Great Weekend

[Hombre]

I had a great time and got the opportunity to spend 4 days of pretty relaxing time with my wife, and parents. Both my parents are getting up there in age (mid 70s), but are both pretty active still. I decided last year that I wanted to spend more time with them. My dad's really into sporting clays, very similar to trap, but you walk a course and get a lot of different looks at unique targets.

So, late last year I joined a course in Arizona and started shooting a little, I'm still pretty awful at the actual sport but I enjoy it. Anyway, we talked about it and if I could get in a few tournaments and enough targets to qualify for the Kansas state sporting clays tournament we would shoot together. I was able to get my 300 targets in and we entered, and planned for my mom and wife to go.

The place was amazing. It's really remote lodge in southern Kansas (Flint Oaks). This is a super cool place, rolling hills, great ponds and scenery all the way around. There's very limited cell service, and no TVs in your room. This part was nice, it forced you to disconnect and reconnect with those around you.

A few things I learned along the way

1. Your local one day tournament and a state shoot are drastically different in the difficulty of the targets. I've shot in the 70 out of 100 pretty frequently. I opened up this tournament with a 48/100. I didn't care. I was getting to spend time with my family, and frankly I haven't done this long enough to be very good. I just tried to learn different things that would help me along the way. Day 2 I upped my total to 55/100. Day 3 we shot a lot. I went 63/100 and 65/100. Then we shot Super Sport and I shot a 28/50, which was good enough to get me into 3rd in D class. Overall we shot 600 targets over the 4 days. Some of the targets were really cool. Traps set up 30 feet on lifts that came over the top and dropped so you had to lead them 6 feet underneath. Targets that rotated in the air where you needed to wait for the right time to shoot.

2. This is not a poor mans game. Most people had their UTVs and there were a lot of $20K+ shotguns running around. That being said everyone was very down to earth and genuinely good people. Everyone was willing to help and tell me things that were helpful in getting my score up.

3. Girls can shoot. The first day that I shot a 48 a young lady with us (guessing 22) shot a 85.

Overall this was a great time. I spent 4 days shooting with my dad, getting great advice. I also spent 4 days, after the shoot having drinks, dinner and stories with my parents. I think reliving the stories of your youth with family, and recalling those memories, is one of life's great joys. I'll definitely do it again, and hope to get better, but if I never do it will have been time well spent.

[quercus alba]

Your folks ain't old, Thump and Eddie has grandkids that age

[Hombre]

Haha! When I say old I really just mean that there's still good time for us to enjoy activities together. A few years ago I bought a pheasant hunt for me, dad, and son in South Dakota, and I'm really glad I did. As he's gotten a bit older he just doesn't have the passion for hunting, so it was time well spent too.

[Big Muddy]

Your folks ain't old, Thump and Eddie has grandkids that age

Yep, QA, my grands are already over 22 years old, but I'm pretty day'um active for my age.....I got up at 6 am this morning, while it was still cool outside, and pulled, shucked, de-silked, and package up nearly 100 ears of sweet corn.

[Thumper]

Wow! Now that sounds like a great time with family! Cool trip report.

[Bwana]

Sounds like an awesome time Hombre.

I've shot sporting clays a handful of times, but never in a tournament, mostly as part of a memorial shoot for a benefit shoot so the money goes to a good cause.

As for spending time with your folks, good on you. I need to do more of it as they are in their late-seventies now and seem to age more every time I see them. Actually going to see them this weekend, but need to make more effort to make that happen more often.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Sounds like a great time! I think the last time I saw Terry was at a kind of going away do at the old Vault right before you moved to Seattle.
I can’t imagine him slowing down!
Wasn’t that the place WilTel used to take customers? I’ve heard some tall tales about that place!
BKB

[quercus alba]

Yep, QA, my grands are already over 22 years old, but I'm pretty day'um active for my age.....I got up at 6 am this morning, while it was still cool outside, and pulled, shucked, de-silked, and package up nearly 100 ears of sweet corn.

any corn I come across gets put in the instant pot for two minutes then cut off the cob, ziplocked and stacked in the freezer. No muss, no fuss and taste just as good as if it were still on the cob

[Hombre]

BBP - Yes, it likely is. They use to also take people out to the Tulsa Gun Club and dad's a board member there now. I'm a member there so we should meet up out there to do a little shooting soon.

