There are a couple of powders that reloaders like to have on their bench. These powders are univerally recognized as having a wide range of applications in various cartridges.
Unique, manufactured by Alliant, is one of those powders. It has a wide range of applications in pistol calibers, and is also one of the standbys of cast bullet loads. Most data in the Lyman Cast Bullet handbook includes a load that uses Unique.
These powders may not be the best, the most efficient, the fastest, or the designer powder for a particular cartridge, but they are effective in a wide range of calibers, giving good performance with each load.
Last spring I bought a jug of surplus 4895. The jug came labeled as IMR 4895 with the understanding that it was surplus, not canister grade powder. I started using it for cast bullet loads in the .30-30 Win and found that it gave good accuracy. Particularly, that 27 grains of that powder launches the Lyman 311041 bullet at an average 1927 fps with no leading. The load shoots into the bead of my front sight, which covers just under 3 inches at 50 yards. The group at that distance is just about an inch and a half. This is excellent hunting accuracy. My ballistic calculator shows that sighted 2 inches high at 50 yards, it will be on target at 125 yards and down two inches at 150 yards. At 150 yards it will still carry 843 foot pounds of energy.
Stepping up to the .35 Remington cartridge, I learned today that the same 4895, 34 grains, drives a 200 grain Remington Core-Lokt bullet at about 1850 fps. This load prints on the target at 1.1 inches at 50 yards. This is also excellent hunting accuracy. It has the trajectory of the .30-30 load above. Sighted an inch and a half high at 50 yards, it is down two inches at 150 yards and carries 863 fpe. No deer sized animal could tell the difference between the .35 Remington load and the .30-30 load. 90% of all deer are shot at ranges under 100 yards, so these two loads will take care of most of the hunting I do.
Well, okay, you say. How about a real cartridge? One that can reach out and touch something. How about the .30-06? With a 150 grain Hornady SST bullet over 52 grains of that same surplus 4895, the bullet leaves the barrel at 2925 fps. Sighted in to be a little over an inch high at 100 yards, it is close to target center at 175 and only 4 inches down at 250 yards. At that same 250 yards, it is carrying over 1700 lbs of energy. Did I mention that particular load gives great accuracy from my rifle, putting 4 shots into 0.75 of an inch at 100 yards.
These figures come from actual shooting, by the way. The velocity figures are out of my guns. I used a ballistics calculator to give the long range figures because I have no where to shoot past 100 yards.
Surplus 4895 is an extremely versatile powder, one that should be on every reloaders bench. Unfortunately, the supply seems to have dried up. When I burn through the eight pounds I have on hand, I might have to buy the canister grade 4895, either from IMR or from Hogdgon. IMR has a lot of data on 4895 in a wide range of cartridge sizes. I've only used it in the above three cartridges, each with a particular niche. 4895 has proved to be very useful in each of them.
As an aside, I'm told that Alliant Reloder 22 is singularly versatile in magnum cartridges. I have no experience with it, but I know one reloader who won't use anything else in .270 Win and .300 Win Mag. He's sold on Reloder 22 for large cases.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Compromise
Compromise, generally, is a good thing as relates to domestic affairs. Compromise is also indicated when treating with allies.
With enemies, compromise is deadly. There are people in this world who want us dead or subjugated. It doesn't matter why they want this, or if they have any just claim against us. Subjugated or dead. Those are the choices. Their words are plain.
There are those Americans who don't hear those words, or don't undertand the meaning of those words. Rhetoric has weight and words have meaning. When the President of Iran talks about the destruction of Israel, does the opposition think the is kidding? When al-Queda talks about attacking the United States, does anyone rational think that they don't want exactly that? When Moslem leaders talk about establishing a worldwide caliphate, do we believe that they don't mean exactly what they say?
We are at war, people. This is a war for our way of life. If you think life as a gay person is hard in the United States, imagine what it may be like under Sharia.
I got a picture from the Gateway Pundit that demonstrates compromise that we can all agree would have been disastrous for the United States as we know it. Yet, this poster was a political cartoon represting Democrats from 1864.
Is there anyone who thinks that the United States should have compromised with the Confederacy in 1864? Is there anyone who thinks compromise with Hitler was a good idea? The French find themselves now in a current intifada with Muslim youth. There are lessons here that must be learned and we must be blind not to see the threat.
Victor Davis Hanson talks about a book in he recently read, A review of Robert Spencer’s The Truth about Muhammad, Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion (Regnery Publishing, 2006)
**UPDATE** The poster shown above was not a Democratic poster, but a poliitical cartoon drawn by Thomas Nash that reflected the Democrats’ peace plank in their party platform, adopted at their national convention in Chicago in August 1864.
With enemies, compromise is deadly. There are people in this world who want us dead or subjugated. It doesn't matter why they want this, or if they have any just claim against us. Subjugated or dead. Those are the choices. Their words are plain.
There are those Americans who don't hear those words, or don't undertand the meaning of those words. Rhetoric has weight and words have meaning. When the President of Iran talks about the destruction of Israel, does the opposition think the is kidding? When al-Queda talks about attacking the United States, does anyone rational think that they don't want exactly that? When Moslem leaders talk about establishing a worldwide caliphate, do we believe that they don't mean exactly what they say?
We are at war, people. This is a war for our way of life. If you think life as a gay person is hard in the United States, imagine what it may be like under Sharia.
Written in Arabic, the fatwa comes from a press conference with the powerful religious cleric, where he was asked about the judgment on sodomy and lesbianism. “Forbidden,” Sistani answered, according to OutRage, “Punished, in fact, killed. The people involved should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.”As regards women's rights, we have to look at a cleric in Australia, one of our closest allies.
In the religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, Sheik Hilali said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?
I got a picture from the Gateway Pundit that demonstrates compromise that we can all agree would have been disastrous for the United States as we know it. Yet, this poster was a political cartoon represting Democrats from 1864.
Is there anyone who thinks that the United States should have compromised with the Confederacy in 1864? Is there anyone who thinks compromise with Hitler was a good idea? The French find themselves now in a current intifada with Muslim youth. There are lessons here that must be learned and we must be blind not to see the threat.
Victor Davis Hanson talks about a book in he recently read, A review of Robert Spencer’s The Truth about Muhammad, Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion (Regnery Publishing, 2006)
The mistreatment of women, polygamy, child-marriage, stoning of adulterers, cutting off the hands of thieves, mutilation of enemy corpses, the sentence of death for apostasy, the subjection of dhimmi or Christians and Jews, even the killing of writers who displease the faithful — remember the sentence of death against Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, still in force — all have their precedents in the things Muhammad said and did. And as Spencer documents in his conclusion, this invocation of Muhammad is continually made by the jihadist terrorists themselves, who accurately link their violence to incidents and sayings from the life of Muhammad. To pretend that these devout Muslims are ignorant of their own religion’s traditions or are “hijacking” them is willful blindness.We are willfully blind at our own peril.
**UPDATE** The poster shown above was not a Democratic poster, but a poliitical cartoon drawn by Thomas Nash that reflected the Democrats’ peace plank in their party platform, adopted at their national convention in Chicago in August 1864.
Strawberry Jam
Daddy had a hankering for strawberries and Momma had a bunch from her late-crop strawberry patch. She converted the surplus into jam. Fresh, homegrown strawberry jam.
I happened to be over there doing some piddling task and Momma asked me if I'd like to take home a pint. Would I? Why of course!
So, for breakfast, I'm having biscuits and strawberry jam. In all of heaven, there is surely not this much flavor.
Note to my sisters: Nyah-nyah-nyah. I got mine.
I happened to be over there doing some piddling task and Momma asked me if I'd like to take home a pint. Would I? Why of course!
So, for breakfast, I'm having biscuits and strawberry jam. In all of heaven, there is surely not this much flavor.
Note to my sisters: Nyah-nyah-nyah. I got mine.
Vampirism
Vampires stalk the night.
I live in a household infected with vampirism. No, not the lust for blood, the stalking the night hours.
When I worked the line, I worked a rotating shift, some days, some nights. Milady worked an evening (2-10) shift. Then, I got an opportunity to work straight days, and she, of course, got promoted to a new position that requires her to work a straight night shift. She's been on this shift a little over a year, and she is pretty much nocturnal. Even when she has some time off and tries to maintain a daylight schedule, she normally awakens about 1:00 a.m. and stalks around for a few hours. The rising sun makes her sleepy.
We also have in this house a college student who keeps a normal college/working girl schedule. She normally collapses about midnight and awakens in time to shower and get to class. Whenever that is. I'm never around for that part of her day.
In the guest room we have a grown, working son who recently took a job close to here. He's crashing here during the week until he can find digs close to his job. He's looking for a piece of land to build on and commuting to his home fifty miles away during the weekend. Did I mention he works a night shift?
In this house there is someone always awake and someone always asleep. Security is not a problem in this house. There is always a loved one awake, standing guard. Stalking the night.
When I was in the military, in field units, we often ran all night. Combat ops are 24/7 operations and training for combat ops should be 24/7 operations. I was lucky to have commanders who understood that, and who also understood sleep planning. Sleep planning is important. You gotta sleep or you can't function over the long term, so there is a time to be up and a time to be down. In the military, in law enforcement, and in the medical professions, we never close. We're always open. Somebody has to be awake and alert.
One of the things I learned in the military, and as a cop, was how to sleep. I have the basic ability to sleep anywhere, from a foxhole to a king-sized bed, it doesn't matter. All I have to do is cease movement, relax the mind, and sleep soon follows. When we went on the fishing trip a couple of weeks ago, my daughter took this picture while we were traveling between fishing holes.
Yeah, that's me. Pawpaw hisself. The boat was traveling to a new location. Twin diesels roaring with the accompanying vibration, the boat was rocking and the bulkheads were steel. Naturally, I thought it was a good time for a nap. I wedged myself into a corner and took a break. It's a lot like sleeping in a moving tank, or an APC. If I had been wearing a CVC helmet, plugged into the comms, I would have been in dreamy slumber.
The only problem with vampirism is that when you get your sleep, you are awake. I need 6 hours, and I fell over at 8:00 p.m. last night. At three a.m., I sat up, blissfully refeshed and fully awake. Milady is due home in a couple of hours, and I'm working on a pot of coffee.
I live in a household infected with vampirism. No, not the lust for blood, the stalking the night hours.
When I worked the line, I worked a rotating shift, some days, some nights. Milady worked an evening (2-10) shift. Then, I got an opportunity to work straight days, and she, of course, got promoted to a new position that requires her to work a straight night shift. She's been on this shift a little over a year, and she is pretty much nocturnal. Even when she has some time off and tries to maintain a daylight schedule, she normally awakens about 1:00 a.m. and stalks around for a few hours. The rising sun makes her sleepy.
We also have in this house a college student who keeps a normal college/working girl schedule. She normally collapses about midnight and awakens in time to shower and get to class. Whenever that is. I'm never around for that part of her day.
In the guest room we have a grown, working son who recently took a job close to here. He's crashing here during the week until he can find digs close to his job. He's looking for a piece of land to build on and commuting to his home fifty miles away during the weekend. Did I mention he works a night shift?
In this house there is someone always awake and someone always asleep. Security is not a problem in this house. There is always a loved one awake, standing guard. Stalking the night.
When I was in the military, in field units, we often ran all night. Combat ops are 24/7 operations and training for combat ops should be 24/7 operations. I was lucky to have commanders who understood that, and who also understood sleep planning. Sleep planning is important. You gotta sleep or you can't function over the long term, so there is a time to be up and a time to be down. In the military, in law enforcement, and in the medical professions, we never close. We're always open. Somebody has to be awake and alert.
One of the things I learned in the military, and as a cop, was how to sleep. I have the basic ability to sleep anywhere, from a foxhole to a king-sized bed, it doesn't matter. All I have to do is cease movement, relax the mind, and sleep soon follows. When we went on the fishing trip a couple of weeks ago, my daughter took this picture while we were traveling between fishing holes.
Yeah, that's me. Pawpaw hisself. The boat was traveling to a new location. Twin diesels roaring with the accompanying vibration, the boat was rocking and the bulkheads were steel. Naturally, I thought it was a good time for a nap. I wedged myself into a corner and took a break. It's a lot like sleeping in a moving tank, or an APC. If I had been wearing a CVC helmet, plugged into the comms, I would have been in dreamy slumber.
The only problem with vampirism is that when you get your sleep, you are awake. I need 6 hours, and I fell over at 8:00 p.m. last night. At three a.m., I sat up, blissfully refeshed and fully awake. Milady is due home in a couple of hours, and I'm working on a pot of coffee.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
FIeld and Stream
I grew up reading Field and Stream magazine. I used to stalk the library shelves in school, waiting for the newest edition. When I could afford a copy off the shelf at the local store, I hoarded it under my pillow till bedtime. Field and Stream was a trusted companion through much of my youth.
I didn't know that they were online, although I should have suspected it. Yet when I looked down their header bar, I saw a little link called Blogs. Blogs?
Sure enough, Dave Petzal is blogging under the banner Gun Nut. I don't always agree with Dave, but I always read him. He's been an outdoor writer long enough that he's found his style and has some authority when talking about hunting rifles.
They also have a newsy blog format called Field Notes. Interesting stuff, pretty ladies, good stories, all done in the quality and caliber we expect from Field and Stream. Well done, folks.
I didn't know that they were online, although I should have suspected it. Yet when I looked down their header bar, I saw a little link called Blogs. Blogs?
Sure enough, Dave Petzal is blogging under the banner Gun Nut. I don't always agree with Dave, but I always read him. He's been an outdoor writer long enough that he's found his style and has some authority when talking about hunting rifles.
They also have a newsy blog format called Field Notes. Interesting stuff, pretty ladies, good stories, all done in the quality and caliber we expect from Field and Stream. Well done, folks.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Ranking Congressmen
The American Conservative Union ranks our Congress critters on how they vote on conservative issues.
Bobby Jindal scored a 100, while Alexander only scored a 96 for 2005.
They rate the Senators, too. Landrieu got a 44 rating, while Vitter got a 96 rating.
Hmmm.
Bobby Jindal scored a 100, while Alexander only scored a 96 for 2005.
They rate the Senators, too. Landrieu got a 44 rating, while Vitter got a 96 rating.
Hmmm.
Pool House Project - Siding
Milady and I wanted siding on the pool house that I've been working on, and winter is coming on, and I didn't feel like messing with it, so I called around and found a young siding installer who was hungry,understands cash, and wanted to take a side job.
Today under leaden skies, he got'r done. I think it looks great.
He said he really enjoyed the job and had a lot of fun with it. He's been telling everyone that he is siding an outhouse, and I guess that is what the project it. An outdoor bathroom in a separate building.
I told Milady that she has the best looking outhouse on the block, and she had to agree to the truth of that statement.
That worked so well that as soon as I get the plumbing and electrical roughed in, I just might hire someone to do the drywall.
Today under leaden skies, he got'r done. I think it looks great.
He said he really enjoyed the job and had a lot of fun with it. He's been telling everyone that he is siding an outhouse, and I guess that is what the project it. An outdoor bathroom in a separate building.
I told Milady that she has the best looking outhouse on the block, and she had to agree to the truth of that statement.
That worked so well that as soon as I get the plumbing and electrical roughed in, I just might hire someone to do the drywall.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Ground Rod
I installed the ground rod to the project house this weekend.
It's a half inch ground rod, eight feet long. Driven straight down into the ground. No, I didn't use a hammer. If you use a hammer, you'll swell the end of that soft copper ground rod and you'll have to cut or file it to get the connector to fit.
My daddy was a telephone man, and he installed a lot of ground rods. An old trick is to dig a small hole in the dirt and fill it with water. The hole doesn't have to be big, about the size of a cereal bowl, maybe four inches deep. Fill that hole with water and put the pointed end of the ground rod into the hole. Jab it into the bottom, then lift it and jab it again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The water flows down into the hole, making mud. Keep jabbing. You'll notice the ground rod sinking into the ground. Keep jabbing, gently, up and down. Refill the hole with water as needed.
