Saturday, February 28, 2009

Trailer recovery

A family incoming from Maine lost their transmission pulling a 35' trailer near El Centro yesterday. They're coming to help in our church/community for a couple months. They got situated in an RV park there overnight. We had to hustle over early and get them, their trailer and get them situated at a friends place where they'll be staying.

Some sights along the way heading east on I-8...

A little after sunrise heading up to the Laguna summit.


Stopped to deposit the morning's coffee at a Indian Casino along the way. Interesting military vehicles on flatbeds in the truck parking area...


Dropping down to the desert. The boulder fields always impress me.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Comprehending Engineers

A pastor, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a
particularly slow group of golfers.

The engineer fumed: "What's with these guys? We must have been
waiting for 15 minutes!"

The doctor chimed in: "I don't know, but I've never seen such
ineptitude!"

The pastor said: "Hey, here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a
word with him." "Hi, George what's with that group ahead of us?
They're rather slow, aren't they?"

The greens keeper replied: "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire
fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire
last year, so we always let them play
for free anytime."

The group was silent for a moment.

The pastor said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer
for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my
ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't these guys play at night?"

Friday morning muse

I'm bushed. What a week! What a coupla weeks!

The calm after the strom...
Stream of consciousness. Sewer line. Septic tank. Tractor rentals. Tractor delivery guy stuck. 3 different days hiring/directing crews of laborers. Retaining walls. Tile and coping wrapped up. Nearly 30 tons of rock delivered, backfilled, staged for next phase or spread on drive. Ordered pool equipment. Getting by the bank to cut cashier check for pool equipment. Scheduling pool plumber and electrician. Planning next phase -- pool hardscape, including stairs/height transitions. Writing checks. Lots of checks. BIG checks. Ouch. Making it to the Divine Miss M's high school soccer match. They won their first post season game. Yea! That's good 'cause they're toast in Saturday's game. /heh Heavy emotional risk/stress church elder/pastoring/intervention/oversight type stuff -- big doin's with concerns for church unity. This all happening with a much loved "pillar of the church" type family. Perhaps my closest friend over the past 20 years. First full week on my internist Dr's medicinal food wellness program. Juggling life while figuring out how to manage that in the middle of all the other fun. Hey, dropped 6 lbs! Those are the easy ones though. Stress? Yeah. Wake up at zero dark thirty a couple days with it all running through my head. Yeah. Fun? Yeah. Fun. Looking back, this is great stuff.

Deep breath. Exhale.

Relaxed.

Hey, we're ready with hookups for RV's now! That's fulfillment of a longtime dream. Yee-hah!

It's been quite a week. That''ll do pig. That'll do.

In other news...

This caught my eye this morning. Whattya think of the questions about President Obama's eligibility for office? Anything to it? Just a bunch of tinfoil hatter kooks?

Sorta wonder if this might get (ahem) interesting.

Now retired Maj. Gen. Carroll D. Childers has submitted a statement to Taitz and her DefendOurFreedoms.us website, agreeing to be a plaintiff in her pending action.

"I agree to be a plaintiff in the legal action to be filed by Orly Taitz, Esq. in a petition for a declaratory judgement (sic) that Barack Hussein Obama is not qualified to be president of the U.S., nor to be commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, in that I am or was a sworn member of the U.S. military (subject to recall)," he wrote.

...more on that

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The great thing about wakiing up in the morning...

Some more Chuck Norris facts. This time coming from The Greatest Generation -- Chuck's 87 yr old grandmother...

-- Get back to the basics. Simplify your life. Live within your means.
-- Be humble and willing to work.
-- Be rich in love.
-- Be a part of a community.
-- Help someone else.
-- Lean upon God for help and strength.

Read Chuck's whole column... An 87-Year-Old's Economic Survival Guide

Oh, while we're on the subject of Chuck Norris facts, remember that "The best part of waking up is not Folgers in your cup, but knowing that Chuck Norris didn't kill you in your sleep."

Good Samaritan

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story Of the Good Samaritan.

She asked the class, "If you saw a Person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, What would you do?"

After a moment a thoughtful little girl finally broke the silence, "I think I'd throw up."

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Fill 'er up and Ali Baba

Something weird happened to photos from the last couple days. This is the only one that scales properly on this site.

Rented a small bobcat yesterday. The rental yard dropped it off bright and early. Then the driver promptly got stuck trying to get his truck and flatbed trailer out of our lot.

Twice.

