Notes from the gun shop...

Things have really slowed down in the last week.  Still no .22 LR, .22 WRFM, .17 HMR, and so forth.  No powder, no bullets. We are starting to run out of certain primers.  Availability for hunting ammo for this fall seems to be tightening.

Big sellers?  Handguns suitable for concealed carry.  Ammo most requested (that we don't have) .22 LR, .380 ACP, 9x19mm, .22 WRFM.  Powders most in demand?  Red Dot, IMR or H4350, Varget.

I am constantly asked, after the usual, "Do you have ______ ammo?", "WHY?"  Why indeed.  The answer is simple.  People are scared, perhaps even panicked.  They have no faith in the trustworthiness of their elected representatives.  They have no faith in the broader government (as run by the bureaucrats).  They have no faith that was once normal will be that way again.  These people often say something along the lines of, "the world is upside down."  For them, what was right is wrong what was wrong is right, what was moral is now immoral and what was immoral is now moral.  This scares them.  These frightened people aren't all old, white, country people either.  Those who hold these views are of all demographics but one, they are not communists/socialists.  They ARE, white, black, Asian, young, middle-aged, old, male, female (and some who have crossed THOSE boundaries in their lives), rich, middle-class and poor. 

Winchester Model 47

Winchester Model 47 Target

The Winchester Model 47 is a single-shot bolt action .22 rimfire for the .22 Short, .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle cartridges.  Shown at left is the target version but most of the 40,000 some rifles produced between 1949 and 1954 had the standard open rear sight like mine (shown at the bottom of this article).  The gun is pretty neat in that the safety is automatically set every time you work the bolt.  I like it a lot despite the noticeably stiff trigger.

PS - I've been shooting this gun a lot with Aguila Colibri ammo. Nothing but a little click as the firing pin falls and another "ting" when the little 20 gr. bullet hits the steel backstop. It gave me a pretty good group!

Notes from the gun shop...

It was a pretty busy day. Lots of folks from all over looking for a lot of stuff. Actually received 1000 rounds of .22 LR hollow points (10 boxes of 100 rounds each) Remington Golden Bullets. 10 boxes. That's all...

We have some neat guns in the shop. There is a 4" stainless Ruger Security Six, a Smith and Wesson Hand Ejector .32 S&W Long, a Smith and Wesson Model 15-3, a Smith and Wesson Model 17-3 and a NEW Colt Mustang Pocketlite. We don't have much in the way of powder or bullets and no 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP ball ammo. No .45 Colt, .357 SIG, .380, .32 or .25 ACP ammo either.

We had a "nutter" come into the shop. Just so you know we are not required to sell you a gun if you qualify. This person didn't get a gun. It doesn't help when you are racing about, agitated and talking about how your meds are messed up...

Notes from the gun shop...

I had two days in the shop this week. One of the employees was out on vacation. We weren't particularly busy but some interesting things have transited the shop...

A Webley MK VI revolver with issue holster and cleaning rod but shaved for the .45 ACP in moon clips or the .45 AR. I think it locks up a bit loose but somebody has already layed it away.

A Remington #1 in .38 rimfire. The rifle is in very good or better condition and the bore is really pretty darn good. If one could get .38 rimfire ammo that would be tempting indeed.

There is a pretty decent Luger with issue holster, both in excellent condition. That one hasn't found a home yet.

Somebody brought in both a Remington Model 58 (already gone) and a Smith and Wesson Model 36 2", NICKEL which is also in really good condition but sans box.

There are TWO Mauser .22 sporting rifles. These mimic the M98 Mauser with the extractor and safety and have the issue type rear and front sight but are set up in sporting stocks. I almost bit on one of these.

A Winchester Model 47 of which more later as this one came home with me...

.22 LR, .22 WRMF and .17 HMR ammo are in short supply. Apparently we're not even able to get match ammo. We have some we are holding back for gun buyers. Who wants a gun without ammo? Not every shop is approaching the situation this way.

Powder is hard to find. The 50 pounds we got 3 weeks ago is long gone. Primers we have, at least most types. Bullets are also in short supply. When ammo was short people started or returned to reloading and quickly cleared the shelves of powders and bullets for handgun ammo. This situation isn't improving.

Traitors or Patriots?

One 29-year old Booz Allen Hamilton employee, Edward Snowden, is reportedly the person who "blew the whistle" on the National Security Agency (NSA) PRISM project. Said project is reportedly gathering phone/e-mail/internet information on every American citizen. There are of course 2 sides to the discussion about his act(s).

