Boosting the Signal

Anyone interested in a German Shepard mix? He's a very cool neutered guy that's at a local (ish) shelter. He's heartworm positive, but it's still treatable.

With 2 dogs and a cat in a rental, I can't take him on. He could go on to have a happy, healthy life for many years for the right human.

They keep taking him off the kill list, because he has such a great personality, but he's been at the shelter for 7 months, so finding him a home is critical, now.

If anyone is interested, let me know via email at j(dot)dezendorf001(at)gmail(dot)com

Lee Pro 1000

So surfing around the other day, I came across a post on a local forum from a guy wanting to sell his reloading setup. I clicked through, and damned if it wasn't a progressive press! It came with the press, a powder measure with the auto-disc setup, 3 quick-change turrets, brass feeder, a complete shell holder assembly for .223, .44 mag/spl, and .38/.357. Also, it came with a small loading bench. The guy was asking $125.

So I texted him, and pulled the trigger, so to speak. I need to buy a 9mm shell holder assembly, and a powder-through expanding die for .38spl  (my .38/.357 dies are RCBS), and I will be setup to load my 2 favorite handgun cartridges quickly!

I have been unhappy with my reloading setup for a while, due to it being outside. It is on the back porch, but if strong winds come along, it can still blow rain onto my old Rockcrusher Jr. press, not to mention the naturally high humidity that encourages rust here in southern Louisiana. Since getting the new press, I went ahead and mounted my old single-stage press and powder measure on the back of my new reloading bench, so I can just turn the table around, and I am good to go with either the progressive or single-stage press.

And I can now reload in the comfort of my dining room! I'm pretty excited about this purchase.

Fast Draw!

Finished up a cowboy fast draw holster for a guy. He wanted a bullet deflector, and I wasn't happy with the type I had made in the past. I re-engineered the design, and was pleased with the way it turned out.

Since I had all the stuff out last weekend, I went ahead and made me a fast draw rig for myself! I like it!

Yard Sale

Yard Sales held by .mil types are WAYYYYY cooler than soccer mom yard sales. 2 tourniquets for 10 bucks? Yes, please!

Zion

Did Zion National Park today. Hands down, this was the best park we've been to. It was simply breathtaking. So beautiful, in fact, that I didn't bother taking pictures. They couldn't do it justice, anyway. All I have to say, is that if you go out west, this park is a MUST-SEE.

To paraphrase my wife: "they must have named it Zion, because you can truly see God here."

Seriously, if you ever have the chance, don't miss seeing this park.

48 hours

The past two days... where do I begin?

We went to Bryce canyon, and saw some really cool stuff. Went hiking on "The Arches" trail. I climbed up some slopes, and stood in the arches, like EVERYONE typically does. I did take one pic that reminds me of all the yoga-fanatic girls Facebook profile pictures. I think it's my favorite pic so far this trip.

Then today, we hiked a trail on private land (with permission) that we were told ended in an underground lake. It did not disappoint.

After the lake, when we hiked back to the truck, I went barefoot, because it was on a cattle road, and I had as much sand in my shoes as was left on the road, so I figured "hell with it".

It reminded me of being 12, walking in the fields my dad owned, barefoot, with not a care in the world.

It was a great two days.

11 years

It's hard to believe me and this beautiful girl have been married 11 years, today!

She went into the town close to where we are camped to see the local animal shelter. The Boy-o and I are piddling around camp. When she gets back, we plan on buttoning everything down, and seeing the small western town and it's rock shops and antique malls. Afterwards, we are going to grab dinner at a local Bavarian Restaurant.

It's shaping up to be a good day!

Deer!

HOLY CRAP! There are some big does in Arizona!

Chili

Maybe it's being in the West. Maybe it's that we spent the day playing in Snow. Maybe it's just that camping makes me want hearty, simple, filling fare.

Whatever it is, I wanted a bowl of The Red this evening, so that's what we cooked. Served with Saltines, it really hit the spot, and warmed up my core.

Chili hits the spot on a chilly night.

Thanks, Pawpaw, for teaching me to cook. It's a skill that I am grateful for every day, and I'm glad I had a Pop to show me how from an early age!

Grand Canyon

It's huge. I mean, I know you hear about how big it is all the time, but words don't do it justice. It's truly an impressive sight to behold. You actually get to the point where you aren't registering the size and scope anymore, after a few hours. It's like your brain can only handle so much vastness before it starts seeing it all as background. Then you realize your brain is skipping over cool stuff, and it's like being hit with a sledgehammer, because the cool view suddenly gains perspective again.

And apparently, it snows here in May.

This is one hell of a trip!