Wow! Time flies and life happens. A lot of it is repetitive and the usual routine of home and work; not particularly memorable.

The guild trip to the alpaca farm scheduled for August was cancelled as too many members were unable to go due to colds/flu going around businesses and schools.

Dad had a couple home projects that he didn't feel able to do himself, D.W. was able to help him with them. That's just one more reason that I think he's wonderful!

D.W. won me a custom kydex holster for my Firestar.
A local guy on one of D.W.'s blogs (who had been making a few for himself and friends) wanted to customize one for someone to see how it went and how they would like it. And hopefully to have it talked up so that he would get enquiries. He had a contest to see you would respond and the reasons why they thought they should win. Ta Da! Woman, birthday, hard to fit firearm.
It took several hours, longer than anyone anticipated. I had chosen to stay and watch the "manufacture" out of curiousity, rather than go to a neighboring mall and window shop. Good thing I/we did. Everyone knows that women are built differently than men. It took quite a number of "fittings" to get the fit and cant to sit comfortably on a curved hip. [BTW now we can get the open carry discount at Dino's.]

My birthday weekend was spent in Reno at the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous. We drove down on Thursday, got in around dinner time so missed the shopping trip to Scheels. (If you want a full description of the trip down see D.W.'s blog The Clue Meter.)

We went there (Scheel's) on our own on Sunday just to say we'd been there. If you are unfamiliar with the name but know Cabela's - think a store big enough to hold 2-3 Cabellas. If you can name the sport they have a department for it. Also clothing, home decor and a deli.

We went over to the hotel to check in. Met a number of people who D.W. knew by blog name and who I had never heard of. While he "caught up", I chatted with a couple other spouses in attendance. Kiwi and her husband had organized the event and live here in WA on Whidbey. Desi is a caterer from Fort Worth, her husband works for Cheaper Than Dirt.

Friday, my day, was spent out at the county range so everyone could play with their own and other attendee's toys. Lot of sun and lots of noise.

I took a wheel along for the ride. I had an idea that I could spin if I didn't want to shoot. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way the sliding feed winder clamp had come off the arm of the maiden. This effectively made the wheel unusable.

Anyone know where parts for a Pipy (New Zealand) Poly wheel are available? They are no longer being manufactured.

Show and Tell back at the Silver Legacy (home of the GBR) was interesting as there were a number of vintage weapons as well as some custom modifications that brought oohs and aahs.

Dinner was at Gekko's Smokin' BBQ. Pretty darn good food. D.W. was at the end of the table while I was several chairs away so we had a divergence of conversation. I was seated opposite Major Chuck Ziegenfuss of Valour I.T. He has quite a sense of humor and LOTS of stories about his travels. He is not really a fan of TSA screeners. I was also seated by Bea, a grandmother from Iowa, more about her later.

Back to the hospitality suite to party. We contributed a board of smoked salmon,a variety of crackers, and a can of Cougar White with Basil(cheese). Molly arrived with her father and visited for a bit. More about her later also.

Oh, and if you are wondering :) Yes, D.W. did give me a "pretty" for my birthday. A pendant of a square Chinese turquoise in a frame of ruby chips. It is a thing of beauty. I love it!

Saturday D.W. and I skipped the morning event of the Steel Challenge. We decided that it was time for some "just us and no plans" time.

Saturday afternoon 4-ish we returned to the venue for the evening speakers and dinner. Surprisingly, to me, the scores for the challenge were not announced, with the exception of 1st - Bea. [I heard a rumor that Molly was 3rd.] There were a couple dozen men and women in the competition.

Now about Bea and Molly:

Bea is 79 years young, and has been shooting for 2 years. You read that correctly.
Two years ago her oldest son informed her that if she was to continue living in her home on her own that she needed to be able to defend herself. He made that happen.
For Chrismas last year he gave her a reloading kit.

Molly is a 13 year old Californian. When she is old enough to compete she is expected to become a new world champion shooter. She already has a professional sponsor. She is very engaging and quite articulate. It seemed that she received by the assembly as a sort of "adopted daughter/younger sister". Neither of her parents shoot but they and her older brother were there/interested/supportive. They seemed to be mildly bemused that Molly was treated protectively by so many.

Saturday evening there was a speaker from the NRA-ILA, as well as a representative of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The NSSF picked up the tab for the "pizza feast" dinner.

Door prizes and raffle items were distributed. D.W. and I came home with an assortment of t-shirts, patches and a cap. D.W. picked up a framed Heller Kitty t-shirt for us. [Hello Kitty dressed in red/white/blue carrying a pistol and a copy of the constitution] It is signed by the attorney instrumental in winning the Heller case in the other Washington.

Sunday we journeyed to Virginia City for the Cowboy Fast Draw competition and for some the camel races. Again refer to D.W.'s account for detail.

Monday we drove home along a different route. Lots of similar scenery, quite warm, long drive. I had renewed my license on-line but the new driver's license had not arrived before we left so I had no license most of the trip.