of days". I was just straightening up, thinking I would give it a quick wipe off and a dab of oil when my eye was caught by a discoloration on the gray foam liner of the gun case. It was a spot about 2 or 3 inches in diameter and it would have been directly under the part of the barrel that was wet. Then I noticed 2 other such spots. They were kind of amber colored. I knew what it was and you probably know too by now. "Yech" was my next thought, that along with some rather expletive comments that flashed through my mind and somehow also managed to escape my lips.
One of our little darlings, one of the Chihuahuas, decided to relieve itself right there in my gun case and right atop my precious Remington 513-T Matchmaster, not once but three times. My grip was shifted immediately so I was no longer holding the wet part of the gun, you can bet on that and win for sure. Yes, these little demons are housebroken - more or less. The thing is when they are let outside to go, the female needs to be watched until she goes, she sometimes even need be encouraged to go with the word "make" and pushed back out into the yard when she tries to head across the patio to the door. When she finally gets the idea..., well even then she takes her time about it. The male is pretty good, he almost never has an accident but he will sometimes mark his territory inside - something he does with much less frequency than when young (having his masculinity removed did little to curb this behavior either). I figure the female was the culprit because of 3 little circular stains/wet spots. When the male goes he leaves a wet spot and a trailing end to it sort of like a comet - if you don't know what mean you don't know squat about dog anatomy or that adult male dogs (for the most part) don't squat!
I took the rifle in the back room, loosened the single screw that holds the barrel/receiver assembly to the stock and took it apart. Then I wiped it dry and then oiled it down with Breakfree CLP (great stuff because when I came home tonight and gave it an inspection there was not a speck of rust on the metal). After cleaning off the rifle, I just closed the gun case. I cleaned the foam liner tonight in hot sudsy water in my basement sink, now it is hanging to dry. Lucky for me, the foam which got wet was not either the actual liner of the top or bottom of the case but a third piece, a sort of filler piece, that came inside the case and that I never removed. It was still soaked tonight in the same spots but that liner must have super silica in it because it retained the wetness not letting it seep though to the lower layer (which is actually glued to the bottom of the box and would had to have been torn out to clean). That was really a spot or three of luck for me! Now, that middle piece of foam is hanging to dry. Once dry, I will let the dogs have a go at it to see how interested they are in sniffing it. I figure that if they pretty much ignore it then that means I got it cleaned up well enough.
Now the reason this probably happened is because the female, as I said, is sometimes reluctant to go outside and needs prompting. Why - because she is scared of everything. Not terribly so but enough to distract her while she is out and supposed to be doing her thing. So she needs coaching. She does not always get it if just left out for a few minutes and I guess that is our fault. They are my wife's babies, and sometimes i act as if they are not also my dogs so I don't have much to do with em except petting and letting em out back and feeding them now and then. My wife and daughter walk them 99.9% of the time and also let them out back more than I do. just not long enough though. The female Chihuahua needs more time out there and more watching over to make sure the mission is accomplished. Otherwise, accidents happen - accidental discharges at that - and just imagine the damage that could have been done had my rifle barrel sat in that wet spot for the remainder of the day, maybe even more than a day. You can bet the barrel would have been pitted in a short time because it had been pissed on and you can also bet I would have been pissed off.
Something like this could have some miserable results but yet it is easily avoidable. I suppose first and foremost, it is avoidable by making sure the doggies get enough time outside. Secondly, it can be avoided by making sure not to leave any guns around that could wind up in the line of fire of one of those accidental discharges of a different nature. I am taking aim on making sure it does not happen again.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 56 - A Seasonal Gun Care Tip
Winter has passed taking it snows with it, or should I say leaving them in the form of melted run off. All that water has filled the reservoir and eventually will be recycled through evaporation and wind up in the atmosphere until it once again turns into precipitation and rains or snows down on us. Spring has sprung, as a matter of fact it is well sprung and getting warm. as usual, in many places in the USA, Spring is a rainy season. With the added warmth of its lengthening days you can bet those days will be more humid than even the most snow covered days of the harshest winter. That humidity has a way of gathering and remaining in certain parts of our homes like basements. I don't know if you realize it but something else also gathers in basements and that something else would be guns. Sure, plenty of folks who keep guns do not keep em the basement but many do. The combination of blued steel and humidity in a basement, or in any other room where you get both at the same time, can become a nightmare for the firearms enthusiast. Not only will the higher humidity of he spring and summer seasons lead to the potential for gun metal rusting but it also can lead to the distinct possibility of your ammo stores being effected.
There is a simple preventative/cure for this and I make sure to utilize it in addition to regularly cleaning and oiling my firearms. I store all my firearms with a desiccant like silica gel. It is relatively inexpensive, does a great job of wicking up humidity and keeping it away from your firearms, and works for years and years if you care for it properly. If you are like me and depend on silica type products to keep your firearms in good condition by preventing rust, now is the time to make sure that your desiccant packs are ready to absorb as much moisture as possible. If you have the type I do, with a small color coded indicator, then you can tell if they contain too much moisture and require to be heated in order to get them working to full capacity again. On the type I have, if the indicator turns from blue to pink it means that the absorption limit has been reached and the silica packs need to go in an oven at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 to 3 hours. If you have the same type of desiccant but do not have a color coded indicator tab you may want to heat your desiccant packs about once every 2 or 3 months (make sure to follow manufacturers instructions).
I have three desiccant packs in my oven right now. One has an indicator tab with three dots that are blue if at full potential to absorb, to 1, 2 or all 3 turning pink dependent upon how much moisture has already been absorbed. Another has a single dot that also turns from blue to pink as above. The other does not have an indicator tab at all. After about 3 hours or so, I will carefully remove the desiccant packs from the oven. Note I said carefully. They claim it is non-toxic but I am not about to take chances. So when I place them into the oven, I put them atop some aluminum foil. When I take them out I grab the foil and take them out on it. I am careful not to let any silica dust, that may have worked its way out of the packs, fall into the oven. Then after they are out of the oven, I let the oven cool then sponge it clean just to make sure. never had a problem with it, just being cautious.
Once the packs are out of the oven, I let them cool off. Then I place them into the containers where I store my guns or ammo. I keep one in my gun locker, one in my ammo locker and have one that I keep in an aluminum carrying gun case. Note I said I have the stuff inside the containers in which I store ammo and guns. You could probably use this stuff to try to keep a whole room less humid but would need a lot of it and it would not work as well as it does inside an enclosed container like a gun locker. You need X amount to dehumidify or absorb moisture from Y-cubic feet. It is sold in various sizes and when sold there is usually an indication given as to in how many square feet each size will be effective.
Does it work - really? This stuff works, I would swear by it it works that well. One year that I forgotten to rejuvenate it in the oven. I had about three guns rust somewhat, and the wood stocks on two or three rifles get moldy. It was a humid year. After I cleaned all the firearms and rejuvenated the desiccant by heating it, the problem did not recur. In years when I have not forgotten to rejuvenate it I have never had any such problems. I don't forget anymore, once was enough. If by chance you use this stuff, and you have forgotten to recharge it by heating it - now is the time to get it done. If you do not use this stuff in storage with your firearms and ammo, and live in a humid area, then now may also be the time for you to buy some. It is readily available at guns shops, probably at places like Home Depot (I'll have to try them someday they may have a good deal on it), and online. Some places you can get it online are:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6944/Product/SILICA_GEL_PAKS
http://sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=359233
http://sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=180353
http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#desiccant____-_1-2-4_8-16-32
All the best,
Glenn B
There is a simple preventative/cure for this and I make sure to utilize it in addition to regularly cleaning and oiling my firearms. I store all my firearms with a desiccant like silica gel. It is relatively inexpensive, does a great job of wicking up humidity and keeping it away from your firearms, and works for years and years if you care for it properly. If you are like me and depend on silica type products to keep your firearms in good condition by preventing rust, now is the time to make sure that your desiccant packs are ready to absorb as much moisture as possible. If you have the type I do, with a small color coded indicator, then you can tell if they contain too much moisture and require to be heated in order to get them working to full capacity again. On the type I have, if the indicator turns from blue to pink it means that the absorption limit has been reached and the silica packs need to go in an oven at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 to 3 hours. If you have the same type of desiccant but do not have a color coded indicator tab you may want to heat your desiccant packs about once every 2 or 3 months (make sure to follow manufacturers instructions).
I have three desiccant packs in my oven right now. One has an indicator tab with three dots that are blue if at full potential to absorb, to 1, 2 or all 3 turning pink dependent upon how much moisture has already been absorbed. Another has a single dot that also turns from blue to pink as above. The other does not have an indicator tab at all. After about 3 hours or so, I will carefully remove the desiccant packs from the oven. Note I said carefully. They claim it is non-toxic but I am not about to take chances. So when I place them into the oven, I put them atop some aluminum foil. When I take them out I grab the foil and take them out on it. I am careful not to let any silica dust, that may have worked its way out of the packs, fall into the oven. Then after they are out of the oven, I let the oven cool then sponge it clean just to make sure. never had a problem with it, just being cautious.
Once the packs are out of the oven, I let them cool off. Then I place them into the containers where I store my guns or ammo. I keep one in my gun locker, one in my ammo locker and have one that I keep in an aluminum carrying gun case. Note I said I have the stuff inside the containers in which I store ammo and guns. You could probably use this stuff to try to keep a whole room less humid but would need a lot of it and it would not work as well as it does inside an enclosed container like a gun locker. You need X amount to dehumidify or absorb moisture from Y-cubic feet. It is sold in various sizes and when sold there is usually an indication given as to in how many square feet each size will be effective.
Does it work - really? This stuff works, I would swear by it it works that well. One year that I forgotten to rejuvenate it in the oven. I had about three guns rust somewhat, and the wood stocks on two or three rifles get moldy. It was a humid year. After I cleaned all the firearms and rejuvenated the desiccant by heating it, the problem did not recur. In years when I have not forgotten to rejuvenate it I have never had any such problems. I don't forget anymore, once was enough. If by chance you use this stuff, and you have forgotten to recharge it by heating it - now is the time to get it done. If you do not use this stuff in storage with your firearms and ammo, and live in a humid area, then now may also be the time for you to buy some. It is readily available at guns shops, probably at places like Home Depot (I'll have to try them someday they may have a good deal on it), and online. Some places you can get it online are:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6944/Product/SILICA_GEL_PAKS
http://sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=359233
http://sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=180353
http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#desiccant____-_1-2-4_8-16-32
All the best,
Glenn B
Times Square: How Did I Tell You The Politicians Would React!
