this coming weekend

Disclosure: This post contains some text which could be construed as political in nature and may offend those who lean left.

Well, our next trip is upon us. Tomorrow evening we'll be driving to Kansas for Nancy's cousin's wedding. I've only met her cousin Jenny a few times, but I look forward to getting away from the desk for a few days and seeing Nancy's family.

Weather.com seems to think our trip will be a rainy one. If you are planning a road trip, I would advise checking their driving weather report. We'll be on 1-70 pretty much the whole way, and they have forecasts for Interstates that show the weather along the entire route.

While there, I hope once again to do some shooting. I really hope I can get to Moundridge and shoot at Kansas Clays & Hunts. Tim and Sherrill (our former pastor and his wife) now own and run this great outfit, and we'd love to get to see them. I know how it is, though. Family visits can get a little hectic, and with the wedding it may not be possible this trip.

I'm up to my neck in work, still. I have projects due tomorrow which I will be working on most of tonight. I need to sleep some, though because I'll be driving all night tomorrow night.

For those of you who I know who are of like mind on the shooting sports, I have recently acquired a new Colt 1911-A1 (Springfield Armory replica). It's Springfield Armory's least-expensive version -- which just means it is very close to the original in design -- but I have been saving up for a while and got it along with new cherry grips. I haven't had a a chance to take it shooting yet, but perhaps this weekend I will. Here is a link to a very large, but somewhat poor photo.

For those who don't know what a Colt 1911 is, who are interested, it is a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun adopted for use by the US military in 1911. You can read more here and here.

If anyone is interested in why I bought this particular gun, here are several reasons:

• I like shooting 1911's.
  
• I have a wife and kids and think that it's my job to protect them if anyone intended them harm.
  
• I like to camp in the Colorado Rockies and want to take my small children with me -- there are mountain lions in Colorado and since they have tightened regulations on hunting them there have been more attacks -- especially on smaller people.
  
• The 1911 has a rich history, and Nancy's grandfather has owned several and has stories of carrying and using them in WWII. Even though mine is a replica rather than an original, I like owning something that has an interesting history.
• I may have a chance to use it hunting sometime. I had some friends go on a boar hunt a few years ago and they were able to use their handguns. I think this would be a fun hunt and hope I can someday go.
  
• Lastly, I feel that it is the responsibility of the responsible among us to own and know how to use guns. I get extremely frustrated with the efforts of some people to take the rights guaranteed in the second amendment of the US Constitution away from law-abiding citizens. I won't take the time to get on a big soapbox right now -- I find politics to be very divisive and that is not what I'm about. I will say that I think the world is a messed up place, and removing something that gives us the means to provide some small measure of security to those who we are responsible for just puts us all more at risk.
  

I had not initially intended this post to turn political. I do want this journal to reflect what I think, be it political in nature or not, so I ask for grace from those who disagree with me. Hopefully this post won't cause anyone to stop reading about my life and caring about what I and my family are up to.

I plan on trying to post some audio from the road here over the weekend, then post the details from our trip early next week. Thanks for checking in!