Howdy!

GRR Blog Day 3: Today after being in town for a couple of hours, sharing Noah’s story with a couple random strangers and buying Emily a pink cowgirl belt, I headed back to the cabin for a short hike and some fresh air before Gary came with the guns. Now, please understand, Gary’s a real cowboy and I’m really not, though it would be fun. It’s just that I’ve been a city dweller most of my life, so slinging guns isn’t my daily activity. I don’t have a rifle or shotgun hanging in the back window of my Honda Pilot, or the Accord, for that matter. But, I like shooting, not people or creatures obviously, but shooting at things. The last time I shot a gun it was a shotgun, in the air on a hunting trip. That was probably 9 years ago. Prior to that I did some target shooting with Jason out in the wilderness somewhere with a handgun, but today, Gary had the real McCoy. Good old pistols, six rounds, nothing plastic, just metal and beautifully polished wood. He handed me a holster and showed me the ins and outs of drawing from my hip. I have to admit that the music that just ran through your mind picturing me drawing a pistol from my hip also ran through mine. You know which one I mean. No, there weren’t vultures flying overhead, though I do wish I had my cowgirl boots on. Anyway, I felt like Annie Oakley, but I’m sure my draw was slower than hers. Gary measured it with a special little device. My best draw was .52 seconds. Today at the ranch, of the other folks who had drawn, about 8 or 9 in all, I beat all but one. He also taught me how to fan the gun. It’s when you draw with one hand and shoot, then with your other hand, cock the gun and shoot until the barrel is empty. I was slow, but he can fan it empty faster than an automatic. That’s purdy darn fast! We moved onto the rifle with the scope. I unloaded a bunch of rounds on a small rock in the river below the cabin. Whether you are a fan of guns or not is not the point. I didn’t harm any living creatures. It was more of a Sidney Bristow meets Annie Oakley moment, except take out the bad guys and just picture them having target practice. Either way, it was fun and a bit therapeutic. It inspired me to continue writing, so that was good…