I told you that our politicians would in essence probably bend over backwards to avoid linking the bombing attempt in Times Square this past weekend to any Muslim Extremist groups. I did not mean they would avoid linking it to such groups if there was no evidence of a connection either, I meant they would avoid it even if there was such evidence. I also told you they would be sure to get their man, without any pushing from the public, if he was a U.S. Citizen like a militia type - you know - like a white guy from the rural areas of our nation. So how have they actually reacted to this bombing? I will not say it is just as I said, I will report and let you decide:
They have released a video of a "white" man walking down the street away from the area of the vehicle, who stops, turns around, takes of his shirt and puts it into a bag he is carrying and then continues on his way a few steps and looks to the right over his right shoulder. They say they are focusing on this man but readily admit he might not be involved - yet according to some reports - the police commissioner says the man "furtively" put the shirt into the bag. I watched the video, available here:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Police-Release-Video-of-Potential-Bomb-Suspect-92645799.html
I certainly can only see what you can see in it, maybe the police have a bigger and better copy, I am sure they have one that they have enhanced and probably have at least a few others since this is the area with the most video surveillance in NYC. Even with only this one to view, I must say, yes it looks as if he took something off like a shirt or sweater and put it into his bag. It also looks as if he was wearing another shirt under that one. Maybe he was being evasive or maybe he was hot. Taking off a shirt is not much to go on, since there were so many others in the area too but the way he turned around when he did it makes me also think he may have been looking for something behind him. Could be something, could be nothing. Tell me though, did that man do anything furtively - again - maybe or maybe not.
Note though they stress he is a white man. What does that connotate (or connote if you like the more modern word) in the minds of most Americans in a situation like this - I would think either a homegrown terrorist or a psycho. They must have a really good view on their tape to know he is not Asian (as in from places like Pakistan, Afghanistan and so forth where many people are white but their race is still Asian) or that he is not Hispanic. Of course, many Hispanics are white but their use of white here was purposefully done, I think, to take the heat off of certain groups because most people do not readily associate white men with those certain groups. That is just my personal opinion, what do you think?
As I move along, and get back to reporting and letting you decide, here is a bit of news about some evidence that has come up since the bombing. Yes, I am referring to the taped message claiming to be from the Taliban which claims responsibility for the bombing attempt. How did the politicians react to it? Here is a quote from mayor Bloomberg of NYC:
"So far, there is no evidence that any of this has anything to do with one of the recognized terrorist organizations."
No evidence! I suppose a message from the Taliban is not considered evidence because somehow the whole concept of evidence has changed under the watch of this ultra-liberal mayor. Now mind you, the way the report is written one would think the mayor said this after the message came out and I base what I am writing on that presumption. Of course, there is evidence, it is the message itself. There may be no other evidence to support that message, there may be other evidence to cast doubt on the message making it doubtful evidence, but it is evidence even if weak at best. What kind of a putz would say that this message, one claiming responsibility for the bombing is not evidence? Would it be one who does not understand the difference between the words evidence and proof (and Mayor Bloomberg most assuredly understands the difference) or would it be the kind who is a politician and who is trying to avoid having to say this may be connected to a certain group of terrorists? You decide.
Now sure, this all could change at the drop of a hat. The guy in the video could come forward to identify himself to police and tell them his legitimate reason for having been there - like maybe he just got off work. Then something else could come up to further implicate certain terror groups and the politicos could turn toward other suspects. Then again, the 'white man' in the video could be a home grown kook of the anti-everything right or left wing extremist types and they could have something really good on the video (of course he could also be a light skinned Pakistani and the tape could be real) but tell me, as it stands now, does it seem Mayor Bloomberg - for one - is bending over backwards to avoid saying this may have had something to do with Muslim extremism.
Before I close, let me make something clear. I am not bending over backwards to implicate Muslim Terrorists in this attempted bombing. I am not implicating any group. I believe we have to wait for the evidence to be in and analyzed with objective standards used to do so before anyone should make claims as to who did this. By the same token though, I am also saying that we should not eliminate any group before the same is accomplished. Too bad the politicians seemingly don't think likewise.
All the best,
Glenn B
They have released a video of a "white" man walking down the street away from the area of the vehicle, who stops, turns around, takes of his shirt and puts it into a bag he is carrying and then continues on his way a few steps and looks to the right over his right shoulder. They say they are focusing on this man but readily admit he might not be involved - yet according to some reports - the police commissioner says the man "furtively" put the shirt into the bag. I watched the video, available here:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Police-Release-Video-of-Potential-Bomb-Suspect-92645799.html
I certainly can only see what you can see in it, maybe the police have a bigger and better copy, I am sure they have one that they have enhanced and probably have at least a few others since this is the area with the most video surveillance in NYC. Even with only this one to view, I must say, yes it looks as if he took something off like a shirt or sweater and put it into his bag. It also looks as if he was wearing another shirt under that one. Maybe he was being evasive or maybe he was hot. Taking off a shirt is not much to go on, since there were so many others in the area too but the way he turned around when he did it makes me also think he may have been looking for something behind him. Could be something, could be nothing. Tell me though, did that man do anything furtively - again - maybe or maybe not.
Note though they stress he is a white man. What does that connotate (or connote if you like the more modern word) in the minds of most Americans in a situation like this - I would think either a homegrown terrorist or a psycho. They must have a really good view on their tape to know he is not Asian (as in from places like Pakistan, Afghanistan and so forth where many people are white but their race is still Asian) or that he is not Hispanic. Of course, many Hispanics are white but their use of white here was purposefully done, I think, to take the heat off of certain groups because most people do not readily associate white men with those certain groups. That is just my personal opinion, what do you think?
As I move along, and get back to reporting and letting you decide, here is a bit of news about some evidence that has come up since the bombing. Yes, I am referring to the taped message claiming to be from the Taliban which claims responsibility for the bombing attempt. How did the politicians react to it? Here is a quote from mayor Bloomberg of NYC:
"So far, there is no evidence that any of this has anything to do with one of the recognized terrorist organizations."
No evidence! I suppose a message from the Taliban is not considered evidence because somehow the whole concept of evidence has changed under the watch of this ultra-liberal mayor. Now mind you, the way the report is written one would think the mayor said this after the message came out and I base what I am writing on that presumption. Of course, there is evidence, it is the message itself. There may be no other evidence to support that message, there may be other evidence to cast doubt on the message making it doubtful evidence, but it is evidence even if weak at best. What kind of a putz would say that this message, one claiming responsibility for the bombing is not evidence? Would it be one who does not understand the difference between the words evidence and proof (and Mayor Bloomberg most assuredly understands the difference) or would it be the kind who is a politician and who is trying to avoid having to say this may be connected to a certain group of terrorists? You decide.
Now sure, this all could change at the drop of a hat. The guy in the video could come forward to identify himself to police and tell them his legitimate reason for having been there - like maybe he just got off work. Then something else could come up to further implicate certain terror groups and the politicos could turn toward other suspects. Then again, the 'white man' in the video could be a home grown kook of the anti-everything right or left wing extremist types and they could have something really good on the video (of course he could also be a light skinned Pakistani and the tape could be real) but tell me, as it stands now, does it seem Mayor Bloomberg - for one - is bending over backwards to avoid saying this may have had something to do with Muslim extremism.
Before I close, let me make something clear. I am not bending over backwards to implicate Muslim Terrorists in this attempted bombing. I am not implicating any group. I believe we have to wait for the evidence to be in and analyzed with objective standards used to do so before anyone should make claims as to who did this. By the same token though, I am also saying that we should not eliminate any group before the same is accomplished. Too bad the politicians seemingly don't think likewise.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Today in History - A Trip To The Moon...
...and I am betting that none of you knew today was the anniversary of a lunar voyage, in fact the first one ever. Well really now, it is the anniversary not of a real lunar landing but of the very first science fiction film and it was called Le voyage dans la lune and debuted on May 2, 1902 (or October 4, 1902 , or September 1, 1902 all depending on the source you quote or the country of release) I prefer the October 4th date (the date of the US debut) because that makes it a Libra like me but I went with today's date to add it here as a Today In History post instead of having to wait. I do not know which date is correct but the nod for most quoted seems to go to the September 1, 1902 date. Regardless of the date, even if today was not the debut date, the film is worth a blog post and I am posting it today.
I was going to say that I had never seen it, then checked GOOGLE and there it was, not at YouTube as I had expected but at Google video (which I did not know existed). All I can say is Voila! I have seen it now and I love it. Much like sci-fi movies of today, this one was about a small group of scientists/adventurers who head off into outer space, land on the moon, are then accosted by hostile aliens from another world but manage to escape and return home to earth. In the short span of this film are included many of the same things we see in today's films including the space ship, beautiful scantily clad babes, strange worlds, adventure, danger, beautiful scantily clad babes (remember this was 1902 and those are short shorts by anyone's standards), aliens, hostility, violence, humanity overcoming all comers, and so on. For the most part, these movies have changed only in as much as they seem more realistic today, have bigger budgets, and somewhat sexier babes with just a bit less clothing. As I said though, this one had all the basics and I imagine it made the kids and sci-fi buffs of that other time as thrilled as I was the first time I saw Alien.
Of course, being as old as it is it is also corny beyond compare when you look at today's sci-fi movies but yet I think it was worth watching anyway - if just to see the first one ever. I am a bit of a sci-fi buff, I especially love movies and shows along those lines and even though this one is a silent film classic and only 14 minutes long, I think you might love it too if you love the genre. Here it is, with narration (that I am supposing was added many years later as this was a silent film), for your enjoyment.
I may or may not watch it again but I will be certain to watch many more films of the sci-fi genre; films that this one, the first one, spawned to thrill us and chill us.
All the best,
Glenn B
I was going to say that I had never seen it, then checked GOOGLE and there it was, not at YouTube as I had expected but at Google video (which I did not know existed). All I can say is Voila! I have seen it now and I love it. Much like sci-fi movies of today, this one was about a small group of scientists/adventurers who head off into outer space, land on the moon, are then accosted by hostile aliens from another world but manage to escape and return home to earth. In the short span of this film are included many of the same things we see in today's films including the space ship, beautiful scantily clad babes, strange worlds, adventure, danger, beautiful scantily clad babes (remember this was 1902 and those are short shorts by anyone's standards), aliens, hostility, violence, humanity overcoming all comers, and so on. For the most part, these movies have changed only in as much as they seem more realistic today, have bigger budgets, and somewhat sexier babes with just a bit less clothing. As I said though, this one had all the basics and I imagine it made the kids and sci-fi buffs of that other time as thrilled as I was the first time I saw Alien.
