Great Day Shooting with Makhaira Group

Had another wonderful Saturday in Makhaira Group's Tactical Pistol 2 Course with my wife. What a GREAT Father's Day present!  Mark Hotaling spent six hours with us sharing more advanced handgun tactics -- shooting while moving, from back, transitions (back to knee, knee to standing), use of cover, indexed at hip and firing while bringing to sights (hope I never need to rely on that!), shooting from a vehicle, and more. Supported by his co-instructor Dan, Mark moved quickly, building a strong foundation on which to build increasingly complex skills and tactics. For me, probably one of the best learned skills was drawing, shooting, and reloading off- and single-handed. This is something I need to practice much more -- drawing off-handed and transitioning to a firing position can be finicky and it's going to be tough to do under stress! In all, the class was superb. Mark and Dan really know how to make the class fun while dealing with the extremely serious business of tactical shooting.

Mark had installed new HiViz sights on my SIG SAUER P226 Friday. I went with a green front sight and red rear signts. HiViz uses light pipes to create high contrast to help you more quickly find your sight picture and more quickly focus on your front sight. This seemed to compliment my P226 well, but I need to spend some more time on the range to confirm my opinion. 

 

243rd Commencement at Brown University

Sitting down under a massive tent on Brown University for their 243rd Commencement. My sister, Sharol Lyn Goeringer, has received her Doctor in Philosophy in Computer Music and Multimedia. Her dissertation was "Liminal/subliminal: The Streetlight as Infra-Ordinary Sound Art Object." Its a wonderful day!

Tactical Pistol 1 at Makhaira Group

My wife and I went up to Northern Colorado this weekend to take the Tactical Pistol 1 course from Makhaira Group. What an AWESOME day! Taught by Makhaira Group's President and former Navy SEAL Mark Hotaling, the course was simply excellent. Mark and his co-instructor Dan took us through a fairly fast paced course that went through fundamentals and theory and then we immediately applied what we learned on the range. Don't misunderstand me -- Mark moved out. This was an excellent introduction into the practical use of handguns as a defensive weapon. Mark covered firearms and tactical safety, weapon and ammunition selection, tactical presentation and the practical aspects of concealed carry, use of cover, tactical reloading, drawing from holsters (including concealed), malfunction clearance, and tactical gun-handling. We left the range motivated, confident, and measurably more competent.

My SIG SAURER P226 and my wife's Springfield XD(M) performed superbly throughout the day. Our accuracy improved even as we learned to use it while drawing from holsters, shot multiple targets, and conducted live tactical reloads and malfunction drills. Mark and Dan provided enough time to each student to coach individually in the use of our weapons. Mark was a former SEAL, he carried the P226 as his service sidearm for seven years and made sure I made the most of my handgun.

Friday Dinner is Awesome!

Ribs, mixed roast vegetables, a bit of Scotch and home made limoncello. Spring is awesome! It rained the past three days but it's beautiful now. Fridays are awesome.

Scotch Dinner -- Exploring the Pairing of Food and Whisky!

I went to an absolutely fantastic event last night. Total Beverage arranged a Glenmorangie Scotch Dinner at the Meritage Restaruant at the Omni Interlocken Resort near my home. David Blackmoor of Glenmorangie was our tour guide through this wonderful gastronomic adventure. We had seven courses and six different Scotches through a relaxing evening with just a few other guests. It was great fun!

I wrote up the menu and talked about what my favorite Scotch and foods were on Scotch and Whisky! 

This day just getting better and better!

My son wants to earn a bit extra this summer and is learning to mow lawns. Has wanted to for a couple of years but I wouldn't let him until he could start the mowed on his own. Today?
Success! Even got his first job as the neighbor's mower wouldn't start!

Daughter moves out today!

Big day today! After 18 great years, my daughter decides its time to be on her own. We helped her move into an apartment near our home this morning. Lots of emotion, but mostly I'm proud.