One side says he's a hero for dropping a dime on the tyrannical federal government abuse of power and the other says he's a traitorous terrorist operative. Meanwhile the executive branch is attempting to deflect criticism by supporting the demonization of Snowden while saying that inadvertently captured data on citizens was destroyed.

Frankly, I think there's some level of disinformation being promulgated by all parties to this. Here's what I think the "facts" are as best as we can (or may ever) know right now.

A man named Edward Snowden is/was an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton. Implied in that admission is that he did have access to the information he claimed to have. We have long known that the government is indeed looking at as many communications (via any media) with overseas terrorists as they possibly can. We have also been told that the government has, of course, the ability to do the same with in-country communications.

Now for the implications...

Let's get real. There are some "truisms" that apply. If it can be done it will be done. What is legal isn't necessarily right/moral/ethical/constitutional. What can go wrong will go wrong. For these reasons I believe that the NSA is indeed capturing all possible data on all communications inside and outside the country. Aside from the problem of data storage it is probably easier to apply filters when searching the content than it is to apply filters to capturing content. Like a looter they are just grabbing all they can and sort it out as the opportunity presents or circumstance demands.

Given the number of people with access it is likely that somebody is abusing this capability in some way. Maybe it is as "innocent" as some employee checking out a spouse to make sure they aren't having an affair. Maybe it is some employee having a voyeuristic peek at some citizen(s) life. Just maybe it is the government actually gone fishing on 309 million Americans.

That last is the thing that the government is not supposed to do. It is but one step in subjugation of a people. Other countries have tried it before but technology (or the lack of technology) made such efforts come up a bit short. This is the reason many people feel a bit nervous about this.

So is Mr. Snowden (and others like him) a patriot or a traitor? We may never know. Certainly the government has to treat him as a traitor. He apparently knows that, after all he ran away to China. That's just fine. But we will likely never know the reason he has done what he has done and that is what we must know to define him as a patriot, somebody who puts country (all fellow citizens) first.

PS - it is now the 14th of June and we have learned that Snowden hasn't just dropped a dime on the domestic collection of data but apparently had/has information on our legitimate spying on the People's Republic of China (PRC). Further, he is apparently using that information to give him some leeway in his use of Hong Kong as a safe haven. To my mind what he has done is attempt, for some reason best known by himself and perhaps by his PRC handler, to use the domestic spying info to make him seem like a hero when he is nothing more than a turncoat spy who happened to also reveal the abuse of US citizens by their own government. No hero. Traitor. Benedict Arnold redux.

PPS- now the 22nd of June and it was announced that Snowden was charged with theft, “unauthorized communication of national defense information” and “willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person,” according to the complaint. The last two charges were brought under the 1917 Espionage Act. The complaint is sealed. This is to be expected.

D-Day

About to land Omaha Beach...

June 6, 1944.  D-Day.  The "invasion" of "fortress" Europe (the French refer to it as the embarkation).  Among the units embarking was the 116th Infantry Regiment attached to the 1st Infantry Division.  I had thought that among the men landing that day was PFC Gano Haines "Sonny" Jewell who was assigned in mid-July to the aid station of the 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry.  2 months later PFC Jewell would be dead but on this day in 1944 he was apparently in or enroute to England awaiting assignment as a replacement in one of the combat units and to begin the long and difficult job of freeing Europe.

Sonny was my Dad's first cousin and the only child of Harold and Julia (Parslow) Jewell. They were particularly close and I believe that Sonny's death was at least partially influential in Dad's decision to enlist as soon as he was able. I remember Dad talking about Sonny and some of their "adventures". He also talked about following his mother and aunt when they went to pick up Sonny's body. Even 40 years later there was real sadness in Dad's voice.

I wish I had a photo of Sonny.  I've only seen a couple and only one of him in uniform.  About 1985 a former NCOIC of the 116th Medical Detachment, Winston Morris, came into my office and showed me a copy of his photograph of Sonny taken the day before his death.  He was going to send me a copy but for one reason or another that never happened.

As a representative of all those men who risked all on that day, we honor our cousin Sonny.

The Otsego Farmer
Friday, September 1, 1944

WESTV1LLE

Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Jewell of Schenectady, formerly of this place, will regret to learn that their only son, Gano, is reported missing in action in France. Mrs. Henry Hesch and Mrs. Fred Ottaway are spending several days with their sister and brother, Mr. and Mrs. Jewell.


