I was way impressed with the gun! I won’t talk about the details of the gun itself as these can be easily found elsewhere. I’ll just talk about how it felt and behaved for me.

From the moment I picked it up, I could sense a beautiful and solid construction, and that it felt very comfortable in my hand. Great balance. Upon pressing the magazine eject button, the metal magazine ejected effortlessly. I loaded 14 rounds of 9mm Parabellum. I was then surprised at how easily the slide pulled back to chamber the first round. I set up my target at 7 yards and popped 5 relatively rapid rounds into the five inch target. I didn’t expect that kind of accuracy, as I’m not that good a shooter. [Not yet anyway ] So after that, I set the target at 10 yards and left it there for the rest of the session. I was shocked that even at that distance, nearly all my shots were within the five inch targets I was aiming for. Two shots out of 50 were just outside the target. I give the entire credit for this accuracy to the gun, as I have shot several others and have not had this kind of success. The only gun I have fired that feels about the same is the Springfield XDM.

SIG Sauer makes many variations of this gun, and they are all pricey. Expect to pay a street price of about $700 to $900. Just another example of the old saying, “You get why you pay for.”

I can so see why the US Navy Seals chose this as their handgun of choice. This is an excellent gun and it was really fun to shoot!

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.

This is a famous gun, and important in U.S. history. The M1911 was designed by the genius of John Browning and was the standard issue side-arm for the U.S. armed forces from 1911 to 1985. It is still carried by some U.S. forces. It has been refined over the years, but the basic geometry and system remain just like Browning designed, and versions of the 1911 have been built by many gun manufacturing companies all over the world. Browning’s single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed and recoil-operated handgun was the winning design over others who were trying to build a self-feeding gun at that time. It was chambered for the powerful .45 ACP cartridge, which continues to be used today because of its ability to stop an enemy combatant, a home invader, or any assailant.

Today I decided to try one out for the first time. I rented a model made by Rock Island Armory, just like the one you see pictured. The single stack magazine held 8 rounds of the .45 caliber bullet. I was impressed by the very manageable recoil and by the accuracy at least out to 25 yards, which is the farthest I attempted. The gun felt very comfortable in my hand, but it is heavy at 38.4 ounces. The weight is part of the reason for the manageable recoil. The weight is no problem at the range, but I wonder how the soldiers felt carrying it around all day. I suppose the famous reliability of this gun and its inherent power made it all worthwhile.

I was glad to have fired it. I can see why so many people want to own one as part of their collection. The historical aspect alone, especially if one has a military connection, would make this a desirable piece. As for me, I probably will not own one. I have been spoiled by the Springfield XDM and would have the option of either the full size gun or the compact model. If I ever own a .45 it will be a Springfield XDM, unless Ruger “surprises” us one day with an SR45c.

And may the odds be ever in your favor!

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.

Most interesting was a Red-bellied Woodpecker that was actively digging out its nesting cavity. That was fun to watch!

We are looking forward to the start of season 4 of Top Shot tonight, on the History Channel. It is particularly cool for us because we know one of the competitors, Terry Vaughan. This is a “shot” of us at our friendly neighborhood shooting range, ProShots Range.

If you want to see how world class shooters do it, you will enjoy this show!