Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Incredible Hulk And Indiana Jones





During the last two weeks I saw both of these movies. I went to see Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull first, but the theater was full so SweetHeart Face and I went to see the Incredible Hulk. It was really great! A lot of these movies are really dark, but this one had the right amount of dark and anger. We really enjoyed the movie.

Then about a week later we got into Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This was also a fantastic movie. SweetHeart Face and I both loved this one too. Jones' new sidekick fit right in and did an excellent good job

I see more sequels coming for both of these flicks.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

My Father's Day Surprise

On Father's Day, SweetHeart Face took me to the movies and then we met our son, Rye, at Sonny's for barbecue. After eating we sat around for at least an hour catching up on all that had been going on since we went to NC about 3 weeks ago. We arrived home about 7:30 pm. I was in the house and SweetHeart Face was on the back patio checking on her orchids, and other plants when the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door my grandson, Ise, from NC was standing there. He normally doesn't drive since he is only four. Then I noticed his mom, Jac, getting baby Dee out of the car. About then, SweetHeart Face came in the back door and as she noticed the little legs behind me Ise stuck his head around me into her view. When asked what he was doing here, he said "You missed me." His dad had to go out of town for a week so they decided to come visit us on Father's Day (week).

Here is baby Dee laying on a blanket in the back yard. The picture has her almost smiling but at this point she is almost 3 weeks old so this is probably not a conscious smile, but she is soooo darned cute.

Here is a shot of Ise in the backyard. A clue here is that he has just seen Kung Fu Panda for the second time. He loves that movie and is busy collecting as many Kung Fu Panda action figures from McDonalds as he can.

Not bad form for a four year old who has never taken any lessons. Ya gotta love him, he is basing all of this on the Kung Fu Panda movie.

When he gets a little older, I bet he would really enjoy some lessons.

Here is a shot of him at the little park up the road. The town has a really great little park and this is part of the playground. We went over one evening after the temperature cooled down and he had a great time running around there. The sign says the park has been there since the 1920's.

During the week they were here, Jac went to visit some of her old girlfriends and the children's grandparents so everyone could get their first look at baby Dee. This is a picture of Ise in Cocoa that I really liked. I didn't go on the trip but it was reported that all involved had a great time. With the cost of fuel, a small vehicle was used to keep the costs down, but small vehicles carry less people (although still tightly cramped) especially when car seats are involved.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Old Salt Has A New Old Toy



Here is a photo of my newest C&R addition. A Springfield 1903 Mark I in a very nice condition. So nice, in fact, I really can't think of anything to do with it but clean it again as some of the oil on it is starting to get slightly gummy.

I also want to get a good look at the innards to see how many actual Mark I parts are still left in her. These old rifles are like the rest of us, over time someone starts changing or modifying their original parts.



In the picture above, you can see a slot cut in the left side of the receiver. This was the ejection port for a Pedersen Device. The Pedersen Device was invented in 1917 and converted bolt action Springfield 1903s to semiautomatic versus bolt action. The Pedersen devise used what was basically a .30 caliber pistol round and in 1917 was considered "Top Secret". By the time the rifles and devices were manufactured WWI was over and the military went back to using bolt action rifles. Later the majority of Pedersen Devices were destroyed however it is believed that perhaps 25-50 survived or were rebuilt from destroyed parts. Information is available concerning these devices on the Internet. They are worth a good piece of change should you locate one in a garage sale.



Here we have a view of the right side, starting with the butt.



Moving toward the front sight here is a closer view of the action from the right side. There are surprisingly few dings and dents considering this rifle was built in the early part of the last century.



And here is a view of the muzzle from the right side.



Now we have reversed direction and are moving down the rifle from the muzzle towards the butt.



Again, there are very few dings or dents.




The left side of the receiver with a slightly different view of the Pedersen Device ejection port.



On the left side of the lower part of the stock is one L shaped scratch. It looks like it got caught on a front sight coming out of a tightly packed gun safe.

I certainly have a lot more more scars than this piece has and I am not anywhere near the age of this beauty; nor am I holding up near as well.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Uncle Mikes Sunday C'Mon Over

Uncle Mike threw a C'Mon Over Party last Sunday. If your picture is not posted you probably stayed inside. I shot pictures outside only and not a lot of them since the temperature was over 100. If I missed you this time, I may get you next time.

Uncle Mike wields a mean spatula. Here he is cooking a great selection of Brats, Burgers, and Dogs for the crowd.

