Not much into blogging today being fresh off the road and tired as hell. I will, however, share this visual delight with you. This is the big prize given away last Saturday night at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno. It’s a Para Ordinance “Gun Rights” high capacity .45, single action stainless 1911 pistol. The 14-round capacity magazines make this gun too scary to be owned by Californians. Chuck Ziegenfuss was the big winner.
Clickable Image (drool).
Seen today on our return trip from GBR-IV. Place: Bishop, California. Clickable image.
The Better Half spotted this as we drove through town. I made a short detour so she could get this shot (and several others).
Over the past few days, it has been our pleasure to meet some of our fellow bloggers and to participate in the great activities organized by Mr. Completely and Kee Wee. We had a great time and look forward to next year.
One of the highlights this year, was when Major Chuck Ziegenfuss told the group about his experience as a seriously injured soldier and how his injuries led to the establishment of Project Valour-IT.
The following is from the Project Valour-IT site:
Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.
During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.
As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss’ fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.
A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of providing laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.
In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss (now a Major) and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.
In the years since its founding in 2005, the project has acted to meet emerging needs and its mission of supporting the the severely wounded has expanded. In addition to voice-controlled laptops, Valour-IT now helps provide active and whole-body video games such as Wii Sports, which is used to great effect in physical therapy, and personal GPS systems that help compensate for short-term memory loss and organizational/spacial challenges common in those with brain injuries.
It was an honor to meet and talk with Chuck. We’re going to continue our independent support to Project Valor-IT and look forward to supporting them next year for GBR-V.
Gun Bloggers Rendezvous update: After dinner tonight, the group had the privilege of consulting Alan Gura, of D.C. vs. Heller fame, on various legal topics relating to the second amendment. The forum lasted well into the night, with wide-ranging subject matter.
In memory of the victims of the attacks on America on September 11, 2001.
Never forget. Never regret being angry against those that seek to destroy America. Never let anyone call you racist for pointing out the source of American hatred as originating in Islamic extremism. It is what it is.
We’re here in Reno. We got in late today and are settling in for the events. We’ll be going to the hospitality room after everyone else gets back from dinner.
We came up to Reno via Lake Tahoe from Gold Rush Country. Tahoe has grown a bit since the last time we were there, but Reno’s growth is obscene. Another Vegas Boom in progress further north. Sort of sad - I loved the ‘Old Reno.’
Better Half snapped this from the hotel room today . . .
Update: We met in the hospitality room tonight to share ideas and camaraderie with fellow gunnies. Kieth of The Smallest Minority wore his best T-shirt with all AK-47s known to man. Photo credit - The Better Half.
This is how liars look when they’re called out for their lies . . .
The Better Half and I are heading out of town to attend the 4th Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno. On the way up the road yesterday, we passed this car carrier with all of his virgin Audis wearing Burqas. It made me wonder who their target market demographic might be.
Maybe ‘they’ don’t want the public to see the 2010 models yet?
