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…

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America 

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. …

So many people today seems to have forgotten the reason these words were written. On this Independence Day, I’ve been reflecting on the ongoing and ever-increasing attacks on freedom by the obama administration and comrades over the years. The left’s ongoing war to strengthen their hold over free Americans has reached a level of oppression unmatched in recent history. We find ourselves fighting yet another war against tyranny.

The president and his conspirators — some willing, some just useful idiots — have recently pulled out a favorite tool of oppressive regimes throughout history. In the past weeks the enemies of freedom have shown their true colors through an unabashed promotion of secret “lists” to which they can add Americans, with no due process, or even knowledge, by the affected citizen. Not content with failed and ineffective attempts to track terrorists, those in power now seek to use their secret lists to deny Constitutional rights to law-abiding citizens. Of all this administration’s attacks on the Constitution and our freedom over the years, none could be more dangerous than this. It’s telling when we realize that this latest attack on freedom is opposed by both the NRA and the ACLU.

Let’s celebrate our nation’s history, and the liberty and prosperity it provides. This is still the greatest nation that has ever existed. God had blessed us for over 200 years. Unfortunately there are those who seek to destroy what has been built. Many in and out of government seem to forget, or choose to ignore, the Founding Fathers’ precept that they gain their authority “from the consent of the governed.” So as we celebrate our first break from an overbearing government two hundred and forty years ago, we must be ever mindful of the threat we face today from within our own government. Today’s holiday serves as a warning as much as a celebration. We’ve had reason to be concerned for years, but to still deny the threat now is both foolhardy and ignorant.

Enjoy the celebrations. And pray for the future.

I got to spend part of this Independence weekend shooting a fun IDPA match, though it was somewhat ironic to be doing it in the less-than-free state of Maryland. This was the first time I attended the monthly match at the Sanner’s Lake Sportsmen’s Club in Lexington Park, MD. I was a little concerned about the two hour drive and early morning alarm clock setting, but as it turned out, the day was more than worth those minor inconveniences. Excepting the early morning sun that stayed in my eyes most of the trip, the drive was scenic and I arrived with time to spare.

The match consisted of six stages, requiring about 90 rounds to complete. That’s a relatively high round count for most local matches I attend, so that was a bonus and made the drive time even more worthwhile.

The first stage our squad shot started with the loaded gun in an IDPA box on a table, along with the magazines. Beginning the stage with a short run to the table to retrieve the gun, we then engaged six targets in tactical sequence. The placement of the targets behind non-threats and in small ports in a wall pretty much made head shots a requirement. Finishing the stage -0 was a great way to start the match.

The next scenario started seated at a table, with the unloaded gun and all needed mags on the table. Loading the gun, we engaged targets on either side while seated. The grabbing a magazine — most folks did a tactical reload here — we moved to engage five targets that were behind a wall of barrels.

Next up was a “standards” stage with three targets at seven yards. All the targets had parts of the bodies and heads painted as hard cover. A total, and limit, of eighteen shots was required; two on each target freestyle, then strong hand only, then support hand only, all in a single string. At least two head shots were required on each target. I felt I dropped too many points on the stage, but still finished well.

Following that challenge, we moved to a stage shot entirely on the move. There were three open targets downrange beyond three barrels arranged in a triangle about 7 yards apart. We were allowed three magazines loaded to six rounds each. Two shots were put on each target, while moving around the barrels in three directions; across, forward, then backing up, with a reload at each direction change.

The fifth stage shot had us starting behind a barrel, then engaging three target while advancing to a wall. At the wall there were three more targets engaged from cover. Then we made a fast spring to find the final two targets hidden low behind a row of barrels. It was a fast, fun stage and I finished down just 2 points.

The last stage simulated shooting over the hood and through the window of a car, with six fairly open targets, though with at least one head shot forced by hard cover. Some low shots found me -5 for the stage.

There was a lot of variety found in the courses of fire. (Photos of all the stages can be found here.) There were head shots, close and far targets, shooting on the move at both open and partial targets, loaded and unloaded starts, as well as holstered and table starts. It was quite an enjoyable match, and an awesome start to the holiday weekend. I was very pleased with how I shot, placing very well in the division, classification and overall stats. As always, there was a thing or two to improve on, but if there wasn’t, what would be the point?

Since it was a new venue for me, I didn’t know anyone on my squad (nor I believe, anyone at the match) but the folks were all friendly and a very enjoyable time was had. The well-organized match moved smoothly and quickly. We started shooting around 9:00 AM and were finished by 11:30. As suspected, the drive home took longer than the morning drive. A combination of accidents and holiday traffic added about 30 minutes to the drive. Despite the drive time, I am glad I made the decision to make the trip. I’m looking forward to getting to another Sanner’s Lake IDPA match soon.

In a story similar to yesterday’s post, we’ve learned that yet another long-closed restaurant in our area will soon be replaced. BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse has plans for the former Bailey’s Pub & Grill in the Central Park shopping area. The current building will be demolished and replaced by a 7,536 square foot restaurant including an outdoor seating area.

It looks like we may soon have another local option for craft beer and food enjoyment. Signs announcing “Harry’s Alehouse Opening Fall 2016” have appeared in a nearby shopping center. Neither their web site or Facebook page have much in the way of…

The June IDPA match at Cavalier held this past Saturday was a super fun match with summer activity themed stage designs. The pleasant, warm weather added to the enjoyment and made for quite a pleasant morning.

The first stage consisted of two separate strings of fire. We started standing at the grill, “cooking” a steak, with our strong hand on a spatula. There were four targets to be engaged in tactical sequence. For the second string, we took a seat at the table and placed the gun in a lidded box. For this string we shot four more targets, near to far, while seated. The last target of the string was well-hidden behind a barrel requiring a hard lean to hit it.

Moving to the next stage, we found a long clothesline with laundry strung across the bay. Starting with our hands on a laundry basket, when then move across the bay shooting at target down range. Moving around the clothes line, we then moved down range engaging targets from various cover positions.

Next up was a run ’n gun type stage. The movement was more like a USPSA stage than what is usually seen in an IDPA match, but still a fun challenge. The seven targets were arranged behind walls, requiring the shooter to cross back and forth into the corners as he progressed down range.

The last stage was the most challenging in my opinion, but perhaps also the most fun. We started standing behind a lawn mower. Giving the mower a hard shove forward activated a very fast, disappearing up-down target, along with a swinger target. The challenge was to push the mower, then draw the gun and get two hits on the disappearing target before it vanished. Following the two moving targets there were five more targets to be engaged.

Our squad consisted of just seven shooters, so we moved quickly through the match. In addition, the other morning squad was started two stages over so we never ran up against them. Thanks to superb organization, and no delays between stages, all five strings in the four stages were shot in less than two hours.

I felt good about how I shot, and had a great time to boot! Apparently, many other shooters had a good day as well. When the results were posted I was further down in the overall order than I had expected. But, that’s fine too; the only person I really compete with is myself. Nonetheless, it was still a very enjoyable morning at the range. I made it home in time to enjoy lunch with my family and then continue the weekend-long garage cleanup project.