Of course, being as old as it is it is also corny beyond compare when you look at today's sci-fi movies but yet I think it was worth watching anyway - if just to see the first one ever. I am a bit of a sci-fi buff, I especially love movies and shows along those lines and even though this one is a silent film classic and only 14 minutes long, I think you might love it too if you love the genre. Here it is, with narration (that I am supposing was added many years later as this was a silent film), for your enjoyment.
I may or may not watch it again but I will be certain to watch many more films of the sci-fi genre; films that this one, the first one, spawned to thrill us and chill us.
All the best,
Glenn B
Be Careful...
...out there my friend. My guess is you got called out on this. I hope you brought your Sonic screwdriver set! You know who you are!
Later for you,
GB
Later for you,
GB
The NYPD...
...has officially called it a bombing attempt and Commissioner Ray Kelly said that an improvised bomb was dismantled by law enforcement. It sounds to me like an amatueurish attempt but even at that, had this gone off there probably would have been lots of deaths, injuries and damage.
This is one of the most video covered locations in the USA so chances are they will spot the culprits on camera and catch them quickly. Let us hope so.
All the best,
Glenn B
This is one of the most video covered locations in the USA so chances are they will spot the culprits on camera and catch them quickly. Let us hope so.
All the best,
Glenn B
A Bomb Or A Vehicle Fire...
...causing a panic in Times Square in the heart of NYC's Manhattan Theater District? Take your pick but as I sit here and watch on the TV news as I type let me tell you with all those officers standing around with hands in their pockets, I hope it is not a bomb.
The low down so far, as per Fox news and CNN, is that at about 1830 (6:30PM) a tee-shirt vendor alerted a NYPD Mounted Police Officer of an abandoned vehicle with smoke coming out of it (a Nissan Pathfinder). A later search reportedly found propane tanks and a container of gasoline inside the Pathfinder. There was reportedly also a possible timing device found in the vehicle. So was it all a bomb or is it a case of over reactive imaginations. If it was a bomb - thank goodness it did not go off a good eye on the cop who spotted the smoke. If it was not a bomb - well okay then - I would rather have them over react than not and then have it explode when they thought it was nothing.
The thing is, if this does turn out to have been a failed bombing attempt, and if the the evidence points to Muslim Extremists - and I am not in any way shape or form saying that there is any such evidence right now just saying IF it does develop - then the time has come to prepare yourselves for more of this on our shores in very short time - in my estimation. Why do I think so. Because of the failed subway bombing plot in NYC (for which the bums were just convicted), because of the Colonel who shot up the military base not all that long ago. If this too is linked to Muslim extremism then the fever of it is here and firmly planted and you had better be prepared to deal with it (legally) and to deal with with spineless politicians and bureaucrats who may again try to have you basically ignore it. If it is here, then we need to take action and that action should be, in my opinion, legal, swift and strong to counteract it. We do not need to become another Paris with mobs ofMuslim extremists youths firebombing cars and beating people. We do not need to become England where Sharia law is now, at least in part, the law of the land. We do not need to become plagued by terrorist violence like Israel. We need to get rid of the problem swiftly and decisively and legall. Round ups and deportations may be called for of all illegal aliens from certain nations, and more scrutiny of those legally here, but that is my absolutely personal opinion (as is everything else in this post).
Again though, that is only if this is related to terrorism - and caused by terrorists especially Islamic Extremist types. Of course, it could be terrorism of another ilk, like those home grown wackos who blew up the federal building or the ones who recently plotted to kill a police officer then attack the funeral of the officer to kill more officers. I don't see us needing to do much to wake up our politicians because if American citizens are involved I have no doubt our politicians will act swiftly, they always are ready to denounce what they call right or left wing extremists. It is just that I have my doubts if they are Muslims as to the response our politicians will have - just look at the shooting by Major Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood. He screamed out the name of his so called glorious god while he killed and they don't want to call it Muslim extremism. Shame on them and shame on us if we let that happen again.
Then again for another time, maybe it was just a burning vehicle with propane tanks for a restaurant and extra gas in a can and yada, yada, yada... I suppose we will know more as time goes on. As for me, I tend to think it may be the real deal, they have been at it all night long. In addition, I just heard the car and plates do not match; a not all that uncommon event in n NYC but quite the coincidence with the fire, the propane, the gasoline, the so called possible timer and the place where it was parked (one of the most crowded night spots in Manhattan). In closing let me say - real deal alert - but probably an attempt by a rank amateur. Let's hope either that or nothing but coincidence and a vehicle fire.
All the best,
Glenn B
The low down so far, as per Fox news and CNN, is that at about 1830 (6:30PM) a tee-shirt vendor alerted a NYPD Mounted Police Officer of an abandoned vehicle with smoke coming out of it (a Nissan Pathfinder). A later search reportedly found propane tanks and a container of gasoline inside the Pathfinder. There was reportedly also a possible timing device found in the vehicle. So was it all a bomb or is it a case of over reactive imaginations. If it was a bomb - thank goodness it did not go off a good eye on the cop who spotted the smoke. If it was not a bomb - well okay then - I would rather have them over react than not and then have it explode when they thought it was nothing.
The thing is, if this does turn out to have been a failed bombing attempt, and if the the evidence points to Muslim Extremists - and I am not in any way shape or form saying that there is any such evidence right now just saying IF it does develop - then the time has come to prepare yourselves for more of this on our shores in very short time - in my estimation. Why do I think so. Because of the failed subway bombing plot in NYC (for which the bums were just convicted), because of the Colonel who shot up the military base not all that long ago. If this too is linked to Muslim extremism then the fever of it is here and firmly planted and you had better be prepared to deal with it (legally) and to deal with with spineless politicians and bureaucrats who may again try to have you basically ignore it. If it is here, then we need to take action and that action should be, in my opinion, legal, swift and strong to counteract it. We do not need to become another Paris with mobs of
Again though, that is only if this is related to terrorism - and caused by terrorists especially Islamic Extremist types. Of course, it could be terrorism of another ilk, like those home grown wackos who blew up the federal building or the ones who recently plotted to kill a police officer then attack the funeral of the officer to kill more officers. I don't see us needing to do much to wake up our politicians because if American citizens are involved I have no doubt our politicians will act swiftly, they always are ready to denounce what they call right or left wing extremists. It is just that I have my doubts if they are Muslims as to the response our politicians will have - just look at the shooting by Major Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood. He screamed out the name of his so called glorious god while he killed and they don't want to call it Muslim extremism. Shame on them and shame on us if we let that happen again.
Then again for another time, maybe it was just a burning vehicle with propane tanks for a restaurant and extra gas in a can and yada, yada, yada... I suppose we will know more as time goes on. As for me, I tend to think it may be the real deal, they have been at it all night long. In addition, I just heard the car and plates do not match; a not all that uncommon event in n NYC but quite the coincidence with the fire, the propane, the gasoline, the so called possible timer and the place where it was parked (one of the most crowded night spots in Manhattan). In closing let me say - real deal alert - but probably an attempt by a rank amateur. Let's hope either that or nothing but coincidence and a vehicle fire.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Spring Fever....
...may have struck me in more ways than one. I have been pretty sick with what I thought was just allergies but now figure more likely to have been a probable sinus infection. Along with the sinus thing I had muscle and joint aches and pains and a fever the past few days. Started mildly with aches on Tuesday, had me feeling terrible on Wednesday and Thursday but I kept going. That was until yesterday when I took off from work because on Thursday night I had a recorded fever up to 101.5 and I figure it probably hit around at least 103 based on how hard I was shivering when I awoke in the middle of the night. My teeth were chattering so hard I figured it best not to try to use the mercury filled glass thermometer between them.
I am feeling much better today though still somewhat under the weather. I am sort of , my sinuses still ache as do my joints and muscles but I was well enough to head out to Home Depot where that other type of spring fever hit me. Once there I headed straight to the garden department. Much to my dismay, by this time of the spring, they no longer sell flats of started tomato plants and I had to settle for individually potted plants. That went for almost every plant I bought. Usually I buy my tomatoes and most other plants by earl to mid April and have them planted by then. No such luck this year since I only got home from Phoenix on the 17th (which was a Saturday and meant that weekend was virtually shot for stuff like this). Last weekend I just did not get it done. Today - Home Depot was mobbed.
Despite the crowd, I was able to maneuver pretty deftly and pick up what I needed with ease. I facilitated my shopping by planting my cart out of the way and leaving it there, then walking back and forth to it with items I got off the shelves; that was after I had put 6 bags of manure and one huge bag of potting soil onto it. In all I spent $103. I picked up two 18 pot flats of Petunias, 1 flat of Marigolds, 1 potted African Daisy, a pot of started Straight neck Squash (they did not have our favorite - Butternut Squash), a few tomato plants, a pepper plant or two and some parsley and sweet basil. There selection was somewhat lacking but during other years I shop for the garden starting in April and go through part of May instead of trying to get it all in one day so some things they probably had in April are no longer available and other may still be yet to come. After Home Depot I stopped at a local garden center and bought another tomato plant and two Portuguese hot pepper plants.
Once home I unloaded the car with my daughter's help. The whole deal, driving - shopping - unloading, took me 2 hours and 15 minutes and I am now pooped. I guess I am still really run down from whatever it was that ailed me. So for now, I am taking it easy. I'll kill and hour or two and then it will be out in the garden for me. Bushes need trimming, the lawn needs cleaning up and mowing, the vegetable gardens needs to be turned, have the composted manure added, and then have the plants planted, pots need refilling and petunias need to be potted and on and on.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am feeling much better today though still somewhat under the weather. I am sort of , my sinuses still ache as do my joints and muscles but I was well enough to head out to Home Depot where that other type of spring fever hit me. Once there I headed straight to the garden department. Much to my dismay, by this time of the spring, they no longer sell flats of started tomato plants and I had to settle for individually potted plants. That went for almost every plant I bought. Usually I buy my tomatoes and most other plants by earl to mid April and have them planted by then. No such luck this year since I only got home from Phoenix on the 17th (which was a Saturday and meant that weekend was virtually shot for stuff like this). Last weekend I just did not get it done. Today - Home Depot was mobbed.
Despite the crowd, I was able to maneuver pretty deftly and pick up what I needed with ease. I facilitated my shopping by planting my cart out of the way and leaving it there, then walking back and forth to it with items I got off the shelves; that was after I had put 6 bags of manure and one huge bag of potting soil onto it. In all I spent $103. I picked up two 18 pot flats of Petunias, 1 flat of Marigolds, 1 potted African Daisy, a pot of started Straight neck Squash (they did not have our favorite - Butternut Squash), a few tomato plants, a pepper plant or two and some parsley and sweet basil. There selection was somewhat lacking but during other years I shop for the garden starting in April and go through part of May instead of trying to get it all in one day so some things they probably had in April are no longer available and other may still be yet to come. After Home Depot I stopped at a local garden center and bought another tomato plant and two Portuguese hot pepper plants.