Occasionally, pull the rod completely out of the hole, allowing the hole to fill with water. Keep jabbing the rod down in the hole. Repeatedly. Kneel down when necessary. In about a half hour, you'll be below kneeling level.
It took me and my son about a half hour to drive that ground rod into the ground. The grandkids helped, holding the hose and occasionally filling their dad's shoe with water.
Today while I was a Lowe's, I bought a ground rod connector and eight feet of 6 gage ground wire. The breaker box is installed and I have a good ground to that box. Tomorrow I start drilling holes and pulling wire.
It's a half inch ground rod, eight feet long. Driven straight down into the ground. No, I didn't use a hammer. If you use a hammer, you'll swell the end of that soft copper ground rod and you'll have to cut or file it to get the connector to fit.
My daddy was a telephone man, and he installed a lot of ground rods. An old trick is to dig a small hole in the dirt and fill it with water. The hole doesn't have to be big, about the size of a cereal bowl, maybe four inches deep. Fill that hole with water and put the pointed end of the ground rod into the hole. Jab it into the bottom, then lift it and jab it again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The water flows down into the hole, making mud. Keep jabbing. You'll notice the ground rod sinking into the ground. Keep jabbing, gently, up and down. Refill the hole with water as needed.
Occasionally, pull the rod completely out of the hole, allowing the hole to fill with water. Keep jabbing the rod down in the hole. Repeatedly. Kneel down when necessary. In about a half hour, you'll be below kneeling level.
It took me and my son about a half hour to drive that ground rod into the ground. The grandkids helped, holding the hose and occasionally filling their dad's shoe with water.
Today while I was a Lowe's, I bought a ground rod connector and eight feet of 6 gage ground wire. The breaker box is installed and I have a good ground to that box. Tomorrow I start drilling holes and pulling wire.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Cogitations
I'm reading a lot about what might happen if we wake up in November, and Pelosi is Speaker of the House. Gloom and doom prevails among conservative pundits.
Hey, Guys and Gals. Wake up! It ain't over till it's over, and even if the Dems take the House in November, it still ain't over. Yeah, a lot of Republican congress critters deserve to get fired, but that doesn't mean we have to forget why we're conservative in the first place. Lots of Democrats, especially from the South are conservative, though populist. I can't see that things will be much different with a Democrat House. Go vote. Do your part. Then whine and complain if you don't like the result.
The second cogitation has to do with a rumor I've been reading among my liberal friends. It goes something like this: George Bush and Co decide that they are Annointed By God to rule the United States. After the election they declare martial law and prevent the elected successor from taking office. The plot thickens in that, supposedly, this dastardly plot has all ready been hatched and compliant officers are being promoted to insure the success of the coup d'etat.
T'ain't about to happen, folks, for the simple reason that all of the officers of the Armed Forces of the United States are required to swear an oath that first requires the officer to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same." The enlisted oath is essentially the same. The military would immediately recognize a constitutional crisis and move to end it.
In the event of such a circumstance occurring, I would probably go to the nearest AmVets lodge and find out when the Old Farts brigade was leaving for the front. Even in retirement, I don't know of anything that releases me from my oath, and we all take that oath very seriously. So do the active duty officers of all branches, regardless of which party affiliation is typed on their voting card. The first obligation of a soldier is to support and defend the Constitution.
Any officers that supported a coup against the Constitution and survived the confrontation would be tried in a military Courts Martial, stripped of their commission, and probably hanged.
Then, of course, we'd find a judge, swear in the new President, and immediately begin telling him how bad he was screwing up.
Hey, Guys and Gals. Wake up! It ain't over till it's over, and even if the Dems take the House in November, it still ain't over. Yeah, a lot of Republican congress critters deserve to get fired, but that doesn't mean we have to forget why we're conservative in the first place. Lots of Democrats, especially from the South are conservative, though populist. I can't see that things will be much different with a Democrat House. Go vote. Do your part. Then whine and complain if you don't like the result.
The second cogitation has to do with a rumor I've been reading among my liberal friends. It goes something like this: George Bush and Co decide that they are Annointed By God to rule the United States. After the election they declare martial law and prevent the elected successor from taking office. The plot thickens in that, supposedly, this dastardly plot has all ready been hatched and compliant officers are being promoted to insure the success of the coup d'etat.
T'ain't about to happen, folks, for the simple reason that all of the officers of the Armed Forces of the United States are required to swear an oath that first requires the officer to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same." The enlisted oath is essentially the same. The military would immediately recognize a constitutional crisis and move to end it.
In the event of such a circumstance occurring, I would probably go to the nearest AmVets lodge and find out when the Old Farts brigade was leaving for the front. Even in retirement, I don't know of anything that releases me from my oath, and we all take that oath very seriously. So do the active duty officers of all branches, regardless of which party affiliation is typed on their voting card. The first obligation of a soldier is to support and defend the Constitution.
Any officers that supported a coup against the Constitution and survived the confrontation would be tried in a military Courts Martial, stripped of their commission, and probably hanged.
Then, of course, we'd find a judge, swear in the new President, and immediately begin telling him how bad he was screwing up.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
All these things
Milady and I were out last night, and went by a favorite honky-tonk to check on the management of the place. The band, a collection of guitar, drums and keyboard did one number that Aaron Neville recorded a few years ago. All These Things. The refrain goes:
The singer attributed that song to Aaron Neville, and while it is true that Neville recorded it, All These Things is a staple of southern redneck dance hall music. It was written by Joe Stampley when he was lead singer for a band called the Uniques. It was first recorded in 1966.
In 2001, Joe was performing a concert at a festival in Jena, LA when he played this song. He remarked to the crowd that if they were born in 1967 this song may have played a large part in their being here.
I remember dancing to this song at the Homecoming Dance at Bolton High School in 1970. Joe was performing that night at Curl's Club in Mansura and I'd bet even money that he played it there too.
Your love's so warm and tender
Your thrill is so divine.
Yet it's all these things
That make you mine.
The singer attributed that song to Aaron Neville, and while it is true that Neville recorded it, All These Things is a staple of southern redneck dance hall music. It was written by Joe Stampley when he was lead singer for a band called the Uniques. It was first recorded in 1966.
In 2001, Joe was performing a concert at a festival in Jena, LA when he played this song. He remarked to the crowd that if they were born in 1967 this song may have played a large part in their being here.
I remember dancing to this song at the Homecoming Dance at Bolton High School in 1970. Joe was performing that night at Curl's Club in Mansura and I'd bet even money that he played it there too.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Opening morning
This morning is the opener for muzzleloading in the gret stet of Louisiana (Area2). I am not in the woods.
I'm not ready for deer season. I'm still two weeks away. This is the first year in a long time where I haven't bought a license for the muzzleloader opening.
I won't be in the woods next Saturday morning either. Next Saturday opens the season for the regular gun season. Every nitwit that owns a rifle will be out in the woods and all the deer movement patterns are going to change. Next Saturday I may be in the woods for an afternoon hunt, but not the morning.
Junior and his brother, the General/doctor, are hunting the family land where I killed my last deer. I wish them all the luck. The General recently retired from the military and moved back to Louisiana after a long absence. I salute his service and offer the profound wish that his retirement be long, healthy, and productive. He retired to a little community the locals call Chinquapin. With his credentials in history, there should be something locally to let him piddle away his hours. Chinquapin is steeped in history. Much of the history I know of that area is grossly intermingled in legend, supposition, and bullshit. If there is anything Junior's family should be able to identify, it is bullshit. If the General could separate the bull from the facts, even in some obscure area that historians love, that would be a great help to the locals. Welcome home General, and well done! Now, get busy.
In local news, my alma mater put away visiting Marksville last night in the best game of the season. The Bears played a tough game, keeping the fans on their feet during nearly the entire contest. That game was high-school football at its best, with mistakes, arguable referee calls, good coaching on both sides of the field, and two high school bands. The half-time show even included a limousine, bringing the Drum Major onto the field. It was a great show, with great football. The fans got their money's worth during the entire time and the weather was absolutely perfect.
I'm not ready for deer season. I'm still two weeks away. This is the first year in a long time where I haven't bought a license for the muzzleloader opening.
I won't be in the woods next Saturday morning either. Next Saturday opens the season for the regular gun season. Every nitwit that owns a rifle will be out in the woods and all the deer movement patterns are going to change. Next Saturday I may be in the woods for an afternoon hunt, but not the morning.
Junior and his brother, the General/doctor, are hunting the family land where I killed my last deer. I wish them all the luck. The General recently retired from the military and moved back to Louisiana after a long absence. I salute his service and offer the profound wish that his retirement be long, healthy, and productive. He retired to a little community the locals call Chinquapin. With his credentials in history, there should be something locally to let him piddle away his hours. Chinquapin is steeped in history. Much of the history I know of that area is grossly intermingled in legend, supposition, and bullshit. If there is anything Junior's family should be able to identify, it is bullshit. If the General could separate the bull from the facts, even in some obscure area that historians love, that would be a great help to the locals. Welcome home General, and well done! Now, get busy.
In local news, my alma mater put away visiting Marksville last night in the best game of the season. The Bears played a tough game, keeping the fans on their feet during nearly the entire contest. That game was high-school football at its best, with mistakes, arguable referee calls, good coaching on both sides of the field, and two high school bands. The half-time show even included a limousine, bringing the Drum Major onto the field. It was a great show, with great football. The fans got their money's worth during the entire time and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Relationships
Did y'all read about this?
This guy, Bowen, takes a swan dive off of the Royal Omni Hotel in New Orleans. That's pretty rude, as most folks are trying to party in the French Quarters. He landed on the roof of the parking garage, but you can bet he harshed the mellow of a bunch of folks, not the least of which were the first responders that had to scrape him off the building.
That's rude. Just rude. If you've never been a police officer, or a paramedic, trust me on this one. Finding a fresh body puts a damper on the party. It really chills the warm glow. But Bowen isn't content to let that be the end of it. Oh, no. They find a note in his pocket, which explains his angst. It seems he has cut up his girlfriend and cooked her head in a pot.
That is truly rude. Socially unacceptable.
I was talking to Milady this afternoon over coffee, and we discussed this little event. Milady holds that cutting off your lovers head and cooking it in a pot is probably an indication that the relationship is in trouble. I'll say!
The one upside to this story is that with rents at an all-time high in New Orleans, this is one French Quarter apartment that will probably go cheap. If you can live with cooking smells. Somebody is in for a heck of a bargain.
This guy, Bowen, takes a swan dive off of the Royal Omni Hotel in New Orleans. That's pretty rude, as most folks are trying to party in the French Quarters. He landed on the roof of the parking garage, but you can bet he harshed the mellow of a bunch of folks, not the least of which were the first responders that had to scrape him off the building.
That's rude. Just rude. If you've never been a police officer, or a paramedic, trust me on this one. Finding a fresh body puts a damper on the party. It really chills the warm glow. But Bowen isn't content to let that be the end of it. Oh, no. They find a note in his pocket, which explains his angst. It seems he has cut up his girlfriend and cooked her head in a pot.
That is truly rude. Socially unacceptable.
I was talking to Milady this afternoon over coffee, and we discussed this little event. Milady holds that cutting off your lovers head and cooking it in a pot is probably an indication that the relationship is in trouble. I'll say!
The one upside to this story is that with rents at an all-time high in New Orleans, this is one French Quarter apartment that will probably go cheap. If you can live with cooking smells. Somebody is in for a heck of a bargain.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
.338 Federal??
I guess I'm the last guy in the gunny world to hear about the new .338 Federal. I've never seen one, never shot one, never even heard about it until yesterday. I like it.
Announced in December 2005, Federal Cartridge company launched a new cartridge, based on the .308 Winchester case. They basically jammed a .338 bullet in the case. This makes a lot of sense from a practical perspective.
The trend lately has been for cartridge manufacturers to launch wide short cartridges. The Winchester line of WSM cartridges is the first example that comes to mind. This new cartridge from Federal isn't a magnum, it's a .308 on steroids.
Federal claims that it will launch a 180 grain bullet at 2830 fps for 3200 foot-pounds of thump. In comparison, the much-loved 7mm Rem magnum launches a 175 grain bullet at 2860 fps for 3180 foot pounds of energy. Yet, in doing so, we're comparing apples and oranges. The .338 bullet is wider than the 7mm bullet, so it will have more thump when it hits something soft. The wound channel is going to be bigger, and the wider bullet is going to displace more tissue.
A more valid comparison would be with the .338 Win Magnum, which launches a 200 grain bullet at 2900 fps. The .338 Win Mag has long been known as a great elk rifle, useful for bigger game. It has also been known as a recoil monster, with only the most dedicated riflemen able to use it to its full potential.
Yet, there are a number of us old-time riflemen who think that faster isn't always better. The largest buffalo herd in the world was driven nearly to extintion by men who shot black powder cartridges with big slow bullets traveling at under 1500 fps. The legendary .45-70 is still known as an extremely capable game cartridge.
One reason that ammo makers bring out new cartridges is to take advantage of advances in powder manufacture. Handloaders and ammo makers have more powders to use than ever before. I do things with my new Savage 110 in .30-06 that folks couldn't do fifty years ago. The .30-06 of WW1 and WWII fame pushed a 150 grain bullet at 2750 fps. I can approach 3000 fps routinely with that load, yet I'm using new powder in a new rifle with good metallurgy.
The new .338 Federal has several things going for it.
1. It will be chambered in new rifles with new metal.
2. It chambers in a short action, using a parent case that we are all familiar with.
3. Recoil should be reduced as compared against .338 Magnum rifles.
4. That big .338 bullet will kill better than a .308 bullet at the same velocity.
I think Federal has a winner here.
Announced in December 2005, Federal Cartridge company launched a new cartridge, based on the .308 Winchester case. They basically jammed a .338 bullet in the case. This makes a lot of sense from a practical perspective.
The trend lately has been for cartridge manufacturers to launch wide short cartridges. The Winchester line of WSM cartridges is the first example that comes to mind. This new cartridge from Federal isn't a magnum, it's a .308 on steroids.
Federal claims that it will launch a 180 grain bullet at 2830 fps for 3200 foot-pounds of thump. In comparison, the much-loved 7mm Rem magnum launches a 175 grain bullet at 2860 fps for 3180 foot pounds of energy. Yet, in doing so, we're comparing apples and oranges. The .338 bullet is wider than the 7mm bullet, so it will have more thump when it hits something soft. The wound channel is going to be bigger, and the wider bullet is going to displace more tissue.
A more valid comparison would be with the .338 Win Magnum, which launches a 200 grain bullet at 2900 fps. The .338 Win Mag has long been known as a great elk rifle, useful for bigger game. It has also been known as a recoil monster, with only the most dedicated riflemen able to use it to its full potential.
Yet, there are a number of us old-time riflemen who think that faster isn't always better. The largest buffalo herd in the world was driven nearly to extintion by men who shot black powder cartridges with big slow bullets traveling at under 1500 fps. The legendary .45-70 is still known as an extremely capable game cartridge.
One reason that ammo makers bring out new cartridges is to take advantage of advances in powder manufacture. Handloaders and ammo makers have more powders to use than ever before. I do things with my new Savage 110 in .30-06 that folks couldn't do fifty years ago. The .30-06 of WW1 and WWII fame pushed a 150 grain bullet at 2750 fps. I can approach 3000 fps routinely with that load, yet I'm using new powder in a new rifle with good metallurgy.
The new .338 Federal has several things going for it.
1. It will be chambered in new rifles with new metal.
2. It chambers in a short action, using a parent case that we are all familiar with.
3. Recoil should be reduced as compared against .338 Magnum rifles.
4. That big .338 bullet will kill better than a .308 bullet at the same velocity.
I think Federal has a winner here.
