He asked if I wanted to see the rifles and I said, “Sure!”. He went up into the attic and came down with a rusty old shotgun, and with a .22 caliber, single shot, bolt action rifle that looked like it was brand new. And that’s because it was as good as new. He told me the rifle had never been shot! He even showed me a little box of bullets that he bought at the same time as the rifle, with all of the bullets still inside. He bought these things in 1962, fifty years ago!

The best part? My dad offered me the rifles, and I eagerly accepted his generosity!

The .22 rifle has the words “J.C. Higgins Model 41″ on the barrel. I have since found out that this was a rifle made by Marlin Firearms, a North Carolina company. Marlin rebranded the rifles as “J.C. Higgins” exclusively for Sears. The little box of .22 Long ammunition also was in a Sears box.

I wrote Marlin and was able to get a users manual for the rifle. Though he can’t remember, I was able to find out that my father probably paid about $19 for the rifle in 1962. It is now worth about $125 – $150. I learned from various gun blogs and sites that this was a rifle many kids got from their fathers as their first rifle, to learn about shooting. It is reportedly easy to shoot and remarkably accurate.

So I brought it home and dropped it off at ProShots Range for a cleaning and inspection. The guys at the range had a good little time with it. They said it was in perfect operating condition. I think they were a little jealous.

I have had a chance to shoot the little rifle, and it is indeed very accurate. More than that, it is really fun to shoot! Since it is a .22, there is essentially no kick. It is very quiet. The single shot bolt action is actually fun to work/play with. And the very best part, I know the rifle will always remind me of my father. What a treasure!

At Tortilla Flat I noticed a few birds flying. At first I thought a black one with a long tail was a Great-tailed Grackle, which we see all the time in Scottsdale/Tempe/Phoenix. But this one had a prominent show of white in its underwing, a red eye, and a spiky head. It was a Phainopepla! A life bird for us! We had our binoculars with us so we could see details, but unfortunately we did not have our big camera and long lens. Our pix are from a point and shoot.

As we were oohing and aahing, we heard the familiar song and tapping of a woodpecker. But, what!? In the Sonoran Desert!? We looked to the sound and in a far away Saguaro cactus saw another life bird. The Gila Woodpecker! It was doing its thing, making its nest on the side of the cactus, where it will later forage for food. Sorry the pictures are so poor, but we know it’s the bird because it’s the only woodpecker that lives in this part of the country.

And finally, one our way back, we stopped on the side of the road to take a closer look at a large black bird sitting on a post. We figured it was a Common Raven until we saw the white ring around its neck. We took good enough pictures to later identify it as a Chihuahuan Raven, which happened to be in the northernmost part of its range, an unusual find. We may never see it again. Life bird number three in one day!

We did not intend to go birding during this trip, which was all about Kelly and Jason’s wedding. But funny how when you least expect it, you can be so wonderfully surprised!

It was a short but beautiful ride. I hope to drive more of it some day, with an off-road four-wheel drive for the unpaved part of the Apache Trail. And next time, we’ll bring our good camera and lens!

Kelly wanted a very sunny place for her college studies and chose Arizona State University. That was ten years ago. She loved the Arizona desert so much that she has made it her home. She has long since graduated, has been working full time as a Clinical Research Coordinator, is back in school for an advanced degree, just started a business called Armstrong Adaptations, and while planning for her wedding also completed a half marathon run! She is a busy girl! And somehow she finds time for one of her passions which is salsa dancing. Actually, she was a competitive ballroom dancer in college, and her first job out of college was as a dance instructor. She finds much more joy, though, salsa dancing with her friends at the salsa clubs. And through all that she found the joy of her life, Jason Armstrong, who is now her husband!

So family and friends gathered in Scottsdale, AZ for her wedding last Friday. Here is a picture of Kelly and me in the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, which is where the outdoor wedding and the reception took place. The building in the background is The Clayton on the Park, which is where the reception was held.

The Spring temperature was a lovely, dry 85 degrees during the day, and a very comfortable 70 degrees by 10 PM. Here is a shot of the park between the wedding site and the reception site.

And here is Kelly at a spot on the park known as The Marshall Garden, on the day before her wedding on that exact spot.

And here are some shots of the wedding itself. First, of course, because it’s MY blog, the bride and her father:

The wedding party (photo by Craig Amrine):

The wedding music: (Doesn’t everyone have mariachi love songs at their wedding?)

Walking down the aisle, Karen my ex, Kelly the beautiful bride, and me:

Part of the ceremony:

Dig the red shoes!