The Otsego Farmer
Friday, October 27, 1944

Mrs. Webbs Nephew Is Killed In Action

Pfc. Gano H. Jewell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold G. Jewell of No. 13 Cromer Avenue, Schenectady, previously reported missing in action, was killed August 4th while serving as a field medical man in France the War department informed the parents. He was a nephew of Mrs. Kenneth Webb of Whig Corners, Mrs. Fred Ottaway of Westville, and Kenneth Jewell of Milford.
A graduate; of Nott Terrace High school. Private Jewell enlisted in the army reserve in November, 1942, and was called in active duty in July, 1943, while a Sophomore at Union College. Following his basic training at Camp Grant, Illinois, he was graduated from Technician and advanced Technician courses at O'Reilly General hospital, Springfield, Mo.
After serving a short time at Fitzsimmons General Hospital, Denver; Col., he was stationed at Camp Reynolds, Pa , before going overseas in May, 1944.

The Otsego Farmer
Friday, April 22, 1949

Westville

GANO JEWELL BURIAL

The body of Pfc. Gano Jewell of the Army Medical Corps, who made the Supreme Sacrifice in France on August, 1944 was brought to Westville cemetery for burial, Saturday afternoon.
Funeral services were held in the Union College chapel in Schenectady. Pfc. Jewell was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Jewell of Schenectady and a nephew of Ernest Jewell, Kenneth Jewell, Mrs. Fred Ottaway and Mrs. Henry Hesch, all of this place.

I originally posted this on 6 Jun 2011...  

Printing guns...

Much is being made of the concept of using computers and plastic-3D printers to "print" firearms.  Some see it as a bane on society while others see it as a great liberating concept, both for the same reason(s), i.e. that anyone can produce a firearm at any time so long as they have a printers.  Something like the Star Trek replicators in concept, the printing of firearms is advancing quite rapidly.  In as much as many modern firearms are mostly made of some sort of polymer anyway, there is little or no stigma attached to such a firearm.  To put it another way, plastic guns made one way work, why not plastic guns made another way?  Printing of guns might me that way, at least for the some gun smith.

Sor far as it goes now, it isn't illegal for an American to fabricate a firearm so long as it meets the other criteria as mentioned in the linked article.  Handguns must have a rifled barrel to avoid being an National Firearms Act (NFA) regulated firearm and they must have some metal in them to avoid being an undetectable firearm.  However, the real attraction of printing firearms comes from the ability to "stick to the man", i.e. the government, a concept that many currently active progressive/liberal politicians have supported from the time of Richard Nixon.  Unfortunately for them, they are "the man" now and they are all too well aware of that.  They don't like it one bit and they intend to make it illegal.

It might be interesting to watch this show.  Unfortunately for the banners, history doesn't support the idea of successful bans.  If you don't believe me, just look at all the marijuana these same folks smoked since the 1960s.  If people want something, they'll get that something and use it as they please and eventually it will become the norm and permitted.  This is happening with pot in Colorado, California and Washington, it is happening with homosexual "unions" and I'm sure it will happen with any number of things before I die.

Back to the range...

Colt Official Police 5" made in 1929

After my rather interesting day attempting to sort out how useful my S&W 1905 4th change in .32-20 might actually be, I was told that it must be me responsible for the dismal performance. While that's certainly true in some way, the question is in WHAT way. Is it my eyesight, my shooting ability (eye/hand coordination), the loads used, matching the load to the gun, or what? So, I decided to try another firearm.

The gun in question is this Colt Official Police in .38 S&W Special. The range was again, 15 yards and I used the same 50-foot slow fire pistol bull. Once again, I alternated right to left, DA to SA for 48 rounds on each target. I shot at the same time of day, with the sun in about the same position.

Several issues became apparent. In DA I had one chamber that would not rotate into position correctly every time. That is to say, when I started the cycle by pulling the trigger, the hand couldn't "lift" or rotate the cylinder into position. This didn't happen with any but the one chamber, it didn't happen every time but often enough, and it didn't seem to be caused by something like high primers (and how did I manage to load a high primer case to affect the one chamber and no others?). It wouldn't do it when unloaded nor would it do this when used SA, thumb-cocking the hammer.

