Never Too Hot For A Fire

Or a bourbon. Or a cigar.

After shooting the Cavalier IDPA match in the morning, followed by moving furniture around in the afternoon, I was sitting on the deck, on the verge of nodding off. We had discussed using the fire pit in the evening, but the temperature was still well above 80º and it would have been easy to forgo the fire.

But we had an old Swedish Fire log that needed to be burned before it rotted. And there was the bottle of Henry McKenna Single Barrel which had yet to be opened. This bourbon won Best in Show Whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. So we lit the log and opened the bourbon. Of course, that called for a cigar, in this case La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo.

We just had to sit a ways back from the fire.

Memorial Weekend Cavalier IDPA

On Saturday morning over the Memorial Day weekend I headed off to the monthly Cavalier IDPA match. It had been three weeks to the day since I had last shot, or even touched the gun; not even to dry fire, or to clean it. It happens when life gets busy.

The first stage we shot, called "Cookout Prep," began by pushing a lawn mower forward, activating a swinging target behind us. After engaging the swinger, we worked our way around some walls to find more targets. I was pleased to shoot the stage just one point down, from a low shot on the swinger, but I did also earn a 3 point Procedural Error for forgetting a target at the second shooting position. Fortunately the target was visible to be shot at the last position so I didn't also get the associated misses.

"Cleaning House" was a -1 stage for me. Starting facing a wall, we turned to engage two nearby targets, one a head-only threat. After moving to engage a falling steel popper, the rest of the stage presented both open targets, and ones partially obscured by non-threats.

Next up was "Last Stand & Deliver." We stood at a table on which we had placed our gun and magazines. Targets were set in three sections of priority; two paper, three falling steel, and a single far "tuxedo" target. Our gun was downloaded to three rounds at the start, and all paper required three hits. Unfortunately I shot a little sloppy on this one, forcing extra shots on the steel, and had two misses on the last partial target.

"Roundabout" presented a meandering path through the course of fire. There were nine targets to be engaged from seven shooting positions. At six of those shooting positions we engaged a lone target, with three targets found at the last. Our path had us winding back and forth and around walls. I saw more than one shooter miss engaging a target by skipping a shooting position. I had one miss on this stage, adding to my total of 7 points down.

We ended on "Morning Commute." This two-string stage started with us seated at a table for both. For the first string we shot targets on both sides of the table, then finished with a two target array behind a non-threat. All shots were taken through a narrow, and slightly low, port through the walls. On the second string we again started out seated, but moved to find four targets to be shot from two or three points of cover, depending on shooter preference. I nipped the wall on the second string, saw the missed shot at the end, with a round left in my gun, but my mind never reacted to "Shoot it again."  I blame the heat. :-)

This was a fun match. The morning was very warm, but we finished all five stages in about 3½ hours. I had some disappointing stages, though I still enjoyed the shooting very much. The courses of fire were interesting and seeing friends is always fun. I may not be as competitive as I was in the past, but I am still having as much fun as I always have.

Memorial Day

As we begin the unofficial start of Summer, I hope everyone will take a moment to pray for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms. Celebrate the holiday as you wish, with food and drink, enjoying fun with friends and family, but do it remembering the reason behind Memorial Day. Without our fallen heroes this great country, and indeed the world, would be a much different and lesser place. We owe them, and their families, a debt that can never be repaid.

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." -- John 15:13

Eastern Divide Brewing

Activity on these Musings has been light of late, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy around here. A lot has been going on, not the least of which was the celebration of our son's graduation from college. Over our four-day celebration, we made a visit to Eastern Divide Brewing in Blacksburg, VA.

We arrived at the brewery just before their noon opening time on a Saturday. In the next 10 or so minutes more and more cars arrived in the parking lot. The brewery has only been open a few weeks, but seemed to be attracting many visitors. The doors were opened a few minutes late and we streamed in. The visit started off with a laugh as the employee opening the doors locked himself, and us, outside. We all walked around to the side and entered through the large deck overlooking the surrounding fields and mountains.

Ten beers, two sodas, and a cold-brewed coffee were on tap. After a few minutes I settled on the  Black('sburg) Pale Lager. This is their take on a Black IPA. The beer has a roasted coffee flavor with an accent of pine and citrus hops. Quite tasty.

Other members of our group ordered Up-Nod Belgian Quad and Eastern Divide Pils. Stealing a few sips from their glasses, I found those beers to also be enjoyable.

Besides trying the beers, lunch was also on our agenda. Feast & Company is the onsite food service. We ordered a variety of meat pies, frites, and chicken wings to enjoy with our beers. While the food was tasty, getting it was somewhat of a trial. The catering service has apparently been established for a few years, but their service at the brewery is not yet settled in. A number of folks were lined up to order food by about 12:30, but no Feast & Company staff was yet taking orders. There were a large number of people working in the kitchen, however no one acknowledged the waiting patrons. I heard one person ask the bartender when the food service opened, and the reply was, "In theory, at noon." Finally about 40 minutes late, someone appeared to take orders.

When our beeper went off and we went to pick up our food, I was handed a cheese plate, even though we hadn't ordered one. I gave that back to the server who then went to find our proper orders. As we started walking away with our food, we realized we were missing an item, so we went back to the window and the server then found that item. Once back at our table, it was noticed that one of the wings orders was missing the sauce, I went back to the pickup window again to retrieve that. In the end, we enjoyed the fresh and flavorful food. Hopefully, the Feast & Company folks will get their system down soon.

With my meal, I opted for the River Valley Red Ale. This is a well-done Amber Ale with notes of caramel and nut. Another solid beer from this new brewery.

The tasting room at Eastern Divide is large and spacious. There is plenty of room between tables, so even as more visitors arrived it didn't feel crowded. In a nice touch, two self-serve cold water stations, with actual glasses, were also available. That is a very appreciated detail.

