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Brush Fire! Piru CA, Jan. 17 & 18

Started by socalserf, January 19, 2009, 11:23:12 AM

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socalserf

January 19, 2009, 11:23:12 AM Last Edit: January 19, 2009, 11:24:56 AM by socalserf
Early on Saturday morning as I was driving to Piru  I saw a fire reaching up 30 or 40 feet in the river bottom. It must have just started, as there was no smoke visible. It was quite a sight in the light of the predawn.
It seemed to me that this was some how significant, and that there was an Appleseed analogy in there some where.

There are people here who have been put upon and made to feel ashamed, some how, for the misdeeds of others, and driven to hide their love of firearms.
Could it be that California is full of people who needed some thing. They are the fuel, dry as tinder, ready and waiting for the spark.

Appleseed comes to California and sets alight  the rifle owner who now understands that it's not just OK to love guns, but it's wonderful enough to share with friends and neighbors. No need to hide.

Can you shoot a Rifleman score?
Stand and be honored!

Do you love the story of our proud Founding Fathers?
Come and be among friends!

Do you think  it's important that others know our history and pass on the American's traditional excellence with the Rifle?
Join us, and teach!

Some thing in this program resonates deeply with in the Californian heart.
So many have been driven from this once great state that was a leader in the gun culture.
Perhaps it's the chance for redemption.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to start the report by CONGRATULATING the three new Rilfemen!

Our first shooter got his number on the first AQT of the weekend.
This was his fourth Appleseed, and he knows the meaning of persistence!
I believe his issue was eyesight and once he went to an optic sight he smashed all barriers with a tremendous score. Nicely done sir!

The second shooter to make his score was a first time attendee but a lifelong shooter. In fact, he is the son of one of our Instructors. Interestingly, he told me that he hadn't shoot expert in the military.
He came up to speed quickly, and shoot several great scores. He is an Expert now for sure!

The last fellow to make Rifleman was also a four time returnee. This young man shoot very well and would have excellent scores on most of the AQT, but not consistent enough all the way through.
Near the end of  Saturday he finally made it.
He has been at it since the first California Appleseed  in March.
He seems to me to be the very picture of some one who won't stop or give up no mater the difficulty or trial.  Persistence, persistence, more persistence, and then persist some more.
Sir, you are an inspiration!
 
And to top all of that , all three Riflemen have accepted the Orange Hat of the Instructor-In-Training!


We had another three who came very close to the coveted goal, but couldn't quite put together a complete and consistent string. Next time for sure.

We made new friends and got reacquainted with old friends and it was a lovely time.
"we cannot improve what we do not measure."

HollywoodMarine

#1
January 19, 2009, 03:20:06 PM
I would like to say thank you to the 23 shooters that came out to Piru this weekend. You gave of your time and learned how to become capable riflemen and responsible Americans, who know something about there heritage. Thank you very much now go forth and multiply. I hope to see all of you next time with some of your friends!


PS: BSB, GSL and, LLP Jr JOB WELL DONE  :)
A wise man can learn from a fool, but a fool cannot learn even from a wise man.

Embrace the suck!

SonoftheRepublic

#2
January 19, 2009, 05:15:32 PM
Love the Brushfire analogy Serf.  After less than a year, California has certainly taken off like a Brushfire, a hot burning fire at that!  And with the strong winds of California Appleseeders practicing their seventh step all across our state, that fire is destined to grow mightily!

My thanks to Johnny Appleseed, for shootbossing, and all who attended.  And I believe all the shooters experienced "marked" improvement in their rifleman skills and received a few pearls of Rev War History to take along home as well.

Contratulations once again to our three new rifleman and IIT's, Andrew, Travis and Grandson of Liberty!  It was a pleasure to welcome each one of you to the next level of "Rifleman"!

SOR
Give them the History, Immerse them in the Tradition. - The Power of Appleseed

The Appleseed Project - "Returning America To A Nation Of Riflemen"

Johnnyappleseed

#3
January 19, 2009, 10:43:51 PM
1st -- thanx to all the BI's + IIts who did such a great job working this AS. It was your efforts that produced the 4 Riflemen. Each + every one of you are directly responsible for the shooters achievment. But more important it was your ability to convey the 3 strikes , dangerous old men + the total AS experience. Your EXCELENT work this weekend +unselfish attitude was evident to every particpant.,Consequently every shooter is planning on attending future AS + nearly all are planning on instructing.
Once again each + EVERY one of you have My deepest gratitude for the fantastic job you did. Further I appreciate the way you all covered my mistakes  :-[It was again an honor to work with you old friends + to meet all you  new attendees.
Semper Fidelis
JA
Richard
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge

SavageShootr

#4
January 20, 2009, 01:05:47 AM

Congratulations to all of the new Riflemen!! and welcome all of you, I am glad to have you onboard as IIT's. It will be my honor to work with you on an Appleseed.