First time I had to get him unstuck with some help from my day labor help.
Disconnected the trailer. Dragged it back uphill with a pickup.
Watched him spin his F450 dually into deeper and deeper holes.

Finally he invited me to give it a try (I wonder if it coulda been the look on my face that I was trying to surpress that screamed "CITY BOYZ!").
/heh

Got it rocking and out easily enough. Had to. The pressure was on me.
/double heh

Then he got it all sideways across the entrance and ran his front wheel up behind the wall along the road and nearly high centered on the wall. Stuck good that time. No way out short of moving 3-4 yds of earth to build a ramp off the wall onto the road.

I left him alone at that point -- had a crew to get moving on backfilling and compacting trenches. We had already lost over an hour. His boss sent out a tractor and finally got him rolling an hour or tow later.

The septic pumper came. I had them install a riser on the one lid that is under 3-4 ft of cover. Ouch. More off budget spending. Worth it.

All of this on my wife, love my life and significant other's anniversary of her 39th birthday. Took the family down the hill to Ali Baba's for a late dinner to celebrate -- awesome Chaldean food. Happily no delayed effects or intestinal distress. Old friends (missionary couple from Ensenada) were up for the day and came by to crash for the night in the granny flat. Talked late. Good fellowship.

Got 4-5 yds of gravel spread over the recent dig area this morning. More rock on the way tomorrow to have a clean parking area. RV/missionary family due to arrive Friday an be the first to use the hookups.

Been a couple of days for the books for sure.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Lot's Wife

The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted.


'My Mommy looked back once while she was Driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

Monday, February 23, 2009

Ruhh-rohh

The Son&Heir doing some tough digging in decomposed granite. Had to get a few more inches of drop for the waste line coming from the shop. The tractor didn't quite get enough out along that line to the downhill tee.
The tougher digging was going downhill to the tank. There was a waterline in the way of the trac hoe. The only practical way to dig that by hand was with a jackhammmer. It's insanely good (decomposed granite) soil for building on and has been compacted to 90% or better when we graded last summer. A pick fairly bounces off it unless it's soaked -- then it makes a wee dent.

Of course the trench is too narrow for the jackhammer to get sideways. So, we just had to make do working the jackhammer on an angle in the trench.

We stopped with some work still to do on that downhill line, because, as we worked down to the fitting it was clear something was stinking in Denmark.

Here's where the "ruhh-rohh" came in for the day. That's the Y with the tight line coming in from the house. The tank is right there. Looks like a leak in here somewhere...


Yup. There's the tank and the input line is ovaled. Looks like the grading last summer got too close and tweaked that line. I had a vertical cleanout tied to the unused end of the Y to mark it for this RV/Shop dig we're doing. The old tractor operator hit it a coupla times an it must have torqued the line. That would explain it being it not being round any longer.

Sam did the honors. /heh



"Alright boys. Let's get digging, find the plug, and take a look!"
Sneak a peek and take a sniff.

"Nope, nope. That doesn't look right. Could be a blockage. Better call my septic contractor. Clear the whole lid!"

Meanwhile up at the pool...

The tile and coping maestro was hard at it getting some hours in on Saturday (making for recent rain days).

Q: "Clear the whole lid? How big is this thing?"

A:"2500 gal. Lid is 10' long."
Response as sunset approaches and weather starts blowing in, "Unggghhh."


Not enough fill on this end (12") and a whole bunch on that end (4'). That's some mansized hand digging in well compacted decomposed granite overburden.

Finally got the lid all cleared off....
"Clean 'er up boys, before the rain quits teasing and gets serious."

*UPDATE: Septic man says we're ok, just pump 'er while it's open and put a 2' riser on the cover under the deep fill.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I can see for piles and piles

Looking west out toward the road past the future shop location (left of photo at far end of the waste line). Lots of dirt! More than I'd estimated. We're working back up against a bit of slope out to the road. That's made for some pretty good digging up to the tee. It's nearly 4' where we make the connection to the downhill and tank. Well over that as we head to the photo's right and downhill.


This is looking north and down the slope to the field where we'll tie in to the waste tank and seepage pit today. We're pretty much at the limits of the trench walls to hold without slumping when the tractors working on it. Esp, at the bottom of that slope.
It's going to require a fair bit of hand digging to get the line tied in and the drop on the line consistent. I've got a couple young backs coming today to work with the Son&Heir on that part while I work with my handyman helper to get the line dropping and glued up correctly.

