July. In Virginia. The weather is expected to be hot. Very hot. For Sunday’s Cavalier IDPA Match, that condition was met, in the extreme. I hadn’t shot a match in three weeks, so I sure wasn’t going to let a bit of oppressive summer weather and a heat advisory stand in the way of the fun.

I came across this display the other day. It made me sad.

Given that president Obama’s greatest legacy may be that flags are perpetually at half-staff, we’ll probably see even more of this. Knowledge of how to properly display our nation’s flags seems to be a lost art.

The opportunities to try out new craft beers have been few of late, other activities taking priority. However, as hinted at in previous posts, during our travels to Montana last week I had the chance to try out a decent selection of craft beers.

The “vacation beer” list kicked of with a Virginia beer, Satan’s Pony from South Street Brewery in Charlottesville, while eating lunch at the Dulles Airport. The easy-drinking Red Ale was a good way to prep for the rigors of air travel.

Arriving in Montana, I was soon relaxing with a St. Pauli Girl Lager. Not overly exciting, but it was in the fridge at my in-laws. Maybe it was the location, or the company, but it wasn’t horrible.

Soon the exploration of Montana-brewed beers was in full swing, kicking off with Irresistible Amber Ale by Madison River Brewing Company with lunch during a visit to Great Falls. On the return trip back to the Flathead Lake area, we stopped at the local grocery store to add a six pack of Highlander Devils Hump Red Ale from Missoula Brewing Company to the home base fridge options.

Another day found us eating lunch at Tamarack Brewing Company. With that feast I enjoyed pints of Lakeside Pale Ale and Rye Sally Rye PA.

We also paid a visit to Flathead Lake Brewing Company, where we started out with a flight of five beers; Bufflehead Brown Ale, Rising Sun Espresso Porter, Two Rivers Pale Ale, Centennial IPA, and Swimmer’s Itch Saison.

The final Montana beer of the trip was Copper John Scotch Ale, another one from Madison River Brewing, enjoyed during another lunch outing. (It seems we ate often too.)

What turned out to be the final beer of the trip was had at a Mexican restaurant. I opted to enjoy a couple pints of Dos Equis Special Lager — when in Rome, and all that.

We had a couple hour layover scheduled around dinner time in Minneapolis during the trip home. I was looking forward to relaxing with a some local beers at the airport. Alas, our Delta flight was delayed, meaning a quick run between gates to catch our connecting flight. As an aside, despite their claim of the best on time record for domestic airlines, three of our four Delta flight legs ran late. And two of those flights were further delayed at the gate for mechanical issues.

It certainly wasn’t the most prolific trip in regard to new beers, but the ones we tried were all quite good. I enjoyed ten different beers from Montana breweries, plus a few sips stolen from the beers Colleen enjoyed. That’s not disappointing given the limited time, and it’s big state with lots to see. We drove over 1,000 miles during our visit. “Big Sky Country” offered amazing scenery, good food, and it’s not lacking in craft beer either.

From the 2016 Republican Party Platform, as adopted on July 18…

We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a natural inalienable right that predates the Constitution and is secured by the Second Amendment. Lawful gun ownership enables Americans to exercise their God-given right of self- defense for the safety of their homes, their loved ones, and their communities.

We salute the Republican Congress for defending the right to keep and bear arms by preventing the President from installing a new liberal majority on the Supreme Court. The confirmation to the Court of additional anti-gun justices would eviscerate the Second Amendment’s fundamental protections. Already, local officials in the nation’s capital and elsewhere are defying the Court’s decisions upholding an individual right to bear arms as affirmed by the Supreme Court in Heller and McDonald. We support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states. We support constitutional carry statutes and salute the states that have passed them. We oppose ill-conceived laws that would restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popular and common modern rifle. We also oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process of law.

We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the current Administration’s illegal harassment of firearm dealers. We oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition, and restoration of the ill-fated Clinton gun ban. We call for a thorough investigation — by a new Republican administration — of the deadly “Fast and Furious” operation perpetrated by Department of Justice officials who approved and allowed illegal sales of guns to known violent criminals.

Contrast that with Hillary’s view of the 2nd Amendment…

“If it is a constitutional right, then it, like every other constitutional right, is subject to reasonable regulation.”

As with most on the left, there’s no part of the Constitution she doesn’t seek to destroy.

This video from Brevard County, Florida Sheriff Wayne Ivey becomes more relevant with each passing day.As Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper concluded in Principles of Personal Defense, “It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal, a…

Another local brewery we visited while in Montana was the Flathead Lake Brewing in Bigfork. We had driven by several times during our visit and had noticed the brewpub parking lot was always very full around dinner time. This was obviously a popul…

During our recent trip to visit family in the Flathead Valley of Montana, I made a point to drink regional brews whenever possible. We also squeezed in visit to a couple of local brew pubs. One of the places we visited was Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside, MT.

It’s all in your point of view…Woman:  Do you drink beer?Man:  YesWoman:  How many beers a day?Man:  Usually about 3Woman:  How much do you pay per beer?Man: $5.00 which includes a tip.Woman:  And how long have you been …

St. Michael the Archangel,defend us in battle.Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,and do thou,O Prince of the heavenly hosts,by the power of God,cast into hell Satan,and all the evil spirits,…

While I’m not as avid about it as I was a few years ago, I still try to get in some dry fire practice once or twice a week. I generally use my shot timer to start each practice string. However, since the timer doesn’t pick up the hammer fall from the u…