Location; Osage Beach, Missouri, DAR
Personnel; Shootboss; Longshot
Instructors; Greg-in-MO, Ben1775, Aftermath
IIT's; Armada, SMLE, Greybeard, Rebel Yell, Kira,
No. of shooters; 20
Riflemen; 1
The weather was fabulous, sunny, cool and breezy. The instructors had been dreading hot, humid conditions typical for August, but we were smiled upon. The OB DAR is in beautiful condition, the grass finally lush and thick.
Saturday found 20-odd shooter on the line, with about 25% centerfires. A little unusual these days.
COI was begun, and the first Redcoat was telling, as usual. COF was normal. Eqiupment issues slowed the start a little, but the instructors broke out the clown bats and by day's end we were ahead of the COF.
No serious safety issues. Sunday we lost 8 shooters, including a family we were all sorry to see go, but happy that they promised to attend an upcoming shoot closer to their home.
With a high instructor-to shooter ratio Sunday, some of the Red and Orange Hats took the opportunity to shoot an AQT, revealing that "all instructing and little shooting" makes for red-faced Red hats.
The shooters were VERY persistant, and the final AQT was called about 6:00PM. One Rifleman was made, and he immediately asked for an Orange hat, to our great pleasure. More about him soon.
A small shoot, but also intense. A good prelude to the Fall Appleseed season.
Longshot
I just wanted to thank everyone involved in the shoot this past weekend. I had a fantastic time. The weather was about as perfect as anyone could ask for, and there were a lot of enthusiastic shooters on the line. We had a high instructor/student ratio, and the instructors were great about nudging us to improve our form without making anybody cry ;D (Except for Ben. He's mean. I hear he needs a psychiatrist. :P)
The DAR was in great shape, and I was amazed by the lack of bugs. Backstops went up in short order, and there was plenty of room on the line to accommodate lefties and a separation of rim and center fire rifles. We had a family with three young daughters shooting .30 carbines - perhaps a little big for the younger two, but they all hung in there and did a great job. I was lucky enough to be next to Paulette, who showed up for her second shoot and brought her friend Andrea. We had a mutual support society, and cheered each other through a lot of equipment issues on the way to great improvements in shooting.
This was my third shoot, and my second at Osage Beach, so I knew all the instructors except for Alex, who made the long drive from Minnesota to talk his sister and her fiance into attending the shoot. They are a great bunch to work with, and Alex fit right in. By lunchtime on Sunday I found myself wearing an orange hat and working on the line. I must say that it only added to the experience, and I look forward to doing more in the future.
I did get some funny looks and a bit of grief when I brought the knitting out during the history. More than one person commented that they had never seen knitting at an Appleseed before, but I think knitters are a huge untapped resource. :) I didn't get any complaints once I brought the cookies out...
I can't say enough about how important I feel this movement is, and I am glad to be a part of it.
Thanks again,
Robin
Welcome aboard Robin/CL!
Be sure to load up Greg in MO with some brownies b4 Ramah this weekend :)
AZG
Wow what a great weekend! To anyone who has not attended a shoot, as instructor or student, at the MO DAR you are the poorer for it. It gets no better my friends; Longshot's brilliant leadership, the MO instructor corps's camaraderie and proficiency, the great students, and the beautiful range. This shoot is always a good time and this one proves no exception. Thanks to all who came out.
Quote from: Cookie Lady on August 26, 2009, 11:26:27 PM
(Except for Ben. He's mean. I hear he needs a psychiatrist. :P)
As much as professional help might be a good idea, your cookies are all the therapy I need (I never did get my bourbon though ::) ).
Ben
Hey Robin - Thanks for the kind words. This is my first post to the forum so i hope i get it right. Andera and I were talking on the way home about what a HUGE help you were to both of us. The guys are all great but sometimes it is good to have another 'soft shoulder' to turn to.
