A weekend project completed...

Back in February, Pam and I went down to the Troy Home Show just to look around.  It was a pretty crummy week with lots of clouds, wind, and cold temperatures so we just wanted to get out of the house.  Besides, we had not been in Hobart Arena for quite a while, so it was good to be in the old building again.  I used to coach high school wrestling tournaments in there, and it was where we held our high school graduations when I was employed at the Troy City Schools.  They have spruced it up a bit, and the displays were pretty good.  Home show was pretty small -- probably too early in the year for a lot of the contractors.

One of the displays did catch my eye, however.  It was a guy and his wife selling flagpoles.  I had been looking to kinda consolidate all of the flag displays at our house and this looked like the perfect way.  Going to a home show and looking at a display you kinda, sorta want anyway is like going to just "look" at puppies. Everyone knows you cannot just go and "look" at puppies without bringing one home.  That's the way I bought our last Trailblazer.

So, this weekend was the planned project date.  Pole - check.  Flags - check. Cement - check. Posthole digger - check. Advil - check. Rainy forecast - check.

I put 340# of Quickcrete in this hole which should hold it pretty well.  While it was setting up, I also had to scrawl our initials in it along with the date I put it up.  Just like some kid,  Also checked it several times that afternoon while it was drying just to make sure it was level.  Nothing worse than a leaning flagpole.

Finally got everything done, mulch re-positioned and raked, excess dirt taken down to the pond to fill in a low spot by the bank that I had noticed, and flags attached.  This is a telescoping pole, so I did not have to mess with a rope.  The pole is a 20' pole when extended to it's full height, but I put it up at that height and thought it was too high, so I brought it down to the first stop on the telescope which put the pole at 15". I think that looks better, so it will probably stay there.  The picture at the left is the taller version, and the one to the right is where it now stands.  After everything was completed and the area policed, I saluted the flag and took all the others down.  I am not sure if the old lights from the small flag that used to be in the front of the house will sufficiently light the new one at night.  We'll see.

Oh, yeah.  So if you remember, I had a check list earlier in this report.  Well, guess what -- this project has been completed now for about 45 min. and it is now raining. Guess a new U.S. flag and a new Army flag should be broken in properly.  Kinda like the old Army sayings, "If it ain't raining, you ain"t training." Or "If it ain't raining, you ani't having enough fun."  Oh well, I am sure there will be plenty of sunny days ahead -- and maybe some snow, and lots of wind.


Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
(Francis Scott Key, The Star-Spangled Banner)

Hooah

Published...just in case...

When I started my blogging back in 2007 I always thought that I would like to have a hard copy of all of my writings someday.  Not that I didn't trust the electronic gods to preserve my work, but I am one of those people who likes to have something in my hands to read, reread and think about .  I also didn't want to count on some electronic nook or cranny saving my work.  So, I spent several weeks copying my entries, putting them in a binder by chapters, and printing them.  I did this with a sense of urgency -- something not to be put off because you never know when something is beyond your ability to recall and recount. I guess I am just selfish enough to not want my life to be lost in some pool of ones and zeros somewhere.

I now have a printed -- published (well, sort of) copy of everything since the beginning. Here's what it looks like.  Probably the only place you will see these books.

I'm actually kinda proud of this accomplishment. I know you cannot tell from this picture, but these binders are each 3.5" thick. I plan to pass these on to my son and grand children at some time down the road. Some of them are pretty good.  I hope they like them. 

Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.  (Saul Bellow)

Hooah

Man trip 2016...

Did you aver have something you have waited for for a long time and when it finally comes about it doesn't live up to your expectations?  Well, that was not the case with this year's Man Trip -- our annual golf outing to somewhere in North Carolina. We had a great time.  The weather was beautiful and the golf courses were all decked out in budding flowers and trees.  Of course the pine pollen was pretty high, but that didn't seem to have any impact on the flight of the ball, so we tried not to take notice. 

This year, we went with 12 guys.  First time for that, and I wasn't sure if it would work out.  I know how hard it is sometimes getting the family organized to go somewhere (kinda like herding cats).  But that was not the case.  Maybe it's just that the group was made up of all easy going, friendly types, who just wanted to get away from our Ohio winter and play golf. No agendas, no PC preconditions, no "holier-than-thou" issues.  Just a common pursuit of those elusive pars and birdies.

