Shoot The Glock

So you get up, shower, say your prayers, walk the dog and buy a coffee from the local pick 'n steal, then you visit the sick; congratulations, you're on task, but what next?  Get out in the field and shoot, obviously.

I chose a Glock 21 because I like it, you might favor another weapon, like a .357 Magnum and that's fine. There's no rule. 

Targets were simple. A steel turkey at around 50 yards, steel plates at 25 and a Gatorade bottle wherever I felt like putting it. Fine, but did I still know how to shoot? Good question.

In the end, yes, but it took about half a box of cheap Federal .45 ACP to get back in the swing of things. BOOM. Tink. Down goes the turkey and BOOM, take that, Gatorade bottle as you fly through the air. The steel plates met their match too, once I'd warmed up. Boom, tink, swing.

Satisfying and, for me at least, exciting. There's something about the explosive power of a handgun that gets the adrenaline up, big fun. Still, if you plan on hitting your target you'd better practice. I reminded myself of that today.

Of course all this is banned in England, but not to worry, Brits. Nanny State will protect you.

Gun rights,

LSP

Catch A Falling Star, Fighter

Falling star? Who, the exotic Djinn, Huma? No, real stars, the ones they have in space. I say this because a church person invited me to the Meyers Observatory for a "star party." In case you don't know, a star party is an event at which astronomers get together and look at the stars, through their telescopes.

Well, the Meyers Observatory has a good 'scope, and I kid you not. Strange, eh? Who knew that there was a serious observatory outside of the bucolic Texan hamlet of Clifton? Not me, that's for sure, but there it is.

You park up on top of Observatory Hill, or whatever it's called, and breathe in the smell of sage, mesquite and cedar. For me that's the smell of Texas and I love it, then you notice that there's an enormous telescope.

Inside the telescopic fortress are keen astronomers, people who devote their lives to the stars, Magi with Servers. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, the den-of-geek. But you know what, their enthusiasm has a point, the heavens themselves, and you can see these through the Observatory 'scope.

Two of the Telescope's servants rigged up an eye-piece, applied themselves to a dimly redlit laptop and got to work. "What do you want to see?" their leader called out to the dark room of the Observatory's tower, "M13, M27?"

The scope moved on its preset drive to point at the right location in the sky, like a gun on a great battleship. Then there it was, a nebula, hanging in front of you in the eye-piece, 1400 light years away, along with the bright, diamond stars. It was like being transported to space itself.

Then, all too soon, it was time to snap back to local time and space and head back to the Compound.

Thanks, CH, for a great evening.

Ad Astra,

LSP

Love Texas

After Mass on Sunday, two church ladies were talking about a town notable. Some time ago, he'd gotten into the beer and decided to saddle up and charge around town. His wife called her friend, "Have you seen my husband?" and the friend replied, "Have you seen my horse?" She hadn't, then all became clear.

"Well look at this," said the friend, "Your jackass has just turned up on my horse." Apparently he liked nothing better than to ride around town. I asked a matriarch whether that was against the law, thinking to myself that I'd like nothing better than to ride around town. She looked at me, "I don't think anyone ever told him that."

Someone's written a clever article saying that Texas has become a "caricature of itself." Others might say that the Lone Star State is larger than life and twice as big, the map alone suggests it. For goodness sake, you could put a large chunk of England in the Panhandle alone. But what do I think?

A Typical Cowboy

I'd say that the spirit of the frontier isn't that far away from this state, especially when you're in the countryside; it wasn't so long ago that people rode their horses in this town. 

I'm in favor of that.

All for Texas,

LSP

Go Fishing After Mass

There's all kinds of ways you can relax on Sunday afternoon after Mass and I'll share one option with you. Go to a lake somewhere in central Texas and catch some fish, or at least try. With that in mind, I put a rod in the bed of the rig, Blue Crankbait in the cab and drove off to RV with GWB at a lake.

Hope Springs Eternal

Would I catch any fish, I asked myself hopefully, as Blue Eschaton frisked and gamboled in the lakeside pasture. Remembering past success, I put a sparkly green worm on a Bass hook and cast off. Bass love sparkly green worms, I thought, full of pescatorial wisdom. 

A Bass

Strike! Fish on, the rod bent double and out played the line. Big excitement in LSPland, I can tell you, and after a decent fight I reeled in a Bass. Good result. A little later, GWB tipped up and cast off with a spinner but soon retired to watch a Sand Hill Crane through a spotting scope. There it was, a Sandhill Crane. 

Recon

I kept fishing, however, which is a sport that's all about perseverance, and was rewarded with a fair sized Catfish that struck my plastic worm near the surface. Again, big excitement, top water hi-jinx, but he slipped the hook after thrashing about in the water like an enraged Great White. Readers, all three of you, don't underestimate the fury of the fish. Then, as the sun was beginning to set, another Bass decided to strike, this time hitting a blue worm. Bass love blue plastic worms. Well, at least this one did, and that was that.

A Typical Texas Sunset

Fishing adventure over, we scouted out the land near the lake for potential predator calling and hunting. It's beautiful country and remarkably green and lush, which will change all too soon under the fierce Texan sun; the country even has hills and views, or vistas. Rremarkable, it's like Gloucestershire, except for the bobcats, snakes, coyotes and wild pigs.

Speaking of which, the man who farms there says that pigs are always a problem and I guess they are, except when they're on the grill.

God bless Texas,

LSP

Pistols at Night

I visited some church people the other night and blessed their compound. Then, after a delicious dinner of grilled to perfection venison, looked out at the stars from their back deck. It was tranquil, being out there in the country air without the noise and light pollution of the city.

And a good environment to open fire with a pistol on an old oil drum. Behold the explosive power of pistols at night! Great fun, not that I'm, ahem, childish or anything...

Thanks, D&L, for the hospitality.

Gun rights,

LSP