Another problem was the sights. Again, I would lose the front sight. These sights aren't polished to a "silver" like the Smith and the rear notch is much more generous. Still, I would lose the front sight and be unable to focus on it. This does nothing for repeatable sight alignment.

The third "problem" for me was the grip shape. This gun is a bit larger than the K-frame S&Ws and there is a longer reach to the trigger. This is particularly noticeable in DA and I caught myself incorrectly handling the trigger particularly after the distraction of the aforementioned malfunction. You can see in the DA target that my trigger control issues are much more pronounced.

SA target

DA target

Loading and shooting was done as quickly as it was possible to load from the ammo boxes set on the ground at my feet. I used the 6 o'clock hold (or thought I was). The load was the Hornady 158 gr. swaged SWC over 5 gr. of Unique. This is not a wimp load for the .38 Special. Clearly the gun wanted to shoot, the limiting factor was me. I think it is my vision. As I mentioned before, I have cataracts and wear bifocals. This is clearly affecting my ability to see the sights. It is more than a bit frustrating.

However, it is clear to me that the other gun, the S&W 1905, has at least some issues with the ammo used.

At the range with the Smith and Wesson Model 1905 4th change...

1905 4th change with issue stocks

I got some time to run out to the Stonewall Rifle and Pistol Club to shoot a bit. So, I took my old Smith and Wesson 1905 4th change to the range. Ammo used was loaded several years back (I got it from him before Mom died or in 2009) by Jim Taylor and it utilizes Lyman's 3118 bullet. As noted a way back when this revolver is well worn as demonstrated by the gas cutting in the top strap and exterior finish. It still locks up well, but the barrel is loose and one gets the impression that only the pin is keeping it from unscrewing itself from the frame. Also, the front sight is nice and shiny and that was a bit of a problem today. I have installed a pair of magna stocks and a Tyler T-grip adapter. This is a big improvement over the issue grips.

When I got out there one of the other members was just cleaning up on the pistol range, another was mowing and two were up on the rifle range changing targets. I took advantage of the situation to get these two targets set up on the same frame and to put the frame out. I carefully measured the distance using my laser rangefinder and took a position at 15 yards.

I can often get within 15 yards of a squirrel and have done with this gun but I've only managed to bring one to bag. While plinking at dirt clods and fist size rocks made me think the gun had some potential left I had some doubt as to my actual ability to hit anything with it. I have some worries about my various eye issues (bifocals and developing cataracts) affecting my ability to sight accurately.

Taking my ammo can to the firing point I started shooting. Double action only on the right target and single action only on the left target, I alternated right to left for 8 cylinderfulls on each target, i.e. 48 rounds each. You will not see 48 bullet holes on each target. I used the 6 o'clock hold and this gun shoots a mite low with this load. Again, I should note that the sun was behind me but the sight reflected quite a bit of light and I often lost it in the rear sight.

Both targets on the range backer.  Note the .30-something holes below the targets.

After shooting I was looking at the targets and noticed that the bullet holes were dispersed very similarly no matter that I'd been shooting all DA on the right and SA on the left. So, I thought I'd try an experiment. Using the photo-editor software I clipped the two targets from the original photo, made the right or DA target 50% transparent and then overlayed the DA target on the SA target. The result is that you can see how some groups get bigger and, again, how little difference there was in using the two methods of shooting.

DA target overlayed on the SA target. 

Please note that while I matched up the center rings pretty well, there is a bit of "parallax" due to the original picture being centered between the targets. However, one can see all the shots recorded on both targets at one time. I thought it was pretty interesting.

I still like this gun. I might have to find a better example though, this one is pretty rough indeed.

Notes from the gun shop...

Much slower than it had been and more normal for this time of year. Ammo is still the big thing and people are still astounded that there is a "shortage" even as they try to do the same thing everyone else did which caused the "shortage".

Young fellow brought in a drilling, 12 ga over .25-35 or 6.5x52R, a Merkel. Oh my but what a wonderful thing. He says that he thinks it was made in 1926 but the rifle barrel is stamped "12.25.35". Any thoughts?

Videos from the past...

I was recently reading a book which mentioned the Jack Robertson and Arthur Young movie from 1926, "Alaskan Adventures". A silent film it depicts Alaska including the wildlife and shows Art Young, a rather famous archer, in action. Pretty neat!

Notes from the gun shop...

Wow! What a slow day, relatively speaking. Finally falling back to normal for this time of year in terms of business. Not that we've got ammo coming in mind you but the outflow has noticeably slowed.

