I'm Bent!

An event that would have been unthinkable 10, 20+ years ago has happened. My cousin is restoring the Family home his Father grew up in. It has been difficult and quite frankly not cheap.

Some lowlifes broke in this past week and ripped the house off.

On top of that his Father has had a setback and about the same time was placed in an assisted living center this week. My Uncle is pushing 90 and has Diabetes. My Cousin is flying in as soon as he can from the left coast.

My Uncle back in the day at the house.

 















There is a temp service pole for electricity there. All tools were stolen. The rough in wiring for new electrical was in place and details are hard to come by if they stripped the copper or not. 

I am so pissed right now! I have never felt so impotent. For someone to come do that in My Familys home for decades I can't comprehend. 

It's getting cold there and that house was cold even with interior plaster walls. No matter. I'm ready to go spend weekends there with a kerosene heater and a sleeping bag.
I know where to hide a car there. I did it oh so many years ago. Perhaps they will be ready for a rematch? I assure you it would be different!

 
 
  

Heavy Metal!

In a previous post I commented on an animation technique called rotoscoping. 

Here is old school ink on cell animation of a B-17 having a bad day. Bonus music. Don Felder.

More bonus same movie with a totally different animation technique. Ah, the 80's.   

I Worked Here!

Back in the day. The first "professional job" after being a newly minted AAS Degree holder in Electronic Engineering. Western Electric North Carolina Works. In *cough* 1980's something. I have read many books covering the history of WE, but the North Carolina works remains a mystery. Very little documentation seems to be found on this facility. 

So on Ebay I find a brochure that was given to the public that attended an open house. In 1957. I had to get it. 

Here you go!

Yes, the front was that big! Then on to some black and white photos on the inside.
 

Yes it is that large! Somewhat intimidating as well for a young man to navigate.

 Sadly, we had no such functions! 

I was in this room for a tetanus shot. It had not changed greatly in 30 years.

Except for the ceiling mounted clock the cafeteria was virtually unchanged. 


It's still there, but I do not know what it does if anything now. I need to drive by it sometime to see what's up. Sad really.


 


 

  

Soon!

It's coming. The Airshow oh about ten minutes from the house! I can see most of the stuff from my front porch.
Sadly no Tora, Tora, Tora recreation it seems this year. No matter! I will be there!

Info HERE! 

PIRATEHAWK! AAR

So I jump in the car and head north to a black powder shoot. Arriving in a portion of VA that is WAY too close to really being "up north". 

So I show up at our gracious hostess's house at the prescribed time. After meeting everyone and finding the coffee (yes it should come out of a spigot and +1 on the big honking thing that dispensed the elixir of the gods!). We get to it. If someone is in period correct clothing and wants to give a history lesson, well lets say I am pleased!   

We get to it. Rifles, pistols, blunderbuss all the things that are firearm assault weapons version 1.0!

 
















Here is Nancy on the Blunderbuss! Firearms were stacked like firewood!

Sadly, no pic of me shooting one. I had everything setup and had a failure to feed. No matter! 

I also won a really cool cap. From no other than Andy! The condition was that if you won it you had to take a picture of yourself with it. Sigh... Nancy makes a much better model than I, but to comply:

Sorry Murph, I did have to wear it to get it! It's on the way to ya! After your loss it was the least I could do! So what the hell happened to the Pistol Training hat I gave ya? 

I had a great time! Can't wait to do it again.

Failure to feed.

In the seventeen hundreds this was a bit more of a problem!







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Almost 50 Years of Evolution

I own several Mustangs. Most are considered first generation. That is 1964-1973. I have driven others as well. My 1994 serves as a daily driver and approaches 20 years of service.

I must say this. The 2013 is the most sure footed, the fastest, the quickest stopping, and most comfortable to date. A seven hour trip today. I trust this one as much as I trust all the rest to do the job, but comfortable is nice!




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Its that Time of Year!

Time to rotate the defensive loads in the carry handguns. I used to think that I did this more than most.  I clear carry handguns of defensive loads and load round ball to shoot at the range.  I also clear them before classes and reload before students and I go to the range.  I may be right, but if you run to the range with your defensive tool at least once a month, you may be in the same boat as me. 

There are problems with this.  A semi automatic loads a cartridge rather violently.  The slide coming back from recoil strips a round from the magazine and shoves it into the feed ramp of the barrel.  This action may drive the bullet into the casing over time resulting in two malfunctions.  Failure to feed and bullet setback. 

Bullet setback may result in overpressure of the round upon firing.  I really don't think that it will result in exceeding SAMMI limits, but why would you risk firing a fragmentation grenade about 3 feet from your face? 

Failure to feed may result if you reset the round in a different place in the magazine over time. Click, no bang is not something I need to hear! 

So people groan but if you have carried it for a year, shoot it. I mean really. IF AOJ has been met and you present a firearm at another human being I hope that you will prevail. Why skimp on the ammo?

Oh, FTC, I bought the ammo! 

Assault Weapon!

I thought it would be in poor form to go to a Blackpowder shoot only equipped with a Plastic 9mm bullet hose especially when meeting new friends. Mr. Curmudgeon kindly offered this to take. 

Assault weapon version 1.0! It has been in his family for decades yet we can find only limited information about it. Anyone that offers "info" sprouts generic terms and makes an offer on it. So, even if not shooting it I can say I arrived with correct equipment!

Blogshoot!

Nancy over at Excels at Nothing is having a Blogshoot next weekend! Me? I'm going! Can't wait!

Oh, Old NFO? I went today and got a haircut! The power was out in yuppieville though. They looked like zombies standing in front of the bagel place. My barber from WV was having none of that. She drug a barber chair into the frount of the place to have some light and I got an old school comb and shear job. No trimmers, and a straight razor on the neck! 

So there!

 






















Apparently the iThingy has the camera filter set to uumpaloopa, but you get the idea!

NRA Instructor Development Class AAR

So, Old NFO and I run out to Bill's class on the NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home class for some "training Sir".

I was not disappointed. Aside from seeing NFO again I got to meet Bill. I thought that the Friday one on one class for BIT would be a ball of suck. That did not happen. Although I have taken the class before the one on one as instructor to instructor was very entertaining and Bill is an engaging instructor. He kept me interested in the course and we shared observations on teaching.

Then we meet the next day for the meat of the trip. I have to say, the course material to be presented for students is all encompassing and through. I met Bill's son Mike and another interesting gentleman by the name of Tim. 

Here is Bill, Mike, and Tim running the qual course of fire. 





Me? Well you can go over to Bill and NFO's blogs to see my humble attempts at it. I TOLD these guys not to put pics or videos of me up as it would be detrimental to the traffic on their blogs. They did so anyway. 

Here is my target. Double taps from low ready X 10. I really screwed the pooch on this one. Dropped one. 

 

   











At the end of the day I passed qual so I shut up and move forward. Guess what I am going to be working on this weekend at the range =) I can do better than this. I know it and have done so in the past. Shooting is a perishable skill.

Oh, I need to go back to Vinton IA. Here is the view from the parking lot of the hotel.

America still exists. You just have to look for it. 


We did go to the Amana Colonies. The best German food I have had in a long time! I did come home with this souvenir. 

It was filled with Millstone Iowa Pale Ale. An excellent beer and NFO was kind enough to drive back. Hey a Naval Flight Officer at the wheel on the rent a speck? I'm cool with that!

A good time, great classes and can't wait to go back!