Castle Rock, WA 12 & 13 December, in the cold...

[Earl]

Appleseeds have always had a few hesitant new shooters, some may never have shot a rifle before, and having an orientation aside from the pushing forward of the other shooters where they are the center of instruction works well, they gain confidence in the instructor coach and what they are about to do. I also find that having really sharp young people that know how to shoot and how to share it makes other young people and women comfortable in that they may get that good one day. If I were to design a team of instructors I would always have some really old guys that love people and fine firearms, a couple of sharp young folks that really know how to shoot and have lots of energy and laughter, and a couple of solid shooters with a passion for shooting, Appleseeds and passing on the tradition. Yep, and I have to have some women with Instructor or IIT hats on, they would keep the line civilized and polite (I am sure) and not allow it to turn into some kind of terrible initiation course.

And, this particular shoot was full of what Captain Parker had at Lexington, lots of family supporting each other, friends from far away and people who were waiting to hear what happened to those they care too much for. Family and friends and Appleseed continues to grow, and the shooting gets better, the Riflemen increase in number and even on cold December Days the Training Band goes homeward having proved to themselves that they know very much what they are about.

[Ducko]

Castel Rock on Sunday was an awesome day, I knew it would be when Wheeler and I noticed a Bald Eagle flying low over our little group, while Earl was leading us in the our safety review, the eagle seemed to be listening and giving approval as he slowly coasted by 50 feet over our heads.  We had rifleman patches earned and new red hats earned as well, Congratuations to all.  Even though it was freezing when we started out it turned out to be a beautiful day, looking forward to the next one already!
Thanks for posting the great photos Earl!  I can see from the photos that I need more work on my freehand standing position - bring the rifle up to you head not your head down to the rifle!!!!  And get that elbow out!!!!

[JoeCool]

Congrats and thanks to WesternRose & Tdow for making Redhat! You earned it. You are showing yourself to be "somewhat above the average of the mass".  Your humble, yet valuable work reminds me of this quote from _The True Story of Paul Revere_: by Charles Gettemy describing the situation of the many unsung heros who helped earn our liberty.  

   "[Revere] had the keen zest of the citizen whose patriotism is of the lusty type that causes him to wish to take an active part in all movements that make for civic progress, and civic progress from 1760 to the Revolution meant enlightened resistance to British parliamentary aggression.

Most men like Revere--- somewhat above the average of the mass, but not possessing the usual elements of enduring fame-- pass out of life eulogized by their fellow-citizens; remembered by a circle of admiring and respecting friends until they also pass away; and are ultimately forgotten, finding no place upon the pages of written history."...[Eighty Eight years later,] "Paul Revere was rescued from this fate by [Longfellow's Poem]"..."Revere really did something on the eve of the historic skirmish at Lexington which is worth remembering"  


Full text can be found here: http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/revere/ for your reading pleasure.

[Western Rose]

This was a great shoot. It held a lot of firsts for me.
Thanks to the shooters who showed up, persevered through the snow and ice, did an excellent job and were very receptive.

Earl, thanks for all of the encouragement and putting up with me all weekend. You did a great job as Shoot Boss.
Todd and family, thanks for not only putting up with me all weekend but also on that loooong car drive to and from Castle Rock. Todd you did a great job with the second strike and I can't wait to work another shoot with you.
Wheeler, it was great meeting you and being able to talk with you a bit. It was a blast going through the "Newbie POI". I learned something from it, I really enjoyed it and I hope to be able to do it again. That bonfire was wonderful in the cold.
XOR, it was great seeing you again and you did a great job clearing the line. I don't think I ever saw a time when you weren't doing your job.
OLD GEEZER, thanks for explaining how the back sight works and helping me think things through.
Kratos, you did a very good job calling the line. I hope I can do half as well.
LTR, I didn't get to work with you much, but it was nice meeting you.

Kelly, Congratulations!!!!
Andrew, you did a really good job with that tube-fed .22. Congrats, Rifleman!
Mark, well done.

Tanya and Kari, it was wonderful to be able to work with you two.

Kevin, good job on the 195. You did great with that bolt rifle.

Wade and Snowflake, I'm sorry you two weren't able to be there. I'll look forward to meeting you both sometime in the future.

Rod, it was nice seeing you again. Thanks for spending so much time talking with me and helping me understand some things.

Hawkhavn, your coming for a visit soon, right? Thanks for pushing me back in Sept. to talk in front of people for my first time..

One thing that I really missed at this shoot was family... I've never been to a shoot without family, or anywhere without family for that matter. Also there where no kids at this shoot and that was another thing that I missed.

As to adoption.... well, lets just say that almost five days away from family was more than long enough for me.

That would be really cool if Heather would ace the whole AQT! Hopefully April 3-4 in Lewiston. See you there, Earl. If not sooner...

Todd, Earl, you two can be expecting some pictures in your email. Wheeler, I've got some that I could send to you too if you want them.

[Western Rose]

Pictures as promised.. 

[Earl]

  Thanks for the pictures of the Crew, I was so busy making sure I got the shooters I didn't get the crew as individuals. Very nice, thanks. Hope you liked the video, I know you want to know where to join the WRVA now don't you?

[Western Rose]

Thanks for the pictures of the Crew, I was so busy making sure I got the shooters I didn't get the crew as individuals. Very nice, thanks. Hope you liked the video, I know you want to know where to join the WRVA now don't you?

Thanks for posting the video. We've watched it a couple of times. Probably a good thing none of us knew the camera was rolling. I have the feeling that the video would have been drastically different if we had'v known and it wouldn't have caught the spirit of the day.. Aren't you glad this forum doesn't have a way to post videos.
I wasn't going to mention that. I figured that everyone knew what you were talking about anyway since it's on the hats.


~ WR "little short stuff"