There are 2 Smith and Wesson Model 17s in the shop. One is a 17-3, no box for $750 (cash) and the other is a 17-4 with box, tools, and paper for $850.

We've had an influx of Savage Model 24s. .222 over 20 ga, .30-30 over 20 ga., and another, I think it is a .22 Mag over .410 but I could be wrong about that. All came in with broken firing pins. One was missing the trigger guard and one was missing both firing pin springs! I hate to say it but I see two trends. One is that the 24s break firing pins and the other is that those who sold/traded them to us were less than forthcoming.

We also had a pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight in .243 come into the shop. Nice rifle!

As I might have mentioned we have a new "gunsmith". He is capable, careful, knows his limits and has excellent attention to detail. If he doesn't think he can do the job he won't take it. However, he only works every other week on his rotating schedule.

Trip to the NRA Annual Meeting 2013

We have been gone for twelve days, gone to Nashville, Memphis, Houston (for the NRA Annual Meeting), and Pensacola. In that time we got to see friends and family, some celebrities and a lot of new places.

Unfortunately we had not been able to complete the installation of the new water pipe to the house before we left. Although the pipe was actually installed, the inspection had not been done nor had the trench been backfilled. We could only hope that the work would be done by the time we got home. It is not. We have some major rehab to do to the front yard. It seems that the backfill wasn't done for several days after we left and that we had a pretty big rain storm which caused a lot of subsidence of the backfilled dirt and the old sod was killed. So, more topsoil has to be brought in, the old sod removed, seeding and so forth. Great fun. Now, back to the trip...

Our first stop was the Opryland Resort in Nashville. Neither of us had stayed there before. It has rather elaborate indoor gardens and water features and the the room was pretty nice albeit a very long walk from the car. There are a number of restaurants but you must be aware that, other than fast food and pizza, they do not open until 5:00 PM which is when the hamburger (very good) and pizza place closes. You can take a "cruise" around Delta Island, for a fee of course.

Cannon in front of the marker for Nathan Bedford Forrest's last speech (Thomas R Machnitzki)

We next spent two nights with our friends in Munford. I got to see the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest's last speech at the Tipton County Museum and to shoot at the Top Brass shooting range. Nana got to go shopping with her good, long time friend, Criss W______. She also had a great time playing roulette at the Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis where we met some of the W______'s friends, MaryJo and Jim C_______ and ate a prime-rib dinner.

We made a two day drive of the trip from Memphis to Houston stopping in Marshall, Texas at the Hampton Inn for the night. We took I-40 west to I-440 to I-30 south to US 59 and followed US 59 (the I-69 corridor) to Houston where we stayed at the Magnolia Hotel at 1100 Texas Avenue. The hotel was wonderful. They provide milk and cookies at night and breakfast in morning and both were excellent as were all the staff.

The NRA Annual Meeting was the primary purpose of the trip and we had a great time. On Thursday we registered, shot an AirForce precharged air rifle, and got to see, and be in, the audience of the Glenn Beck show. That was pretty interesting. It has been quite a while since I've been at a TV show taping.

On Friday we went through about half of the exhibits and the went to the Leadership Forum. Apparently we were on Fox News with Shepard Smith because Nana's brother texted me during the concert to say he'd just seen us.

Nana and me applauding Glenn Beck

Every year now, the NRA puts on an "NRA Country" concert that supports the Folds of Honor charity. This year the performers were Kevin Fowler and The Eli Young Band. Kevin Fowler was some good, hard-chargin' honky tonk get down and feel good music. His band was good, even the "roadie" was entertaining. A GREAT opener that failed because of the 30+ minutes needed to get The Eli Young Band on stage. Unfortunately the sound engineer confused good music with loud music. Sound levels were so high that one couldn't understand the words of any of the three songs we sat through. Perhaps if we knew any of the songs (or of the band) we might have enjoyed it more. We left early.