Speaking of BEN. I have to give him TWO THUMBS UP. He was great with me on the ball and dummy. I learn a lot when he talks. I was glad he was back for my second shoot. I think all that talk about him being mean is just to scare the newbies **)
Everyone was so helpful to me, Kerry spent precious time trying to fix my scope (given his generous offer to help after hours and his skill i think i will be shooting better in Oct !). Greg, Chris, Scott all made it possible for me to go home with more knowledge then i came with. Alex - so glad you made the trip as you helped me with some of the finer details over the weekend.
I think maybe you guys have created a 'monster' . . . I have never been so physically exhausted and emotionally charged in my life, as i am after an AppleSeed weekend. I LOVE IT!
I must take the time to also say that i SINCERELY appreciate that AppleSeed lets women shoot free. I have several other friends that i intend to nudge along and that fact alone will make it possible for some to attend. I am even promoting AppleSeed to my 'goat friends' in Texas (for those that don't know I recently sold off a very large herd of quality South African Boer breeding stock --those are meat goats for them that don't know). Hence my 'screen name' Gramma Goats.
One last comment on the women shoot free policy. I honestly believe that one of the grave issues in our country is the decline of FAMILY and the softening of the male image in this country. Personally i like to see men be men and that means stepping foward where women are concerned. AppleSeeds policy is a wonderful way to show your respect for women as MEN. You guys ROCK !! O0
With sincere appreciation,
Paulette
(Gramma Goats aka Mrs D.)
What a fantastic weekend. Great weather (this is August?), great people, and Appleseed.
I was fortunate enough to be able to bring my lovely wife with me (the aptly named, Cookie Lady) for the whole weekend. I can honestly say, that the only thing that has made Appleseed more enjoyable than instructing, is being able to work the lines with my wife. I was (and am) tremendously proud of her when she took the orange hat. Watching her help Paulette and Andrea with a big smile on her face made my whole month ;D.
Paulette, you and Andrea are the very definition of PERSISTENCE! I will be so pleased when you finally shoot your Rifleman score, because you are already a Riflewoman at heart. You ladies fought through equipment issues all weekend, but you both kept smiling and doing everything we asked of you, even when you were tired and sore. Prudence Wright would be proud of you. Good folks like you are the reason that we instructors do what we do.
I want to thank Aftermath (Alex) for making the long drive down. It was good working with you, and you managed to fit in with the MO crew pretty well. You are always welcome in Missouri.
I hope I see all of the shooters from last weekend at one of our other shoots in MO this year.
Greg
ps. Ben, you didn't stop talking, so no bourbon for you.
pps. Gromit, I think I am bringing fudge and brownies. Lucky you!
Greg,
I am glad you mentioned Prudence Wright as I intented to ask at the shoot and then forgot in the hussel and bussel of leaving. Is there a specific book you can suggest that has some stories/history of the wormen of the revoluation ?
Paulette
Opps, I need to correct myself. That should read 'hustle and bustle' not 'hussle and bussle' ( hussle and bussle is a family sniglet and i get so used to it that i forget to correct myself to the general masses :<)
Paulette
Paulette,
Start with Paul Revere's Ride be David Hackett Fischer.
smle
well i just wanted to write that Glenn and I had a fabulous time, even though i'm still suffering from sun blisters.. This was my second, well first and half appleseed shoot for my first one didnt go over so well. But I realize now that Alex was right and I should have stuck out the first one. The instructors were great and KR, thank you so much for letting me use your rifle, it's a pretty wicked gun and worked out perfectly. ( you know sept for maybe a little off on the scope ;) ). I hope to see you guys soon. Also paulette made a great point about the women getting to go free, if it wasn't for that me and glenn wouldnt have been able to come out, and meet everyone. Keep doing what your doing and we'll see you all at some point i'm sure of it.
Samantha
p.s. robin your cookies were excellent.
HI Greg,
I owe you a big OPPS. I have your extra sling. I brought and gave one to Andrea, but neither had the quick swivel on them. I guess i was thinking i just used your swivel and not your entire sling. I had two slings in my bag when i arrived and two when i left and figured they were both mine. TODAY Andera brought me 'my second sling' back. Right away i did an OPPS -- You must either be thinking that you are loosing your mind or that this ole granny is a 'clepto'! I can give it to Kerry when i meet with him sometime between this week end and a couple weeks down the road ( depending on what the Tech sites and trigger assembly arrive).. OR if you give me your address I can mail it to you.Thank you for the genereous loan of the sling.
