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AAR Bellevue, MI October 22,23 2011

Started by Superheat, October 23, 2011, 10:16:05 PM

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Superheat

A great weekend with some great Americans.  Too tired to post much of anything tonight.  I just wanted to start this for Rascal21.  ;D  Thanks girl.
More later.

Well, it is later but I'm still worn out.  Once again Bellevue delivered beautiful weather.  Sunny and 60ish both days. 

Great times with some old friends; Les, Spiderbite, Rascal21, SamIam, 3dogs, Car, and copperhead. Improvement was universal.  So many were so close to that rifleman patch. Keep practicing.  ~~:)

We also made new friends: Laura, Jim, Ben, Chelsea, Jon, Ian and way on the right Rich.  What a great group of students.  Everyone was just soaking up the information. 

My favorite part of the weekend was the Kids!.... I have never seen a better representation of Posterity.  HUZZAH!  Celah what a cutie, Claire another cutie and Jackson mr. manners thank you for coming.  Wow, Dad you should be proud.  Pretty please bring them ALL back.  And, Punk... One of these days I will get a hug.

Congratulations to Jon our only Rifle"man".

Oh, yes the GIRLS out shot the men.  Stacy reconfirmed her Riflewoman status.   Then there was Ruby who just kept hovering around 195 to 205 like she did at the last 3 Appleseeds.  She kept "breaking my heart" with every AQT so close.  It was the final AQT when she shot a 213! Persistence paid off.  "Heartbreaker" is a RIFLEWOMAN!  O0

YES, she is also our newest IIT.  ..:.. 

Did I forget something.... MAC66 earned a Red hat.  Congratulations brother.  It will be fun watching you pass me by.

New friends and old friends please help us fill the lines next year in Bellevue.

It was my pleasure to spend time with all of you.

I will see you on the trail.

Peter

Rascal21

Thanks Superheat! although we both know that I am not the only impatient one waiting for these to go up :)

Another great weekend at Bellevue with yet ANOTHER weekend of PERFECT weather!  ^:)^

My congratulations first go to Mac66 on his pretty new red hat :bow:

Secondly to Ruby, congrats on making Rifleman. It was great to see all your hard work pay off!

and Third to Jon, Sunday only, first Appleseed, and you made Rifleman! It was great to have you and Ben out there. Watching Ben improve is going to be fun!

I will leave the rest for Superheat to put up, but know it was a great weekend with a lot of families and friends, and a lot of progress made :D

mac66

Very memorable weekend for me to say the least.  I think I will let Superheat jump in before I get going.
Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'.
Ronald Reagan

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

The King has degenerated into a tyrant and forfeits all rights to his subjects' obedience."  Patrick Henry, 1765

Motivation?...The best solution to morale problems is to kill all the unhappy people  Ghenghis Khan

Superheat

#3
Lets get those pictures up!

The wining team form Parkers revenge:




Mac66 our new Redhat



Swampy doing the IMC cheer!




Hezekiah Wyman




Save me Mother Batherick



Jon our Rifleman



Heartbreaker is a Riflewoman



And an IIT


SpiderBite

Perfect weather, I think this was the best appleseed I have been to so far!   Was getting awesome groupings all weekend, and was really hoping to get that patch this time around, just need to work on my transitions and get over the stress of stage 2 and 3 to get my score up a bit more...  sooo close! :wb:  But that's why it is such a special achievement when you finally make it...congrats to our new and reconfirmed riflemen and women!

mac66

#5
Superheat did such a great job putting this shoot together and is such a slavedriver I mean uh, leader, that he is a pleasure to work for  ~~:).  I wouldn't have even been here let alone gotten my red hat without his support  :sos:  and encouragement  ~~:)   Thanks brother. :bow:

Bellevue is a such a nice place to do Appleseed. It is beginning to feel like home there.  We've made such good friends, had the best weather ever, and shared the line with such nice people it is hard to pick out what is best.

