Gulf coast, between Ft. Myers and Tampa. The "Non-Touristy part of the state," as I like to call it.

I spent a month one week visiting relatives in Haines City .   .   .   

Ugh,  more lumberjack work sawing up big chunks of trees.   I'll  definitely not be taking large trunk pieces ever again.  Too much hassle to deal with.   

Also,  the splitting wedges from Harbor Freight are garbage.   The one I got is pretty soft and it's already getting deformed after not too many whacks with the 8lb sledge hammer.   

I spent a month one week visiting relatives in Haines City .   .   .   

Which immediately reminded me of this:

"Cleveland. What a lovely city. I spent a year there one day."

So, what is it about cities in Ohio, eh?

I try to stay away from such "exciting" cities.  Of the three listed, I've managed to avoid all three.  Been to DC three times, but only to the touristy stuff while visiting one of the kids.  LA is the one I've seen most, and I hate it.  But, two kids went to school there, and one lives there again after leaving for a few years.

A couple of months ago my father gave me his very first rifle, purchased new in 1947, a Remington 511.  The bad news is that he left it in the attic for the last 32 years.   It had a wee bit of surface rust.   I used some 0000 steel wool with a little machine oil, and pretty much all of it came off without any pitting.   So that's the bad, and the good news.  Now, the next bad/good news is that I'm on the downhill side of 50, so I can't see iron sights very well anymore.  So, after much deliberation, I'm having bases and rings put on the 511, as well as on a 514 I've had for several years that I also can't shoot very well for the same reason - iron sights.

Being the cheap illegitimate offspring frugal fellow that I am, I pulled the scope off of my .17 HMR to go on the 511.  And a good friend offered me a surplus 6x for the 514.  But what to do for the .17 HMR?  That's where all the above backstory comes in, what I did this weekend. 

Yesterday morning I pulled the scope off my AR, and put it on the .17 HMR.  And earlier last week I picked up a 4-12 x 40 with an illuminated reticle at Cabela's for about a third off, so I put that on my .30-06.  For now the 3-9 that was on the .30-06 is back in the original box.  I'm hoping to offload my AR in favor of a new Mini-14 (but that's another story) and put that 3-9 on the Mini.  Or it may end up back on the AR.  We'll see.  This evening I bore-sighted the .17 and -06, so when I get the .22s back in a couple of weeks I'll take all four out and have a nice, long sighting-in session.

made a burnt offering
venison backstrap stuffed jalapenos