Here are his finished Brats and Dogs. Ready for consumption by the masses.

This is also a group of perfectly delicious Burgers ready for the masses.

This a a partial shot of the food in the kitchen before the masses have swarmed. There was Ambrosia, two different types of Macaroni Salad, Baked Beans and much other stuff I can't remember.

A shot of Aunt Pam and Uncle Don enjoying each others company. Their respective mates are also elsewhere at the festivities.

Here is Nana keeping a watchful on on the Slip n Slide. All of the boys there loved the water. By this time the temperature was somewhere around 100 degrees.

This is cousin Drew doing his full power slide down the chute while his younger brother and cousin act like bowling pins awaiting a strike.

here is Ise taking the Slip n Slide at full power. He hits it just like his cousin Jack full power and head first.

Here we have cousins Cole (L) and Pierce (R). They both had a good time on the Slip n Slide. They just took it a might easier than Drew or Ise.

Here we have Mom Shannon with her baby Kinsey. Kinsey threw out a smile as soon as I pointed the camera in her direction.

This is Tom and his baby daughter Katrina. She was the youngest baby at the party.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

The Last Soccer Game Of The Season

The last game started at 0900 and the temperature was at 80F. The playing time was reduced and plenty of water breaks were provided.


The other team did not have all of their players so some of Ise's team were red-shirted and played on the other side. And yes, at least one of them scored points for the other team.


It got warmer by the minute. It was even hot sitting in the shade on the bench. But you can see these kids were really trying.


This is a shot of Ise kicking the ball back into play from the end of the field. He gave it a real good kick.


Ise's Dad, Mom and his new baby sister attended the game. They remained in the shade to keep the sun off of the baby.


Here is a picture of Ise having just exited the Victory Tunnel. I didn't try to keep up with the score, but I guess it was a victory for someone. For my money, any kid still playing was a winner regardless of team affiliation.


This a closeup of Ise about a half hour after the game sitting in the shade over at the park waiting for his pizza and trophy. You can tell he was wiped.

A shot of Ise sitting with his Mom and Nana just relaxing.


This another shot of our tired hero with his Mom and Nana.

Here is the big brother checking on his little sister. He likes to give her a smooch at odd times.


This is Ise and one of his teammates eating pizza and relaxing prior to the passing out of the trophies.


This is Coach B handing out the trophies and certificates to the players of Team Panther.



Our proud soccer player shows off his trophy and certificate for all to see.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Speak Up Now On Right-To-Carry In National Parks



From NRA_ILA: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=3950

As we've reported over the last few weeks, the U.S. Department of the Interior has issued a proposed rule to eliminate the prohibition on Right-to-Carry in national parks and wildlife refuges. The National Rifle Association led the effort to change this policy and we are very close to winning this important battle.

However, the new rules cannot take effect until after a period of public comment. Our opponents will take advantage of this time to try to convince the Secretary of the Interior to reverse his decision. NRA members must take action now so that the anti-gunners are not allowed to sway this process.

It is always best to write in your own words. Here are some talking points to assist you:

* Rules on carrying and transporting firearms should be consistent—across the board—with the laws of the state that includes the national park or wildlife refuge;

* Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting themselves and their families while enjoying America's national parks and wildlife refuges;

* The new rules should provide uniformity across all federal lands, eliminating the patchwork of laws that create confusion for gun owners;

* Current regulations fail to account for the significant change in state laws since 1984. 48 states now have laws that permit laws that permit carrying and 40 have strong Right-to-Carry laws. Federal regulations should recognize the change in state laws and follow their lead, and;

* The new regulations should restore the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms for all lawful purposes on most DOI lands, just as they do now on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.


It is critical that gun owners and sportsmen submit comments during this process.

Comments can submitted online by going to this web site: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648053d497

Comments can also be mailed to the following address:

Public Comments Processing
Attn: 1024-AD70
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222
Arlington, VA 22203


Remember, all comments must be received by June 30. Submit your comments today!


Copyright 2008, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.


The Old Salt encourages everyone to send an e-mail or snail mail to the US department of Interior supporting this issue. Like everywhere else, those who break the laws are already armed in the woods and parks now. It is only the law abiding victim who is not armed. You don't have to carry a firearm if you do not want to, but the lawbreakers can not tell whether you have access to one if they are carried or possessed in accordance with the law.