I started Independence Day and the last day off I will have all month doing my favorite thing: I took Girlie Bear to the range and let her blow through a box of .22. A steady rain for the first 45 minutes we were there pretty much melted the cardboard target stands we used, but they still showed enough of our targets that we could get some practice in. She's getting good enough with the Rossi and the 10/22 that next time I'm going to back her target up about half again as far as it is now.
After she didn't care for the 20 gauge last time, I bought her a recoil pad for her shoulder. She tried shooting my black powder rifle, and said she liked that a lot better. Not sure if it's because the Omega doesn't kick as much as her Rossi in the shotgun configuration or if it's the recoil pad. Probably a little of both. I'm going to start looking in earnest for a good used black powder rifle for her to use this fall. She's ready.
As for me, I shot the 10/22 a few times, then shot the Garand. Nothing says "Happy Independence Day!" like shooting an M1 Garand. Then, of course, it was time to shoot the 1911. I did cheat a bit and shoot Tula ammunition through it. I also started working on figuring out how to accurately shoot the Smith and Wesson .357 that I bought just prior to Knoxville. It's got a very light single action trigger, and I've started to learn where on the front sight works best. Double action is also very smooth, but I need to do a bit of dry fire before that evens out for me.
After clearing the range, Girlie Bear and I headed over to the local purveyor of fireworks and geared up for tonight. I gave Girlie Bear a budget of $20, and to her credit, she bought an armload of explodey goodness for $19.56.
Once we got home, I got the charcoal going and prepped dinner. Our menu included smoked turkey, roasted potatoes and onions with garlic, fresh corn on the cob, and Dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I have to say the hardest thing I did today was leave the turkey alone after I brought it in from the smoker. There was about 45 minutes while the potatoes were on the grill, and I just sat and thought about how good that gobbler smelled. Everyone feasted well, and I can honestly say it was one of the better meals I've made lately.
After dinner, Girlie Bear and I prepped the area for fireworks. Boo came out after his bath and watched me set off "wockets" and "sparkles" for him. I tried to keep it low key out of consideration for the neighbors, but as soon as it got really dark, three of them started setting off mortars. Oh well, something to remember next year.
I hope y'all had a good 4th of July and had a chance to celebrate!
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