Memorial Day Weekend - SE IA

Friends and Family,
Thank you to all who have served our Country.  Because of you, we all have freedoms that we enjoy due to your sacrifice and service.  We honor you!!!

Our plan was to travel to spend the weekend with dear Friends from our home church, Edgewood Baptist in Rock Island, IL.   Thursday night after purchasing groceries, I prepared to load them into the trailer and as you know it was locked and broken; you know the details if you read the previous blog entry.  Here we are pulling out of our street.

Well, Friday, after getting the trailer loaded we rigged up a combination that included a long nylon rope and bungee cords. Just about 12 miles on the road and the suction from a passing semi had us pulling off the road to reassess the contraption.  After some further refining we pulled back on the road, but determined to go slow to avoid the risk of the door being sucked open again.  Traveling only 50 miles per hour sure lengthen a 2 1/2 hour trip to over 4 hours, but we arrived safe and everything inside was fine.   Here we are set-up in our personal campground with full hookups, next to our friends cabin. 

 

They have a beautiful park like setting behind the cabin.

 

I was in charge of breakfast each morning and Joanie handled the lunch and dinner.  On our first breakfast we received this cute card from everyone.

 

It reads: D & C Jones, Retirement City, Layback Town, Any where.

 

We have so much fun with these couples, chatting and catching up on each other's lives as it has been over a year since we have seen them,........ way too long!!!!  Good thing we all like chatting away as rain was in the area for the whole weekend.

 

Saturday night, Mike had promised an Amish family, their friends in the area, that he would fix a squirrel fry.  Some of us were less enthusiastic about the main dish, so hamburgers and hotdogs were also on the menu.   Here's Mike doing his thing, cooking up the squirrels (30 of them)!

 



 

Now, Mike is a hunter obviously, and he has traveled all over the USA hunting and leading other hunters.  He hunts turkey, elk, antelope, deer and of course, squirrel.  They don't buy meat, he usually hunts for all they eat, but he also donates or gives to those who need meat.  So I enlisted Mike to give me my first lesson on how to use and shoot my first gun, Sig Sauer 9mm P938.

He also, instructed me on how to use the other gun we purchased, Ruger SR22.   I think I like the 22 much better, not so much kick and not quite so loud.   As you can see from the target below, I didn't do too bad for my first time ever shooting.  :)  It was positioned about 15 yards out.

 

I hit the target on each shot!!!! I'm impressed with myself!!!!  :)  Dave is really good though, so I will have to practice more!!!  Mike was really impressed with Dave's shooting!!! :)

 

So.... Mike insisted that I am now Miss Annie Oakley, and that I should try his rifle.  Here he is setting it up.

 

 

 

Mike giving me some instruction on how to position myself behind the gun.

 

 

 

 

I hit the target!!!!!!! From 100 yards!!!!

The three green spots are my three shots!  That gun is really heavy and there is no way I could have held it and fired.  I won't ever be shooting one of those!



I am feeling a bit better about owning a gun, now that I have had my first lesson and I promised Mike I will get more lessons and practice, so I can be a Very responsible gun owner. Target shooting is definitely in my future. 

We attended a nice little church, had wonderful meals, my first shooting lesson, attended a couple flea markets and fellowshipped with dear friends.  Despite the rain, it was a very enjoyable weekend!  Thanks Mike & Joan for hosting!!!  For our first weekend as a retired couple, we sure had a lot of fun and our friends from the Quad-Cities made it a great start!!!