Bwana - That's exactly what I notice is them slowing down a bit. They are honestly still really active. My dad puts on 20+ shoots a year and moves the machines around, reloads them and other stuff. I think the old saying of a body in motion stays in motion seems pretty accurate.

[Big Muddy]

any corn I come across gets put in the instant pot for two minutes then cut off the cob, ziplocked and stacked in the freezer. No muss, no fuss and taste just as good as if it were still on the cob

QA, that's pretty much how we put our corn in the freezer, too, but only after we've eaten all that we want on-the-cob.....I still grow enough sweet corn to give away to our community and senior citizens, and they really appreciate it, too.

[Thumper]

There used to be an older gentleman here in town who was retired, but grew a small cornfield on his property every year. It was his hobby and his baby! When harvest time came around, he'd open the field up as a U-Pick type deal. I can't even remember how he charged ... pound, box, basket, bushel? I just can't recall, but it was always the best dang corn we'd ever had. If it were any sweeter, it'd have been TOO sweet. One year, the gate to the field was locked every time we went by, but the field was ready to pick. We finally stopped by the house one day and talked to the farmer's wife. She explained he'd had major medical issues lately and was not able to spray (for bugs) the last time due, so he didn't want to sell wormy corn to the public. She said he planned on just plowing it under when he started feeling better.

As we were about to leave, she told us we could have whatever we wanted if we didn't mind the worms. We loaded the whole bed of my truck, then went back up to the house and I tried to pay her whatever she wanted, but she refused any money for that "nasty" corn! Normally, when we'd load up there, we'd bring it home, put aside whatever we would eat in a short period of time, then shuck the corn, load up 1-gallon ZipLoc freezer bags and freeze the rest, to use as needed. BUT, we had a LOT of work ahead of us with this dang truckload! A friend told us to just leave it un-shucked and throw it in the freezer as is! We had a large (24ft. upright) freezer in the garage from when Lynn was in the wholesale food business and used it to store samples. so we loaded that puppy up! I think that corn lasted us at least a couple years, maybe more and I'll bet we didn't find 5 worms in that whole truckload. Freezing in the shuck (or for you mid-Westerners, husk) saved us a TON of work.

I had my doubts and was a little worried, but every bit of that corn was perfect in every way whenever we pulled a few ears to cook.

BTW, that was the last corn we ever got from him as he passed away before he ever replanted.

[quercus alba]

I still grow enough sweet corn to give away to our community and senior citizens

that reminds me of one time when my dad was about 90 I saw him getting in his truck and I asked him where he was going and he said "I'm gonna go check on some of the old folks around town"

Ed, me and you are the senior citizens now

[Thumper]

Youse dufes are as old as dirt!

[Big Muddy]

that reminds me of one time when my dad was about 90 I saw him getting in his truck and I asked him where he was going and he said "I'm gonna go check on some of the old folks around town"

Ed, me and you are the senior citizens now

Yep, and I can feel "the old man" slowly creeping into my bones.....my grandson just got engaged, and I hope and pray that sweet little gal of his will bear me a great-grand son in the very near future.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I’m on the cusp. Turn 70 this summer. I’m still pretty active but things have changed to the old man side. I get up most days about 5:30 (6:30 was always my standard wakeup even on weekends), walk my dogs a couple of miles as the sun comes up, and spend most of the morning reading and catching up. Then chores start around 10:00. I quit at 3:00 if it harelips the governor. Hell, I’m retired. Then I loaf around as my Dad called it. To bed at 9:30-10:00 depending on if I can get the ball game and where its being played. Old manish, eh?
BKB

[BarryBobPosthole]

And if I finish up around 2:00, I just probably will take a nap!

[Big Muddy]

And if I finish up around 2:00, I just probably will take a nap!

HA, it's always five o'clock somewhere.