I AM SO SORRY #)
Paulette
Paulette,
No sweat. I knew I had loaned it out, but couldn't remember who got it. If you want to give it to Kerry that would be fine as I will see him in a couple of months.
Thanks for finding it for me!
Greg
Okay -- i will take it to Kerry. I am planning to be at the Oct shoot at Osage Beach. Would like to do the entire boot camp but i am not sure i can get the time off for the entire week. Plus the cost of staying at the lake for a week is a PINCH to the budget (I am not much of a camper :>). But i can handle the week end :D
Paulette
I had a great time, learned a lot and loved the history. All of the instructors were kind, patent and knowledgeable. I think my brother summed up the weekend when he gestured to his rifle-sling and quipped "Did you know they can also be used to carry your gun around?" I hope to come back in October and make rifleman. I will bring more friends.
Well, I've finally got the opportunity to write up my AAR, for this event.
Let me start off by saying; Missouri is made up of a great bunch of folks.
I was; as always; a little anxious, on my journey south.
However, I was on a mission. &) &) &)
My sister, Samantha, recently relocated to Springfield, MO; and then got engaged!
How, could I let this happen?
My little sister, engaged....And he wasn't even a Rifleman.
This had to be amended.
Sam had previously attended an Appleseed, in Winona.... Being a little overwhelmed; she ditched me!
So, I had to reevaluate my efforts. I then began my work on Glenn(her fiance).
Being in the National Guard(perhaps the only thing that saved him from &) !@#) &) !@#) :~ &) :~ $$-0 ) he could shoot free.
So, it wasn't a huge leap to get him there.
I had previously made a rule; 'Samantha could only marry a Rifleman.'*
More on this to follow.
Anyway; I arrived unannounced at about 02:00 on Sat. morning.
Well, there was no one there(big surprise), at least as far as I could see on that dark night in the Ozarks.
So, I decided to get a little rest...
I was awoken by the headlights of Ben1775 at about 05:00.
"Wow! These Missourans, are early-birds!" I thought to myself, as I quickly manueverd my car to let him squeeze through.
I figured, it was time to get up; so I walked over to meet this unfamiliar Red Hat.
-I had forgoed putting mine on because I figured the brightness of it may be unkind to the tired eyes of a weary midnight driver.
Ben, as it turned out had left work a few hours earlier. Figuring it was futile to go to sleep(I've been there), he decided to head staight there.
I was soon after to meet another familiar name on the forum. SMLE arrived with his wife, and coffee!
As the sun rose above the horizon, shooters began to arrive. I figured it may be time to put that hat on.
So I grabbed my Red Hat, and SMLE got a little red faced; as he had assumed that I only dawned an Orange. It was ok, as he was soon to join the ranks.
Considering the surprise nature of my visit; the Instructors of MO did not hesitate to welcome me with open arms.
The weekend was about to begin, Liberty was about to shine, and my new Red Hat was about to fade.......
If you haven't seen the Ozarks at night; it's a beautiful sight.
(http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198590398207_1031938157_632560_1162700_n.jpg)
The shooting begins soon after Greg frames Redcoats...
(http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198590438208_1031938157_632561_2748306_n.jpg)
[size=08pt](I finnally figured how to put the photos up like this!)[/size]
A little red faced is really quite the understatement. :-[ :-[ :-[. Especially after I handed you the TP. :-[ :-[ :-[
[Aftermath's excessively long AAR-Continued]
The day started off; we had some work ahead of us.
But it was great.
We quickly whipped the shooters into shape; and improvement was soon to follow!
All the shooters worked hard at improvement.
It was warm, so they were happy to quench thier thirst with history.
(http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198590518210_1031938157_632563_27019_n.jpg)
Ben does First Strike
(http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198591078224_1031938157_632576_1333760_n.jpg)
Greg does 2nd.