Once home I unloaded the car with my daughter's help. The whole deal, driving - shopping - unloading, took me 2 hours and 15 minutes and I am now pooped. I guess I am still really run down from whatever it was that ailed me. So for now, I am taking it easy. I'll kill and hour or two and then it will be out in the garden for me. Bushes need trimming, the lawn needs cleaning up and mowing, the vegetable gardens needs to be turned, have the composted manure added, and then have the plants planted, pots need refilling and petunias need to be potted and on and on.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 55 - Reloading Kits - Time To Make A Decision...
...and if you know anything about reloading, I could use your help.Now that I am back home from Phoenix, and since I have read the ABC's of Reloading, I am ready to pick up a reloading kit. The ones I am considering are listed below. Note, I am not going to necessarily buy them from Midway USA but am just using links to their site because they have all the ones in which I have an interest right now. Once I decide on which one to get, I will shop around for price, for example Cabela's has the RCBS kit at about $23 less than Midway.
Here are the ones I am considering right now:
1. Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic Single Stage Press Kit -
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=749997
2. RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Single Stage Press Master Kit
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=646599
3. Lyman Crusher 2 Single Stage Press Expert Kit
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=283295
4. Lyman Crusher 2 Single Stage Press Deluxe Expert Kit 110 Volt
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=724116
5. Redding Big Boss Single Stage Press Deluxe Kit
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=897117
Feel free to leave comments, based upon your own reloading experience, about which you think is the better deal.
Thanks,
Glenn B
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Revolution Of Sorts May Not Be As Far Off As I Thought...
...after all just watch the video at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRp7Y9fyEpw&playnext_from=TL&videos=GxNDvZRc36k&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh%2Bdiv-1r-6-HM
Now, tell me - that is if you are a working and tax paying American Citizen - whether or not this video gets your blood boiling even if it is supposed to be comedy - which I truly doubt. It disgusts me because so far only Bill Maher has had so called comedy, that is really poorly disguised political commentary, as tasteless as this before and because apparently a lot of people really feel exactly the same way - that they deserve the fruits of the hard working tax payer for nothing. I think the person in the video probably truly believes all she is saying whether or not she is a YouTube wonder. I also think a lot of otherleeches people in this country feel likewise. It may be time to stop them in their tracks before they suck the rest of us dry because all too soon it will be too late.
I hope moreliberal socialist bloodsuckers people, who feel the same way as the lady woman in the video will make similar videos and inundate us with them. Keep them coming and make them as vile and as base as was, in my opinion, this one. Pump em out at least several times a month or more, right up through November. The revolution that comes may not be violent at all, except maybe for the politicians who shoot themselves after their fiefdoms crumble in the elections in November and the other side takes control of the government, but I do think it is coming in one form or another. With people like this out there, sucking the rest of us dry, a revolution seems inevitable - after all it would be self defense of a sorts - wouldn't it? Mind you, I am not condoning a revolution, not a violent one anyway, just predicting one. Hopefully it can be accomplished in the voting booth.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRp7Y9fyEpw&playnext_from=TL&videos=GxNDvZRc36k&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh%2Bdiv-1r-6-HM
Now, tell me - that is if you are a working and tax paying American Citizen - whether or not this video gets your blood boiling even if it is supposed to be comedy - which I truly doubt. It disgusts me because so far only Bill Maher has had so called comedy, that is really poorly disguised political commentary, as tasteless as this before and because apparently a lot of people really feel exactly the same way - that they deserve the fruits of the hard working tax payer for nothing. I think the person in the video probably truly believes all she is saying whether or not she is a YouTube wonder. I also think a lot of other
I hope more
All the best,
Glenn B
Shooting Plans Shot Down...
...by one of the shooters because he got home from a night out at about 0600 and slept until about noon. Oh well, I guess that is youth for you. I don't think he was out drinking either just hanging out with friends otherwise he would have slept longer and anyway he said he wasn't. Oh well, next week. Of course we had a long father son talk, it lasted about 6 hours - really it did. Sometime in the mid afternoon, I got him into the car but only after asking him a question in the house first. The question was: "North, east, south or west?". After asking several times and just telling him to pick one he picked north. That was our direction once we got into the Ford.
We headed up to Clarence Fahnestock (I would swear they have recently changed the spelling of this name) Memorial State park off of the Taconic Parkway and route 301, about 1 1/2 hours from where we live. Once there we parked at one of our favorite ponds and decided to take a hike, then proceeded to check out the pond on the first stretch of our hike. We spotted several Red Spotted Newts, most males with their enlarged tails for the mating season. We did see at least one female in the act of mating with a male as another male swam by to investigate or maybe to try to steal away the female for himself. We also saw quite a few sunfish, and I spotted what looked like some sort of a gar. I later checked and saw that only the Longnose Gar is found naturally in NY but they usually are found in rivers or streams. This could be a transplant or could be a natural but I suppose also could have been a pike or pickerel although I doubt it because it had that distinctive gar like snout and appeared to be silver in color. We also saw a couple of green frogs and a lot of newly hatched insects skirting the water's surface and providing food for the frogs, fish and newts.
On we went into the woods and up an unmarked trail toward another pond I knew of that is by my estimation about 1 1/2 miles into the forest. We got there after a short detour. The detour was simply us following one trail a bit too far without breaking off onto a smaller less used side trail that led to the other pond. While on our trek we came across an old abandoned and flooded mine entrance, a chipmunk or two scampering about, several small birds fluttering here and there, and a forest that was coming to life with new buds and leaves opening all around us. It was pretty amazing how almost bare the trees looked compared to some along the highway just 15 miles or so south of where we were in the park. That was great as it was because it gave us some views of the park we have not seen before. While Brendan may not remember the vistas all that well, I have been visiting Clarence Fahnestock State Park for many years, since I was about 9 years old or so. I love it there, it is truly a wonderful getaway from life in or around NYC. I have taken Brendan there before, but I do believe it has been too long since he was there with me for a fishing trip or a camp-out. Hopefully that will be something we can fix this spring, summer and fall.
We walked, we talked, it was good being together with one another after my having been gone for so long while I was in Phoenix. The bonding thing is always good suppose and when you can do it in wonderful surroundings like the forests of NY state then it is all the better. We finally arrived at that other pond, stayed for a short spell admiring the sound of some Canada Geese in the distance. at first, I did not see them at all but Brendan with his younger and keener eyes told me where they were and I finally caught a glimpse of them after having searched them out for several minutes. We watched the pond surface and saw several fish surfacing and even jumping. Whether they were jumping to get away from a predator like a large bass or to zero in on and gobble up an insect on the surface we did not know. While there we also heard the call of a few frogs. Two sounded like green Frogs to me though Brendan thought one was a Bullfrog. As we left we also heard another frog out in the woods, maybe a Spring Peeper but I am not sure.
We made our way back to the car only to realize we had stayed on the wrong trail when we should have taken another fork back some ways. It did not matter as I was sure this trail came out on the road on which our car was parked. In fact it brought us closer to our car than i thought it would have done. Thing was there were a few signs on the trail saying it was closed due to dangerous conditions. I suppose the fact that the two dams,on the upper pond near the road, were both out was the reason for the signs. We made our way over or around the one further from the road and the other one we avoided because it did look to be pretty dangerous and we crossed the stream under it on a bridge of stones that someone had been nice enough to have built. Only reason we stayed on that trail once we saw the signs was because we were so far from the one we should have been on and it was getting late enough to worry about darkness falling if we turned around and went back and had any other delay.
Once back on the road we headed right to the car only a short distance away, maybe even closer to the car than where the path began that we had first set out on. Not a bad mistake taking the 'wrong' fork in the trails as we did. We met a fisherman and his lady companion and their large canine friend. he said he had been trying for trout with no luck. I have fished that pond for over 45 years and have not once pulled out a trout or seen anyone else do it either. Maybe he was misinformed that it was stocked with trout, or maybe that is a new thing. I am sure that even if he did not catch any fish he had a better time than he would have had at work - unless maybe he fishes for a living.
After that it was homeward bound for us. Once we were back in the neighborhood so to speak, we stopped at a local Chinese restaurant and had ourselves a small feast. That made for a nice way to end our day spent together. Hopefully though, the next time we plan to go to the range we will actually do it. Still though, I have absolutely no complaints about how the day turned out and i think neither does Brendan.
All the best,
Glenn B
We headed up to Clarence Fahnestock (I would swear they have recently changed the spelling of this name) Memorial State park off of the Taconic Parkway and route 301, about 1 1/2 hours from where we live. Once there we parked at one of our favorite ponds and decided to take a hike, then proceeded to check out the pond on the first stretch of our hike. We spotted several Red Spotted Newts, most males with their enlarged tails for the mating season. We did see at least one female in the act of mating with a male as another male swam by to investigate or maybe to try to steal away the female for himself. We also saw quite a few sunfish, and I spotted what looked like some sort of a gar. I later checked and saw that only the Longnose Gar is found naturally in NY but they usually are found in rivers or streams. This could be a transplant or could be a natural but I suppose also could have been a pike or pickerel although I doubt it because it had that distinctive gar like snout and appeared to be silver in color. We also saw a couple of green frogs and a lot of newly hatched insects skirting the water's surface and providing food for the frogs, fish and newts.
On we went into the woods and up an unmarked trail toward another pond I knew of that is by my estimation about 1 1/2 miles into the forest. We got there after a short detour. The detour was simply us following one trail a bit too far without breaking off onto a smaller less used side trail that led to the other pond. While on our trek we came across an old abandoned and flooded mine entrance, a chipmunk or two scampering about, several small birds fluttering here and there, and a forest that was coming to life with new buds and leaves opening all around us. It was pretty amazing how almost bare the trees looked compared to some along the highway just 15 miles or so south of where we were in the park. That was great as it was because it gave us some views of the park we have not seen before. While Brendan may not remember the vistas all that well, I have been visiting Clarence Fahnestock State Park for many years, since I was about 9 years old or so. I love it there, it is truly a wonderful getaway from life in or around NYC. I have taken Brendan there before, but I do believe it has been too long since he was there with me for a fishing trip or a camp-out. Hopefully that will be something we can fix this spring, summer and fall.