To all of those who attended, Congratulate yourself too. You got up off the couch. Take what you learned, and a friend, to the range and practice. I hope to see all of you at another Appleseed.

~SS
"Listen to everyone, read everything, and don't believe anything unless you can prove it."' B.C.
"It isn't like it is life or death...it is more important than that." MrPete

rock-chucker

#5
January 20, 2009, 02:29:35 AM
Man, just when I was thinking it was all about us up in Sacramento, I get word that you folks back home in Piru were hammering out riflemen and IITs like crazy down there!

Great job, all shooters and instructors, congratulations new riflemen, and welcome aboard IITs!

Andrew, now that you've made it over the top and stepped into orange, what are we gonna do to get your dad across too?  Oh, I know.......PERSIST!!!

See you all on the range.

R-C

socalserf

#6
January 20, 2009, 10:36:27 AM
Thanks to all the attendees who are the reason that this program exists.
With out you folks comming out and bringing your freinds, family, and co-workers we wouldn't have a program.
I hope that everyone learned a lot and enjoyed themselves.
We sure enjoyed working with you!

I would like to publically recoginize the Shoot Boss for an outstanding job. Thanks JohnnyAppleseed.
The Instructors were Lalylopro, SonoftheRepublic, and yours truly.
IIT's were Phoneprone, Lt.Dang, Lavatech(nice work calling the line BTW!), Hollywoodmarine(Semper Fi!),
and our newest IIT-Andrew, who started his on the job training on Sunday.
Did I miss anyone, I hope not!
Well done to all.
"we cannot improve what we do not measure."

Fred

#7
January 20, 2009, 11:31:44 AM

     Something that needs to be pointed out: Thanks to you guys in Piru, California has had it's first "100+ Appleseeder-weekend"!

     I know, I know - in six months, when it's 2- and 300 Appleseeder-weekends, it will be nothing to brag about.

     Still, it was a "first" - and worth noting.

      O0 , California!
"Ready to eat dirt and sweat bore solvent?" - Ask me how to become an RWVA volunteer!

      "...but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman alike..."   Paine

     "If you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War veteran" - Anon.

     "We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - Thomas Paine

     What about it, do-nothings? You heard the man, jump on in...

Grandson of Liberty

#8
January 20, 2009, 06:29:29 PM Last Edit: January 20, 2009, 09:00:58 PM by Grandson of Liberty
I want to thank everyone who came out to Piru this weekend, instructors and participants alike. It was a great weekend (of course!) I especially want to thank all the instructors who helped me achieve a Rifleman score this weekend. You guys are awesome and I look forward to working with you and learning even more as I enter the ranks as an IIT. Socalserf, thanks for reminding me to relax! Hollywood, thanks for noticing when I forgot Socal's advice and you got me to crack a smile.  :)  Johnny Appleseed, thanks for the use of Savage Shooter's shooting jacket (thanks Savage!- I have one on order!) Laylopro, thanks to you and the rest of your family (Phone-prone, Lt. Dang, Travis, is there anyone in the family who's NOT an IIT or instructor?) for your support and encouragement. You all really helped get me through the weekend and never gave up on me- thanks! Lavatech, great job calling the line. And last but certainly not least, thanks to Son of the Republic, for sticking with me on the many trips to the range at Angeles to shoot little black squares and AQTs all day, and for getting down in the dirt with me Sunday afternoon to analyze and fix every possible mechanical obstacle to making Rifleman. Oh yes, and thanks to Andrew and Travis, who both made Rifleman, for stepping forward to don the orange hat as well. Congrats to both of you! I feel like I'm giving a speech at the Oscars right now (must be a California thing), so I'll wrap it up and say I hope I'm not leaving anyone out, and if I am, my apologies and thanks to all!  O0
"Who hasn't done 'Number 2' on Bob yet?"- Jr. Birdman, Piru IBC, Three-Oh-Nine

DaFilipinoBambino

#9
January 20, 2009, 06:31:07 PM
This is the rookie Gabe signing in!