Excellent presentations, by the way.
Robin demonstrates some seated positions, as SMLE teaches the Steady Hold Factors.
(http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198590798217_1031938157_632569_7702767_n.jpg)
Later, during lunch; Robin demonstrates how one can knit thier own Appleseed accessories.
(http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198595838343_1031938157_632583_599094_n.jpg)
Quote from: smle on September 07, 2009, 09:35:53 PM
A little red faced is really quite the understatement. :-[ :-[ :-[. Especially after I handed you the TP. :-[ :-[ :-[
Don't worry about it! My ego accidently blew out the window, somewhere in Iowa.
After all; you did rectify the situtation.
(http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs155.snc1/5780_1198596118350_1031938157_632589_3405268_n.jpg)
Longshot presents SMLE with a well deserved and long time coming Red Hat!
Although he can't seem to shake the Orange one.
(http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs135.snc1/5780_1198596158351_1031938157_632590_425067_n.jpg)
Congratulations!
[come on now; how much more can Alex write?]
Well, I guess I'll start to wrap this up....As I still have yet to report on Winona.
It was great to see quite a few youth there.
Three young lady's who were determined to shoot .30 Carbines, all day Saturday, worked hard and I believe they'd have done extremely well if they could have made it on Sunday.
Thursday, you'll get it if you persist! And bring as many friends as you can.
Paulette and Andrea proved to be very Dangerous Young Women. And the next Appleseed, I suppose you'll be extremely dangerous Riflewomen!
(Paulette has also vowed to bring even more friends)
Robin you are a great Cookie Lady too.
Oh, yeah and these two cornflake people...
(http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs245.snc1/9218_1207276855363_1031938157_663684_5533383_n.jpg)
Well Samantha, decided that she'd give it a shot or two....
Surprise! She enjoyed herself. samjt15- as she is now refered to on the forum.
And Glenn? Well aphearently he had something to prove. &)
(http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs135.snc1/5780_1198596198352_1031938157_632591_1994393_n.jpg)
As it turns out; he's a man who knows very much what he is about.
(http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs135.snc1/5780_1198596238353_1031938157_632592_6674468_n.jpg)
QuoteI had previously made a rule; 'Samantha could only marry a Rifleman.'*
Does that mean they can get married now?
No... They didn't read the 'fine print' as Ben1775 would put it. ::)(*-In order to get married; Samantha must be a Riflewoman.)**
Glenn also asked for an Orange hat!
So, keep an eye out for these two on the Trail...And report back to me. @@) ;)
Ok... I think I've written enough,,,, for now....
It was great to get out and meet some new Appleseeders, in new areas.
I hope to get back there as soon as I can.
And you are all welcome up in Minnesota. Any time!
I'll see you on the Appleseed Trail
Alex
AFTERMATH
Dear Alex ( AFTERMATH).
Paulette and Andrea . . . .Young Women ?
HUMM, I think you might be getting ready to run for Mayor. ::)
You don't REALLY think my (Paulette) hair color comes out of a bottle do you ;D ? NO, OH NO . . .I got it the hard way. . . Many Many birthdays!
So glad you took the time to come to MO . . . I hope to see you again sometime. You are a great instructor and I did indeed take home some of your advice.
Just wait until Kerry gets my 10/22 on track ( new trigger, new sites, mag release). THEN we will see PROGRESS !!!
Hey ROBIN -- be sure to bring your felt bag in OCT --i look forward to seeing the finished product. I have a few patterns for felt bags but just can not seem to find the time for the knitting.
Later-
Paulette
My eyes see only, heart and mind; and not the vessel in which they reside.
Riflemen and Riflewomen never get old; in fact, they never die.
Their spirit remains the same, and is carried on in future generations.
Paulette, you're a Riflewoman; that piece of paper we refer to as the QD-AQT, just doesn't know it yet. ;)
Alan,
I am confident that as soon as Kerry works my rifle over the paper will get the message :)
I am working a a group to bring to the Oct shoot. I bought extra slings and swivel sets and ammo for the granddaughters. . .we are having fun now **)