We walked, we talked, it was good being together with one another after my having been gone for so long while I was in Phoenix. The bonding thing is always good suppose and when you can do it in wonderful surroundings like the forests of NY state then it is all the better. We finally arrived at that other pond, stayed for a short spell admiring the sound of some Canada Geese in the distance. at first, I did not see them at all but Brendan with his younger and keener eyes told me where they were and I finally caught a glimpse of them after having searched them out for several minutes. We watched the pond surface and saw several fish surfacing and even jumping. Whether they were jumping to get away from a predator like a large bass or to zero in on and gobble up an insect on the surface we did not know. While there we also heard the call of a few frogs. Two sounded like green Frogs to me though Brendan thought one was a Bullfrog. As we left we also heard another frog out in the woods, maybe a Spring Peeper but I am not sure.
We made our way back to the car only to realize we had stayed on the wrong trail when we should have taken another fork back some ways. It did not matter as I was sure this trail came out on the road on which our car was parked. In fact it brought us closer to our car than i thought it would have done. Thing was there were a few signs on the trail saying it was closed due to dangerous conditions. I suppose the fact that the two dams,on the upper pond near the road, were both out was the reason for the signs. We made our way over or around the one further from the road and the other one we avoided because it did look to be pretty dangerous and we crossed the stream under it on a bridge of stones that someone had been nice enough to have built. Only reason we stayed on that trail once we saw the signs was because we were so far from the one we should have been on and it was getting late enough to worry about darkness falling if we turned around and went back and had any other delay.
Once back on the road we headed right to the car only a short distance away, maybe even closer to the car than where the path began that we had first set out on. Not a bad mistake taking the 'wrong' fork in the trails as we did. We met a fisherman and his lady companion and their large canine friend. he said he had been trying for trout with no luck. I have fished that pond for over 45 years and have not once pulled out a trout or seen anyone else do it either. Maybe he was misinformed that it was stocked with trout, or maybe that is a new thing. I am sure that even if he did not catch any fish he had a better time than he would have had at work - unless maybe he fishes for a living.
After that it was homeward bound for us. Once we were back in the neighborhood so to speak, we stopped at a local Chinese restaurant and had ourselves a small feast. That made for a nice way to end our day spent together. Hopefully though, the next time we plan to go to the range we will actually do it. Still though, I have absolutely no complaints about how the day turned out and i think neither does Brendan.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, April 23, 2010
Going Shooting Tomorrow...
...even though I had hoped to be going fishing. Of course, since I will be shooting with Brendan it will be a good thing nonetheless. He will be trying out his Stag Arms AR rifle for the first time since he got it back from the dealer who supposedly sent it to the factory for repair. The dealer says they put a new front sight on the rifle at the Stag Arms factory but failed to give my son any documentation to that effect. For all I know he slapped on some after-market piece of junk hoping it would solve the problems that Brendan was having with the rifle. We will see what is the effect and I will be sure to contact both the dealer and the factory to make sure it was indeed the factory who worked on the rifle. Sound cynical on my part - you bet-ya it does because I do not trust this dealer as far as I can spit into a gale force wind. Prior dealings with him you know!
Whatever the case, we will have fun shooting, more fun if Brendan's Stag is shooting where he aims. I plan to increase our fun by bringing along a decent variety of what we have to shoot. I figure to tote along maybe a couple or three of our 22 rifles, probably a Nagant, maybe my SKS and Brendan's AK47 and if I am up for punishment then I'll bring the 870 too.
I'll let you know how it turns out and if my memory serves me well tomorrow in the AM then I'll remember to bring my camera along to take pictures to show to you too.
All the best,
GB
Whatever the case, we will have fun shooting, more fun if Brendan's Stag is shooting where he aims. I plan to increase our fun by bringing along a decent variety of what we have to shoot. I figure to tote along maybe a couple or three of our 22 rifles, probably a Nagant, maybe my SKS and Brendan's AK47 and if I am up for punishment then I'll bring the 870 too.
I'll let you know how it turns out and if my memory serves me well tomorrow in the AM then I'll remember to bring my camera along to take pictures to show to you too.
All the best,
GB
Getting Back Into The...
...rut groove again now that I am back home and at my usual place of work has not been quite the fluid change that I had expected. I will not be going to go into it in depth and will not be boring you with what makes or does not make my day at work or at home but let me just say it ain't been easy. As a result, I have not been blogging one heck of a lot - heck only once this week before today. That will change, either this weekend or early next week. I'll try to at least get back to a decent post every other day and hopefully I will get right back in there with daily post as I used to do. That said, I suppose I'll have to go out and do something this weekend worthy of a good write up.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, April 18, 2010
You'd do the same...wouldn't you?
I found this YouTube video of a firearms related news report embedded over at Xavier Thoughts - Nurse With A Gun and decided it was worth sharing with you if you have not seen it already.
Whether or not you believe that the right to keep and bear arms is one that should be exercised by all you should watch this video. When you watch it, make sure you have the sound turned up so you can hear everything the man has to say. Pay attention to what his relative says too. Pay attention to the man's reported medical condition and pay attention to his age and pay attention to his head. Guess what the marks are on his head before you see the close up - I thought they were related to his diabetes. I was wrong. Watch and see for yourself and as I said, pay attention to the video - pay careful attention to his question for the reporter. The question, or at least part of it, is the title of this post. How would you have answered him?
All I can say is that it was amazing this man survived and he only did so because he was READY to do what needed to be done. READY = he had a gun, he was willing to use it, and he used it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Whether or not you believe that the right to keep and bear arms is one that should be exercised by all you should watch this video. When you watch it, make sure you have the sound turned up so you can hear everything the man has to say. Pay attention to what his relative says too. Pay attention to the man's reported medical condition and pay attention to his age and pay attention to his head. Guess what the marks are on his head before you see the close up - I thought they were related to his diabetes. I was wrong. Watch and see for yourself and as I said, pay attention to the video - pay careful attention to his question for the reporter. The question, or at least part of it, is the title of this post. How would you have answered him?
All I can say is that it was amazing this man survived and he only did so because he was READY to do what needed to be done. READY = he had a gun, he was willing to use it, and he used it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Home At Last...
...and Arizona is in my past. It was a long day yesterday getting up at about 0330 and then leaving for the airport at 0415. The taxi ride to the airport was okay. Then check-in at the American Airlines sucked. it seems the three weird sisters from MacBeth were behind the counter and if you waited on the check-in line instead of using the self check-in machines - well, you were just treated in a much less than respectful way. An awful lot of folks on that line were pretty pissed off by the time they got to the counter. I am sending off a registered letter to AA CEO to lodge a complaint. The woman, only one of the three actually would assist anyone who waited on line, who issued my ticket and checked in my baggage actually raised her voice to me because I told her I was flying armed and presented my credentials to her. She then harshly admonished me for walking up top the counter after the last person had left and demanded I go back to wait on line because she was not ready. Then she walked to the end of the counter and did nothing. The other two did likewise frequently, that is did nothing as people waited, then they would help only those who had used the self check-in. They were all quite nasty about it too, their voices in no uncertain tones of outright nastiness. Then when she finally called me over, I explained too her as I normally would do, that I would be flying armed as I am a federal agent. That infuriated her. She immediately went into a tirade, in a pretty raised voice - I suppose actually qualifying as a low yell - so all could hear - that I should not have told her I was an armed federal agent because that is a secret between me and the flight crew! I was flabbergasted to say the least but I kept my calm because I wanted to get on the plane. I then started to whisper to her and she got madder because now people who were watching from the line were laughing. I asked her what I should do in the future, and asked if I should hand over a note identifying myself or if I should whisper as I was doing to keep it all a secret? She stammered something that was unintelligible and finally got about her business.
Never in about 31 years of flying as an armed federal agent have I met an arsehat like her at check-in but there is more to the story. I suppose she thought she was being cute by charging me a $50 overweight fee for my luggage. Now mind you, this was the same exact luggage I flew with on my way from NY to Phoenix on the first part of my trip months ago. The bag did not get any heavier but I had not been charged the extra fee back then. In fact, I know with an absolute certainty that the bag was several pounds lighter than when I flew from NY to Phoenix. The reason for that was I threw out at least one pair of pants, and had sent three box fulls of items from that suitcase to NY via Priority mail because I wanted my bag to be lighter and easier to manage on the return trip. I guess maybe the scales work differently in Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport than they do on New York's LaGuardia Airport - maybe that is due to the change in atmospheric pressure to to the raise in elevation - or to a toe pressing down on the scale - or whatever other reason there could be for such a discrepancy. I paid, but that will not be the end of it!
Before leaving, I asked her her name and she simply refused to give it to me and her name tag, if she wore one, was under her sweater. Of course, she was logged in on the computer terminal when she checked me in and I am pretty sure the airline can find out who checked me in. The reason I asked her name is because I will be sending a registered letter to the CEO of American Airlines about her behavior and about the behavior of the other two check-in women who did not assist one person who waited on line. Funny how each position at the check-in desk, all three of them, had a Self Check In sign over it. As opposed to what one of them kept hollering out, that everyone except someone paying by cash for a ticket could use self check-in, I was not allowed to check in via the self check-in kiosks because I was armed. As I said, it was apparent they were pretty upset that regardless of what they were hollering out about using those kiosks, there were several people waiting on the check-in line for their assistance and only one of them helped those folks on the line. Simply put, she was quite bitchy, so were the other two. I now have the name of the CEO and the head of customer service for American Airlines, and their addresses. The letter will be mailed out tomorrow. Who knows, as a result of their having received my imminent complaint, maybe they will give me free peanuts if I ever fly with them again.
The flights were okay but packed. I had to fly through Chicago and change planes. We g0t there about 20 minutes before my second flight took off and it was boarded about 3/4 full by the time I got onto it. The flight attendant took the boarding pass, with the attached pass showing I was flying armed and said okay and handed it back to me after showing it to another flight attendant. I asked her if maybe she wanted to give it to the captain and she said no. Then after I had made progress down the aisle she called me back to gingerly snatch it out of my hand (with a smile on her face, one of those oh I just goofed sort of smiles) to give it to the captain. At least she was pleasant about it even though somewhat goofy in not having known, at first, what to do with it. Both flights went well though. I tried to sleep through them but for most of each all I got were short spurts of sleep interrupted by waking and nodding and waking and nodding. Still though, the flights went well and the one on which they gave me a free beverage was almost heavenly (that was the shorter of the two legs between Chicago and NY). Go figure but they charged for sodas between Phoenix and Chicago and that was a 3 hour flight as opposed to the later 1 1/2 hour connecting flight. Luckily I had a bottle of lemonade with me that I brought onto the first flight.