Thank you for all the help instructors, I learned a lot from shooting under your guidance and advice. The principles and concepts taught at the Appleseed really helped my shooting and the knowledge I gained from this should be taught to everyone. This was my first Appleseed shoot and had a great time hitting some redcoats as well as the AQT's. I never realized until that weekend how hard it is to shoot a 25m target with a decent sized grouping!  :~ Appleseed helped me appreciate that.

The stories of the Revolutionary War and its heroes during lunch were awesome. I was inspired by many of those brave men who fought for freedom, especially the White Horseman story. Lastly, I'd like to thank Richard aka "Johnny Appleseed" for recommending a friend and I to go to the Appleseed Project in Piru as well as Lavatech for loaning his .22 and sling for me one day. Keep up the good work and see you guys next time!

SavageShootr

#10
January 20, 2009, 07:01:45 PM
Gabe, Welcome to the forum. I guess you and your friend were the guys JA was talking to at Angeles week before last. Glad you made it out there. I'm looking forward to meeting you one day also.

GoL, My goodness what a great testimony! I can't believe you thanked me and I wasn't even there.  :o You're very welcome. I told JA to take the jacket and loan it out if someone needed it. Glad you have one on order. It might come in handy to have one when someone needs to borrow it. So happy to have you onboard as an IIT. I'm looking forward to working with you soon.

Fred, Thank You for pointing that out. I am proud to live in such a great state. With the help of Appleseed, it is becoming greater. Who would have thought, CA with a 100+ Appleseed weekend. WOW 





"Listen to everyone, read everything, and don't believe anything unless you can prove it."' B.C.
"It isn't like it is life or death...it is more important than that." MrPete

LayloPro

#11
January 21, 2009, 04:29:45 AM Last Edit: January 22, 2009, 01:25:37 AM by Laylopro
Ah, yes.....the sweet smell of burning gunpowder in the morning...... 8)
It honestly can't get much better than this, except to include your friends & family in sharing it....... :~ O0 <:)

We had a different kind of shoot this weekend.....half of our Cali staff was up in Sacramento (state capitol, YEAH!!!) spewing lead & burning powder with 80+ like minded individuals......we had a few returnees (the persistent kind, you know!) and some whom brought friends & family. For some, it was the 1st "real time" shooting they had done, & for others, it was a refresher course. But for everyone, it was -FUN-!!! O0

I will let PhoneProne lay out the numbers of the 1st Sat AM Redcoat target in her report....She is much better organized @ that stuff than I am.....but with JA as the SB, we needed a "Bad cop", to bounce off of his "Good cop".....I must admit I was being a bit less than kind early on to some of the shooting ranks, because I had heard scoffing on the line when we had them look from the firing line to target line......"geez, we could throw rocks at those targets & hit them from here....." "wow, I thought this was a rifle clinic, not a fish in a barrel shoot".....OK, guys, show me what a "great shot" you -really- are!! &) @&)
Needless to say, the Redcoats were for the most part safe from harm, & our "rock throwers" seemed to be quietly humbled from their own "enthusiasm"....... :'( :-[ :-X

We were able to very quickly move thru all the needed instruction modes, and before we knew it, grumbly bellies said it was lunch time....Oh, Boy!! Story time!! :) @@)
Phone Prone gave a very nice 1st strike, followed by SoCalSerf with the 2nd, & HollywoodMarine doing the 3rd.......JohnnyAppleseed as shoot boss really kept his eye on the clock, and before we knew it, it was back for some final squares & then AQTs......While we had quite a few shooters who were really loudly banging on the door, Saturday saw us gather only one Rifleman score.
Andrew, who has been coming to AS since I can remember, finally decided his eyesight needed some optical help, so he arrived with the correct solution. Bang! 220! His Dad Roger, who has been his steady encourager & partner in shooting, was more than pleased by his sons' accomplishment..... And, as a bonus, & probably because he's seen what an all around bunch of neat folks we are, Andrew quickly donned the orange hat of destiny & determination. Way to go!!

We finished our day by drawing the Front Sight Academy donation raffle, & I will not reveal the name of the -VERY LUCKY- winner yet, pending notification from the donor of this highly magnanimous gift.......  :-X
And we also have the Challenge ($7K value) Front Sight Academy donation for the folks who attend the 4/19/09 shoots anywhere in Cali......you -need- to be there!! <:)

Sunday saw the usual attrition of shooters, but as Bob210 once said: "Folks who show up for an AS are the cream of the crop....those who come back for Sunday as well are the whipped cream..." True story! :D

We had a chance to do Ball & Dummy, and caught quite a few gremlins in the mix....the shooters were making great progress, & we knew we were going to get a few more Riflemen before the end of the day.......