Poitical Discourse
Junior and I have been talking lately about the loss of civility in political discourse lately. It's depressing. It's juvenile. The level of political discourse lately has arrived at the same intellectual level as a third grade recess argument. I feel I may be unjustly denigrating third-graders.
Someone said that all politics is local, and that applies up through the US Congress. Congressional races are local races and we each get to decide who our Congressmen might be within the framework of the election process. Many of the folks I vote for are Democrats. Some of the folks I vote for are Republicans. In local races, the local politics are much more important than the party affiliation.
Milady is a Democrat. Most of my siblings are Democrats. Some of them are liberal Democrats. Many of my personal friends are Democrats, yet in large part we share the same values, go to the same schools, attend the same events, and want the same things from our government.
Frankly, I am aggravated about the state of the Nation, and I lay that firmly at the feet of the Republican party. We have a Republican President, a Republican House and a Republican Senate, yet we can't make any headway on Republican values. The centrists in the party are too concerned with holding power and the neocons are concerned with... hell, I can't figure out what they're concerned with.
The Democrats are getting just a bit shrill for my taste. I'm hearing a lot of noise from them, but not much of a plan. What plan I hear doesn't match my idea of what good government is about. The Democrats wandered off an left me years ago. The Republicans are in danger of doing the same thing.
Don't talk to me about the Libertarian party. The very basic desire to be left alone is what the Libertarian party is all about. Folks who want to be left alone aren't joiners, and political parties need joiners to do the grass-roots work. The Libertarians are doomed as a viable political party.
It's enough to make you want to throw your hat in the creek.
Someone said that all politics is local, and that applies up through the US Congress. Congressional races are local races and we each get to decide who our Congressmen might be within the framework of the election process. Many of the folks I vote for are Democrats. Some of the folks I vote for are Republicans. In local races, the local politics are much more important than the party affiliation.
Milady is a Democrat. Most of my siblings are Democrats. Some of them are liberal Democrats. Many of my personal friends are Democrats, yet in large part we share the same values, go to the same schools, attend the same events, and want the same things from our government.
Frankly, I am aggravated about the state of the Nation, and I lay that firmly at the feet of the Republican party. We have a Republican President, a Republican House and a Republican Senate, yet we can't make any headway on Republican values. The centrists in the party are too concerned with holding power and the neocons are concerned with... hell, I can't figure out what they're concerned with.
The Democrats are getting just a bit shrill for my taste. I'm hearing a lot of noise from them, but not much of a plan. What plan I hear doesn't match my idea of what good government is about. The Democrats wandered off an left me years ago. The Republicans are in danger of doing the same thing.
Don't talk to me about the Libertarian party. The very basic desire to be left alone is what the Libertarian party is all about. Folks who want to be left alone aren't joiners, and political parties need joiners to do the grass-roots work. The Libertarians are doomed as a viable political party.
It's enough to make you want to throw your hat in the creek.
Power Distribution
I went to Lowe's today to look at power distribution centers for the project pool house. We're going to need lights, outlets, a refrigerator, a small air conditioner, and eventually the swimming pool pump hooked to that breaker box. I wanted enough capacity for six circuits, but didn't want to buy a box that would carry an entire household.
The electricity feeding the pool house is US standard 220v AC, through a 60 amp breaker. The little boxes I saw at Lowe's didn't impress me, until I looked at something GE manufactures that is called a "Room Addition Panel". It is rated at 125 amps, which is over double what I need, but it comes in a box with four breakers, has room for twelve breakers, and listed for just $39.95. With tax, out the door, for just a little over $43.00. That's a heck of a deal for a breaker box.
I've looked everywhere, but can't find a link to the darn thing. GE makes a bunch of stuff, in a bunch of countries, and my Google skills aren't up to par lately.
I haven't worked on that project house for about three weeks, and it's time to get cracking on it again. Hopefully, I won't earn the nickname Sparky.
The electricity feeding the pool house is US standard 220v AC, through a 60 amp breaker. The little boxes I saw at Lowe's didn't impress me, until I looked at something GE manufactures that is called a "Room Addition Panel". It is rated at 125 amps, which is over double what I need, but it comes in a box with four breakers, has room for twelve breakers, and listed for just $39.95. With tax, out the door, for just a little over $43.00. That's a heck of a deal for a breaker box.
I've looked everywhere, but can't find a link to the darn thing. GE makes a bunch of stuff, in a bunch of countries, and my Google skills aren't up to par lately.
I haven't worked on that project house for about three weeks, and it's time to get cracking on it again. Hopefully, I won't earn the nickname Sparky.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
On Nursing
From the Times Picayune, we get a story about the nursing shortage in New Orleans, and the nursing shortage generally across the United States. The meat of it is here:
Milady is a nurse, and the mail she gets from headhunter firms is incredible. The nursing magazines that find their way to our mailbox reveal that the leading hospitals in the leading markets are looking for nurses.
A hospital can't function without nurses. Doctors give orders, nurses ensure care. Hospitals realize that there is a nursing shortage, so they recruit nurses.
One nurse of my acquaintance recently moved to Texas. She found a job within hours of landing on the ground. My sister is contemplating a move from Knoxville to the Alexandria area. She found a job over the phone. A licensed, registered nurse can find a job just about anywhere with good salary and benefits. If you want a career in the military, nurses do well in uniform. If you want to travel, there are nursing agencies that provide temp jobs across the United States.
Nursing colleges are at full capacity. They turn away applicants every semester based on the number of available instructors. From the same article:
The down-side? There is a nursing shortage across the United States. Nurses often work long hours in less than optimum conditions. The work itself is demanding, stressful, sometimes heart-breaking. Nursing is a profession, rather than a job. It requires a dedication that sometimes causes stress at home. Milady, the love of my life, is currently finishing a string of 12 hour days that her employer requires, preparing for a certification by an accrediting agency. I haven't seen much of her lately. I support her in her career, and I'm thankful that we don't have small children in the home that need her.
If you're a college freshman or sophomore looking for a challenging career, consider nursing. If you're looking for a career change, consider nursing. The possibilites for a motivated, intelligent nurse are limitless.
Rather than scrimmage for nurses in the tight local market, East Jefferson General Hospital dispatched its chief operating officer in August to the Philippines, a former U.S. territory that annually sends thousands of English-speaking nurses overseas.There is a nursing shortage, not just in New Orleans, but throughout the United States. A Google search for Nursing Position turns up approximately 12.5 million responses.
Sixty-one Filipino nurses have agreed to trade in their meager wages for life in a struggling foreign city. The immigration process is arduous, however, involving a visa application, background check and a nursing certification exam, and some of East Jefferson's newest workers will not arrive for six months to a year.
Milady is a nurse, and the mail she gets from headhunter firms is incredible. The nursing magazines that find their way to our mailbox reveal that the leading hospitals in the leading markets are looking for nurses.
A hospital can't function without nurses. Doctors give orders, nurses ensure care. Hospitals realize that there is a nursing shortage, so they recruit nurses.
One nurse of my acquaintance recently moved to Texas. She found a job within hours of landing on the ground. My sister is contemplating a move from Knoxville to the Alexandria area. She found a job over the phone. A licensed, registered nurse can find a job just about anywhere with good salary and benefits. If you want a career in the military, nurses do well in uniform. If you want to travel, there are nursing agencies that provide temp jobs across the United States.
Nursing colleges are at full capacity. They turn away applicants every semester based on the number of available instructors. From the same article:
Kishner says there also has been a bottleneck at universities, which turn away nursing school applicants because of a perpetual shortage of instructors. That shortage has become more acute since Katrina, as higher wages have helped keep veteran nurses at hospitals when they might otherwise go into teaching.Nursing is not just for the ladies. It is an equal-employment career field. With specialized training, nurses command additional salary that employers are often happy to pay. Nurse-practioners are in strong demand, as are nurse-anesthesiologists. Trauma nurses are also in demand.
The down-side? There is a nursing shortage across the United States. Nurses often work long hours in less than optimum conditions. The work itself is demanding, stressful, sometimes heart-breaking. Nursing is a profession, rather than a job. It requires a dedication that sometimes causes stress at home. Milady, the love of my life, is currently finishing a string of 12 hour days that her employer requires, preparing for a certification by an accrediting agency. I haven't seen much of her lately. I support her in her career, and I'm thankful that we don't have small children in the home that need her.
If you're a college freshman or sophomore looking for a challenging career, consider nursing. If you're looking for a career change, consider nursing. The possibilites for a motivated, intelligent nurse are limitless.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Army Strong
Blackfive has a copy of the new Army Recruiting video loaded. Go watch.
It looks like they finally got it right.
The Army, my Army, is a huge bureaucratic machine, filled with warriors of every stripe. Historically, the United States has relied on the strength of my Army. In battles large and small across this green earth, my Army has stood on the ground and projected the will of the people of the United States.
In the past several years my Army has gotten leaner, stronger, more agile. It can't put fifty divisions in the field any more, but it can project power better than ever before. When this country wants formations of highly trained, highly motivated people to take one step forward and hold the ground, it relies on the Army. We do that better than anyone else in the world.
There's strong, then there's Army strong.
It looks like they finally got it right.
The Army, my Army, is a huge bureaucratic machine, filled with warriors of every stripe. Historically, the United States has relied on the strength of my Army. In battles large and small across this green earth, my Army has stood on the ground and projected the will of the people of the United States.
In the past several years my Army has gotten leaner, stronger, more agile. It can't put fifty divisions in the field any more, but it can project power better than ever before. When this country wants formations of highly trained, highly motivated people to take one step forward and hold the ground, it relies on the Army. We do that better than anyone else in the world.
There's strong, then there's Army strong.
Friday, October 13, 2006
How Taxes Work
We Saw That said, in comments:
However, I have to remind you that we still live in a democracy, where votes count. The tax we're talking about is a local tax, a half-cent sales tax that was voted on by the people. The tax does not need to be renewed, but nothing is perpetual. Perpetuity is a long, long time and things change, over time.
Let me tell you how it works, locally at least. There exists in the Louisiana tax code a mechanism for levying and repealing taxes. I'm too lazy to look it up, but basically, if you get enough folks to agree that we don't need a tax, the mechanism exists to repeal that tax.
In Rapides Parish, if you can get 20,000 people to agree that we don't need the tax, then the tax will be repealed. That's all it takes! 20,000 people. If you get that many to agree with you, you can get just about anything repealed or imposed here in Rapides Parish. Depending on the election that the repeal intitiative is placed on, you might get it done with 16,000 people, but 20K will give you a good margin.
Why 20,000 you ask? Simple. A lot of people won't go vote in an election, for a variety of reasons. Either they aren't registered, or they're too young, or they're too apathetic, or they think their vote doesn't matter. 20,000 votes will settle a lot of issues in Rapides Parish.
And for the record, I've known William Hilton for a long time. In my opinion, on the short list of very good people in this world, William Earl Hilton on that list. He is a good man. He is a good sheriff. In this opinion, like all others, you are certainly free to disagree with me.
Thanks for your comment.
sorry have to disagree with you. sheriff hilton is a scam artist. the tax you mentioned is "in perpetuity" that means that these children (not even born yet) that you claim are so precious to this scam artist will have have to pay this tax with no say about it. thats unamerican. its taxation without representation.No need to be sorry about disagreeing with me. Lots of people disagree with me. That is what makes America great.
However, I have to remind you that we still live in a democracy, where votes count. The tax we're talking about is a local tax, a half-cent sales tax that was voted on by the people. The tax does not need to be renewed, but nothing is perpetual. Perpetuity is a long, long time and things change, over time.
Let me tell you how it works, locally at least. There exists in the Louisiana tax code a mechanism for levying and repealing taxes. I'm too lazy to look it up, but basically, if you get enough folks to agree that we don't need a tax, the mechanism exists to repeal that tax.
In Rapides Parish, if you can get 20,000 people to agree that we don't need the tax, then the tax will be repealed. That's all it takes! 20,000 people. If you get that many to agree with you, you can get just about anything repealed or imposed here in Rapides Parish. Depending on the election that the repeal intitiative is placed on, you might get it done with 16,000 people, but 20K will give you a good margin.
Why 20,000 you ask? Simple. A lot of people won't go vote in an election, for a variety of reasons. Either they aren't registered, or they're too young, or they're too apathetic, or they think their vote doesn't matter. 20,000 votes will settle a lot of issues in Rapides Parish.
And for the record, I've known William Hilton for a long time. In my opinion, on the short list of very good people in this world, William Earl Hilton on that list. He is a good man. He is a good sheriff. In this opinion, like all others, you are certainly free to disagree with me.
Thanks for your comment.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Schoolhouse Shootings
It seems everyone is concerned about schoolhouse shootings, and they should rightfully be concerned. School shootings are a fact of life. They are nothing new, having been happening since 1979.
Back in 2001, Sheriff Hilton of Rapides Parish became concerned about school shootings following the Columbine debacle. He got a tax passed and put a deputy in every school in Rapides Parish. This was a wise decision on his part. All of his school deputies are fully qualified law enforcement officers, all certified by the state. Many are members of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
As much as we all bemoan the fact that we need resource officers, it is still a fact that we need those officers in our schools. In the worst case scenario, we have those officers there, trained, dedicated, and determined to thwart the intentions of an active shooter. They routinely train on "what-if" scenarios drawn from real life, focused on the school setting.
The resource officers serve other purposes at the schools, depending on the school served. They act as hall monitors, direct traffic, counsel with students, assist with special needs students, confront intruders, assist in security at events, answer questions, and yes, occasionally make arrests.
There is a difference between serving in an elementary school and a high school, because the kids and the school is different. The beat is different. Not that one is more important than the other, just different. Our children are our future and each one is precious.
Resource officers are community police officers in the great tradition of community policing. They are beat officers who know their beat intimately and understand the population they serve. Because they are attuned to the natural rhythms of the school they are in place to serve the community, on duty, alert, prepared for any eventuality. If the principal needs to call a police officer, he can do it on the intercom, because the officer is all ready there.
It's a great program and we are lucky that Sheriff Hilton had the foresight to implement it.
Back in 2001, Sheriff Hilton of Rapides Parish became concerned about school shootings following the Columbine debacle. He got a tax passed and put a deputy in every school in Rapides Parish. This was a wise decision on his part. All of his school deputies are fully qualified law enforcement officers, all certified by the state. Many are members of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
As much as we all bemoan the fact that we need resource officers, it is still a fact that we need those officers in our schools. In the worst case scenario, we have those officers there, trained, dedicated, and determined to thwart the intentions of an active shooter. They routinely train on "what-if" scenarios drawn from real life, focused on the school setting.
The resource officers serve other purposes at the schools, depending on the school served. They act as hall monitors, direct traffic, counsel with students, assist with special needs students, confront intruders, assist in security at events, answer questions, and yes, occasionally make arrests.
There is a difference between serving in an elementary school and a high school, because the kids and the school is different. The beat is different. Not that one is more important than the other, just different. Our children are our future and each one is precious.
Resource officers are community police officers in the great tradition of community policing. They are beat officers who know their beat intimately and understand the population they serve. Because they are attuned to the natural rhythms of the school they are in place to serve the community, on duty, alert, prepared for any eventuality. If the principal needs to call a police officer, he can do it on the intercom, because the officer is all ready there.
It's a great program and we are lucky that Sheriff Hilton had the foresight to implement it.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Lights on the water
When the kids were younger, we spent a week or so each year on the beach in Florida, soaking up the white sand and letting the kids get thoroughly sunburned before it was time to go back to school. They needed something to write about for that first essay.
We never made it down to Grand Isle, the Cajun Riviera. This was my first trip, I believe. I've been to Holly Beach, near Cameron many times, but I never made it to Grand Isle.