The flight to NY got NY about 25 minutes early. Luckily when I got there I only had to wait about 15 minutes for my luggage. I went outside and about 5 minutes later, Brendan (my son) was there to pick me up. Of course that was the best part of the whole flying thing, being met by him at the airport. He brought along Pepe (one of our Chihuahuas) and we had a nice, fairly traffic free (for NY) ride home.
Once at home I got a big hug from Linda, who seemed genuinely happy to see me, as I was to see her. Three and a half months is a fair amount of time to be away from one another. Before she could give me a big hug she had to wait for the competition to get done with me outside the side entrance to the house. The other three dogs, Mimi, Lucy and Roxie came out to greet me. Mimi went ballistic and whined, wagged, jumped up and down and wet the concrete in her excitement over seeing me. It was hard to keep her from jumping all over me. Lucy was fairly excited too. Roxie was more reserved. Linda only got her while I was away last spring and I knew her only for about 5 months before I was off again to AZ. She did remember me though and was apparently happy to see me but a bit shy. She has not been shy at all today.
Shortly after I got home, Celina and her boyfriend Dirk, got there too. We all sat down to a nice big meal and all is well again in the life of Glenn. I would probably have been miserable had no one been available to pick me up or to be there at home when I got there. That whole airport thing would have just pestered me all afternoon and evening. As it was, I forgot all about it until I sat down to blog today. I do not think I even mentioned it to the family and I suppose that is a good thing. Sorry dear reader to have bored you with it but that is how it worked out. You can rest assured though, I will also bore the CEO with the same story, this time with lots more details - you got the shortened version so it is not so bad at that.
Tomorrow, I suppose it is back to work for me. Only one day off this weekend sucks (especially since I get no pay for yesterday) but I can live with that. It will be nice to see some of my coworkers again, I have some good friends on the job.
All the best,
Glenn B
Never in about 31 years of flying as an armed federal agent have I met an arsehat like her at check-in but there is more to the story. I suppose she thought she was being cute by charging me a $50 overweight fee for my luggage. Now mind you, this was the same exact luggage I flew with on my way from NY to Phoenix on the first part of my trip months ago. The bag did not get any heavier but I had not been charged the extra fee back then. In fact, I know with an absolute certainty that the bag was several pounds lighter than when I flew from NY to Phoenix. The reason for that was I threw out at least one pair of pants, and had sent three box fulls of items from that suitcase to NY via Priority mail because I wanted my bag to be lighter and easier to manage on the return trip. I guess maybe the scales work differently in Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport than they do on New York's LaGuardia Airport - maybe that is due to the change in atmospheric pressure to to the raise in elevation - or to a toe pressing down on the scale - or whatever other reason there could be for such a discrepancy. I paid, but that will not be the end of it!
Before leaving, I asked her her name and she simply refused to give it to me and her name tag, if she wore one, was under her sweater. Of course, she was logged in on the computer terminal when she checked me in and I am pretty sure the airline can find out who checked me in. The reason I asked her name is because I will be sending a registered letter to the CEO of American Airlines about her behavior and about the behavior of the other two check-in women who did not assist one person who waited on line. Funny how each position at the check-in desk, all three of them, had a Self Check In sign over it. As opposed to what one of them kept hollering out, that everyone except someone paying by cash for a ticket could use self check-in, I was not allowed to check in via the self check-in kiosks because I was armed. As I said, it was apparent they were pretty upset that regardless of what they were hollering out about using those kiosks, there were several people waiting on the check-in line for their assistance and only one of them helped those folks on the line. Simply put, she was quite bitchy, so were the other two. I now have the name of the CEO and the head of customer service for American Airlines, and their addresses. The letter will be mailed out tomorrow. Who knows, as a result of their having received my imminent complaint, maybe they will give me free peanuts if I ever fly with them again.
The flights were okay but packed. I had to fly through Chicago and change planes. We g0t there about 20 minutes before my second flight took off and it was boarded about 3/4 full by the time I got onto it. The flight attendant took the boarding pass, with the attached pass showing I was flying armed and said okay and handed it back to me after showing it to another flight attendant. I asked her if maybe she wanted to give it to the captain and she said no. Then after I had made progress down the aisle she called me back to gingerly snatch it out of my hand (with a smile on her face, one of those oh I just goofed sort of smiles) to give it to the captain. At least she was pleasant about it even though somewhat goofy in not having known, at first, what to do with it. Both flights went well though. I tried to sleep through them but for most of each all I got were short spurts of sleep interrupted by waking and nodding and waking and nodding. Still though, the flights went well and the one on which they gave me a free beverage was almost heavenly (that was the shorter of the two legs between Chicago and NY). Go figure but they charged for sodas between Phoenix and Chicago and that was a 3 hour flight as opposed to the later 1 1/2 hour connecting flight. Luckily I had a bottle of lemonade with me that I brought onto the first flight.
The flight to NY got NY about 25 minutes early. Luckily when I got there I only had to wait about 15 minutes for my luggage. I went outside and about 5 minutes later, Brendan (my son) was there to pick me up. Of course that was the best part of the whole flying thing, being met by him at the airport. He brought along Pepe (one of our Chihuahuas) and we had a nice, fairly traffic free (for NY) ride home.
Once at home I got a big hug from Linda, who seemed genuinely happy to see me, as I was to see her. Three and a half months is a fair amount of time to be away from one another. Before she could give me a big hug she had to wait for the competition to get done with me outside the side entrance to the house. The other three dogs, Mimi, Lucy and Roxie came out to greet me. Mimi went ballistic and whined, wagged, jumped up and down and wet the concrete in her excitement over seeing me. It was hard to keep her from jumping all over me. Lucy was fairly excited too. Roxie was more reserved. Linda only got her while I was away last spring and I knew her only for about 5 months before I was off again to AZ. She did remember me though and was apparently happy to see me but a bit shy. She has not been shy at all today.
Shortly after I got home, Celina and her boyfriend Dirk, got there too. We all sat down to a nice big meal and all is well again in the life of Glenn. I would probably have been miserable had no one been available to pick me up or to be there at home when I got there. That whole airport thing would have just pestered me all afternoon and evening. As it was, I forgot all about it until I sat down to blog today. I do not think I even mentioned it to the family and I suppose that is a good thing. Sorry dear reader to have bored you with it but that is how it worked out. You can rest assured though, I will also bore the CEO with the same story, this time with lots more details - you got the shortened version so it is not so bad at that.
Tomorrow, I suppose it is back to work for me. Only one day off this weekend sucks (especially since I get no pay for yesterday) but I can live with that. It will be nice to see some of my coworkers again, I have some good friends on the job.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, April 16, 2010
Heading Home Tomorrow...
...and Phoenix will soon be left behind by me. I will miss Arizona even though I must say Phoenix is far from my favorite spot in this state. Still though it was nice, I had a good time here, most people were respectful if not downright friendly and I met a few special people I will never forget bar something like dementia. While I will miss some great people - both coworkers while here - and people I met socially - I am happy to be getting home. In total, since late March 2009 through today, I have spent 7 1/2 months in Arizona - 4 in Tucson and 3 1/2 here in Phoenix. I was lucky enough to be able to have a nice break in the middle where I was back home for several months before I volunteered to come out here for this most recent stay.
I already said goodbye to coworkers, now I would like to say farewell to some people I met socially. I wish all the best to Krystal and Sturgis of The Waters Band. I was not able to say goodbye in person nor even able to see them perform over the past few weeks so I miss them already. I must also say may the wind always be at your backs and the sun shining down on your faces to the staff at The Turf Accountant Pub where I had a few meals and enjoyed several Jameson's and several pints. All the best to Aaron, Natalie, Joanie, Melissa and everyone else who were so kind to me there. I will miss you all, you always had a smile and a kind word and you all made me feel at home even though I was thousands of miles from it.
To the staff at the apartment complex where I stayed, I wish you all well - especially Jennifer the house cleaner. Nice lady and a great worker. Also a fond farewell to those at Oakwood who arranged for my stay at the apartment and who took care of any problems. I never met any of them except on the phone but they were all great and made a long stay an easier one.
Finally - farewell to Rumpshot. This man was a nice gentleman with whom I have conversed on an online gun forum The Gun Counter. Well, I finally met him here in Phoenix at the Ben Avery Range. We had a nice conversation and he is a true gentleman. Did I say finally? How could I forget to say something about the great folks at Ben Avery Shooting Facility??? Everyone I met there, from the lady who collected the range fees, to the guys in the command booth, to the range officers along the line were all great folks. Thanks for several enjoyable days at the range. You guys were all great.
Finally, and this time I mean it, farewell to both Cap'n Bob and the Damsel whom I met one day in Apache Junction for lunch while they were visiting the area from southern California. They are two really swell people, very nice indeed.
Of course there were other people who were very nice, but these folks I just mentioned deserve my heartfelt thanks for going out of their way to make my stay here all the much nicer than it would have been had I not met them.
All the best,
Glenn B
I already said goodbye to coworkers, now I would like to say farewell to some people I met socially. I wish all the best to Krystal and Sturgis of The Waters Band. I was not able to say goodbye in person nor even able to see them perform over the past few weeks so I miss them already. I must also say may the wind always be at your backs and the sun shining down on your faces to the staff at The Turf Accountant Pub where I had a few meals and enjoyed several Jameson's and several pints. All the best to Aaron, Natalie, Joanie, Melissa and everyone else who were so kind to me there. I will miss you all, you always had a smile and a kind word and you all made me feel at home even though I was thousands of miles from it.
To the staff at the apartment complex where I stayed, I wish you all well - especially Jennifer the house cleaner. Nice lady and a great worker. Also a fond farewell to those at Oakwood who arranged for my stay at the apartment and who took care of any problems. I never met any of them except on the phone but they were all great and made a long stay an easier one.
Finally - farewell to Rumpshot. This man was a nice gentleman with whom I have conversed on an online gun forum The Gun Counter. Well, I finally met him here in Phoenix at the Ben Avery Range. We had a nice conversation and he is a true gentleman. Did I say finally? How could I forget to say something about the great folks at Ben Avery Shooting Facility??? Everyone I met there, from the lady who collected the range fees, to the guys in the command booth, to the range officers along the line were all great folks. Thanks for several enjoyable days at the range. You guys were all great.
Finally, and this time I mean it, farewell to both Cap'n Bob and the Damsel whom I met one day in Apache Junction for lunch while they were visiting the area from southern California. They are two really swell people, very nice indeed.
Of course there were other people who were very nice, but these folks I just mentioned deserve my heartfelt thanks for going out of their way to make my stay here all the much nicer than it would have been had I not met them.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
“Sic semper tyrannis!” - Today in History...