The next one was my son, Travis, who has not really had that much rifle practice per se, and while he is in the military, is more of a "pistol guy".....but I guess there were less bad habits to get rid of..... either way, he shot the first QDAQT of Sunday am, & had a fine score on it. Surprised his sister as well!! O0 OK, cool!! And even tho' he lives in Wyoming with his wife & baby, I knew he was interested in stepping up to the plate. With a "Cali rocker" on, no less..... O0 <:) &)

Our next RM was a fellow who had accompanied SoR to the very 1st AS in Cali, @ Corona back in March....this fellow (Grandson of Liberty) is the definition of determined, and understands the idea of persistence better than most of us ever will......Congratulations, GoL, you rock!!

We were able to get all the AQT's we wanted in, and faced with dropping scores from folks getting tired of sand & dirt blowing in their faces, we grudgingly shut it all down...the sun was sinking, we still had to clean up, & we had presentations to do, and also the benediction, plus survey sheets.....lots to do!! Quickly people, quickly!!

Get it all done, get the paperwork back, toss everything in the truck & go!! Another Piru event in the can, backing up the great state of California...and one where we had over 100 shooters in the state, participating, learning.....I really do wish there were more hours in the days, just so we could spend more time doing this.......

Anyway, here are a "few" pictures I took this weekend...... ++)

so, how was your weekend? <:)
Laylopro
"The truth only hurts if you're guilty." 

"Fast / cheap / good....you only get 2....Your choice."

"Amateurs talk hardware. Professionals talk software. It doesn't matter what's in your hand or between your legs. It matters what's in your heart and in your mind." Lt Col. Dave Grossman.

LayloPro

#12
January 21, 2009, 04:32:23 AM
a couple more pix
"The truth only hurts if you're guilty." 

"Fast / cheap / good....you only get 2....Your choice."

"Amateurs talk hardware. Professionals talk software. It doesn't matter what's in your hand or between your legs. It matters what's in your heart and in your mind." Lt Col. Dave Grossman.

LayloPro

#13
January 21, 2009, 04:33:58 AM
MO' Pix!!
"The truth only hurts if you're guilty." 

"Fast / cheap / good....you only get 2....Your choice."

"Amateurs talk hardware. Professionals talk software. It doesn't matter what's in your hand or between your legs. It matters what's in your heart and in your mind." Lt Col. Dave Grossman.

LayloPro

#14
January 21, 2009, 04:35:51 AM
ahhhh, last pixs..... ;)
Enjoy!!
"The truth only hurts if you're guilty." 

"Fast / cheap / good....you only get 2....Your choice."

"Amateurs talk hardware. Professionals talk software. It doesn't matter what's in your hand or between your legs. It matters what's in your heart and in your mind." Lt Col. Dave Grossman.

CitizenSentry

#15
January 21, 2009, 09:20:36 PM
Evenin' all, Andrew here with a fresh batch of thank-yous straight from my twisted little mind  ++).

First: my dad Roger - for dragging me to the first one on July 4, '08 (that's right, Piru in July!) and then for putting up with me dragging him to the others; for owning firearms, teaching me to use them and for starting me out with my own (Ruger Mini-14, SCHWEET!)

Second: the hats, red and orange - SonOfTheRepublic, LayloPro, JohnnieAppleseed, SavageShooter, V, KoolAid, Bob210, HollywoodMarine, Lavatech, Lt.Dang, PhoneProne, the lot of you. Thank you for showing me that there is indeed hope, that there are people out there as "crazy" as I am. I was beginning to wonder where the all common sense had gone.

Finally: Fred for dreaming up this program and Mike Thompson for providing the space.

Now then, who's next?
Right. Where's my hammer?

Dirty130

#16
January 21, 2009, 10:18:49 PM
Wow I had no idea what a good thing I was passing up until this past weekend.

As I said on Sunday to those of you that were at the Piru shoot.  Appleseed was one of the most refreshing experiences that I have had in a long time.  It was great to meet the great Americans that were at the shoot, it was my pleasure to meet all of you.  I look forward to continuing to learn and giving back what has been given to me.

Thank you to all the Instructors there, JA, SoCal, SOR, LLP (Dad), Lava Tech, Andrew, Phone Prone (lil sis), and Lt Dang.  With out you guys taking the time to teach me I would probably still be pretty angry at a piece of paper right now..... :)

Congratulations to Andrew and Greg again.  Great shooting guys!