Here's the piles and trench looking back east toward the back fence and pool (uphill of photo to the right)

In the in between today (time permitting) while we glue up and get the pipe drop set I'll get the young hands backfilling about 200' of irrigation lines that we finally got finished over by the fruit trees on the road. That's contingent on how early and eager all my young hands will show. TBD...

Also need to finish backfilling the keystone retaining wall uphill of the pool deck. There's a 2 courses of stone to add (2 pallets worth) and about 10 yds of back fill to wheelbarrow up hill and compact. Thankfully my handyman helper has a compaction foot on his 60lb electric jackhammer. We've been putting that to good use with all this trenching and backfilling.


Meanwhile back at the pool the coping and tile is on the home stretch. Here's a view of the finished, grouted coping around the spa.
He's got a coupla tile accent piece diamonds to install. Other than that I imagine the tile should be finished and grouted by Tuesday.

Hey! Bosco the Chocolate Lab Wonder Dog just barked! That only happens about 3 times a year. Looks like coping guy showed up to work on Saturday. That was unexpected.

Time to saddle up. Gotta get "off and on" now...

Friday, February 20, 2009

Bright and early

The bobcat operator was back at it, unloading and getting set to dig early today with his trac hoe. He's come to dig about 100' of trench. I'm putting in a waste line from the septic tank in the field up to the drive. That line will run across to a T at the upper edge of the drive and then along the drive and across the foot of the slope below the pool.

At one end (out of the photo to the left) it'll be stubbed out for a shop and studio apartment to be built later (D.V.). Closer to the pool end of the drive (photo center and right), I'm putting in a couple cleanouts for RV dumps.

That part of the drive is wide enough to park a couple large RV's end to end with room to spare. The hose bib is already there for RV service. The wire chase for one RV 30A service is underground but (not wired up yet).

Here's a wider view of the tile and coping progress. The waterline and raised bondbeam tile is just about done and ready for grout. He's on the homestretch with the stone coping too.


It got a bit tricky at this end trying to set the stones in the pool cover deck plates at the same level as the north wall coping. He should have set the deck plate stone first. When I left him he was back on track and making it all work out level. Fortunately had a small enough differential that he can get by with careful selection of thinner stones to place over the deckplate.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Last Supper

Last night was the end of "no program." Today was the start of the "new program." The start of the "Lifestyle Change" proscribed by my Internist Doc and his RN/nutritionist.

That's all well and good. I was off and running early with my plan for the day mapped out.

Then reality bit. A big lunch meeting by some unknown group in a conf room near my office resulted in big leftovers on the hallway counter later.

First day of the program? That's the easy day. Temptation, Hah. I speet on you!

You're going to have to do better than that (i'm sure you will on about day 3 of 4).

I plundered the massive plate of humus (2 Legume portions a day, ya see) and stashed in tupperware in my little fridge under my desk.

Deine PAPIERE!!!

Brown or black? Shirt that is.



...more

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Vintage Custom Mauser

Ok, now humor me while I geek out on a beautiful piece of custom gun work. A long time ago somebody paid a pretty penny for this fine bit of what looks to be German or Austrian gunsmith art -- or at least in that tradition.

It brought back memories. The older man who got me into reloading and took me along on many of my early deer hunts had a very similar rifle. An 8mm-06 of Austrian craftsmanship with double set triggers and a similar stock (sans fancy scope and carving).

I apologize for the crude photography. This particular merchant of death must be saving on his power bill. I've been in better lit bars.

The wood and metal are in fine condition even though the blue is long gone. The metal is mostly in the white but not pitted.

First off look at the lovely butter knife bolt handle. Don't stop there.
Get a load of the double set triggers (sigh).
Try and look away from that scope and dovetail mounting system with see through mounts.

Go ahead. Take your eyes off it. I dare you.

HAH! Sorta like trying to maintain gentlemenly above the neckline eye contact while conversing with Jessica Simpson isn't it?
I forget what that mounting system is called. I do remember it's insanely expensive. Only seen nowadays on the finest bespoke rifles from the continent.
How about those classic open sights? Wake up in cold sweats at night dreaming of taking a shot at a onrushing dangerous game? Then those are the sights for you.

Next photo: get a load of the finely formed Schnabel forearm. Oooh-ahhh...
See that sling swivel soldered to the barrel?
Hard to make out in this shot but once more with feeling: Ooooh-ahhhh...



Finally a better look at the wood. Nicely figured walnut but not overly fancy -- still tightly grained enough to be strong and utilitarian for a magnum field rifle.

Here's the last big ticket item. A fine piece of wood working. Out of fashion these days but really a well executed piece of classic custom stockmaker's art.