This is the moonlight on the water from Grande Isle, taken over the barrier dune. Milady and I went to the Daquiri shack and met friends on a motel balcony. Those lights on the horizon are oil rigs. I counted 33 across the arc of the horizon, yet somehow they didn't intrude on our party. I've looked at the lights on the water from various shore locations and wondered about the men and women manning the ships that move offshore of our nation. Here, it was oil rigs. Pumping the lifeblood of our nation. 33 rigs from just one beach perspective. And those are the ones you can see from the beach. There are a lot more you can't see, over the horizon.
Yet the moon on the water was just as beautiful and the lights on the water were just as compelling, each having a story to tell.
There is a lot of industry along the Louisiana coast, amongst the marshes and bays and channels. Most of it oilfield service.
Here, a view from the main ship channel of Port Fourchon, LA, where we put out of. The waterway is absolutely bumper to bumper with ship traffic, repair facilities, docks, piers, dry docks, and shipyards. There is lots of money made every day in Port Fourchon. Eighteen percent of all the oil coming in to the United States flows through this little port. The port also hosts the service for the Lousiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), a huge offshore pumping station that offloads oil tankers too big to get in to shore. Via pipeline, LOOP directly connects to 35 percent of US refining capacity.
Oil, and oil field service are huge industries in Port Fourchon. Yet the fishing is great. Port Fourchon is also home to commercial and recreational fisheries professionals who take folks like me out into the water.
Here, a view of Southerner, a sister ship to the one we chartered. These are 57 foot long charter fishing vessels that can accomodate 15 passengers a day. We didn't see Southerner except early in the morning and again when we met her in the afternoon, coming in. As a matter of fact, we didn't see any other fishing vessels that Sunday at all. Southerner's catch was mainly shark, so they were fishing other waters.
Look at all the industry on the shore behind her.
We never made it down to Grand Isle, the Cajun Riviera. This was my first trip, I believe. I've been to Holly Beach, near Cameron many times, but I never made it to Grand Isle.
This is the moonlight on the water from Grande Isle, taken over the barrier dune. Milady and I went to the Daquiri shack and met friends on a motel balcony. Those lights on the horizon are oil rigs. I counted 33 across the arc of the horizon, yet somehow they didn't intrude on our party. I've looked at the lights on the water from various shore locations and wondered about the men and women manning the ships that move offshore of our nation. Here, it was oil rigs. Pumping the lifeblood of our nation. 33 rigs from just one beach perspective. And those are the ones you can see from the beach. There are a lot more you can't see, over the horizon.
Yet the moon on the water was just as beautiful and the lights on the water were just as compelling, each having a story to tell.
There is a lot of industry along the Louisiana coast, amongst the marshes and bays and channels. Most of it oilfield service.
Here, a view from the main ship channel of Port Fourchon, LA, where we put out of. The waterway is absolutely bumper to bumper with ship traffic, repair facilities, docks, piers, dry docks, and shipyards. There is lots of money made every day in Port Fourchon. Eighteen percent of all the oil coming in to the United States flows through this little port. The port also hosts the service for the Lousiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), a huge offshore pumping station that offloads oil tankers too big to get in to shore. Via pipeline, LOOP directly connects to 35 percent of US refining capacity.
Oil, and oil field service are huge industries in Port Fourchon. Yet the fishing is great. Port Fourchon is also home to commercial and recreational fisheries professionals who take folks like me out into the water.
Here, a view of Southerner, a sister ship to the one we chartered. These are 57 foot long charter fishing vessels that can accomodate 15 passengers a day. We didn't see Southerner except early in the morning and again when we met her in the afternoon, coming in. As a matter of fact, we didn't see any other fishing vessels that Sunday at all. Southerner's catch was mainly shark, so they were fishing other waters.
Look at all the industry on the shore behind her.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Offshore
As I've said earlier, I am very happy with the offshore fishing trip. I've never been out of sight of land, and this was a good time to do another thing that I've never done. In Louisisna you have an opportunity to spend a lot of time on the water, but there are lots of waters in Louisiana. Up north, you have freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes, sloughs, rivers and streams. Down south, you have brackish marshes, lakes, rivers, sloughs and swamps along with the freshwater variety of each. If there is one thing Louisiana has plenty of, it is water.
I'm fairly proficient on small boats, freshwater fishing and recreational boats. I can paddle a canoe and row a rowboat. I've owned pirogues and jon boats, but I had never been out of sight of land, and I am ignorant of things from the sea.
It's going to take a while to understand everything I have learned during that one brief foray offshore, but dammit, I want to go back and learn more. There is a whole lot of Louisiana that I know very little about.
Still, time for pictures
My lady caught one of the very first fish on the boat. Here she poses with it. A red snapper, caught over sunken oilfield wreckage in about 70 feet of water. The oilfield is everywhere you look in Louisiana Gulf waters. There is a tremendous amount of metal in an oil rig, most of it environmentally benign. Those parts that are unusable are scrapped, sunken, marked and used as structure for the fisheries. Lots of fish come from Louisiana waters. The stuffed redfish you find at your finer restaurants probably come from Louisiana, as that species are caught both commercially and recreationally. They are mighty fine eating and our catch was primarily red snapper
This photo is my daughter with her lemonfish, the only one caught on this trip. It's a darned large fish. In the photo, the tail was on the deck. The fish itself probably weighed 40 pounds. Daughter was quite proud. The fellow holding the fish is a deckhand, Adam, who took care of the ladies with grand wit and humor. The deckhands made this trip pleasant.
Looking at those pictures, I am amazed that I managed to not get an oil rig in either one of the photos. Oil field equipment was everywhere. Yet the water was blue and the fishing was great.
I'm fairly proficient on small boats, freshwater fishing and recreational boats. I can paddle a canoe and row a rowboat. I've owned pirogues and jon boats, but I had never been out of sight of land, and I am ignorant of things from the sea.
It's going to take a while to understand everything I have learned during that one brief foray offshore, but dammit, I want to go back and learn more. There is a whole lot of Louisiana that I know very little about.
Still, time for pictures
My lady caught one of the very first fish on the boat. Here she poses with it. A red snapper, caught over sunken oilfield wreckage in about 70 feet of water. The oilfield is everywhere you look in Louisiana Gulf waters. There is a tremendous amount of metal in an oil rig, most of it environmentally benign. Those parts that are unusable are scrapped, sunken, marked and used as structure for the fisheries. Lots of fish come from Louisiana waters. The stuffed redfish you find at your finer restaurants probably come from Louisiana, as that species are caught both commercially and recreationally. They are mighty fine eating and our catch was primarily red snapper
This photo is my daughter with her lemonfish, the only one caught on this trip. It's a darned large fish. In the photo, the tail was on the deck. The fish itself probably weighed 40 pounds. Daughter was quite proud. The fellow holding the fish is a deckhand, Adam, who took care of the ladies with grand wit and humor. The deckhands made this trip pleasant.
Looking at those pictures, I am amazed that I managed to not get an oil rig in either one of the photos. Oil field equipment was everywhere. Yet the water was blue and the fishing was great.
Monday Morning
We got back from the fishing trip last night about 11:00 p.m. PawPaw reeked of fish and salt water. He took a shower and went directly to bed, then up this morning for duty at 5:00. No pictures to upload yet, but we'll take care of that this evening.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The water was calm, with just enough gentle swell to remind us that we were onboard a boat. The fishing was excellent. 15 fisherman took 88 keepers, mostly snapper (both red and mangrove) with a few grouper, grey triggerfish, and one huge lemon fish (cobia) in the catch. We also caught black-tipped shark, but none were eligible as keepers.
The deckhands were magnificent, taking wonderful care of the passengers. They baited hooks, took fish off the line, cleared snarls, and gaffed fish as required. The fact that the deckhands were obviously young, fit, and bronzed did little to dampen the spirits of the (mostly) female passenger list. The crew also cleaned the fish, so when we left the dock, we had cleaned fillets ready for cooking.
All in all, a wonderful experience. More later this afternoon, when I can download photos.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The water was calm, with just enough gentle swell to remind us that we were onboard a boat. The fishing was excellent. 15 fisherman took 88 keepers, mostly snapper (both red and mangrove) with a few grouper, grey triggerfish, and one huge lemon fish (cobia) in the catch. We also caught black-tipped shark, but none were eligible as keepers.
The deckhands were magnificent, taking wonderful care of the passengers. They baited hooks, took fish off the line, cleared snarls, and gaffed fish as required. The fact that the deckhands were obviously young, fit, and bronzed did little to dampen the spirits of the (mostly) female passenger list. The crew also cleaned the fish, so when we left the dock, we had cleaned fillets ready for cooking.
All in all, a wonderful experience. More later this afternoon, when I can download photos.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Friday evening
I went to the Bolton-Buckeye game last night. It seems that Buckeye has some games on Thursday night, because they know that tomorrow is the opener of the squirrel season, and most of the natives are in the woods tonight at squirrel camp. The Buckeye Deville area is awash in the kind of natives that would go to a squirrel camp, and I'm sorry that I'm not there.
Bolton won, by the way, 38-7. It was a good game, and Bolton deserves a break.
Milady and I went out this afternoon, looking around and came back with an auto GPS for the car. A Magellan 3000T. It's a spiffy little unit, and fun to watch while you're driving. We'll give it a workout on the trip this weekend. I also should remember to take my little handheld GPS. When we are far from land, I want to be able to tell the skipper where to point the narrow end of the boat.
I wish I had something pithy and insightful to say about the Foley scandal, but nothing immediately comes to mind. He might become best known for being the guy that lost the Congress to the Democrats. The rest of the Republicans have been less than inspiring. How is it that they forgor that the Republican party is against buggery and child molestation.
In my mind, rather than launching an investigation, every Congressman who knew anything should have immediately called the FBI, or the Capitol Police, or someone authorized to conduct a criminal investigation, given full statements, and let the chips fall where they may.
Then I notice that there is some question whether the Congressional page in question was a minor at the time. If he wasn't a minor, and the contact was consentual, then the problem of criminality becomes one of appropriateness. There are lots of things that people do that are truly inappropriate, but are not criminal.
Unless something pops up in tomorrow's paper, I'll see y'all on Monday.
Bolton won, by the way, 38-7. It was a good game, and Bolton deserves a break.
Milady and I went out this afternoon, looking around and came back with an auto GPS for the car. A Magellan 3000T. It's a spiffy little unit, and fun to watch while you're driving. We'll give it a workout on the trip this weekend. I also should remember to take my little handheld GPS. When we are far from land, I want to be able to tell the skipper where to point the narrow end of the boat.
I wish I had something pithy and insightful to say about the Foley scandal, but nothing immediately comes to mind. He might become best known for being the guy that lost the Congress to the Democrats. The rest of the Republicans have been less than inspiring. How is it that they forgor that the Republican party is against buggery and child molestation.
In my mind, rather than launching an investigation, every Congressman who knew anything should have immediately called the FBI, or the Capitol Police, or someone authorized to conduct a criminal investigation, given full statements, and let the chips fall where they may.
Then I notice that there is some question whether the Congressional page in question was a minor at the time. If he wasn't a minor, and the contact was consentual, then the problem of criminality becomes one of appropriateness. There are lots of things that people do that are truly inappropriate, but are not criminal.
Unless something pops up in tomorrow's paper, I'll see y'all on Monday.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Sex Offenders
Mark Foley. Until recently a congressman, now just another dirty old man.
One with a criminal twist. He likes teenaged boys.
I spent the greater portion of my career as a parole officer chasing down sex offenders. Let me tell you about them. There are generally two types of sex offenders. Those who are caught up in a crime simply because of age, i.e. the nineteen year old boy who gets caught with the sixteen year old girl. These type offenders are generally not a problem. They see the error of their ways and correct it. The other type, the classic "Chester-the-molester" will be the topic of the remainder of the discussion.
These guys are generally white males, aged 20 to 60. As time goes on, we are seeing more black offenders, but generally, the predatory sex offender is a white male. They share some general tendencies.
1. A sex offender doesn't believe what they do is illegal. Thru some defect of the mind, they have rationalized their behavior to the point where they think what they do is not only legal, but understandable. They are amazed that anyone else sees a problem with it.
2. A sex offender is normally fairly intelligent, at or above the average. They can rationalize their behavior to family, friends, victims and the police. They have rehearsed and they are good at it.
3. They are generally multiple offenders. If you've caught them with one victim, look around for others. There will be others.
4. A sex offender will try to deflect blame. They'll blame anything, including alcoholism, drug addictions, societal prejudice, and the victim for their plight. They don't believe they have done anything wrong, so it must be someone else's fault.
5. A sex offender will recidivate. Every time. They will do it again.
Sex offenders disgust me, but it doesn't surprise me that Foley was able to fool other congressmen and staff into believing that it wasn't really a problem. Sex offenders are very good at hiding what they do.
Should the Speaker resign? If he knew what was going on and didn't do anything about it, yes, he should resign. Should Rodney Alexander resign(my Congressman), the fellow who reportedly first learned about the problem? If he did anything to cover it up, yeah, he should resign.
Anyone who knows anything about a child molestor should go to the police. Make statements. Do everything possible to shed light on the offender.
Sex offenders are the lowest, vilest, most predatory criminals currently loosed on the public. Our children are safe only when they are locked up.
One with a criminal twist. He likes teenaged boys.
I spent the greater portion of my career as a parole officer chasing down sex offenders. Let me tell you about them. There are generally two types of sex offenders. Those who are caught up in a crime simply because of age, i.e. the nineteen year old boy who gets caught with the sixteen year old girl. These type offenders are generally not a problem. They see the error of their ways and correct it. The other type, the classic "Chester-the-molester" will be the topic of the remainder of the discussion.
These guys are generally white males, aged 20 to 60. As time goes on, we are seeing more black offenders, but generally, the predatory sex offender is a white male. They share some general tendencies.
1. A sex offender doesn't believe what they do is illegal. Thru some defect of the mind, they have rationalized their behavior to the point where they think what they do is not only legal, but understandable. They are amazed that anyone else sees a problem with it.
2. A sex offender is normally fairly intelligent, at or above the average. They can rationalize their behavior to family, friends, victims and the police. They have rehearsed and they are good at it.
3. They are generally multiple offenders. If you've caught them with one victim, look around for others. There will be others.
4. A sex offender will try to deflect blame. They'll blame anything, including alcoholism, drug addictions, societal prejudice, and the victim for their plight. They don't believe they have done anything wrong, so it must be someone else's fault.
5. A sex offender will recidivate. Every time. They will do it again.
Sex offenders disgust me, but it doesn't surprise me that Foley was able to fool other congressmen and staff into believing that it wasn't really a problem. Sex offenders are very good at hiding what they do.
Should the Speaker resign? If he knew what was going on and didn't do anything about it, yes, he should resign. Should Rodney Alexander resign(my Congressman), the fellow who reportedly first learned about the problem? If he did anything to cover it up, yeah, he should resign.
Anyone who knows anything about a child molestor should go to the police. Make statements. Do everything possible to shed light on the offender.
Sex offenders are the lowest, vilest, most predatory criminals currently loosed on the public. Our children are safe only when they are locked up.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Reservations
A few months ago, the crew that Milady works with chartered a fishing boat to take a party out into the Gulf. They asked if I would like to go.
Well, yeah!
I've never been offshore. The biggest boat I have ever been aboard is the ferry that runs between Hatteras and Okrakoke. And the stern-wheeler that is tied to the dock in Vicksburg. And I have never been out in blue water. This ought to be quite an experience.
So, I did some online looking and found the link to our charter. It looks like a first class operation. We meet the boat at the dock, 0600 October 7th.
I'm looking forward to this trip. It ought to be a lot of fun.
Well, yeah!
I've never been offshore. The biggest boat I have ever been aboard is the ferry that runs between Hatteras and Okrakoke. And the stern-wheeler that is tied to the dock in Vicksburg. And I have never been out in blue water. This ought to be quite an experience.