We stayed at the  Village Inn Events Center in Clemmons, NC.  They put together a pretty nice golf package and the price was right ($249 per person for three 18-hole rounds of golf, carts, and 3 nights rooms). They also included breakfast each day, comp. drink nightly at their bar, and a meeting room for our group to use while we were there.

We played the Reynolds Championship course, the Reynolds Course, and Salem Glen golf course.  The Championship course was super tough.  95 sand traps ... big, deep, tough traps that took a bit of skill to avoid or (lacking that) get out of.  I cannot guarantee that there were 95 traps, but the group I played with can attest to at least 80 of them !!  There were a couple of different kinds of sand in the traps too.  Some had white fluffy sand, while the others had a redish sand.  The starter at the course told us that the club was looking to replaced the redish sand with the white kind, and it was going to cost in excess of $1.25 million just for the sand.  One thing that they did do was to redo all the fairways.  When we were there last (maybe about 5 or 6 years ago), the fairways were rough and brown early in the year.  Now, they all have been redone and play spectacularly.  When I was in the fairway (which surprisingly was a lot of the time), I never had a bad lie.  As a result, I didn't play too badly.

This was a pretty good test run for doing the same thing next year.  There are still several courses in that area that needed to feel the wrath of this group, and since the accommodations and food were both pretty good, and the drive is not hatefully long (only about 9 hours), we will probably look at this area again next year.

There were not very many people around on the Salem Glen course when we finished, so Dave took one for the team and took this picture of the group.

It's a road trip...it's about friendship, adventure and fun...it's not like we have to be somewhere anymore!
 Hooah

Range Fire, II...

Well, a little time has passed since our first range fire trip, and it was time to get back to it.  So I called Warren and my brother, Walt, to see if they were ready to try again.  Sure enough, they were set to test their skills again.  Actually, if the truth be told, it was such a crummy day they both may have just wanted to get out of the house for a while.  No matter -- a trip to the range is worth it on its own merits.

I must say, both of them improved quite a bit. Warren really didn't shoot with his eyes closed.  He's just one of those people who always has their eyes closed when they get their picture taken.

When we went this time, he said he wanted to use the smaller target because he concentrates more.  OK.  Well, it seemed to work because he managed to put a bunch of rounds in the center of the target.  The picture to the right shows his shot groups for two different tries.  The black patches on the target were the first ("warm-up") rounds, and the uncovered ones (the pink ones) were from the second attempt.

Warren is using a .40 cal. pistol (1911 model) that he picked up. I asked him why he carried a .40 cal. and he said it's because they don't make a .41 cal.  Good answer.  Good answer.

It seems to fit his hand real well and he is pretty much comfortable with its firing mechanics and kick.  Quite frankly, for a WWII Vet (almost 90 yrs. old), I am impressed he is able to fire any sort of gun.

Now we turn our attention to my brother.  If you remember the last time I wrote about his range fire, I said it was a good thing he was a cook in the Army.  At least he could throw a spoon at the enemy and maybe do more damage.

Well, he certainly improved over the last time.  Check out these pictures. 

He also decided to use the smaller target.  Maybe Warren has something there.  Anyhow, he did pretty well on his "warm-up" shots considering he was using a rented pistol from the range. 

You can see (to the right)  his shot group was climbing a bit to the right each time, which was just from pulling the trigger a pit to the right each time he fired.  That is easily corrected and shouldn't happen once he gets used to the trigger pull.

The bottom picture shows that he started to get comfortable with that rented weapon and put several in the center ring.  Maybe he could be considered for a reenlistment, s'pose? 

So that pretty much wraps up another morning at the range.  Again, I know this probably isn't for everyone, but so be it. 

I recently saw an article in our rural electric co-op magazine that there is a local group that has started a clay pigeon shooting club for high school students.  They talk about the confidence and excitement it has generated in the students who belong.  It also talks about the respect the young people have for shotguns, their sport, and the older people who serve as their mentors.  Seems like a great success all around.  I have never participated in clay pigeon shooting.  Might have to make some contacts and if this is something I might be able to try.  Could be embarrassing at first, but what the heck.  Maybe I'll take a spoon along, just in case!! 

If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

If guns cause crimes, then matches cause arson. 

If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

 Hooah