...those words were shouted out by John Wilkes Booth as he jumped from President Abraham Lincoln's theater box onto the stage within the Ford Theater just a moment he fatally shot Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Thus Always Tyrants, what irony that Lincoln was considered a tyrant in that he strove to preserve the Union and to abolish slavery. The real irony of it all though may be much more visible today than it was at that time in that tyranny seem to be raising its ugly head within our federal government what with its absolute disregard of the majority on many current issues and it was the history changing assassination of Lincoln that may have paved the way for this to take place. You see, Lincoln forever changed the balance of power in this country from that of a group of what was then often called 'These United States', each with equal states rights, to that of the Federal Government of what forever after was referred to solely as The United States; that centralized government being a central power with ultimate authority over all of the states. I am sure Lincoln never envisioned what form of government would result, the one we are currently under, even if one of his dreams may have been fulfilled in the freedom of African Americans resulting in our first black president. I am sure that john Wilkes Booth never imagined either that such a result would partially be due to his assassination of Lincoln whereby the popularity of Lincoln, due in part to sympathy of over his death, led to policies of strong central government being forever cemented into our way of life.
Read more, at the links below, about Booth and the assassination of Lincoln and the other failed assassinations of that same evening (assassinations of Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward had also been planned):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_wilkes_booth
All the best,
Glenn B
Read more, at the links below, about Booth and the assassination of Lincoln and the other failed assassinations of that same evening (assassinations of Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward had also been planned):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_wilkes_booth
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 54 - Firearms Disassembly - Be Careful To Follow Instructions...
...because when they tell you something about being careful not to lose that tiny little spring - well, they usually mean it. My guess is that they mean it not only because those itty-bitty springs are easy to lose but maybe because they have actually lost them before and they are trying to teach us though their experience. With that said let me also warn you - be careful not to lose that tiny little spring. Yes, you guessed it, that is exactly what I did.
Recently, I had been having problems disassembling my Henry Survival Rifle as per the instruction manual. I was unable to remove the bolt for cleaning - and it really needed cleaning. It was jet black. I figure I had fired at least 750 rounds through the gun without removing the bolt for cleaning. Since I could not get it out, as per the manual's instructions, I decided to disassemble the rifle for a detail strip and cleaning. Two days ago, I did just that. Before attempting it I found a set of illustrated online instructions, not the manufacturer's instructions mind you, and I went to work. As I worked, I remember wishing that the instructions had more illustrations and that they gave better step by step text. For some reason the instuctions seemed lacking; I supose not so much because they were not good enough but because my self confidence in my ability to do the job was not all that great. They did mention one thing though to which I should have paid more attention, they mentioned that easy to lose spring:
"Once the hammer and trigger assembly clear the receiver, remove the magazine catch with caution. The tiny spring is very easy to lose"
Well, I didn't lose it when disassembling the rifle. I lost it during reassembly. Let's just say I tried to reinsert the spring at the same time as the magazine catch/release lever and there it went leaping tall buildings in a single bound. I spent a lot of that day and the next and the morning of the next searching the carpeting of my living room for a tiny little spring before finally quitting and heading to the range without the Henry Survival Rifle. I just took the parts I did have and dumped em all into a Zip-Lock freezer bag figuring I would order a spring from Henry Repeating Arms once I was back in NY. Not a big loss, only $2.00 as shown on their website but an embarrassment and unnecessary pain in the neck nonetheless.
Yesterday, after getting back to my place from the range and shooting my shotgun, I made myself something to eat and headed to the couch to plop down my behind and watch some TV. Just as I got to the couch, the heel of my left foot came down on something in the carpet that felt like a tiny sharp pebble. Hope springs eternal and I carefully raised my foot and felt the heel of my sock - nothing there. Then I set about scanning the carpet, on hands and knees, where I had just stepped. After several minutes of search, there it was - that pesky - disappearing - tiny spring. I cannot and will not say that, it was right where I lost it since I lost it. I am sure I crawled around that spot on my hands and knees searching for the spring and that I went over that area at least twice if not three times without luck (and it was in the opposite direction of where I thought it would be). Maybe I kicked it up from from another area in the room or maybe it had been there all along right out in the open - it would be small enough to miss, especially atop or in the shag of the carpet, but now it is found - and hopefully it will stay that way.
As per another set of somewhat more detailed instructions that I later came up with - at least as far as reassembly goes - they mention yet another easy to lose spring but since that one is much bigger, I am none too concerned with losing it too. You can bet though, I'll be careful with it. You also can bet that I will be much more careful when I do get around to reassembling the rifle and inserting that tiny little spring, the one I lost once already!
All the best,
Glenn B
Recently, I had been having problems disassembling my Henry Survival Rifle as per the instruction manual. I was unable to remove the bolt for cleaning - and it really needed cleaning. It was jet black. I figure I had fired at least 750 rounds through the gun without removing the bolt for cleaning. Since I could not get it out, as per the manual's instructions, I decided to disassemble the rifle for a detail strip and cleaning. Two days ago, I did just that. Before attempting it I found a set of illustrated online instructions, not the manufacturer's instructions mind you, and I went to work. As I worked, I remember wishing that the instructions had more illustrations and that they gave better step by step text. For some reason the instuctions seemed lacking; I supose not so much because they were not good enough but because my self confidence in my ability to do the job was not all that great. They did mention one thing though to which I should have paid more attention, they mentioned that easy to lose spring:
"Once the hammer and trigger assembly clear the receiver, remove the magazine catch with caution. The tiny spring is very easy to lose"
Well, I didn't lose it when disassembling the rifle. I lost it during reassembly. Let's just say I tried to reinsert the spring at the same time as the magazine catch/release lever and there it went leaping tall buildings in a single bound. I spent a lot of that day and the next and the morning of the next searching the carpeting of my living room for a tiny little spring before finally quitting and heading to the range without the Henry Survival Rifle. I just took the parts I did have and dumped em all into a Zip-Lock freezer bag figuring I would order a spring from Henry Repeating Arms once I was back in NY. Not a big loss, only $2.00 as shown on their website but an embarrassment and unnecessary pain in the neck nonetheless.Yesterday, after getting back to my place from the range and shooting my shotgun, I made myself something to eat and headed to the couch to plop down my behind and watch some TV. Just as I got to the couch, the heel of my left foot came down on something in the carpet that felt like a tiny sharp pebble. Hope springs eternal and I carefully raised my foot and felt the heel of my sock - nothing there. Then I set about scanning the carpet, on hands and knees, where I had just stepped. After several minutes of search, there it was - that pesky - disappearing - tiny spring. I cannot and will not say that, it was right where I lost it since I lost it. I am sure I crawled around that spot on my hands and knees searching for the spring and that I went over that area at least twice if not three times without luck (and it was in the opposite direction of where I thought it would be). Maybe I kicked it up from from another area in the room or maybe it had been there all along right out in the open - it would be small enough to miss, especially atop or in the shag of the carpet, but now it is found - and hopefully it will stay that way.
As per another set of somewhat more detailed instructions that I later came up with - at least as far as reassembly goes - they mention yet another easy to lose spring but since that one is much bigger, I am none too concerned with losing it too. You can bet though, I'll be careful with it. You also can bet that I will be much more careful when I do get around to reassembling the rifle and inserting that tiny little spring, the one I lost once already!
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday Shotgunning...
...was about all accomplished today at the range. I had planned to do some pistol shooting along with making sure my issued Remington 870 was zeroed in at 25 yards but 30 rounds of the 12 gauge wound up being all I shot. I almost did not shoot that because I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately - just plumb run down. Since I carry the 12 gauge at work, on occasion, I figured it best be sighted in in the event the need for it ever arose. Last time I qualified with it I was shooting somewhat low at the twenty-five. Today I set up two 8 inch Shoot'N C Targets on the backer board and then let loose with 30 rounds that I had with me. I started off shooting standing, unsupported. I got a couple out of the 5 five shots right on target but could not make out where the other 3 went. I figured I was probably anticipating recoil and I concentrated on holding on target and squeezing off the trigger and also supported myself on the bench for the next 2 shots. They were almost dead center. Not the fault of the sights that my other shots, as i saw later when I retrieved my target, had gone low! After that I once again shot while standing, unsupported but using the other target. That time I got 7 out of 8 in the pie plate so to speak, and the 8th just nicking the edge of it.
That left me 15 rounds that I shot alternating back and forth between targets while do reloading drills. I loaded with 2 or 3 rounds, fired them off then reloaded with 2 or three and fired them off all in rapid succession. Most of them hit the 8 inch targets though a few went and inch or so low but were still pretty much centered laterally.
Apparently, when I qualified last, I was anticipating recoil and shot low. I had thought it might have been the rear sight - because it had literally fallen off of the receiver just before I left home to come to Phoenix. When I put it back on, I set it midway on its ramp. I found out today that I had gotten the sight set in just the right spot and that my shooting low during quals was just due to me anticipating recoil - or in other words was due to shooter error. It just took a little practice to overcome that problem. When I did not flinch today the shots were right in the targets in about a large fist sized to 3/4 open hand sized groups. That is okay in my book with a slug gun at 25 yards shooting unsupported; more than good enough for government work, so to speak. They all would have hit the torso of a man sized target. I hope I never need to use it that way but I have one issued to me for a reason - so I may as well be ready to use it and proficient with it if need ever arises.
That left me 15 rounds that I shot alternating back and forth between targets while do reloading drills. I loaded with 2 or 3 rounds, fired them off then reloaded with 2 or three and fired them off all in rapid succession. Most of them hit the 8 inch targets though a few went and inch or so low but were still pretty much centered laterally.
Apparently, when I qualified last, I was anticipating recoil and shot low. I had thought it might have been the rear sight - because it had literally fallen off of the receiver just before I left home to come to Phoenix. When I put it back on, I set it midway on its ramp. I found out today that I had gotten the sight set in just the right spot and that my shooting low during quals was just due to me anticipating recoil - or in other words was due to shooter error. It just took a little practice to overcome that problem. When I did not flinch today the shots were right in the targets in about a large fist sized to 3/4 open hand sized groups. That is okay in my book with a slug gun at 25 yards shooting unsupported; more than good enough for government work, so to speak. They all would have hit the torso of a man sized target. I hope I never need to use it that way but I have one issued to me for a reason - so I may as well be ready to use it and proficient with it if need ever arises.
After a job well done, I quit and headed back to my apartment and took a long nap.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, April 9, 2010
Vegas Can Wait - It Will be Shotgun Shooting this Weekend
I figure it this way: I am goiung to Vegas this fall for an NRA Police Firearms Instructor School (Handgun & Shotgun) and will be there then for a week to 10 days.