Caliber? The barrel is stamped.338 mag. I dunno if that's a .338 Win Mag or a Norma Mag. This being a European piece of work, or at least heavily influenced by European style, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a .338 Norma Magnum but I don't know the history of that cartridge. The .338 Win Mag was introduced in 1958. This rifle and scope look to be that nearly old; at least as far as styling goes.

I reckon you couldn't touch it new for less than $4-5K these days. Maybe more. I dunno. That's not a market price point I venture into. You can have this one for just north of US$800.

DeVore Drama

Is Chuck DeVore the one who can beat Senator "Dumb as a Box of rockster" in the next CA Senatorial race?

DeVore just resigned as Chief Republican Whip in Sacramento. This from his campaign office over differences with the "go along to get along" RINO leadership...

...resigned his leadership position in protest, and blasted the Assembly's deal:

“This proposed agreement strikes at the heart of our longtime opposition to tax increases. Excessive taxation both harms the economy and robs hardworking Californians of a portion of their liberty. Placing our Caucus squarely in line with tax increases also demoralizes our supporters – people who were counting on us to hold the line.

“For these reasons, I believe it is appropriate for me to resign as Chief Republican Whip, effective immediately. I can no longer participate as a leader on a team that is preparing to make a fundamental mistake of colossal proportions. For the sake of California I hope I am wrong – however, I fear I am right and that this tax increase and budget deal will result in more harm to the Golden State than good.”


...more

Ephesians 2:11-22

"Part 5" available online now. Link

I thought this would be the easy half of Chapter 2. Hah.

It was a tough week to prep and a surprisingly difficult passage to get the "word for today to Laurel" application from.



may God bless the reading of His Word...

The beat goes on

After a day off for rain, the tile and stone crew is back at it today. One man is getting started setting tile above the water line on the raised bond beam (not visible here).

The other is leveling the top of that same raised bond bed with a bed of mortar. He's using pegboard type material tacked to the wall as a form and guide. He'll come back and set the coping stone on that base.



These guys do good work. They'd do Bezalel proud.


Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.
Proverbs 22:29

Monday, February 16, 2009

Heaven or Hell?


Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French
and
It's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss
and
It's all organized by the Italians.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

lead poisoning

Well sort of. Casting lead (boolitts and shot) has been on my wish list of potential diversions for a couple years now. Casters call the hobby a disease. /heh

I have the minimum set of equipment for smelting scrap lead into suitable size ingots (camp stove, old plumbers pot, rusty muffin tins, cast iron ladle).

What I've lacked til now is a supply of scrap lead -- in particular used wheel weights. I've made a few inquiries at larger tire shops and snooped around online sales sites like Craigslist, Ebay, Gunbroker and such. Buying scrap(no matter how cheap and "worth it" just seems to run counter to the spirit of the quest. Sure it's about the casting process but it's also about the joy of being frugal (miserly? obsessively cheap?).

Well I feel like I hit the jackpot yesterday when I was at my regular auto mechanic's shop getting an oil and diesel fuel filter changed. Only recently did I realize they did a small but regular business selling tires in their back service bay.

"Hey!" says I to the owner's son. "Whattya do with your old wheel weights?" Thinking they had some scrap buyer relationship.

"We just throw 'em out" says he. Well, I nearly fell over.

"Mind if I leave a bucket here for you and come get them regularly?" asks me.

"No problem."

Yee-hah!
I drove away with a partial bucket full (screaming and doing a jig inside my car) and returned with another bucket w/ my name and number on it later in the day.

Making tracks

Pool cover tracks that is...

The track sits in a groove in the wall and overlaps the top of the waterline tile. The remaining wall above will be filled and tiled down to a finished edge with the top of the track.



A closer look at the track in the raised bond beam and also of the deck plates that go over the pool cover box. The coping will be set in mud on top of those plates and will finish flush with the deck.


Here's a view of the track and deckplates still exposed on the north side of the pool. The coping will cantilever over that track obscuring it from view when finished.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Word o' the day

"Planarity and parallelism." The pool walls need to be both for the cover's tracks to operator properly.

First order of business for the tile and coping was to float the pool walls at and above the waterline out to parallel planes.

The tile and coping guys have finally gotten busy.

The cover's tracks will flush mount on/in the walls on the trued up surfaces. Here's the north wall's edge all floated out to new, flat line.



Here they're improvising forms and guides for floating the wall out to a plane that's parallel with the opposite side of the pool. The raised bond beam about the track slot ended up with over 1" of mud in some spots to bring them up to the line.


