A Fun Little Saturday

Ya, I overdid it again. The morning sun was bright, the air still and warming, the traffic light and coffee hot and strong.

Guess what I did today.

A few days ago I discovered a little gun shop called Spurlock's. Really, a great, laid back place. Most sales people at other, more prominent Las Vegas area gun shops seem to wince or snicker when they discover I am only interested in .22 rifles and hand guns. This isn't necessarily true; but is a test of sorts.

The sales person at Spurlock's passed with flying colors. Without wince or snicker he showed me his selection of .22 long guns. One caught my eye. A Marlin 25MN .22 magnum rifle. As you can see from the above picture, once the sights are dialed in, it is quite effective at 50 yards. Yes, that is a quarter I hit at 50 yards.

Respect. Just respect what the customer wants. Maybe that is what is needed in relationships; simple, straightforward, unflinching respect.

Oh, today I ordered a Beretta NEOS from Spurlock's and they have a nice little 380 that caught my eye. Just respect.

Another Project?

Last Saturday I broke, or minimally, damaged my foot. While quite painfull, at least it was colorful. The hues of blue and purple were quite... intriguing.

Wednesday my boss was nice enough to let us off work early. No, I didn't kick back and relax; no time. Given three hours before sundown, taking advantage of the available light, I manage to change the oil in my pickup, do a little electrical diagnostic work and remove and disassemble the front carb from my Suzuki.

I thought it would be a good idea. My foot had other thoughts. Where just that morning, most of the purple and blue was gone, it was back; pain included.

So rather than work on my bike today, which would involve a lot of bending and moving and Ibuprofen, I started another little project... The restoration of a Winchester Model 67 single shot bolt action rifle.

After reading a few websites that discussed gun restoration, and a few purchases at the local sporting goods store, I was ready. First the old finish had to be stripped. That was easy, just a

few squirts of remover, 15 minutes and it came right off. That was the easy part.

Then was the sanding. With a coarse grit sanding foam block, 180 I believe, then with a 360, it was ready for a steel wool scrub down. While my arms got a nice work out, my left foot didn't need to move around much.

After wiping the whole thing down with a dry cloth, it was time to apply the Tru-Oil finish. The instructions said to apply with my fingers? O... K...

Honestly, the first coat went on nicely. This is an old gun, likely from the late 1930's and has a real walnut stock. After some more rubbing down with steel wool and a few more coats, she is going to be pretty!

(Just a note... the dark marks in the stock are stains from the previous owner. Sanding them out might not be a good idea as there is no telling how deep in the wood they go.)

My Yearly Trip to North Carolina - With a Bonus!

This is what I awoke to see, nearly every morning a few weeks ago. Having morning coffee on the deck overlooking my friend's farm was sublime.

This yearly pilgrimage began three years ago when I rode my little Honda Rebel to visit. It wasn't easy riding a little Rebel 5800 miles round trip, but without a doubt, the friendship and fantastic view was worth it.

Last year I rode my Sporty down to Florida, then up to my friend's farm, and then back home. There was little time to visit on that trip. This inconvenience was likely a blessing; her boyfriend was a little psycho.

So, this year I flew. The visit time was much longer and her boyfriend is a great fellow. There was just something missing and I know what it was. It was the ride; the journey that was different.

What was the bonus? I spent time sharing stories and having a beer in front of a bon-fire with none other than Wooley Bugger! Buddy, I am definitely riding back there so you can show me some of the back roads and museums.

Did I Do Something Wrong, Officer?

I have only a few speeding tickets to my name. That didn't matter.

I have had multiple FBI NCIC background checks over the course of the past two years. That didn't matter.

I was not carrying contraband. That didn't matter.

Opt-out was not explained to me. That didn't matter.

When I purchased my flight ticket from Orbitz last month, I do not recall agreeing to a violation such as this. It didn't matter.

Yes, I went through a backscatter X-Ray machine at the Raleigh Durham airport.

While not necessarily a prude, the knowledge that some un-named person somewhere saw me naked is a little unsettling. There is no transparency. Doctors or other medical professionals seeing me "au naturale" can be researched and reviewed. A lawyer can check up on any law enforcement officer giving me a pat-down. Not so for this.

While I am not a scare monger, conspiracy advocate nor against any form of lawful protection, this is troublesome. Jokingly, I can think, 'Damn, someone saw me naked and I didn't even get lunch out of the deal.' Nonetheless, it is disturbing.

When planning my next trip, I will seriously consider utilizing other modes of transportation.