I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Anything, Anytime, Anywhere

socalserf

#17
January 22, 2009, 02:58:27 PM
Welcome new forum members and IIT's!
It's great to have you here.
"we cannot improve what we do not measure."

Johnnyappleseed

#18
January 23, 2009, 03:24:41 PM
Gabe , nice to see your post,you guys brought such enthusiaism to the shoot,your attitudes were contagius.
Hopefully we can shoot in between AS + you can achieve Rifleman score next time out.
Good job + see you at Angeles .
Semper Fidelis
JA
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge

phoneprone

#19
January 23, 2009, 05:45:24 PM Last Edit: January 23, 2009, 05:49:41 PM by phoneprone
 ++) Hey EVERYBODY  ++)

I've been a little busy and haven't had a chance to get on here til now to post up the numbers.
heres a little graph of how we went.
     AM sat   PM sat    PM Sun
400       1              1           0
300       1              1           3
200       2              4           2
100       2              8           5
Head      4             0          2

I had a great time with the little instruction that I got to give. I think I did a stellar job with first strike  <:)

It was awesome getting to score the riflemen for this weekend... there were so many that were soooo close.
Persistence even under crushing agony of someone else shooting on another man's target proved to be well worth it for Greg! SoR got to hand him his rockers! It was quite a sight! O0
Heck, even my old bro got to make rifleman with the great ratio of students-teachers on Sun... it was fun to watch him get so nervous of my amazing math skills...  hahahaha
ANDREW! Even without my magical pb&j's he made it!!!! He did such an awesome job.
EVEN MORE AWESOME THAN ALL THOSE GREAT SCORES!!!! THEY ALL STEPPED UP! Even in Wyo!

Thanks to all of you that participated and made it to the boards.
Can't wait to see you all again soon.
layla
PP
"you have to have the correct peanut butter to jelly ratio"
"If the RWVA rock band must start, it should start here"

LayloPro

#20
January 23, 2009, 06:13:02 PM
You know........

I was wondering what happened to the snack break that had all those RM inducing sandwiches......guess we just kind of got hurried up past it on Saturday, rushing along to keep ahead of the clock & Mr. Sun..... :D :P

We could have used those sandwiches to really put a hurting on the other teams comparative results.....
heh.....

Just wait 'til this next Corona.......we are gonna -own- on that one!!! :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ @&) @@) &) O0

LLP
"The truth only hurts if you're guilty." 

"Fast / cheap / good....you only get 2....Your choice."

"Amateurs talk hardware. Professionals talk software. It doesn't matter what's in your hand or between your legs. It matters what's in your heart and in your mind." Lt Col. Dave Grossman.

Cal 7.62

#21
January 23, 2009, 06:58:23 PM
Looks like I missed a good one. :'(
Congradulations to all the new Riflemen O0
and IIT's. O0 O0
Looking forward to working with you. (Now grab a bucket and start bailing! &))
For those that haven't made it yet, keep persisting, America needs YOU!  :~
"Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions - The Eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us..." - George Washington

socalserf

#22
January 25, 2009, 10:47:46 PM
Dude, they are all good ones.
The worst part of this program is that with multiple shoots on every weekend you can't attend every event!
"we cannot improve what we do not measure."

bob 210

#23
January 26, 2009, 12:25:03 AM
Sounds like another outstanding event at Mount Appleseed! Congratulations to Grandson of Liberty, Citizensentry, and Dirty130 for reaching that coveted goal of Rifleman. It's good to see that each and every one of you recognized that shooting a Rifleman score was not the end of your journey as a Rifleman, but just the opening of the door.....a step through the doorway on the journey to save this great nation! Welcome to our ranks and I'm looking forward to instructing with you somewhere along the Appleseed Trail!
If ye love wealth better than liberty,the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom,go home from us.We ask not your counsels or arms.Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. SA

Lt. Dang

#24
February 01, 2009, 02:12:46 AM
Sorry this is so late in the game. ::) Just got some internet going over here. I had a great time at this appleseed. Although I was a little reluctant to go out for the weekend, I'm glad there was the non-gentle nudging of PP  &) to make me. What an awesome event we had! THREE riflemen out of less than 30 shooters... Math is easy, more than 10% of the shooters made the score. One of them was a first timer Air Force LOAD master... and future family member... so yes Greg, besides a couple of Layla's sisters everyone is IN appleseed...   #) lol?

I can't wait to see you all again soon, although I know we are getting so busy we may not all be able to be together all the time  :'(
God Bless,
ALEX
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