So, I did some online looking and found the link to our charter. It looks like a first class operation. We meet the boat at the dock, 0600 October 7th.
I'm looking forward to this trip. It ought to be a lot of fun.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Lookee here!
From Chad Rogers site, we get this story of nineteen indicted in North Louisiana following an FBI investigation.
Except for Consuelo Sanchez and Belva Jean Ard, the other players look like... dare I say it.... Moderate Muslims.
I'm just sayin'.
The U.S. Attorney's Office indicted the following individuals and businesses after a long investigation by the FBI in February at multiple convenience stores in northeastern Louisiana.
They were indicted on one or more of the following charges; trafficking in counterfeit goods, money laundering, making false statements to a federal agent, false representations and use of Social Security account number, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and forfeiture.
Mahmood Alshaibi, 33, Lake Providence;
Gamal Ahmed Ahmed, 34, Tallulah;
Ahmed Ali Nagi, 57, Tallulah;
Abdulfattah Nassar Saleh, 30, Tallulah;
Belva Jean Ard, 26, Tallulah;
Abdulkarim Nasser Ahmed Saleh, 28, Tallulah;
Jack Mohamed S. Mused, 39, Tuscaloosa, Ala.;
Abdulla Hussein Saleh, 31, Lake Providence;
Anis Mohamed Mana Saleh, 25, Monroe;
Moshen A. Mohamed, 38, Monroe;
Consuelo Sanchez, 36, Lake Providence;
Abdulla Mohamed Mana, 30, Lake Providence;
Akram Muqbil Safed, 23, Lake Providence;
Amin Mohamed Saleh, 25, Ruston;
Amin M. Obadi, 30, Monroe;
Salwan Musa Hussein Mohamed, 27, Ruston;
Taha Sharaf Masoud Alyousefi, 46, Monroe;
Fadhl M. Mohamed, 50, Monroe;
Gamil Ahmed Almashim, 35, Tallulah.
The seven corporations involved are Taiz Inc., South Second Street L.L.C., WGG Inc., S.G.H. Inc., Bayou King, Sun Over Sand Inc. and Alsahara Inc.
Except for Consuelo Sanchez and Belva Jean Ard, the other players look like... dare I say it.... Moderate Muslims.
I'm just sayin'.
Traffic Conundrums
Say Uncle is worried about the classic traffic conundrum.
We've all been there, stuck in traffic, maybe trying to get out of a parking lot, hoping some gracious soul will let us get into traffic. It sucks to sit there while vehicle after vehicle rolls past, unconcerned about your plight, but it is your plight to watch the world roll past because you are stuck in some parking lot.
Life is about choices. It's called personal responsibility. You got yourself stuck in the parking lot. If I am driving down a road, I have a responsibility, a trust, to clear my lane so other motorists can pass. The rest of the world is behind me, trying to get home, or to work, or whereverinthehell they are going. If I don't know the person in the parking lot, he or she is lost. I'm rolling. That person stuck in the parking lot can wait till traffic clears, even if it takes all night, because my responsibility is to the other 99% of the motoring world behind me.
There are threes caveats: If my sainted mother is stuck in the parking lot, I'll pause and wave her out. If my loving father is stuck in the parking lot, I'll wave him through. My darling wife also gets a pass, else I would never hear the end of it. The rest of you are screwed. That includes my knuckleheaded brother and my dimwitted sister. They can sit in the parking lot until the cows come home.
For if I am nice to one person, yet inconvenience a thousand, have I done any good in the world? Have I endangered my mortal soul? Better to be nice to that thousand, while the one person suffers through their own choice. I didn't make them go into that parking lot. They chose to go there.
One last note, for my sisters, who I'm sure will read this post. I'll never reveal, out of love for the family, which of you is the dimwit. It is a secret I'll carry to my grave. We will not discuss this at Thanksgiving.
We've all been there, stuck in traffic, maybe trying to get out of a parking lot, hoping some gracious soul will let us get into traffic. It sucks to sit there while vehicle after vehicle rolls past, unconcerned about your plight, but it is your plight to watch the world roll past because you are stuck in some parking lot.
Life is about choices. It's called personal responsibility. You got yourself stuck in the parking lot. If I am driving down a road, I have a responsibility, a trust, to clear my lane so other motorists can pass. The rest of the world is behind me, trying to get home, or to work, or whereverinthehell they are going. If I don't know the person in the parking lot, he or she is lost. I'm rolling. That person stuck in the parking lot can wait till traffic clears, even if it takes all night, because my responsibility is to the other 99% of the motoring world behind me.
There are threes caveats: If my sainted mother is stuck in the parking lot, I'll pause and wave her out. If my loving father is stuck in the parking lot, I'll wave him through. My darling wife also gets a pass, else I would never hear the end of it. The rest of you are screwed. That includes my knuckleheaded brother and my dimwitted sister. They can sit in the parking lot until the cows come home.
For if I am nice to one person, yet inconvenience a thousand, have I done any good in the world? Have I endangered my mortal soul? Better to be nice to that thousand, while the one person suffers through their own choice. I didn't make them go into that parking lot. They chose to go there.
One last note, for my sisters, who I'm sure will read this post. I'll never reveal, out of love for the family, which of you is the dimwit. It is a secret I'll carry to my grave. We will not discuss this at Thanksgiving.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Local Races
When the sun comes up tomorrow, Louisiana goes to the polls. Alexandria has a hotly contested mayoral race with seven pretenders and the results should be interesting. I worked a football game at a local high school tonight and I informally surveyed a couple of folks who keep their fingers on the pulse of Alexandria politics. The conclusion: Too close to call, or It's a Crapshoot. I don't live in Alexandria, so I don't have a dog in that hunt, and whatever they do will be wrong, so it is likely to be a particularly weird runoff that will begin Sunday morning.
The Insurance Commissioner race is interesting, only if you recognize that Louisiana has real difficulties with insurance after the joint Katrina/Rita debacle. Three of the last four insurance commissioners went to jail for corruption, and the Insurance commission seems to be uncommonly easy for someone to corrupt. The only question in that race is who do we want to send to jail?
Then we have 13 amendments to the state constitution to consider. One is so poorly worded that the Town Talk recommended that we vote it down simply to get the legislature to re-draft it.
Saturday is going to be interesting.
For myself, I am invited to the post-poll party at the Mayor of Pollock's house. It should be a rollicking good time.
The Insurance Commissioner race is interesting, only if you recognize that Louisiana has real difficulties with insurance after the joint Katrina/Rita debacle. Three of the last four insurance commissioners went to jail for corruption, and the Insurance commission seems to be uncommonly easy for someone to corrupt. The only question in that race is who do we want to send to jail?
Then we have 13 amendments to the state constitution to consider. One is so poorly worded that the Town Talk recommended that we vote it down simply to get the legislature to re-draft it.
Saturday is going to be interesting.
For myself, I am invited to the post-poll party at the Mayor of Pollock's house. It should be a rollicking good time.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Rest in Peace
The gunny blogosphere is abuzz. Jeff Cooper passed away today at his home.
His style was plainly his own. His wisdom about firearms, about life, about violence was almost without peer. His writing was crisp and unmistakable. He was one of the giants in the gun world. I sometimes disagreed with him, but I did it in the firm knowledge that Jeff Cooper knew exactly what he was talking about.
I never had a chance to personally meet the man, but I felt I knew him through his writing, which will live on for years.
My condolences to Ms. Janelle, and Lindy.
Godspeed, Colonel.
His style was plainly his own. His wisdom about firearms, about life, about violence was almost without peer. His writing was crisp and unmistakable. He was one of the giants in the gun world. I sometimes disagreed with him, but I did it in the firm knowledge that Jeff Cooper knew exactly what he was talking about.
I never had a chance to personally meet the man, but I felt I knew him through his writing, which will live on for years.
My condolences to Ms. Janelle, and Lindy.
Godspeed, Colonel.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Push feed vs Claw extractors
Someone asked me the other day about bolt action extractors, and basically we have two choices. I figured a picture is worth a thousand words, so I went down to the local pawn shop and talked with my favorite counterman, who let me take pictures.
Paul Mauser, years ago, perfected the claw extractor. It is a big heavy honking claw of metal that grabs the rim of the cartridge when it feeds from the magazine. The cartridge is held against the face of the bolt on chambering and extraction is very, very positive. Folks who hunt dangerous game insist on the Mauser claw extractor for game that might decide to wander over and stomp you. The rifle will feed a cartridge positively, from magazine to chamber, even if the rifle is inverted. The cartridge is captured and has no place to go. Winchester went back to the claw extractor on a series of rifles in the past 15 years, and called it the Controlled Round Feed, like it was something new. It wasn't. Herr Mauser perfected it years ago. The bolt on the right is from a Ruger rifle and is fitted with a claw extractor, at 1:00 on the bolt. You can click on the picture for the larger version.
The bolt on the left is out of a Savage rifle, and is a common push-feed type. The extractor is housed in the locking lug at 2:00 on the bolt. The push-feed is easier to manufacture and is perfectly serviceable for most hunting rifles. The push-feed works by stripping a cartridge out of the magazine, then when the cartridge is chambered, the extractor snaps over the rim of the cartridge. The rifle may or may not feed inverted, which is why the dangerous game guys prefer the claw extractor. Some maintain that the bolt of a push-feed rifle is stronger. All of my rifles are push-feed and I haven't had any problems at all with chambering or extraction. Some gurus maintain that the push-feed gives better support to the head of the cartridge and is safer in case of a cartridge rupture. That may be so, but I think the jury is still out on that question. Case ruptures are bad juju, regardless of extractor type. Push feed bolts are normally found on Remington, Savage, Weatherby and other fine firearms.
There is not a lot wrong with either type, but knowledgeable riflemen should know the difference.
Paul Mauser, years ago, perfected the claw extractor. It is a big heavy honking claw of metal that grabs the rim of the cartridge when it feeds from the magazine. The cartridge is held against the face of the bolt on chambering and extraction is very, very positive. Folks who hunt dangerous game insist on the Mauser claw extractor for game that might decide to wander over and stomp you. The rifle will feed a cartridge positively, from magazine to chamber, even if the rifle is inverted. The cartridge is captured and has no place to go. Winchester went back to the claw extractor on a series of rifles in the past 15 years, and called it the Controlled Round Feed, like it was something new. It wasn't. Herr Mauser perfected it years ago. The bolt on the right is from a Ruger rifle and is fitted with a claw extractor, at 1:00 on the bolt. You can click on the picture for the larger version.
The bolt on the left is out of a Savage rifle, and is a common push-feed type. The extractor is housed in the locking lug at 2:00 on the bolt. The push-feed is easier to manufacture and is perfectly serviceable for most hunting rifles. The push-feed works by stripping a cartridge out of the magazine, then when the cartridge is chambered, the extractor snaps over the rim of the cartridge. The rifle may or may not feed inverted, which is why the dangerous game guys prefer the claw extractor. Some maintain that the bolt of a push-feed rifle is stronger. All of my rifles are push-feed and I haven't had any problems at all with chambering or extraction. Some gurus maintain that the push-feed gives better support to the head of the cartridge and is safer in case of a cartridge rupture. That may be so, but I think the jury is still out on that question. Case ruptures are bad juju, regardless of extractor type. Push feed bolts are normally found on Remington, Savage, Weatherby and other fine firearms.
There is not a lot wrong with either type, but knowledgeable riflemen should know the difference.
Did I hear that right?
In all the hoopla over the Bill Clinton/Chris Wallace interview on Fox, I thought I heard something that I didn't hear. My old ears play tricks on me sometimes, like when the refrigerator dumps ice into the tray, I'll hear it and answer the door. My daughter and Milady thinks that is hilarious.
I thought I heard President Clinton say something about a contract killing. Turns out, I was right. From the transcript, (emphasis mine):
I am not of the Repubs who believes that Clinton screwed the pooch on terror. I recall those times, and frankly, terror was just a blip on the screen. We are doing a lot of blaming about who knew what, when, and what value that information was worth at the time. On September 10, 2001 the last thing on my mind, and the minds of most Americans was Islamic jihad. The next morning changed all that, and I think that we need to give our leadership before that date, the benefit of the doubt.
I was no fan of the Clinton administration for a number of reasons, and I believe that with hindsight, he probably would have done some things differently, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on terror.
However, this killing-for-hire thing is new. Were I Chris Wallace, I would have asked him "Who? Who did you hire? How much did you pay them?" The big story here is that the US government under Bill Clinton contracted someone to kill Bin Laden. I would love to see some follow-up on that. I'm not naive enough to believe that the US doesn't do things like that, but I don't believe I have ever heard a sitting or past President talk about it on TV.
Is having someone assassinated a violation of the US Code?
I thought I heard President Clinton say something about a contract killing. Turns out, I was right. From the transcript, (emphasis mine):
I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, ‘Why didn’t you do anything about the Cole?’ I want to know how many people you asked, ‘Why did you fire Dick Clarke?’ We contracted with people to kill him. I got closer to killing him than anybody’s gotten since.
I am not of the Repubs who believes that Clinton screwed the pooch on terror. I recall those times, and frankly, terror was just a blip on the screen. We are doing a lot of blaming about who knew what, when, and what value that information was worth at the time. On September 10, 2001 the last thing on my mind, and the minds of most Americans was Islamic jihad. The next morning changed all that, and I think that we need to give our leadership before that date, the benefit of the doubt.
I was no fan of the Clinton administration for a number of reasons, and I believe that with hindsight, he probably would have done some things differently, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on terror.
However, this killing-for-hire thing is new. Were I Chris Wallace, I would have asked him "Who? Who did you hire? How much did you pay them?" The big story here is that the US government under Bill Clinton contracted someone to kill Bin Laden. I would love to see some follow-up on that. I'm not naive enough to believe that the US doesn't do things like that, but I don't believe I have ever heard a sitting or past President talk about it on TV.
Is having someone assassinated a violation of the US Code?
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Trenching
I went down to Grand Rental Station this morning and rented a trencher. This thing is a heavy piece of equipment you walk behind. It cuts a four-inch trench in the ground. This morning I picked it up at 7:45, drove back to the house, did the trenching and was back at the store to turn it in before 9:00.
Then, all that was left to do was install the wire in the conduit and backfill the hole. The National Weather Service is predicting rain this afternoon and I wanted to get the hole filled before the rain begins. The picture above is eldest son assisting me with backfilling. I started at one end, he started at the other. We were completely done by 11:00.
Then I went over to son's house to help troubleshoot a telephone connection problem. The problem was the cheap phone he had hooked to the jack. That's done, and I'm back at home for 2:00.
It's time for a nap.
Then, all that was left to do was install the wire in the conduit and backfill the hole. The National Weather Service is predicting rain this afternoon and I wanted to get the hole filled before the rain begins. The picture above is eldest son assisting me with backfilling. I started at one end, he started at the other. We were completely done by 11:00.
Then I went over to son's house to help troubleshoot a telephone connection problem. The problem was the cheap phone he had hooked to the jack. That's done, and I'm back at home for 2:00.
It's time for a nap.
Friday, September 22, 2006
What a ride!
This week has been a tough one. Busy at work, busy at home.
Pawpaw is tired, and it ain't over yet. I have to be up early to get to the rental shop to rent a ditch witch. Tomorrow I'm gonna trench the back yard, then lay conduit to the project house. I've got to get electricity and plumbing finished so I can install sheetrock. I hate floating sheetrock. I don't even like to say the word but once a year or so.
Milady went to the paint store this week and picked out her colors for the project. It's gonna look good when we're finished with it.
Milady and I are watching grandkids tonight while Momma works. We love it, we do. Where else can you get four-year-old kisses? Or teach a 9 year old how to walk the dog with a Yo-Yo? I had forgotten that I knew how to do that.
PawPaw ain't forgot how to blog. He's busy. Life intrudes.