Obviously seeing Miss Ruby finally get over the wall to get her Patch and get her orange hat was one of the highlights. You go girl! O0

I think having families on the line is always a treat. Not only does Greywolf's  family show up, Car, Laurie and Aaron (threedogs) but they bring great things to eat like yummy pumpkin pie.  :P

Then there was Jim and his daughters Celah and Chelsea the first day  and his other daughter Claire and son Jackson the second day. Short on experience but long on teachable attitude.  I have never seen a group of kids pick up and use the safety rules and safe rifle protocol so quickly.  All had great teachable attitudes. Jim actually shot a 202 the second day and we expect to see him back, hint, hint. BTW, Ian says to give his regards to Chelsea.

Of course Jon and his son Ben were there. Congrats Rifleman Jon, your son is right behind you.

And of course Traci, her husband, daughter Sam-I-Am (getting better all the time) and son were there being our hosts. Sam-I-Am (getting better all the time) always with the big smile which just makes me feel better every time I walk by her.

Our friends Lester and Earl came back much improved from last time and are knocking on the door. With poor old neglected Rich, banging away at the other end of line just inches short of his RM patch.

Can't forget young Aria AKA Mother Batherick.  No doubt she will be running things one day.

Fortunately we have a couple more shoots this year and I think I might see a few of our shooters  in Lapeer in December or perhaps at one of the many shoots back a Bellevue next year.
Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'.
Ronald Reagan

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

The King has degenerated into a tyrant and forfeits all rights to his subjects' obedience."  Patrick Henry, 1765

Motivation?...The best solution to morale problems is to kill all the unhappy people  Ghenghis Khan

Miki

Ahhh...arrrr...grrr...Ruby shot rifleWOMAN and I wasn't there for it! Boo ME! Way to go Ruby!

Superheat

BTW, Thanks to all who broke into my truck to get my keys and Benediction.  Thanks to PUNK for squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing though my window.

Jim I have 3 red bed rolls.  Come to lapeer Dec. 3/4 to pick them up.  LOL. Send me a p.m.

MI-copperhead

What a great weekend ! It was good to see the number of young people there as it increases my hope for the future of our country. I was glad to see  Jim get most improved  and the book "Paul Revere's Ride" which is a stirring read. Jon shooting rifleman on his first day was impressive and Ruby shooting Riflewoman on the last AQT of the day was inspiring.
Mac, congrats on the Red Hat, it is great to see the instructor ranks expanding. A special thanks to Usal, Mac, Superheat and Greywolf for the personalized help. (I really can relax but it might take "the C bat"to do it  &) )
It was fun spotting for Lester in the fun shoot but that bucket shot was a bug bear for us.
All in all I had a great time "drinking from the firehose" again this past weekend. Now it's back to the range and work on my NPOA  and squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze.
I may just try to make the December shoot in Lapeer.

Again, thanks to all our "Hats" for a job well sone  O0
Earl / MI-copperhead
Morgan's Rifleman 250 yard cold bore, 10/29/2022, Tusco Rifle Club, New Philadelphia OH KD/Rifle M1A w optics/Prone
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may choose, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death ! " Patrick Henry
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than to those attending too small a degree of it. "
Thomas Jefferson
"Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." Capt. John Parker
" I have'nt a man who 's afraid to go." Capt Isaac Davis
"I would say that the majority of Americans have no real sense of the value and the uniqueness of being a U.S. citizen.  Once they realize what they have, they are less likely to stand by while some politician attempts to whittle down their rights."  Troy a.k.a. solarguy

Heartbreaker

Quote from: Miki on October 24, 2011, 10:25:56 PM
Ahhh...arrrr...grrr...Ruby shot rifleWOMAN and I wasn't there for it! Boo ME! Way to go Ruby!

Oh but you were there in my heart and mind..."Trust yourself". Thank you for all the help and I am very eager to work beside you.
See ya this weekend.
Heartbreaker (Ruby)

Heartbreaker

I'm in! So much to say.
This has been a very good month for me, finishing my EMT training and getting my rifleman. This organization is so much of what I believe in. I feel like I belong to a family.