I may need to depend upon my shotgun as a defensive weapon in relation to my job at any time.
So I can give up a weekend, even to vegas, to make sure that the shotgun is functioning properly and that I am as proficient with it as I should be.
Sometimes I just hate being sensible because it ruins most of the fun, but in this case being less than sensible could ruin the rest of my life. So, tomorrow or Sunday, I will be acting responsibly and putting off the Lost Wages trip and will be at the range, probably Ben Avery Shooting Facility, making sure the issued shotgun is sighted in as well as it can be. Of course, since I will be shooting, I will be having a different type of fun than Vegas would have been while at the same time making sure that I will be ready for the worst case scenario should it raises its ugly head.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
I may need to depend upon my shotgun as a defensive weapon in relation to my job at any time.
So I can give up a weekend, even to vegas, to make sure that the shotgun is functioning properly and that I am as proficient with it as I should be.
Sometimes I just hate being sensible because it ruins most of the fun, but in this case being less than sensible could ruin the rest of my life. So, tomorrow or Sunday, I will be acting responsibly and putting off the Lost Wages trip and will be at the range, probably Ben Avery Shooting Facility, making sure the issued shotgun is sighted in as well as it can be. Of course, since I will be shooting, I will be having a different type of fun than Vegas would have been while at the same time making sure that I will be ready for the worst case scenario should it raises its ugly head.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Shotgun Practice or Las Vegas - that is the question!
So here I am in Phoenix, with too long but yet not all that much longer to go, and I am at a loss for how to spend this coming weekend here. I guess I am really at a loss as to whether I should spend it here or not. I was thinking of going to Las Vegas. Then I checked the airfare and it was prohibitive (on only a few days notice). Then I checked a rental car and while the price was okay, the airport location which is open 24/7 only rents to people who flew in within the last 72 hours and the other nearby locations close so early on Sunday as to make it not worth my while to rent a car and then have to try to hurry back to get it turned in on time. Then there is Greyhound. I could not find a bus junket trip to Vegas from Phoenix; instead I found a few forum type posts complaining about how they are not available as they are from places like NYC to Atlantic city so I checked Greyhound. The web discount fare was about $88.00 round trip. Now get this, the regular fare is $59.00 round trip. Try to figure that one out. I double checked - those are the prices - or close to them as I recall em right now. I am tempted but then again I remember Greyhound from those days when I did not own a car and from days when my first clunkers were broken down wrecks and I had to go by bus. Greyhound buses often live up to their names, or did way back when, as they smell like kennels. Not nice but at least someone else is doing the driving. The trip is about 9 hours, I suppose I could catch the one tomorrow night and sleep until arrival sometime between 6 and 7 AM.
The only reasons I am thinking of going to Vegas is to get out of here for a weekend and because I have been watching Pawn Stars lately on the History Channel (no not Porn Stars but PAWN Stars, about a Las Vegas pawn shop). I would not mind visiting their shop but I heard they are on the outskirts of Las Vegas and the taxi fare could be prohibitive from the downtown bus terminal. I'll have to think on it.
Now, I also need to recheck the sights on my issued Remington 870. I did qualify with it awhile back but was shooting a bit low. Don't know if that was me or the sights. I imagine I could do this on a workday but I would rather take more time and enjoy myself shooting on a weekend when I do it - so that is another option for this weekend. Thing is - there is nothing else keeping me in Phoenix this weekend right now so a Vegas solo vacation (even if only for a day or two) looks promising. Then again, I just stopped by the Turf Accountant and had an enjoyable dinner. (I forgave them their rude treatment on St. Patrick's Day and started enjoying the place and the company and conversation of the nice people who work there (for the most part they are very nice as opposed to the 2 assholes there on the front door on St. Patrick's Day.) I was served by Natalie - a young lass who is definitely my favorite waitress west of the Mississippi, maybe even east of it. She is a great waitress, pleasant to behold and is just a really nice person. The Turf Account, and the nice folks who work there like Natalie (no I am not implying any hanky panky), are thus another reason for me to stay in Phoenix this weekend instead of making a long trip in an uncomfortable and possibly quite smelly Greyhound bus. That and the chances being I am not likely to lose hundreds of dollars in the Turf Accountant as I might be in a casino in Vegas.
I suppose, as often is the case, time will tell. If I do go to Vegas - I am hopeful I will keep my gambling to a minimum. I used to like taking trips like that but that was when I was younger, a bit more adventurous, and less likely to be uncomfortable while crammed into a bus seat for hour after hour after hour. I'll let you know how it turns out.
All the best,
GB
The only reasons I am thinking of going to Vegas is to get out of here for a weekend and because I have been watching Pawn Stars lately on the History Channel (no not Porn Stars but PAWN Stars, about a Las Vegas pawn shop). I would not mind visiting their shop but I heard they are on the outskirts of Las Vegas and the taxi fare could be prohibitive from the downtown bus terminal. I'll have to think on it.
Now, I also need to recheck the sights on my issued Remington 870. I did qualify with it awhile back but was shooting a bit low. Don't know if that was me or the sights. I imagine I could do this on a workday but I would rather take more time and enjoy myself shooting on a weekend when I do it - so that is another option for this weekend. Thing is - there is nothing else keeping me in Phoenix this weekend right now so a Vegas solo vacation (even if only for a day or two) looks promising. Then again, I just stopped by the Turf Accountant and had an enjoyable dinner. (I forgave them their rude treatment on St. Patrick's Day and started enjoying the place and the company and conversation of the nice people who work there (for the most part they are very nice as opposed to the 2 assholes there on the front door on St. Patrick's Day.) I was served by Natalie - a young lass who is definitely my favorite waitress west of the Mississippi, maybe even east of it. She is a great waitress, pleasant to behold and is just a really nice person. The Turf Account, and the nice folks who work there like Natalie (no I am not implying any hanky panky), are thus another reason for me to stay in Phoenix this weekend instead of making a long trip in an uncomfortable and possibly quite smelly Greyhound bus. That and the chances being I am not likely to lose hundreds of dollars in the Turf Accountant as I might be in a casino in Vegas.
I suppose, as often is the case, time will tell. If I do go to Vegas - I am hopeful I will keep my gambling to a minimum. I used to like taking trips like that but that was when I was younger, a bit more adventurous, and less likely to be uncomfortable while crammed into a bus seat for hour after hour after hour. I'll let you know how it turns out.
All the best,
GB
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Lee-Enfield Update 2
I was hopeful this morning when I saw that the Lee-Enfield I wanted was still shown as available on the Classic Arms website and that the site had been update, since I last looked at it, and was dated as current for today. I called them right away only to be told "They are all gone but we have other ones". I did not want another one not in as good a condition as the one advertised.
I called again one more time to make sure that the lady who told me it was gone would realize I had called yesterday leaving them a message asking them to hold it for me. Again I got the same first half of her reply "They are all gone". There was only one shown as a rifle of the day so how they are all gone is beyond me. That was a big disappointment. I do not know if I want one that was not in as good a condition as was the one they advertised, nor do I know if I want to buy from a place advertising something for sale that they no longer have in stock and then have them tell me they have others ones not in as good a condition. That is called bait and switch and it is not a good business practice and I would hope not what they were doing.
Glenn B
I called again one more time to make sure that the lady who told me it was gone would realize I had called yesterday leaving them a message asking them to hold it for me. Again I got the same first half of her reply "They are all gone". There was only one shown as a rifle of the day so how they are all gone is beyond me. That was a big disappointment. I do not know if I want one that was not in as good a condition as was the one they advertised, nor do I know if I want to buy from a place advertising something for sale that they no longer have in stock and then have them tell me they have others ones not in as good a condition. That is called bait and switch and it is not a good business practice and I would hope not what they were doing.
Edited to add: When I got back to my apartment after work, I checked the website again. The ad for the Rifle of the Day was gone, so maybe it is not bait and switch after all, at least not done intentionally, and it just took them quite some time to remove the ad. Hopefully they will find another in like condition, advertise it, and I will be the lucky one to get it.
All the best,Glenn B
Monday, April 5, 2010
Lee-Enfield Update
Well, it is Monday morning, April 5th, 8:37 my time - I called the dealer to make the purchase of the Lee-Enfield I wrote about in my previous post. They are still closed because of Easter and will not open until tomorrow. I left a message asking that they hold the rifle for me but I have no idea how many others may have done likewise. Hopefully I am number 1 on the list and will have first shot at it.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 53 - Lee-Enfield No. 4 MK1
As you may know, I have been hemming and hawing and wanting to buy a new rifle for some time now. While I want to get a brand new rifle I am also always on the lookout for military surplus rifles that I can buy using my Curios & Relics FFL License. Years ago I considered buying an Enfield but hesitated then suddenly the market pretty much seemed to dry up for ones in decent condition. The Lee-Enfield appealed to me because it was a workhorse of the British Empire from the Boer War through WWI, up through WWII, and into the 1950 when it was finally given up in favor of a self loading rifle. There were many different designations/models of this fine rifle, the No. 4 Mk 1 beginning to be manufactured during WWII in about 1939 with widespread distribution beginning in 1941. Compared to its predecessor, it had improvements such as a strengthened receiver, heavier barrel and a peep sight built into the receiver that was micrometer adjustable. In essence the Lee-Enfield No. 4 MK1 is a bolt action repeating rifle with a wood stock that is loaded from a 10 round box magazine. The magazine can be loaded using two five round clips or by hand. The rifle is chambered for the .303 British cartridge. The cartridge is suitable as a military cartridge and as a big game getter for animals such as whitetail and mule deer here in the USA. Some hunters have actually used this cartridge on dangerous game such as the African Lion but me thinks I would want something with a bit more punch when facing one of those beasties.
Recently, an online firearms dealer started to advertise these rifles for sale. At $239.95, I thought they were pretty expensive for Enfields since I remember seeing then for $79.00 apiece some years ago. Then again, all firearms prices have skyrocketed and Enfields are no longer available in good numbers. Tonight I looked at the dealer's web page again and saw they had one in particular that they are selling for $259.95. It looks to be in darned good condition and they claim it has an excellent bore. I am hoping this one is actually a No. 4 MK1 and not the No. 4 MK1* model which started production in 1944 and replaced the peep sight with a flip up sight. If it is the No. 4 MK1 I will probably order it tomorrow if they confirm its condition to be up to my expectations. That is I will order it if they can accept an emailed or faxed copy of my C&R; I hope so.For more info on Lee-Enfield rifles see:
http://world.guns.ru/rifle/rfl04-e.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield#Rifle_No_4
http://www.surplusrifle.com/no4/index.asp
http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/forum/view/id/70
All the best,
Glenn B
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