Pawpaw is tired, and it ain't over yet. I have to be up early to get to the rental shop to rent a ditch witch. Tomorrow I'm gonna trench the back yard, then lay conduit to the project house. I've got to get electricity and plumbing finished so I can install sheetrock. I hate floating sheetrock. I don't even like to say the word but once a year or so.
Milady went to the paint store this week and picked out her colors for the project. It's gonna look good when we're finished with it.
Milady and I are watching grandkids tonight while Momma works. We love it, we do. Where else can you get four-year-old kisses? Or teach a 9 year old how to walk the dog with a Yo-Yo? I had forgotten that I knew how to do that.
PawPaw ain't forgot how to blog. He's busy. Life intrudes.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Gas Checks - Revisited
Flintlock Tom asks in comments:
Sure, Tom. I sometimes forget that folks don't know this stuff.
For lead alloy rifle bullets driven over 1500 fps, we seat gas checks on the base of the bullet to help with a pressure phenomenon known as "gas cutting". When the high pressure gasses slip past the bullet before it fully obturates in the bore, those gasses cut the base of the bullet. This blows molten metal forward of the bullet and coats the bore with lead, which the speeding bullet then irons onto the bore. This is one source of a leaded barrel. Other sources of barrel leading include improperly fitted bullets, improper bullet alloy, insufficient bullet lubrication and improper lubricant type.
Leaded barrels are bad, in that accuracy suffers and lead is hard to clean out of a barrel. So we use gas checks to reduce or eliminate leading the barrel.
A gas check is nothing more than a cup of gilding metal, manufactured by the Hornady company. They are sold in bags of 1000.
Here is a picture of some gas checks laying on my bench, with a penny for scale.
These little cups of gilding metal are seated on the base of the bullet during the sizing operation. That same operation crimps them into place. The bullet is then lubricated with an appopriate bullet lube, such as the NRA Alox/beeswax lube.
Properly seated gas checks on lead bullets look like this.
Those checks are properly seated on the base of the Lyman 311041 bullet that I use in my .30-30 loads. After lubrication they will be ready for loading. These bullets can be driven to 1800 fps with no danger of barrel leading and are the cat's whiskers for North Louisiana brushy woods deer and hog hunting.
Paw Paw, Help a noobie out: what is a "gas check", how is it done and what does it look like if done properly?
I anticipate doing some reloading after I retire but know nothing about the process.
Sure, Tom. I sometimes forget that folks don't know this stuff.
For lead alloy rifle bullets driven over 1500 fps, we seat gas checks on the base of the bullet to help with a pressure phenomenon known as "gas cutting". When the high pressure gasses slip past the bullet before it fully obturates in the bore, those gasses cut the base of the bullet. This blows molten metal forward of the bullet and coats the bore with lead, which the speeding bullet then irons onto the bore. This is one source of a leaded barrel. Other sources of barrel leading include improperly fitted bullets, improper bullet alloy, insufficient bullet lubrication and improper lubricant type.
Leaded barrels are bad, in that accuracy suffers and lead is hard to clean out of a barrel. So we use gas checks to reduce or eliminate leading the barrel.
A gas check is nothing more than a cup of gilding metal, manufactured by the Hornady company. They are sold in bags of 1000.
Here is a picture of some gas checks laying on my bench, with a penny for scale.
These little cups of gilding metal are seated on the base of the bullet during the sizing operation. That same operation crimps them into place. The bullet is then lubricated with an appopriate bullet lube, such as the NRA Alox/beeswax lube.
Properly seated gas checks on lead bullets look like this.
Those checks are properly seated on the base of the Lyman 311041 bullet that I use in my .30-30 loads. After lubrication they will be ready for loading. These bullets can be driven to 1800 fps with no danger of barrel leading and are the cat's whiskers for North Louisiana brushy woods deer and hog hunting.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Seating gas checks
If you do any bullet casting, eventually you want to cast for a centerfire rifle. I have a 6 hole Lee mold that casts a duplicate of Lyman's 311041 bullet. This is an old bore riding design that is wonderful in .30 caliber rifles. It was designed for the .30-30 Winchester.
I had cast a bunch of those and needed to size them and seat gas checks. This is normally done in one operation, using the Lee push-through sizer.
However, yesterday afternoon I was watching the grandkids, and I had a 7 year old that loves to tinker with me on my bench. I let him seat gas checks, and I'm going to have a really high reject rate on this batch. Really high.
He got a lot of them right, and he got a lot of them wrong. Any of us can mis-seat a gas check. They are supposed to be seated square on the bottom of the bullet. More than anything, a square base is important to bullet accuracy. When you are seating checks, there is a certain feel, a certain knowledge that comes with seating thousands of these things.
Lead is cheap, and gas checks are easily available. If grandson hadn't given us this example of .... how to say this... neophyte technique.... then I wouldn't have been able to give this little tutorial. I can't imagine how these bullets would fly, but the seating technique was creative. Very creative. They'll go into a bag with sprues and be remelted the next time.
Yesterday was just another afternoon at Pawpaw's house, seating gas checks. With time, he'll learn.
I had cast a bunch of those and needed to size them and seat gas checks. This is normally done in one operation, using the Lee push-through sizer.
However, yesterday afternoon I was watching the grandkids, and I had a 7 year old that loves to tinker with me on my bench. I let him seat gas checks, and I'm going to have a really high reject rate on this batch. Really high.
He got a lot of them right, and he got a lot of them wrong. Any of us can mis-seat a gas check. They are supposed to be seated square on the bottom of the bullet. More than anything, a square base is important to bullet accuracy. When you are seating checks, there is a certain feel, a certain knowledge that comes with seating thousands of these things.
Lead is cheap, and gas checks are easily available. If grandson hadn't given us this example of .... how to say this... neophyte technique.... then I wouldn't have been able to give this little tutorial. I can't imagine how these bullets would fly, but the seating technique was creative. Very creative. They'll go into a bag with sprues and be remelted the next time.
Yesterday was just another afternoon at Pawpaw's house, seating gas checks. With time, he'll learn.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Range report
The new Savage 110 is a shooter. With the Hornady 150 grain SST bullets and surplus IMR 4895 powder, it shoots exceedingly well.
The LDWF range at Woodworth was open this afternoon. While I was there it was raining and I had to dry targets before I could write on them to record load data, but they look great now.
This load with 50 grains of powder shot just fine. You'll remember that I fired the rifle yesterday at the deer lease and put the bullets over the chronograph. Today I didn't erect the chrony. It was raining too hard. This target, with 50 grains of powder turned in a good group, at just under and inch.
A few minutes later, I shot the next target. The load in that particular string was 52 grains of 4895, Remington brass, Hornady 150 SST, and CCI 200 primer. Four shots went into 0.75 inch. I called the fifth shot as a flyer, telling my son "That hurt. I'm done." He replied, "Yeah, it went off the paper."
I still need to chronograph that load, and I will, but it turned in exceptional accuracy in falling rain. I suspect the load is running somewhere near 3000 fps, but I'll know more when I set up the chrony.
I feel like I am going to like this rifle a lot.
The LDWF range at Woodworth was open this afternoon. While I was there it was raining and I had to dry targets before I could write on them to record load data, but they look great now.
This load with 50 grains of powder shot just fine. You'll remember that I fired the rifle yesterday at the deer lease and put the bullets over the chronograph. Today I didn't erect the chrony. It was raining too hard. This target, with 50 grains of powder turned in a good group, at just under and inch.
A few minutes later, I shot the next target. The load in that particular string was 52 grains of 4895, Remington brass, Hornady 150 SST, and CCI 200 primer. Four shots went into 0.75 inch. I called the fifth shot as a flyer, telling my son "That hurt. I'm done." He replied, "Yeah, it went off the paper."
I still need to chronograph that load, and I will, but it turned in exceptional accuracy in falling rain. I suspect the load is running somewhere near 3000 fps, but I'll know more when I set up the chrony.
I feel like I am going to like this rifle a lot.
I stand with Pope Benedict
My Grandfather told me once that if you throw a rock into a crowd, the fellow you hit is going to holler. As with most things, the old man was right.
Pope Benedict delivered this week a thoughful, reasoned speech on religious conversion. In one passage, he quoted a recorded conversation that occurred between a Christian and a Persian during the late 12th century. They were then debating the value of conversion by the sword.
The Islamic world is hollering.
The value of reasoned arguments lies in the ability to convince people to change. Popes, over the years, have used reasoned arguments to make the Church relevant in the modern world. Jesus himself was the master at the reasoned argument delivered in a soft voice. Christians of every stripe have long since decried the use of violence to perpetuate the word of Christ. The Church long ago apologized for the excesses of the Crusades and the Inquisition, and modified the behavior of the Church to make it more relevant in a modern world.
Religious criticism is important in the secular world to keep us focused on the spiritual realm. The Pope is the titular head of Christendom. He is not a politician, he is not a diplomat. Catholics believe that he is the selected incumbent for Christ on this earth. We expect Benedict to address the truth in religious matters and to make his arguments rationally and intelligently. We expect him to make those arguments even when the subject matter is uncomfortable to us.
Benedict threw a rock into a crowd last week. The fellow he hit is hollering. By failing to understand the words of the argument, they fail to make themselves relevant in a modern world. Islam has shown these past days that without violence it cannot survive.
I am no religious scholar, nor a scholar of any stripe. My words are pale echoes of much greater thinkers. Yet it seems to me that Islam doth protest too much. Islam would be much better served by making reasoned, intelligent arguments, not issuing fatwahs and firebombing churches. Conversion by the sword is a failed concept and religions that defend it are failed religions.
**UPDATE**: My words are indeed pale echos. Go here and read Francis Porretto's thoughts on the matter.
Pope Benedict delivered this week a thoughful, reasoned speech on religious conversion. In one passage, he quoted a recorded conversation that occurred between a Christian and a Persian during the late 12th century. They were then debating the value of conversion by the sword.
The Islamic world is hollering.
The value of reasoned arguments lies in the ability to convince people to change. Popes, over the years, have used reasoned arguments to make the Church relevant in the modern world. Jesus himself was the master at the reasoned argument delivered in a soft voice. Christians of every stripe have long since decried the use of violence to perpetuate the word of Christ. The Church long ago apologized for the excesses of the Crusades and the Inquisition, and modified the behavior of the Church to make it more relevant in a modern world.
Religious criticism is important in the secular world to keep us focused on the spiritual realm. The Pope is the titular head of Christendom. He is not a politician, he is not a diplomat. Catholics believe that he is the selected incumbent for Christ on this earth. We expect Benedict to address the truth in religious matters and to make his arguments rationally and intelligently. We expect him to make those arguments even when the subject matter is uncomfortable to us.
Benedict threw a rock into a crowd last week. The fellow he hit is hollering. By failing to understand the words of the argument, they fail to make themselves relevant in a modern world. Islam has shown these past days that without violence it cannot survive.
I am no religious scholar, nor a scholar of any stripe. My words are pale echoes of much greater thinkers. Yet it seems to me that Islam doth protest too much. Islam would be much better served by making reasoned, intelligent arguments, not issuing fatwahs and firebombing churches. Conversion by the sword is a failed concept and religions that defend it are failed religions.
**UPDATE**: My words are indeed pale echos. Go here and read Francis Porretto's thoughts on the matter.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Savage 110, 30-06
I got to shoot the new Savage 110 today, a total of nine rounds. I loaded ten rounds to get the rifle on paper, with a fairly light load of 47.0 grains of surplus 4895. I used the Hornady 150 grain SST bullet, along with Remington brass and CCI 200 primers.
When you use canister grade powder, you generally know what you are getting. When using surplus, you know you are in the ballpark, but individual lots are apt to vary in burn rate. Variable burn rates make the powder an unknown variable. For example, the IMR reloaders guide says that with a 150 grain Nosler bullet, we should start at 49 grains of 4895 and expect a velocity somewhere close to 2856 fps. The IMR tables say that the max load is at 53.0 grains of powder.
The newest Lee manual says that with a 150 grain jacketed bullet, we should start at 45.4 grains of 4895 and reach max velocities of 2880 fps with 49 grains of powder.
Based on those manuals, I built a starting load of 47.0 grains to give me a load that should put the rifle on paper with a velocity somewhere about 2750 fps. I was shooting this morning in varying light, as clouds were scudding aross the sun. The chrony gave me as many error readings as good velocities, but I was able to get enough readings to know that the 47.0 grain load was giving me an average 2781 fps with a Sd of 34.
The target from 100 yards looks like this.
Those are shots #7, 8, and 9 out of the new rifle. I expected about 2750 and the readings out of the chrony were 2781. That is very close to published data. The Sd was larger than I like for jacketed bullets, but a high Sd is often influenced by loading density. I think that when I start increasing the load in one grain increments, I'll find one where the Sd goes down. That particular load will be an accurate one.
And, it looks like the jug of 4895 I bought is real close to canister grade. That puts my mind at rest about using it for loads approaching max.
When you use canister grade powder, you generally know what you are getting. When using surplus, you know you are in the ballpark, but individual lots are apt to vary in burn rate. Variable burn rates make the powder an unknown variable. For example, the IMR reloaders guide says that with a 150 grain Nosler bullet, we should start at 49 grains of 4895 and expect a velocity somewhere close to 2856 fps. The IMR tables say that the max load is at 53.0 grains of powder.
The newest Lee manual says that with a 150 grain jacketed bullet, we should start at 45.4 grains of 4895 and reach max velocities of 2880 fps with 49 grains of powder.
Based on those manuals, I built a starting load of 47.0 grains to give me a load that should put the rifle on paper with a velocity somewhere about 2750 fps. I was shooting this morning in varying light, as clouds were scudding aross the sun. The chrony gave me as many error readings as good velocities, but I was able to get enough readings to know that the 47.0 grain load was giving me an average 2781 fps with a Sd of 34.
The target from 100 yards looks like this.
Those are shots #7, 8, and 9 out of the new rifle. I expected about 2750 and the readings out of the chrony were 2781. That is very close to published data. The Sd was larger than I like for jacketed bullets, but a high Sd is often influenced by loading density. I think that when I start increasing the load in one grain increments, I'll find one where the Sd goes down. That particular load will be an accurate one.
And, it looks like the jug of 4895 I bought is real close to canister grade. That puts my mind at rest about using it for loads approaching max.
Deer Lease
I spent the morning on the deer lease, working on a stand.
While I prefer to hunt deer by still hunting, I'm not able to do this yet on the lease, as I am hunting near other hunters this year. This year I will be stand hunting. If someone drops out of the lease next year, I can be assigned another area to hunt, and it will be exclusively mine, but because I am the new guy and the last hunter accepted on this lease, I have to take the leftovers.
However, the guys have gone out of the way to help me, and give me a good hunting area. Of course, you can click on these pictures for a larger view.
This photo is taken from my stand, down the shooting lane. The area is smack dab in the middle of a large thicket consisting of young pines and volunteer hardwoods. It is virtually impenetrable. From the spot where I took the picture, to the shadow at the end of the lane is 111 yards, prefect for any rifle in my battery, from the .243 to the .30-06. The .30-30 WCF should shine here, especially with my homemade 311041 bullet. This is a great cast bullet stand.
I planted the far end of the lane in a wheat/oats/rye mixture for late winter browse. I walked down there to see how my seed was doing and was disappointed to find that it hasn't sprouted yet, but in one spot where I spilled some seed, I found a track.
That is a deer track next to a .30-30 cartridge for scale. The deer are using my lane, and they've been investigating the seed I left on the ground.
I might think about putting a corn feeder on the end of the lane, but that decision will come later.
While I prefer to hunt deer by still hunting, I'm not able to do this yet on the lease, as I am hunting near other hunters this year. This year I will be stand hunting. If someone drops out of the lease next year, I can be assigned another area to hunt, and it will be exclusively mine, but because I am the new guy and the last hunter accepted on this lease, I have to take the leftovers.