The vows (photo by Craig Amrine):

The newly marrieds, Kelly and Jason Armstrong:

…and by photographer Craig Amrine:

All my children and me!

From left to right are my son-in-law Mike, his wife/my pregnant daughter Megan, me, Kelly, Jason, my daughter Ginny, and my son Kevin.

My parents:

And I’ll finish with three more pictures of the beautiful/handsome couple, Kelly and Jason Armstrong! (The first two photos by Craig Amrine.)

Kelly and Jason are two beautiful and outstanding young people! I am proud to welcome Jason into our loving family, just as I know they have welcomed Kelly into theirs. May they live long and prosper, and may the odds be ever in their favor! (The Hunger Games opened on the same day as their wedding.)

I am very happy!

I’ll try to gather reception pictures/movies to share on another post.

It was a nice family event, kids welcome. ProShots Range is that kind of place. Terry’s wife and children were there, too. First Community Bank helped sponsor the event, providing good eats and a door prize. All in all, a really nice evening!

Terry is a public speaker on the topic of Body Language. You can also keep up with his shenanigans on his “Public Figure” Facebook page.

Before I could buy a gun I had to learn about North Carolina Firearms Laws. The laws and requirements vary by state. I found out that in North Carolina I needed a “Permit to Receive a Purchased Handgun.” In NC, these permits are gotten at the county sheriff’s office in the county where one lives, in my case the Sheriff’s Office of Forsyth County. From their website, I printed out the three required forms and filled them out at home. At the Sheriff’s Office, it only took about 10 minutes for them to do a background check on me. I was then given the two permits I requested right then and there. Total cost was $13.00

So the next step was deciding what gun(s) would be best suited for us.

Knowing that both Gail and I would be shooting, I wanted a gun that was easy to shoot, as safe as possible, and reliable. We had previously shot a .22 caliber pistol and rifle and found those to be very easy to shoot. The recoil was no problem. Since that caliber is too small for self defense, I knew I wanted a larger caliber than that.

For all practical purposes, there are two types of handguns: revolvers and semiautomatics.

The gun in the upper half of the picture is a revolver. Like the old western handguns of the 1800′s, these guns have a cylinder that “revolves” with each pull of the trigger, in order to bring the next bullet into firing position. The number of bullets the cylinder can hold depends on the size of the gun/cylinder, usually about 5-7 bullets. They have very few moving parts and are therefore simple and reliable. There is very little chance that one will lock up on you or misfire when you are trying to shoot. Cleaning a revolver is also a simple matter.

Semiautomatic guns, like the one in the lower half of the picture, have been around for about 100 years. Even though the designs have been gradually refined, they have more moving parts than a revolver, so are inherently more complex. They don’t have a revolving cylinder. The bullets are housed in a “magazine” inserted within the handle, and they hold about twice the number of bullets than a revolver can hold. These guns occasionally lock up or misfire. To clean them you must take them apart.

So I decided our first gun would be a simple revolver, and that I would eventually work my way up to a semiautomatic. However, purchasing a semiautomatic as a first handgun would be okay, too, as long as you receive enough instruction from a professional.

The next decision was about the size/weight of the gun and about the caliber of the bullet/chamber. At this point I had to think about my purpose for having a gun in the first place. I wanted a gun primarily for target shooting, but one I could also carry concealed for self defense purposes if I chose to do that. So that meant the gun would be small and light, which is a good thing for a first gun anyway. I learned that revolvers are made by many manufacturers and come in several frame sizes, call them small, medium and large. The frame sizes partly determine the caliber of bullet/chamber they can handle.

So I looked at a lot of small framed revolvers. I was advised to stick to a manufacturer that has been around for a long time, tried and true. I decided to buy a Smith & Wesson (S&W) because that famous company has been making revolvers since 1852.

I then learned that the gun frames are made of different metals. The metals vary in weight and in how much of an explosive charge they can handle. A steel frame can handle a heavier charge, and therefore a larger caliber bullet. Heavier guns also absorb more of the gun’s recoil. But these heavier guns are more cumbersome to carry concealed. I decided on a small framed, aluminum gun, lighter in weight, easier to carry concealed if I ever wanted to do that, and with a reportedly manageable recoil. The small, aluminum framed guns are chambered for .38 Special, which is an acceptable caliber for self defense purposes. I had originally been advised to look at the S&W Airweight models, and that is exactly what we ended up buying.