Superheat, you have ever so gently pushed hard, and yes I did feel your heart break along with mine when time after time I came so close.

Miki and Beefree, you both inspired me as role models. I am proud to join the ranks of the DOW minus the OLD!

Madhatter, you are amazing. I feel honored to have watched you bloom this last summer.
You are and will be a force to recon with!

Mac and Swampthing, Congratulations on your red hat!! Speaking about feeling like a family, I was there with you from your beginning. The bubble does work!

So many thanks to all I have meet and am looking forward to continuing with the cause.
Ruby
AKA "Heartbreaker"



MadHatter

Quote from: Heartbreaker on October 25, 2011, 09:20:36 PM
I feel like I belong to a family.

You ARE in the AS family!! ;). Congrats!
BTW... I got the clapping game down! ^:)^
"Glove up!" Wizard
"Those who stand for nothing fall for everything." Alexander Hamilton

Heartbreaker

Quote from: Madhatter on October 25, 2011, 09:36:57 PM
Quote from: Heartbreaker on October 25, 2011, 09:20:36 PM
I feel like I belong to a family.

You ARE in the AS family!! ;). Congrats!
BTW... I got the clapping game down! ^:)^

This weekend.....GAME ON! Hope Punk is there. The more the better.

Miki

Copperhead, by all means make the trip to Lapeer. Did we mention it's an outdoor HEATED firing line!

Clapping game?!? What clapping game...I need to learn that...might be something I can use for my 'day job'.

Usul

Great weekend!

Mac to red hat, Heartbreaker to orange hat, riflemen made, returning shooters, new shooters, safe muzzles, and great weather! This one had it all. :)

It was great seeing everyone!

MI-copperhead

Quote from: Miki on October 25, 2011, 10:43:56 PM
Copperhead, by all means make the trip to Lapeer. Did we mention it's an outdoor HEATED firing line!
HEATED FIRING LINE !! WOO HOO !! I'm coming !
Morgan's Rifleman 250 yard cold bore, 10/29/2022, Tusco Rifle Club, New Philadelphia OH KD/Rifle M1A w optics/Prone
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may choose, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death ! " Patrick Henry
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than to those attending too small a degree of it. "
Thomas Jefferson
"Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." Capt. John Parker
" I have'nt a man who 's afraid to go." Capt Isaac Davis
"I would say that the majority of Americans have no real sense of the value and the uniqueness of being a U.S. citizen.  Once they realize what they have, they are less likely to stand by while some politician attempts to whittle down their rights."  Troy a.k.a. solarguy

Mizu57

Another fantastic weekend, for sure. Beautiful weather and good people.
This was the second AS I had attended and it was every bit as fun and informative as the first, maybe even more so.
I have always thought that the mark of a good clinic/class is that it not only teaches, but it makes you want to come back for more. Appleseed has surpassed my wildest expectations in that regard.

SuperHeat ran an excellent shoot, the instructors and IIT's  were top notch, and the newest rifleman and woman(x2!) proved that an Expert score is attainable!

Congratulations to Mac on his red hat, and Heartbreaker on her orange!
And a big thank you to Centerline of Calhoun county for hosting the event.


Earl, we'll get that bucket shot next time!


MI-copperhead

Morgan's Rifleman 250 yard cold bore, 10/29/2022, Tusco Rifle Club, New Philadelphia OH KD/Rifle M1A w optics/Prone
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may choose, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death ! " Patrick Henry
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than to those attending too small a degree of it. "
Thomas Jefferson
"Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." Capt. John Parker
" I have'nt a man who 's afraid to go." Capt Isaac Davis
"I would say that the majority of Americans have no real sense of the value and the uniqueness of being a U.S. citizen.  Once they realize what they have, they are less likely to stand by while some politician attempts to whittle down their rights."  Troy a.k.a. solarguy

Heartbreaker

Quote from: Miki on October 25, 2011, 10:43:56 PM
Clapping game?!? What clapping game...I need to learn that...might be something I can use for my 'day job'.