However, the guys have gone out of the way to help me, and give me a good hunting area. Of course, you can click on these pictures for a larger view.
This photo is taken from my stand, down the shooting lane. The area is smack dab in the middle of a large thicket consisting of young pines and volunteer hardwoods. It is virtually impenetrable. From the spot where I took the picture, to the shadow at the end of the lane is 111 yards, prefect for any rifle in my battery, from the .243 to the .30-06. The .30-30 WCF should shine here, especially with my homemade 311041 bullet. This is a great cast bullet stand.
I planted the far end of the lane in a wheat/oats/rye mixture for late winter browse. I walked down there to see how my seed was doing and was disappointed to find that it hasn't sprouted yet, but in one spot where I spilled some seed, I found a track.
That is a deer track next to a .30-30 cartridge for scale. The deer are using my lane, and they've been investigating the seed I left on the ground.I might think about putting a corn feeder on the end of the lane, but that decision will come later.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Bolton - ASH
I left the house tonight to go to the Bolton-ASH game. Local high school football.
ASH (Alexandria Senior High, to the uninitiated) has a great fan base. Bolton's football team is up-and-coming and the two schools have a rivalry that extends back to the early 70s when ASH was built and took students from Bolton. Bolton is a 3A school, and ASH is a 4A school. This isn't a district game, it is an old rivalry.
Anyway, I went to ASH to see the game, and I couldn't get into the parking lot, so I came home and started looking for an AM radio. I don't own one, evidently. So, I google'd KSYL, the local radio station and found their live feed. I'm listening to the game on the computer.
Tonight's game is all ASH, all the time. The score in the middle of the 3rd quarter is 33-0. Bolton has a new coach, John Ware, and this is his first season. He's fighting a bunch of larger teams early in the season and can't expect to dominate them. Bolton starts their district matches in a couple of weeks, and Coach Ware believes that if we don't have many injuries early in the season, they'll have a good season against the district rivals.
As a Bolton alumni, I'd like to see Bolton have some successes on the gridiron and I have high hopes for the district games.
ASH (Alexandria Senior High, to the uninitiated) has a great fan base. Bolton's football team is up-and-coming and the two schools have a rivalry that extends back to the early 70s when ASH was built and took students from Bolton. Bolton is a 3A school, and ASH is a 4A school. This isn't a district game, it is an old rivalry.
Anyway, I went to ASH to see the game, and I couldn't get into the parking lot, so I came home and started looking for an AM radio. I don't own one, evidently. So, I google'd KSYL, the local radio station and found their live feed. I'm listening to the game on the computer.
Tonight's game is all ASH, all the time. The score in the middle of the 3rd quarter is 33-0. Bolton has a new coach, John Ware, and this is his first season. He's fighting a bunch of larger teams early in the season and can't expect to dominate them. Bolton starts their district matches in a couple of weeks, and Coach Ware believes that if we don't have many injuries early in the season, they'll have a good season against the district rivals.
As a Bolton alumni, I'd like to see Bolton have some successes on the gridiron and I have high hopes for the district games.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Col Jeff Cooper
I am given to understand that Colonel Jeff Cooper has suffered a major heart attack. I also understand he signed a DNR order. The news is not favorable for a recovery.
The guru, the founder of Gunsite, a major architect of the Modern Techique of the Pistol, and a rifle Master by his own right, Jeff Cooper is an icon in the shooting world.
We will miss him.
My condolences to the family, and prayers of godspeed to the Colonel.
Hat tip to Say Uncle.
UPDATE** Reports are confused at this time and his condition is being followed in this thread over at the 10-8 forums. The Colonel is home and resting, and my earlier report may be premature and in error. Our prayers continue to be with the Cooper family.
The guru, the founder of Gunsite, a major architect of the Modern Techique of the Pistol, and a rifle Master by his own right, Jeff Cooper is an icon in the shooting world.
We will miss him.
My condolences to the family, and prayers of godspeed to the Colonel.
Hat tip to Say Uncle.
UPDATE** Reports are confused at this time and his condition is being followed in this thread over at the 10-8 forums. The Colonel is home and resting, and my earlier report may be premature and in error. Our prayers continue to be with the Cooper family.
This idiot
This idiot thinks we need to repeal the Second Amendment.
Frankly, folks like me worry about folks like him. He is awash in violence, with fantasy tendencies about punching people. It's sad, really, that folks like him get published. But, it gets better.
No, the Second Amendment is about tyranny. It is the threat of the Second Amendment that guarantees the First Amendment. Mr. Kellerman is simply upset that his thesis is flawed, and that his arguments gain no traction. That is precisely why the Second Amendment exists, so that he can rant and rave about things he doesn't like.
I defend the right of Mr. Kellerman to rant at his leisure. I reserve the right to laugh at his poorly constructed arguments. I think the Founding Fathers would agree.
You got it - the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Frankly, folks, I'm tired of it. We debate it all the time and get nowhere, so I say let's just remove it all together.Frankly, it doesn't sound like he's enthralled with the First Amendment either, you know, Free Speech and all. He wants to punch people in the face. I'm a 53 year old PawPaw, and one of the reasons I carry a gun is because some young punk might want to hit me in the face.
But no. In America, if you question the Constitution or the founders, you might as well be questioning your own status as an American citizen. The founders are treated like prophets and the Constitution like the Bible. I am so tired of it! People throw quotes from Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin into political debates with me all the time, and I want to hit them in the face.
Frankly, folks like me worry about folks like him. He is awash in violence, with fantasy tendencies about punching people. It's sad, really, that folks like him get published. But, it gets better.
Let's repeal the Second Amendment and start over with new gun laws that actually make sense. Hunters should be able to hunt, and policemen should be able to protect our communities, but there are not many other reasons for people to have guns. Wouldn't it be great to appeal one ridiculous amendment and save thousands of lives? I sure think so, and I bet if those Founding Fathers whose words we defend were alive today, they would agree.Here, he just shows his ignorance. The Second Amendment isn't about hunting, or police protection. Any student with a high school education knows that (or should know it, based on readily available research).
No, the Second Amendment is about tyranny. It is the threat of the Second Amendment that guarantees the First Amendment. Mr. Kellerman is simply upset that his thesis is flawed, and that his arguments gain no traction. That is precisely why the Second Amendment exists, so that he can rant and rave about things he doesn't like.
I defend the right of Mr. Kellerman to rant at his leisure. I reserve the right to laugh at his poorly constructed arguments. I think the Founding Fathers would agree.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Dollar Store
I love a Dollar Store. There is all manner of stuff in a Dollar Store, and the two big chains are in some sort of competition lately, so they are building stores in extremely rural areas, like Libuse, and Holloway, LA. The two near my house both stock things like bread and milk and coffee, so if I'm in a hurry, I'll hit the Dollar Store.
I'm not single, being happily married for the last three years, but I was struck by the women in that Dollar Store. Country gals of every shape and style. If you like that country song about trashy women, then the Dollar Store is the place for you. In the ten minutes I was there, I saw half a dozen lookers come through the door.
Yeah, if I was a single man, I'd be hanging out in the parking lot of the dollar store.
I'm not single, being happily married for the last three years, but I was struck by the women in that Dollar Store. Country gals of every shape and style. If you like that country song about trashy women, then the Dollar Store is the place for you. In the ten minutes I was there, I saw half a dozen lookers come through the door.
Yeah, if I was a single man, I'd be hanging out in the parking lot of the dollar store.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Rolling Victory
Twenty four hours without food was not a problem. I stayed hydrated with black coffee and sweet iced tea. The lack of food was not a problem, but then I am a middle aged, overweight grandpa who could probably stand to miss a few meals.
After working a full shift, I came home, did some plumbing on the project house, filled in a trench I had dug, did some weed-eating, mowed some grass, and piddled around on my loading bench for an hour or so. I'll be abed in an hour or so and eat breakfast tomorrow morning.
Lesser mortals may have trouble fasting, but tankers are not lesser mortals.
Victory.
After working a full shift, I came home, did some plumbing on the project house, filled in a trench I had dug, did some weed-eating, mowed some grass, and piddled around on my loading bench for an hour or so. I'll be abed in an hour or so and eat breakfast tomorrow morning.
Lesser mortals may have trouble fasting, but tankers are not lesser mortals.
Victory.
Rolling Victory
Today, September 12, 2006 I am participating in the Rolling Victory Fast sponsored by the Tanker Brothers.
The Tanker Brothers are two brothers who are actually fighting the War on Terror. One is a Cav Tanker (and we all remember that if you ain't Cav, you ain't s*it.) The other is a Master Gunner, the keeper of the flame for Tank Gunnery.
Back in July, when ole Whatsername was fasting to end the War on Terror, and eating ice cream, The Tanker Brothers decided that ending the War on Terror was a good thing, but that we should end it victorious. I concur. They used ole Whatsername's idea of a rolling fast and to demonstrate that they could do it better, longer, with greater participation. They have succeeded.
Whatever it takes, whatever the sacrifice, victory comes first.
Now, as support goes, a fast is little sacrifice except to focus spiritual energy away from the physical world into the spiritual one. All major religions fast as part of their spiritual catechism. Yesterday I remembered September 11th. Today, while my stomach growls, I will contemplate the sacrifices that have been made since that time.
Because I have been both in the Cav (2/6 Cav) and line Armor (4/37AR) and as a former tanker (97%, Q1, M60A3), I signed up for my duty in solidarity with my brothers. It is my honor to do so.
Victory.
The Tanker Brothers are two brothers who are actually fighting the War on Terror. One is a Cav Tanker (and we all remember that if you ain't Cav, you ain't s*it.) The other is a Master Gunner, the keeper of the flame for Tank Gunnery.
Back in July, when ole Whatsername was fasting to end the War on Terror, and eating ice cream, The Tanker Brothers decided that ending the War on Terror was a good thing, but that we should end it victorious. I concur. They used ole Whatsername's idea of a rolling fast and to demonstrate that they could do it better, longer, with greater participation. They have succeeded.
Whatever it takes, whatever the sacrifice, victory comes first.
Now, as support goes, a fast is little sacrifice except to focus spiritual energy away from the physical world into the spiritual one. All major religions fast as part of their spiritual catechism. Yesterday I remembered September 11th. Today, while my stomach growls, I will contemplate the sacrifices that have been made since that time.
Because I have been both in the Cav (2/6 Cav) and line Armor (4/37AR) and as a former tanker (97%, Q1, M60A3), I signed up for my duty in solidarity with my brothers. It is my honor to do so.
Victory.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Where were you?
Where were you five years ago today?
I had worked a night shift. My relief showed up for five a.m. and I went home to bed and slumber. The phone rang about 7:50. The caller was Chris, a friend of the girlfriend, now my wife. I lay abed for a few minutes, getting the cobwebs out of my brain, and stumbled into the living room in my pajamas, turning the TV on shortly before 8:00 a.m. (All times central zone). I was trying to make sense of the disaster when I watched UA flight 175 crash into the South tower.
Today, we remember.
I had worked a night shift. My relief showed up for five a.m. and I went home to bed and slumber. The phone rang about 7:50. The caller was Chris, a friend of the girlfriend, now my wife. I lay abed for a few minutes, getting the cobwebs out of my brain, and stumbled into the living room in my pajamas, turning the TV on shortly before 8:00 a.m. (All times central zone). I was trying to make sense of the disaster when I watched UA flight 175 crash into the South tower.
Today, we remember.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
SST
I've heard good things about the Hornady SST bullet, so the last time I ordered from Midway, I took the opportunity to buy some SST bullets. These are the 150 grain .30 caliber bullets. I loaded them for the .30-06 with surplus 4895 powder.
IMR 4895 powder was originally a miliary powder for the .30-06 cartridge. While a lot of shooters say that there are better powders, this stuff came in my door as surplus powder, at a substantial cost savings. Of course, since the powder is an unknown variable in this rifle, I started the charges on the low side.
That is 25 cartridges with 5 of each load, and they go up in one grain increments, so I have five at X grains of surplus 4895, five at X+1 grains of 4895, five at X+2 grains of 4895 and so on. I mark the individual cartridges with a felt marker, either on the primer or on the bullet with a specific color, then put a cheat sheet in the box, so when I get to the range I'll know what cartridge holds which charge. When I shoot the targets, I'll transfer chrony data onto the target, then analyze that data when I get home.
Of course, while I'm firing, I'll shoot the lowest charges first and watch the primer for signs of pressure. If, for example, the X+3 load is showing pressure signs, I'll stop shooting. When I get home I'll disassemble the unfired cartridges and separate the components. There is no sense shooting something that might be unsafe.
I hope to find a load that will be sufficiently accurate that I can quit load developement and settle on a load for this rifle. The .30-06 has a reputation of being easy to load for. I'm betting that my primer/powder/bullet combination will yeild a good round.
We'll see.
IMR 4895 powder was originally a miliary powder for the .30-06 cartridge. While a lot of shooters say that there are better powders, this stuff came in my door as surplus powder, at a substantial cost savings. Of course, since the powder is an unknown variable in this rifle, I started the charges on the low side.
That is 25 cartridges with 5 of each load, and they go up in one grain increments, so I have five at X grains of surplus 4895, five at X+1 grains of 4895, five at X+2 grains of 4895 and so on. I mark the individual cartridges with a felt marker, either on the primer or on the bullet with a specific color, then put a cheat sheet in the box, so when I get to the range I'll know what cartridge holds which charge. When I shoot the targets, I'll transfer chrony data onto the target, then analyze that data when I get home.
Of course, while I'm firing, I'll shoot the lowest charges first and watch the primer for signs of pressure. If, for example, the X+3 load is showing pressure signs, I'll stop shooting. When I get home I'll disassemble the unfired cartridges and separate the components. There is no sense shooting something that might be unsafe.
I hope to find a load that will be sufficiently accurate that I can quit load developement and settle on a load for this rifle. The .30-06 has a reputation of being easy to load for. I'm betting that my primer/powder/bullet combination will yeild a good round.
We'll see.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Prepping
It'll be deer season in another few weeks, and all of the hunters are in the woods getting ready. As another lease holder told me this morning, "Deer season can turn into work." He's right.
I spent the morning in the woods today. I moved a stand to a location I talked about in this post. The stand is sturdy, but we did some damage moving it. Of course, I went to the woods without any tools. Next weekend I'll take some tools out, retrieve the damaged section and bring it back to town for repair. The stand had been standing in a three-year-old pine growth, and it was covered in vines and thorns. Now, it is near where it will stand and more importantly, I can back the truck up to it when I work on it. No need to trek through the woods.
At another stand, I planted twenty-five pounds of a wheat/oats/clover mixture. If we get any rain this week, it should start to germinate. I'll probably haul a mineral block out there too.
After I finish here, it is nap time. This evening, we're going dancing, with the Magnolia Dance Club. It's a good time, a private club populated by old fogeys like me. We begin at 7:00 and end promptly at 10:00. I'll get home early enough to get some sleep before church tomorrow morning.
Now, though, at 2:32, it's time for a nap. Y'all have a fun weekend.
I spent the morning in the woods today. I moved a stand to a location I talked about in this post. The stand is sturdy, but we did some damage moving it. Of course, I went to the woods without any tools. Next weekend I'll take some tools out, retrieve the damaged section and bring it back to town for repair. The stand had been standing in a three-year-old pine growth, and it was covered in vines and thorns. Now, it is near where it will stand and more importantly, I can back the truck up to it when I work on it. No need to trek through the woods.
At another stand, I planted twenty-five pounds of a wheat/oats/clover mixture. If we get any rain this week, it should start to germinate. I'll probably haul a mineral block out there too.
After I finish here, it is nap time. This evening, we're going dancing, with the Magnolia Dance Club. It's a good time, a private club populated by old fogeys like me. We begin at 7:00 and end promptly at 10:00. I'll get home early enough to get some sleep before church tomorrow morning.