I was advised to shop online for guns, in order to learn about the differences and get a good feel for prices. Online sources generally charge much less for a gun than a brick and mortar gun shop or sporting goods store. But with a knowledge of online prices, some smaller stores will often come down in price to match. Firing ranges and pawn shops are also places where a gun can be bought at a decent price.

I looked at many online sites. My friend advised me to check out a couple of gun auction sites, and I came to really like Gunbroker.com. I could not only find the guns I was looking for, but the auction prices were as competitive as they were going to get, and the vendors were approved by Gunbroker.com. The vendors also earn a feedback rating similar to eBay’s, allowing you to bid with confidence. I purchased one of the guns this way.

Buying a gun is serious business and as such it is federally regulated. Forms have to be filled out to properly transfer a gun from seller to buyer, and to register the gun to the buyer. By law, if you’re a regular citizen you can’t receive a gun through the mail unless you have a Federal Firearms License (FFL.) So buying a gun through an auction site like Gunbroker.com requires a middle man to receive the gun for you. Gunbroker.com has a list of FFL’s searchable by zip code. After you “win” an auction to buy a gun, you make arrangements with a nearby FFL to receive the gun for you, usually for a minimal transfer charge like $15-20. They assure that all the proper forms are filled out at the time you pick up your gun.

At about the time I bought the first gun and was about to bid on the second, I visited our local indoor firing range, ProShots Range, to check it out. They were very helpful and informative! They offered to order the second gun for me, at the same price I paid for the first gun. So I purchased the second gun there and started what I’m sure will be a really good relationship. We have since become members and plan to use the range often. I strongly encourage anyone considering buying a first gun and learning how to use it properly to strike a relationship with local teaching professionals.

So here are our guns.

If you look closely at the images, you’ll notice the aluminum frame, which is what makes these guns light, is slightly more dull than the shinier cylinder and barrel. The cylinder and barrel are made of steel so they can handle the explosion of the .38 Special bullet.

I actually ended up buying two slightly different models, one for Gail and one for me, because the gun on the left, the one with the visible hammer, can be used in “double action” or “single action” mode, and that would give Gail an easier shooting option if she wanted or needed that.

In single action mode, the shooter uses a thumb to pull the hammer backward until it clicks into position. This “single action” serves to rotate the cylinder to bring the next bullet into firing position, and leaves the hammer in a cocked position, ready to fire. This greatly reduces the pressure needed to pull the trigger. When the shooter is ready to fire, the trigger pull (another “single action”) is then light as a feather, helping to make the shot more accurate.

In double action mode, the shooter does not pull the hammer back manually. The shooter just pulls the trigger. It is a heavier and longer trigger pull because force is needed to rotate the cylinder, cock the trigger, and fire, which are essentially the two “single actions” I described above.

So Gail’s gun on the left can be used double action or single action, but my gun on the right has no visible hammer so it can’t be used single action. The hammer is encased in the frame. The reason for this is to prevent a protruding hammer from snagging on clothing if you are carrying the gun concealed and need to draw it out in a hurry for self defense.

Gail has no problem shooting her gun accurately in both single action and double action modes. The recoil was quite noticeable the first time we shot the guns, but we became adjusted to it right away. There was no sense of sprain or pain, just surprise. Our hands and fingers did get a little tired after shooting for a while, but the more we shoot the stronger we will be. I am currently using a spring device to improve my grip strength. Good upper body strength helps stabilize the gun while shooting and improves accuracy.

ProShots Range offers various classes for shooters at all levels of expertise, from rank beginners like us, to seasoned professionals and competitive shooters. Gail and I have attended an Introduction to Firearms safety course and we plan to attend as many classes as we can to improve our awareness and hone our skills. Gail has signed up for personal classes with one of the instructors. We’re going to do this right!

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I told Gail in September that I would take care of our Christmas this year, that I would get the presents for both of us. I got the idea when we went to the horse ranch this past summer and had fun shooting guns.

Not surprisingly, she was an excellent shot! She’s very mechanically gifted, and follows instructions to a T. These cowboys were a fun crowd and they took Gail under their wings, showing her how to shoot a handgun and a rifle. Gail had no trouble with the .22 caliber target guns.

The other thing you have to know is that Gail and I are huge Law and Order fans, especially the SVU shows. We also enjoyed Life during it’s brief run, and currently watch Prime Suspect with Maria Bello. We love Fringe, including the character Olivia Dunham. We get enough of a kick from these shows that Gail sometimes dresses up as “Detective Crotte.” And that’s all I’ll say about that!