The game of 7's. It's got a real good beat to it, especially when a group does it. I would love to teach you!

Graywolf

What a great weekend!  Like everyone has said, the weather could not have been better (except for that cold spell Saturday morning.)  We had a great team of instructors, and a fantastic group of shooters.  You could not ask for anything more.

Congrats to Ruby and Jon on shooting rifleman!  Welcome, Ruby, to the cadre!  The orange hat looks great on you.

Copperhead, Ian, and Jim nearly got the job done as well.  Keep with it guys.  You are so close.  Trust what you've learned and be persistent.

Most of all, kudos to Superheat for making everything run so smoothly and for all the mentoring he took time to do during a busy schedule.  It was much appreciated. 
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." - Thomas Jefferson

"There ain't no easy horses.  Learn to ride."  S.K.B.

Jon

Ben and I enjoyed our day with you all. He described it so positively that his mom and sister will join us next time. Even though we had an accelerated training pace, I think we were able to absorb most if not all. Thank you Larry for the loan of the rifles and special thanks to Stacy for inviting us out.

take care
Jon

SuperDad

What an amazing event.  I had no idea what to expect.  I only know that we have strayed too far from our founding principles and we all need to do what we can to get back on track.  As a rank amateur with a gun, I knew I needed help myself learn how to properly manage a firearm - and even much more so in teaching my kids.

From the promotional material, and preliminary emails, it seemed like Apple Seed was a good place to start.  I was pretty stressed out trying to get all the items required and getting to the shoot on time.  Even had to make a quick stop at hardware store on the way for a staple gun.

Our rag tag team showed up with the best three rifles I could come up.  A borrowed tube fed with iron sights, a brand new $105 semi automatic Marlin, and a single shot Rossi youth.

I tried to use the tube fed with plain sights.  Gave Chelsea the new Marlin - which consistently jammed, and Celah had a loaner.  All morning I shot pretty much blind - could only see vague shapes, still was trying hard.  Tried every combination of glasses I had to no avail.  Barely shot a 130 on AQT.

All the instructors were so very patient.  They even loaned me another rifle with a scope - suddenly, life was so much better!  Still, we were rough.  Celah couldn't stand and hold rifle up, Chelsea kept trying with jamming rifle, and I was only a couple of weeks from steroid injections to keep back pain down.

I had only committed to one day and all the instructors kept asking, nicely, if we would be back on next day.  I kept thinking, are they serious?  They want us back?  I studied them pretty hard and they seemed genuine.  They wanted us back.  They wanted to help us more.  I was blown away.

At home, we figured out a way to get back on Sunday with two new kids.  This was all of a sudden the most important thing I could do.  A blend of history and expert training on firearms for my family.  Whatever progress we made on Sunday was fixing to lose all over again with the youngest of the bunch - Jackson, and Claire who had never, ever, held or fired a rifle.

I kept thinking - how are they going to like starting all over again with more beginners?

Then, Larry (Scorpion) said he brought me his gun to use.  This was a very special customized Ruger that had a lot of effort and love put into it.  I was blown away that anyone would loan us a gun, much less their prize firearm, for a beginner to use.  Well, that rifle almost shot itself.  Suddenly, all the excellent teaching made so much more sense with such a beautiful weapon.  Thanks again Larry.  I will never forget your generosity.

But that wasn't all - both Jackson and Claire had loaners too!  A full house of loaners and expert, patient instruction.  And the kids won a patch, and a flag.   What a fantastic memory and program.  What great leadership.  Superheat, you have inspired me.   Mac, you were amazing getting up and down all day long.  All of the instructors are the real deal.  I even went for SuperDad for my handle and the kids have ideas for theirs (AnnieOakley, DynaMite, GrandJack, . . we'll see).

I have two more to attend (Joy and Caed) and will be promoting this to everyone in our circle.  We should be able to fill up 4 events or more next year with just the homeschoolers in our circle.  This is the greatest family activity we have done this year.  Combine it with camping and - what a blessing.