Now, though, at 2:32, it's time for a nap. Y'all have a fun weekend.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Per Capita Income
This is good news! Per capita income is up in the Alexandria Municipal Statistical Area (MSA). Our income growth is the fourth in the nation.
We who love this area have always known the potential of Central Louisiana, with a good waterway and rail network. We're still waiting for the roads to catch up, but infrastructure takes time.
With infrastructure, you need an educated, motivated labor pool. I'd stack the Central Louisiana work force against any labor, anywhere. But, skills are absolutely necessary to get the good jobs. For example, Union Tank Car (UTLX) is hiring workers to build tank cars and all the activity associated with building those cars, from engineers to welders to bookkeepers to maintenance staff, and their salaries are very good. But the company insistes on educated labor and the hiring process weeds out a lot of folks who don't have what it takes.
My advice to all teens is: Stay in school. Graduate. Get skills training or go to college. The payoff is down the road.
Per-capita wages for those living in Rapides and Grant parishes grew at a blistering clip in 2005, enough for the area to rank fourth in the nation in personal income growth, according to a government report released Wednesday.Very good news indeed.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, estimates that for every man, woman and child in the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area, income rose 8.2 percent in 2005 compared with 2004.
We who love this area have always known the potential of Central Louisiana, with a good waterway and rail network. We're still waiting for the roads to catch up, but infrastructure takes time.
With infrastructure, you need an educated, motivated labor pool. I'd stack the Central Louisiana work force against any labor, anywhere. But, skills are absolutely necessary to get the good jobs. For example, Union Tank Car (UTLX) is hiring workers to build tank cars and all the activity associated with building those cars, from engineers to welders to bookkeepers to maintenance staff, and their salaries are very good. But the company insistes on educated labor and the hiring process weeds out a lot of folks who don't have what it takes.
My advice to all teens is: Stay in school. Graduate. Get skills training or go to college. The payoff is down the road.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Project house
It's been over a week since I did anything on the project house. We were busy with jobs and hospitals and recuperation. Today I stained the floor of the room. It's an acid stain, applied with a garden sprayer.
First, a good sweeping, then mop with a wet mop. After the concrete floor is dry, mix the stain in a garden spayer, 50-50 with water. Then spray it on the floor. It goes quickly. Very quickly. I'm waiting for the first coat to dry, then I'll put down another coat before it's too dark to see.
We're using Kemiko stain, in Malay Tan. It should give us a non-skid floor, which is especially important since this project will be a pool house.
Once the floor is stained, it will be time for running electricity, water, and putting up drywall. I still have to install a door and window.
I thought that putting down the floor this early in the process might be premature, but professionals tell me that the sooner you get the stain applied, the less chance you run with having something else stain the concrete. And because the acid is applied with a sprayer, applying it before you install drywall minimizes the chances of the stain damaging the wallboard. That makes sense to me.
The project is moving along, slowly but surely.
First, a good sweeping, then mop with a wet mop. After the concrete floor is dry, mix the stain in a garden spayer, 50-50 with water. Then spray it on the floor. It goes quickly. Very quickly. I'm waiting for the first coat to dry, then I'll put down another coat before it's too dark to see.
We're using Kemiko stain, in Malay Tan. It should give us a non-skid floor, which is especially important since this project will be a pool house.
Once the floor is stained, it will be time for running electricity, water, and putting up drywall. I still have to install a door and window.
I thought that putting down the floor this early in the process might be premature, but professionals tell me that the sooner you get the stain applied, the less chance you run with having something else stain the concrete. And because the acid is applied with a sprayer, applying it before you install drywall minimizes the chances of the stain damaging the wallboard. That makes sense to me.
The project is moving along, slowly but surely.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
New Oil
How about that. Chevron, with a couple of partners has discovered an oil field under the Gulf of Mexico that might boost known US reserves by as much as 50%. This is very good news for Louisiana.
Now, if we could get some cheap electricity (can anyone say nuclear?), then maybe energy would be assured until my grandkids get old enough to invent something spectacular that will give the world free energy forever. My buddy, who works for CLECO, tells me that nuclear energy is safe, clean, and almost free. He says that if they could get enough reactors online, then electricity costs would go way, way down.
Then we could throw all the environmentalists in a swamp and let the gators have at them. Then we could drain the swamp and turn it into farm land.
It's something to think about.
Now, if we could get some cheap electricity (can anyone say nuclear?), then maybe energy would be assured until my grandkids get old enough to invent something spectacular that will give the world free energy forever. My buddy, who works for CLECO, tells me that nuclear energy is safe, clean, and almost free. He says that if they could get enough reactors online, then electricity costs would go way, way down.
Then we could throw all the environmentalists in a swamp and let the gators have at them. Then we could drain the swamp and turn it into farm land.
It's something to think about.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Boresighting
When you install a scope on a rifle, it's a good idea to boresight it. Boresighting insures that the optics are aligned with the bore of the rifle. Boresighting doesn't take the place of zeroing the rifle with good ammunition, but it will save ammunition when zeroing the rifle.
One way to get the scope looking where the barrel looks is with a commercial boresight device like this one. You can spend a little or you can spend a lot.
Or you can go out into the front yard, set up a bench and look down the barrel, find a suitable target and adjust the scope to that target. Being the frugal sort that I am, I've never bought the device. I've always set up a bench in the front yard.
This morning I set up the bench and boresighted the .30-06 with the Weaver scope. My aiming point is a mailbox about a hundred yards from my house.
That mailbox has a good aiming point in the cross between the horizontal and vertical timbers. With the bolt out of the rifle, it was easy to look down the barrel and center that aiming point in the bore. I had mounted the scope on the rifle and the initial sighting showed that the scope was fairly well centered, but was off about six inches to the left. I easily brought that into line with the windage adjustment.
Now I know that the rifle should shoot close to where it looks and when I get some ammo assembled for it, conducting a proper zero at a proper range should be much easier. The rifle is boresighted with the scope.
Of course, there was no ammo anywhere close for that rifle, and the rifle itself was disassembled. I purposely took the bolt out and left it on the kitchen table.
The truly amazing thing was that this was a standard Saturday morning in a standard Louisiana subdivision. People were moving about and working in their yards. No one thought that there was anything odd about a man with a scoped rifle sitting at a bench in the driveway.
Ain't life grand?
One way to get the scope looking where the barrel looks is with a commercial boresight device like this one. You can spend a little or you can spend a lot.
Or you can go out into the front yard, set up a bench and look down the barrel, find a suitable target and adjust the scope to that target. Being the frugal sort that I am, I've never bought the device. I've always set up a bench in the front yard.
This morning I set up the bench and boresighted the .30-06 with the Weaver scope. My aiming point is a mailbox about a hundred yards from my house.
That mailbox has a good aiming point in the cross between the horizontal and vertical timbers. With the bolt out of the rifle, it was easy to look down the barrel and center that aiming point in the bore. I had mounted the scope on the rifle and the initial sighting showed that the scope was fairly well centered, but was off about six inches to the left. I easily brought that into line with the windage adjustment.
Now I know that the rifle should shoot close to where it looks and when I get some ammo assembled for it, conducting a proper zero at a proper range should be much easier. The rifle is boresighted with the scope.
Of course, there was no ammo anywhere close for that rifle, and the rifle itself was disassembled. I purposely took the bolt out and left it on the kitchen table.
The truly amazing thing was that this was a standard Saturday morning in a standard Louisiana subdivision. People were moving about and working in their yards. No one thought that there was anything odd about a man with a scoped rifle sitting at a bench in the driveway.
Ain't life grand?
Steve Irwin - RIP
I learned this morning that Steve Irwin, the famous Australian crocodile hunter is dead.
A tragic accident, while filming wildlife. A stingray, of all things.
My condolences, of course, to his wife and children.
Rest in Peace.
A tragic accident, while filming wildlife. A stingray, of all things.
My condolences, of course, to his wife and children.
Rest in Peace.
Deer Lease news
I'm sitting home this morning, nursing Milady (who is feeling much better, thank you) and got a phone call from my brother-in-law, Terry.
Terry lives just minutes from the deer lease and this time of year is out there almost every day. Our lease sits on land that is owned above-ground by a timber company. Everything below plow depth belongs to an oil company. We lease the right to hunt on it. Leasing land for hunting purposes is an accepted practice in Louisiana and some hunting clubs have histories that stretch back forty years or more. Timber operations, dry land oil operations and hunting activities are mutually beneficial. The timber company gets the trees, the oil company gets the minerals and the hunters watch over the place, letting the company know if there is a problem. Sometimes you might be sitting on your stand and have an oilfield company truck drive past. Or a hunter might watch a timber crew cruising timber. In a gun-friendly state, this is normal.
Safety for everyone is paramount. Target identification is crucial. We spend a lot of time around the campfire talking about shooting lanes and bullet flight and hunting safety. The last thing anyone wants is for a tragedy to occur, especially one that can be easily avoided.
Our lease sits on 20 year growth that was planted after the southern pine beetle decimated pine trees in the mid-1980s. Most of the lease was an impenetrable thicket that allowed the pine trees to grow unmolested. The timber company has been doing some thinning and clearing underbrush which opens up new areas to the sun. The oil company has been maintaining their rights-of-way and this also opens up new areas.
Hence the phone call from Terry. The oil company has cleared some flow lines, underground lines that bring brine from a well head to an aboveground tank. This brine is valuable as a mineral and is toxic to the environment, so it is captured when pumped and sold as by-product. The small flow lines are mini-pipelines. The oil company recently cleared a flow line through a thicket that was impenetrable for the past twenty years. One lane, ten feet wide, that runs a mile through that thicket from a well-head to a tank battery. Terry asked if I want it to put a stand. Yes, I do. The geography of the line is such that a shooter can only shoot down it in one direction. Shooting the other way would be a hazard to the main camp. Tragedy might result if a hunter fired east along the line. All shooting must be done to the west from that stand.
Yeah, I want that stand. It's an easy walk from the main camp and it covers ground that humans haven't tread in a decade or more. The deer are in that thicket, which covers a hundred or more acres and this flow line punches completely through it. Damn right I want that stand. I'll be at the lease next Saturday morning to claim it.
Terry lives just minutes from the deer lease and this time of year is out there almost every day. Our lease sits on land that is owned above-ground by a timber company. Everything below plow depth belongs to an oil company. We lease the right to hunt on it. Leasing land for hunting purposes is an accepted practice in Louisiana and some hunting clubs have histories that stretch back forty years or more. Timber operations, dry land oil operations and hunting activities are mutually beneficial. The timber company gets the trees, the oil company gets the minerals and the hunters watch over the place, letting the company know if there is a problem. Sometimes you might be sitting on your stand and have an oilfield company truck drive past. Or a hunter might watch a timber crew cruising timber. In a gun-friendly state, this is normal.
Safety for everyone is paramount. Target identification is crucial. We spend a lot of time around the campfire talking about shooting lanes and bullet flight and hunting safety. The last thing anyone wants is for a tragedy to occur, especially one that can be easily avoided.
Our lease sits on 20 year growth that was planted after the southern pine beetle decimated pine trees in the mid-1980s. Most of the lease was an impenetrable thicket that allowed the pine trees to grow unmolested. The timber company has been doing some thinning and clearing underbrush which opens up new areas to the sun. The oil company has been maintaining their rights-of-way and this also opens up new areas.
Hence the phone call from Terry. The oil company has cleared some flow lines, underground lines that bring brine from a well head to an aboveground tank. This brine is valuable as a mineral and is toxic to the environment, so it is captured when pumped and sold as by-product. The small flow lines are mini-pipelines. The oil company recently cleared a flow line through a thicket that was impenetrable for the past twenty years. One lane, ten feet wide, that runs a mile through that thicket from a well-head to a tank battery. Terry asked if I want it to put a stand. Yes, I do. The geography of the line is such that a shooter can only shoot down it in one direction. Shooting the other way would be a hazard to the main camp. Tragedy might result if a hunter fired east along the line. All shooting must be done to the west from that stand.
Yeah, I want that stand. It's an easy walk from the main camp and it covers ground that humans haven't tread in a decade or more. The deer are in that thicket, which covers a hundred or more acres and this flow line punches completely through it. Damn right I want that stand. I'll be at the lease next Saturday morning to claim it.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Home again
I got Milady home at noon today. I cooked her a Homestyle Bakes lunch and she is resting comfortably, if a little nauseous.
I'm now in nurse-maid mode. The irony there is that I'm not the nurse, she is. I hope my attentions don't kill her.
I'm thinking beef stew for supper. I make a helluva beef stew.
I'm now in nurse-maid mode. The irony there is that I'm not the nurse, she is. I hope my attentions don't kill her.
I'm thinking beef stew for supper. I make a helluva beef stew.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Hospital
Thursday, Milady noticed a spot on her upper lip was sore, and she thought she had an infection. By Friday, the pain was sufficient that she hied herself to the doctor, who looked at it, proclaimed a staph infection and put her in the hospital on antibiotics. This morning, he lanced it, cleaned it, and kept her in the hospital. I, of course, have been at the hospital all day.
She is fine, in good spirits, and bored out of her mind. She will be released tomorrow and our lives will get back to something resembling normal.
Staph infections can be damned inconvenient. As a registered nurse, Milady knows this. She knows those maladies that are within her purview to treat and she knows which ones are beyond her ability. I am forever having her look at strains, cuts, scrapes and other boo-boos, both on myself and the grandchildren. In five years, there has been just exactly one time where she looked me dead in the eye and ordered me to get my sorry butt to the emergency room.
I hate hospitals. There are sick people in hospitals. The one she checked into doesn't have internet access. With those prices, you would think the administration would have broken the code on wireless service to the rooms. Not hardly. They have a $60 million expansion in progress, with fences across roads and traffic horribly screwed up, but you can't get Yahoo! in the rooms.
I hate hospitals.
She is fine, in good spirits, and bored out of her mind. She will be released tomorrow and our lives will get back to something resembling normal.
Staph infections can be damned inconvenient. As a registered nurse, Milady knows this. She knows those maladies that are within her purview to treat and she knows which ones are beyond her ability. I am forever having her look at strains, cuts, scrapes and other boo-boos, both on myself and the grandchildren. In five years, there has been just exactly one time where she looked me dead in the eye and ordered me to get my sorry butt to the emergency room.
I hate hospitals. There are sick people in hospitals. The one she checked into doesn't have internet access. With those prices, you would think the administration would have broken the code on wireless service to the rooms. Not hardly. They have a $60 million expansion in progress, with fences across roads and traffic horribly screwed up, but you can't get Yahoo! in the rooms.
I hate hospitals.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Mentoring
Ben said, in comments:
But you're right that a reloader should have a mentor. With the ease of communication we have with the internet, there is no reason why the mentor has to be in the same room.
Ben, if you decide you want to start reloading and don't know anyone close by, contact me. I'd be happy to mentor you long-distance or help find someone closer that would look over your shoulder and show you the basics. Reloading is really easy with just a few basic tools and once you begin, you'll wonder why you waited so long.
Let me know if I can help.
I shoot a 257 roberts and have often thought of reloading for it, the Fedral round is so accurate and good never got around to it. I think a reloader needs a mentor also and never had one.I had a rifle like that once. A Remington Model 7, in 7mm-08. It shot the factory bullets with amazing accuracy, so much so that I never reloaded for it. A couple of boxes a year was all I needed and just never saw the reason to reload for that particular rifle.
But you're right that a reloader should have a mentor. With the ease of communication we have with the internet, there is no reason why the mentor has to be in the same room.
Ben, if you decide you want to start reloading and don't know anyone close by, contact me. I'd be happy to mentor you long-distance or help find someone closer that would look over your shoulder and show you the basics. Reloading is really easy with just a few basic tools and once you begin, you'll wonder why you waited so long.
Let me know if I can help.
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