So considering our interests,  I took a little risk and started us off on a new hobby. It was a little bit crazy, but I bought us his and hers .38 Specials: Smith & Wesson snub nose revolvers!

Aren’t they beautiful!?

It made Gail very nervous to actually own guns and have them in the house. But I had decided on a particular day for the gift-giving because I had enrolled us in a class the following morning, an Introduction to Firearms safety class. It was particularly cool because Wanda Starke, who is part of the news team for local Fox channel WXII, was attending. She was doing a piece on women using guns for self defense, so the cameras were there, and Gail got to be on the evening news!

We literally had a blast carefully trying out our new guns. Much more on this later, but for now, here is a picture of Princess Gail tightly grouping her shots at the center of the target. Awesome!

In my last post I mentioned how she completed a 5K. Here’s the picture I posted, at the finish line.

What I didn’t mention is that she was running on a very painful leg. About two weeks prior, she had felt a sudden jolt of pain in her right groin area during a training run and had to walk the rest of the way. She was told it was a tendinitis. Since the 5K was a mere two weeks hence, and she had been training for it for months, she decided to continue the twice weekly training runs and to complete the 5K with her running group, despite the persistent pain.

After the 5K she was very, very sore, and two days later she could not walk at all. After two more days of crawling around the house on all fours she saw her doctor. She had an x-ray and an MRI. She was diagnosed with a stress fracture of her hip! Further, since it was in a dangerous place, it required urgent orthopedic surgery!

So three days ago, Princess Gail turned bionic! A rod and three screws were placed in her right hip.

We just got home from the hospital. She’s not looking really swift just yet, but she’s picking up speed with her walker. In two or three months she’ll be healed.

Well, Princess Gail completed her mission and ran a 5K on a broken hip! I’m thinking her next one will be a breeze!

(Words and images posted with Gail’s permission.)

The Winston-Salem Dash, our minor league baseball team, makes it’s home at the BB&T Ballpark. This new, modern stadium is only a couple of years old and has been a big hit with the citizens. It is also the starting/finishing point for many local 5K and 10K running events. Yesterday, Princess Gail participated in the Home Run Fun Run 5K. We had a beautiful, clear, crisp morning and it was great fun!

Our neighbors across the street have season tickets to the Wake Forest University football games. They couldn’t make it this week so they kindly gave us their tickets! Very nice! So, after Gail’s 5K we went home, cleaned her up (LOL), and went to our first Wake Forest football game.

The BB&T Field is small but absolutely gorgeous, as you might imagine since Wake Forest University’s funding sources include RJ Reynold’s tobacco money and BB&T. I’m grateful to them for reinvesting back into their (our) wonderful community.

After the game, we met our friends April and Brent in Pilot Mountain for a nice dinner. Gail and I had a really good day!

Princess Gail and I just got back from a short little trip to Music City, Nashville, TN. We decided to drive the 7 hours from Winston-Salem to enjoy the Fall colors in the mountains. We were so fortunate this year to have taken four separate car trips into the mountains in the past 3 weeks, and enjoyed all the altitudes from the top of Mt Mitchell to the floor of the Piedmont. I think I saw the best Fall colors of my entire life! You saw some of my memories in my last post.

If watching the Fall foliage wasn’t enough, I also downloaded a fun iPhone app. I was thinking about the old car game we played with the kids during long car trips, counting license plates from as many different states as we could. Well of course there is an app for that! License Plate Game was a lot of fun. I got 21 plates during this trip!

I had to be in Nashville for a work-related meeting, which turned out to be very informative, and held at the beautiful Loews Vanderbilt Hotel.

I knew we were going to be there on a Tuesday, so before we left I had purchased tickets for the Grand Ole Opry. I have been there several times before and I love it! You never know the exact line up of entertainers for this live radio show until the last minute, because you never know who happens to be in town on any given show day. It turned out that Keith Urban, who lives in Nashville with wife Nicole Kidman, decided to play! After that, the show rapidly sold out!

Our favorites of the night were Kip Moore:

Sunny Sweeney:

And of course the headliners, Little Big Town:

And the fabulous Keith Urban!

All in all, it was a short but wonderful little trip to Nashville! Good memories made! And as always, we were grateful to return home, safe and sound.

I have sung Steve’s praises for half of my life, as I recently shared. Today came the terribly sad news of his passing. My heart goes out to his family. Steve was a great man, and the world is a far better place because of him. He will be missed by many!