Meantime, another man worked on fitting stone for the coping...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

If you don't like your Uncle Sammy

When seconds count...

A lady at church asked me in alarm recently, "You have a gun?!!! Why?"

I answered, "Because a cop would be too heavy."


A Tucson homeowner, alerted of an impending home invasion by his home security cameras, arms himself and takes matters into his hands last Thursday when four armed suspects attempt to break into his home.

You see a vehicle pull up, and four men run out. One of them is carrying what appears to be an AR-15 or M-16, a weapon which could be fully automatic.

The robbery happened in broad dayligh More..t at a home on West Vande Loo Street. All the action was caught by the homeowners outdoor surveillance system.

The victim was able to get back inside his house, close his door, semi barricade it, reach for a weapon that was easily accessible.

The homeowner shot at the suspects.
He even put a bullet through the windshield of the suspects car, which is also caught on camera.

The four men retreated and took off.

...more


When seconds count the police are minutes away.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A different vision...


This 12 point plan for economic growth and recovery from "American Solutions" and Newt...

Washington solutions of more money for more government, more power for politicians, more debt, and more bureaucrats will not lead to real growth in jobs and prosperity.

We need a clear and decisive alternative that creates jobs and rewards work, saving, and investment.

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus. With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.

2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.

3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate. Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.

4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.

5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget. This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.

6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud. Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.

7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.

8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.

9. Protect Our Right to Vote in the Workplace. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union.

10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley. This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups. Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.

11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.

12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.


...more

Whattya think?
Any bones to pick with it? Anything missing?

#5 Control Spending? Great idea. Unfortunately it's become a trite and cliche'd soundbite.

How about we quit pussy footing around the issue and advocate serious structural Reaganesque change? We should lobby for elimination of completely unnecessary, obsolete and unsuccessful departments of government. I'm not even going get into the constitutionality discussion about some these dept's. Let's just talk ROE and reduncancy. Start with the Dept of Energy, BATFE, Commerce, Education and HHS. That's just to show it can be done. The is way longer than that.

#12 sounds squishy and poll driven to me. ATC system? Is it THAT big an issue? How about directly advocating safe nuke construction and removing Carter era restrictions on post processing waste? I guess he got some o' dat buried in #7.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Redneck war on drugs

'Hello, is this the Sheriff's Office?'

'Yes. What can I do for you?'

'I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Virgil Smith....He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside them logs, but he's hidin' it there.'

'Thank you very much for the call, sir.'

The next day, the Sheriff's Deputies descend on Virgil's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Virgil and leave.

A short time later, the phone rings at Virgil' s house.

'Hey, Virgil! This here's Floyd....Did the
Sheriff come?'

'Yeah!'

'Did they chop your firewood? '

'Yep!'
'Happy Birthday, buddy!'

(Rednecks know how to git-R-dun).

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Fun with Solas

The five solas that is...

Speaking on Eph 2:1-10 tomorrow. So many excellent rabbit trails to follow (like the 5 Solas). Gotta follow Curly's word of wisdom to preachers though,find the "One thing."

I must admit Ephesians freaks me as a speaker. This one had me locked in the headlights for a bit. Throw Romans or Hebrews at me and "no problemo."

Guess I don't feel like I can do Ephesians justice -- like I'm messing with Paul's Magnum Opus.

Yeah well, (says I to myself) this isn't about me as a speaker.
(reminds myself)

When we're weak, He is strong.
The power is in the living word.
Ergo, less of me, more of the Word.


Then it dawned on me that most folks probably feel overwhelmed by the richness of the book (not to mention the run on sentences).

Their eyes glass over like mine do when reading Ephesians first few chapters due to Paul's writing style. It's just crazy how richly layered these first chapters are.

I can almost hear Gamaliel to Paul, "You get an A+ for content but I''m taking off 5 pts for sentence structure and run-on sentences."

So, I backed off and am working on KISS. Know your audience, no? In attendance we have all ages, recent refugees from at least 10 countries and tribes in Africa, and new believers from a wide range of church backgrounds (from Catholic and Anglican to Pentecostal).

I'm just going to preach a simple outline of Eph 2:1-10:
What we were v1-3
What God did about it v4-6
Why He did it v7 (and how He did it vs 8,9)
What His will is for believers v10

Then get to application:
v 8,9 the gospel message (The Bridge Illustration) for unbelievers
v10 Christian living for believers.