Thanks again to all the staff and participants for your excellent teaching, examples, and hospitality.

SuperDad and Family.


Swamp Thing

Wow! And I mean wow!

SuperDad, I am printing this and framing it. Not kidding.

Sir, you have just summarized in so many words everything that we as instructors dream about. You and your family were a joy to see and work with, even though I was only there on Sunday.

Thank you. I can now officially say that all my hours of volunteering for this program have been worth it, and then some.

I think I can safely speak for all of our instructors when I say that we eagerly await your return to another Appleseed.

ST


Quote from: SuperDad on October 27, 2011, 09:59:46 PM
What an amazing event.  I had no idea what to expect.  I only know that we have strayed too far from our founding principles and we all need to do what we can to get back on track.  As a rank amateur with a gun, I knew I needed help myself learn how to properly manage a firearm - and even much more so in teaching my kids.

From the promotional material, and preliminary emails, it seemed like Apple Seed was a good place to start.  I was pretty stressed out trying to get all the items required and getting to the shoot on time.  Even had to make a quick stop at hardware store on the way for a staple gun.

Our rag tag team showed up with the best three rifles I could come up.  A borrowed tube fed with iron sights, a brand new $105 semi automatic Marlin, and a single shot Rossi youth.

I tried to use the tube fed with plain sights.  Gave Chelsea the new Marlin - which consistently jammed, and Celah had a loaner.  All morning I shot pretty much blind - could only see vague shapes, still was trying hard.  Tried every combination of glasses I had to no avail.  Barely shot a 130 on AQT.

All the instructors were so very patient.  They even loaned me another rifle with a scope - suddenly, life was so much better!  Still, we were rough.  Celah couldn't stand and hold rifle up, Chelsea kept trying with jamming rifle, and I was only a couple of weeks from steroid injections to keep back pain down.

I had only committed to one day and all the instructors kept asking, nicely, if we would be back on next day.  I kept thinking, are they serious?  They want us back?  I studied them pretty hard and they seemed genuine.  They wanted us back.  They wanted to help us more.  I was blown away.

At home, we figured out a way to get back on Sunday with two new kids.  This was all of a sudden the most important thing I could do.  A blend of history and expert training on firearms for my family.  Whatever progress we made on Sunday was fixing to lose all over again with the youngest of the bunch - Jackson, and Claire who had never, ever, held or fired a rifle.

I kept thinking - how are they going to like starting all over again with more beginners?

Then, Larry (Scorpion) said he brought me his gun to use.  This was a very special customized Ruger that had a lot of effort and love put into it.  I was blown away that anyone would loan us a gun, much less their prize firearm, for a beginner to use.  Well, that rifle almost shot itself.  Suddenly, all the excellent teaching made so much more sense with such a beautiful weapon.  Thanks again Larry.  I will never forget your generosity.

But that wasn't all - both Jackson and Claire had loaners too!  A full house of loaners and expert, patient instruction.  And the kids won a patch, and a flag.   What a fantastic memory and program.  What great leadership.  Superheat, you have inspired me.   Mac, you were amazing getting up and down all day long.  All of the instructors are the real deal.  I even went for SuperDad for my handle and the kids have ideas for theirs (AnnieOakley, DynaMite, GrandJack, . . we'll see).

I have two more to attend (Joy and Caed) and will be promoting this to everyone in our circle.  We should be able to fill up 4 events or more next year with just the homeschoolers in our circle.  This is the greatest family activity we have done this year.  Combine it with camping and - what a blessing.

Thanks again to all the staff and participants for your excellent teaching, examples, and hospitality.

SuperDad and Family.

MadHatter

Quote from: Swamp Thing on October 27, 2011, 10:32:56 PM

I think I can safely speak for all of our instructors when I say that we eagerly await your return to another Appleseed.


DEFINITELY!!!! ;D ;D  ..:.. ;D ;D
"Glove up!" Wizard
"Those who stand for nothing fall for everything." Alexander Hamilton