Saturday I made an early return to the floor to see the half of the exhibits we'd missed on Friday. At about noon I went back to the hotel and Nana and I walked down the street to Kobeque Grill. The food is sort of a hybrid version of Korean and modern American cuisine. I had the spicy pork rice bowl. The spicy pork and the rice were good but I'm NOT a fan of raw broccoli, cabbage and carrots. Yes I still like Kimchi but this wasn't Kimchi. It was still a good meal. This was the night of the Stand and Fight Rally. People were lining up at 4:30 and so did Nana and I. Once we got in and got our seats at about 5:30 it was only a little while before Guitarchestra (founded by Tulsa musician Jerry West) started to play. Then we had the main show. Although Glenn had said Ted Nugent would be there he was not. A relatively abbreviated affair, we moved from the Pledge of Allegiance to the National Anthem to Larry Potterfield to Frank Caliendo (who was absolutely hilarious!) and finally to Glenn Beck. Glenn Beck's speech was excellent but ran a bit long. As the old saying goes the mind can only absorb as long as the rear end can endure. Hard seats nearly put an end to our ability to absorb the many good points in Glenn's speech.

Transportation around Houston was a bit dodgy for us. Fortunately the Magnolia provided excellent shuttle service. Unfortunately, the NRA has fallen down on this aspect of the Annual Meeting, especially as compared to Pittsburgh and Charlotte. I would have liked to have gotten reservations at the Hilton or the Four Seasons which would have been but a very short walk to the George R. Brown Convention Center but that was not to be. We'll try to improve on that for next year. I think they should have the hotel discounts set up for the following year so that one can make reservations a full year in advance. I could use the planning time and a chance to get a better room in a better location.

We left Sunday morning for Atmore, Alabama to see your great Aunt S__ and Uncle M_____ as well as your Uncle in Cantonment, Florida. All were well. We had some good meals and conversations and then headed for home.

Letters from an Army Officer's Wife, 1877-1888 - Frances Mack Roe

Frances M. A. Roe wearing her husband’s West Point
coatee, pictured with their dog.

I've just finished reading "Army Letters from an Officer's Wife" by Frances Mack Roe (b. 1850 - d. 5-6-1920). Frances was married to Fayette Washington Roe who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in December 1898.  Her letters are long, detailed and well written.

I think she must have been a fascinating person.  Although she appears to have unflinchingly supported her husband's military career and followed him to some rather isolated posts she impresses me as a more "modern" woman. Frances M. A. Roe, born Frances Marie Antoinette Mack (died 6 May 1920) was the wife of U. S. Army officer Fayette Washington Roe, ultimately a Lieutenant Colonel, who was sent to Fort Lyon in Colorado Territory in 1871. She accompanied him and recorded her life during these years in a memoir. While her husband's career has been described as "unremarkable", Roe continues to be known on the basis of her book for the accurate picture of Army life it painted. Black soldiers from this period became known as the "Buffalo Soldiers"; Roe's was the first documented use of the name. Roe said of the Buffalo Soldiers:

These ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ are active, intelligent, and resolute men; are perfectly willing to fight the Indians, whenever they may be called upon to do so, and appear to me to be rather superior to the average of white men recruited in time of peace.

Roe is buried with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

Fayette Roe’s family came from upstate New York, though he was born in Virginia. When he graduated from West Point, he married another upstate New Yorker, Frances Mack. Roe’s first post took the couple west to Colorado, and over the next fifteen years, to Montana, Utah, and the Dakotas.

Roe’s military career was an unremarkable series of clerical and administrative posts. He would have passed into obscurity had he not appeared as Frances’s beloved comrade “Faye” in her lively and perceptive account of frontier life, Army Letters from an Officer’s Wife (1909).

Captivated by the beauty of western landscapes, Frances described in telling detail the scenes and events in their army communities. She carefully balanced tales of lively social life with attention to the harsh conditions and isolation that military families endured.

Links:
- A Frontier Army Wife

One of the posts to which her husband was assigned was Fort Ellis as shown here...


She also mentions a stint at Camp Supply...

Busy, busy, busy...

Things are hopping around here. We've been busy. Last week we discovered via our water bill that we had a probable leak in the water line from the meter to the house. After we verified this we have been hustling to get the pipe replaced (the current pipe is 87-year old 1/2" galvanized pipe). That process started last evening with the necessary trenching. Today they will run pipe, drill into the basement for the new pipe and hook up the new line to the house. Inspection will likely (hopefully) take place Friday and then we will be able to back-fill the trench and re-pave the sidewalk at the meter. Interestingly, even though it isn't even 1/3rd a cubic yard it must come off a truck as the city will not accept anything else.

Today, I'm working to fill in for my manager (there are only the two of us who work here, it is him or me) and must also work Friday and Saturday as usual. The first thing today our old friend Van "Shorty" S______ came by from West Augusta to ask about our mutual friend/comrade John A______ who recently had a torn aorta repaired.