I suspect Eastern Divide will be a popular beer attraction in the New River Valley. The beers are well done and there is plenty of room, inside and out, for folks to enjoy the beers. I am confident we will return during future visits to the area.

Saturday Beer and Cigar

We headed over to 1781 Brewing on Saturday with the hope getting in a few beers, and a smoke, before the rain. We knew we had just a couple hours before the predicted weekend of precipitation began. I grabbed a "glass" of König Fruhling Doppelbock, and a Dunkelweizen for Colleen. Aware of the clouds rolling in, I lit up my RoMa Craft CroMagnon Aquitaine Blockhead LE. right away.

The Doppelbock had lightly toasted malt and caramel flavors, and well as a moderate 8.4% ABV. The Dunkelweizen was a lower 4.7% ABV and featured a bready yeast behind the malt. Both were quite enjoyable.

The RomaCraft cigar is one of my favorites. It's a full bodied cigar with earthy and espresso notes, touched with a hint of spice. While I started out enjoying it with the Dopplebock, I knew it would pair just as well with the Dunkelweizen. But, just to be sure, I grabbed a pint of that beer as well. (I was right.)

As we finished the beers and the smoke was down to the nub, the rain started falling. It was a short but pleasant afternoon break.

Another Glock?

In addition to the exciting stages in a well-run match, the Maryland State IDPA Championship features an extensive prize table. This year, fourteen guns were given away by random drawing. During that portion of the post-match awards ceremony, I was standing in the back of the crowd enjoying a cigar with some other smokers. Admittedly, I wasn't paying close attention to the names being called. With 184 registered shooters, I wasn't expecting to hear my name.

And then I did. I made my way to the front and was awarded a certificate for a free Glock pistol, courtesy of GLOCK, Inc. That makes two Glocks won by this SIG Sauer fan in less than year. 

I only recently received the Glock 19 I selected with the certificate I won at the IDPA National Championship. It's not even come out of the box yet. At least I have over a year to decide what to do with this certificate. 

Don't get me wrong. I would never complain about a free gun. However, the irony is not lost on me.

MD State IDPA Championship

Last Saturday I made the trip across the Potomac River to shoot the Maryland State IDPA Championship, held at the Sanner's Lake Sportsman's Club. This annual event was upgraded to a Tier 4 match this year, so I was hoping for an especially exciting, and challenging, match.

The match lived up to both expectations, with twelve stages offering some quite unique and interesting shooting opportunities. (Match book here.) The club makes use of electronics to control many of the movers. Rather than just simple swingers, those targets move in programed intervals. Though the entire match was a blast, there were a few stages that especially stood out to me. As I have done in all matches this year, I competed in the CCP (Compact Carry Pistol) division.

The first stage our squad shot, after the opening "warm up" stage was called "Home Defense." Beginning with targets in the open, the course of fire ended with us shooting from a prone position. The only time I am able to shoot prone is in a match. Although the requirement often elicits groans from my fellow competitors, the be truth be told, I generally welcome the opportunity. Perhaps due to that feeling, this turned out to be my highest finishing stage.

Another stage was entitled "Coming Down the Hallway." With laser activated movers, a variation of the fun course seems to pop up in the club's sanctioned matches often. Triggered by entering a hallway, an extremely fast "up and over" target appears very briefly. A swinging target further down the hallway is set in motion at the same time, and makes just four appearances before being hidden. The key to hitting the first is to start shooting as soon as you enter the hallway, not waiting to actually see the target. Then, you must get to the end of the hallway before the swinger disappears for good. I managed just one hit on each those targets, and ended up 13 points down on the stage. Despite that, this stage tied for my second best stage finish.

Probably the most talked about scenario was "Hi Jacked Again." The entire stage was shot prone, from inside the trunk of a car. We began with our gun laying next to us in the trunk, with the trunk closed and latched. Pulling a handle released the trunk lid and we then engaged the targets, which included an up and down mover activated by a hit on a steel popper. Shooting prone, over the edge of the trunk, meant some neck strain for me, but I still got a kick out of shooting this one. Interestingly, this was the stage finish that tied with the previous stage mentioned. It seems I shoot better when the scenario puts me in extra awkward positions — probably because it forces more concentration and careful aiming.

"Out for a stroll" placed us in the woods shooting targets set along a trail through the trees. Not only was it fun, but the shade of the trees was a welcome respite from the afternoon sun. The eight targets were all laid sideways as simulated wolves, so we had to keep in mind just where the -0 zone was in relation to the target.

Stage planning was an important aspect of the match. Seven of the twelve stages required downloaded guns, unloaded guns, or guns and/or ammo left on a table or in a box. Adding to that the limited 8 + 1 round count required for the CCP division, meant I did quite a few tactical reloads. One stage started all semi-auto shooters with nine rounds in the gun. That gave me a chuckle thinking about the majority of the shooters who were shooting in the typically 10 + 1 divisions.

We enjoyed a tasty lunch from Southern Bobby-Q. The lunch options included chips, green beans, corn, baked beans, pulled pork, chicken, hot dogs, and Italian sausage. One could have indulged in quite a feast, though I opted to restrain myself, somewhat.

My finish in the match wouldn't win me any awards. I was disappointed in a couple stages, but still thoroughly enjoyed myself. All things considered I was generally pleased. And that, not trophies, is the whole reason I do this.

The day was long and exhausting. It was also immensely enjoyable. Shooting started at 9:00AM and finished around 4:00PM. Shooting with many of my regular match companions made it a day of good humor and mutual support. After the match we made our customary run to the local liquor store for supplies. The drive home after the awards ceremony kicked off with a filling meal at a local Mexican restaurant. I should go without saying, I slept soundly that night.

More photos from the day are here.