There hath no temptation taken you...

...but such as is common to man;

Both the Backup and Speed Six sold before I got back there. Whew! My already blown budget was saved by the bell.


...and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,...


Now back to life's priorities before those momentary distractions: God, family, church...

Of course, lurking around the corner there's always another CMP spend, a CZ 9mm RAMI 2075...
... or the ultimate for me -- a leap off the collector's (and financial) cliff by getting a Curio & Relics collectors license (Type 03 FFL).


...but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13

Friday, February 6, 2009

Lust of the eyes

I made a mistake and walked into one of my favorite local merchants of death's parlor yesterday.

First to catch my eye was a .380 AMT Backup on consignment at an attractive price. Not many options in that form factor available in CA. No Ruger LCP's and such allowed for sale except to LEOs. The little pocket piece was tempting but not sure about the trigger and reliability of the AMT. They went out of business.

Next to catch my eye was an immaculate 2 3/4" stainless steel Ruger Speed Six in 9mm.
(click to see full images)
Holy 147 +P+ JHP potential Batman! That Ruger's strong enough to run handloads in a 9mm to nearly .357 power levels.

I've had no interest in 9mm revolvers but that Speed Six was like butter in my hands. Also was at an attractive price point -- from checking auction sites it looks like I could make money on it.

The little revolver's an unusual piece. That's an autoloader cartridge in a revolver. It requires use of moon clips. I'm beginning to see the advantages in the moonclip arrangement. Esp here in California with all the restrictions on loaded carry. Moonclips are faster into battery than speed loaders in a revolver. In fact, a revolver with moonclips can be put into battery as fast as an autoloader. Then it can be unloaded and ready to be reloaded again w/ less hassle than a magazine feed gun which always has the loose round from the chamber than needs set back into the magazine.

Also moonclips are handy for unloaded open carry or unloaded vehicle carry in a lockbox (moonclips eliminateissues w/ loose rounds when unloading/reloading).

*Back to the merchant of death's display cases...

den I spots da 2 1/2" 7 shot S&W 686.

I'm dying now.
Kid in a candy shop.
Sensory overload.
Man, that is just about the perfect handful. Better move on down the counter...

Ohh noooooo, two 6" Model 27s of 70's vintage.
Nearly the epitomy of American artistry in blued metal and walnut.
Keep moving.
I'm dying. I need air. Must. Get. To vehicle.

Ignore the Model of 1917 45ACP in the next case.

Too. Much. Stimulation.

Did I mention the old nickel plated 4" Colt 38 special? The one with the ivory grips?


Never mind.
/walks away trying to refocus on life's proper priorities

Eyes.... Right!

from the mouths of babes...

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Fired up!


... and a bit distracted.

My 2 readers in San Dog need to clear your schedules and plan on being at the SD school board meeting Feb 10 with pro-RKBA and pro-JROTC people.

We've got the word out to local American Legion and NRA council and around on gun lists at work and on the intrar-web-thing. Also posted to conservative radio talkers Rick Roberts and Roger Hedgecock. See if it gets through their filters and whether they do anything to raise awareness of it.

What am I talking about? Air rifles in high schools for teaching JROTC Cadets.
LINK

Rick Jahnkow is at it again with military counter recruitment. This time with a "leetle tweest."

Ostensibly it's about opposing air rifle training on site schools for JROTC (as if that's a bad thing!). LINK

I read the website and immediately it smelled rotten -- as if it's about much more than air-rifles. Sure enough Jahnkow's behind it. It's really an anti-JROTC, anti-military recruitment tactic.

If you download the Word document on their website is from Rick Jahnkow, who's an anti-military peace nut. This is not being done by a few parents who're upset, it's being organized by well-funded peaceniks to stir people up to fit THEIR military counter-recruitement agenda.

The old American Legion would have handled these sort of commie agitatores a little more (ahem) directly. Some history...

The spirit of "Reds" and the Wobblies persists. It is a deep, old, cancer...


h/t to Paw Paw for calling to attention.

pool delay

Been slow dancing with the tile and coping contractor. Was supposed to start Monday. As of late Friday afternoon he was still mumbling and reluctant to give a quote. Finally got a budgetary estimate out of him. As if I was going to turn him loose on the job with a blank check and nothing in writing.

Business must be good for him. Finally got him to mumble a number.

YIKES! Now I know why he was mumbling.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Dying to see the Doctor?

Doctors:
A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.
C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

*Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Health Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000..
(Yes, that's 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.

*Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN,BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.

We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand !!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention