Safari Club Int'l: Vegas 2014

Ever been to a gun show or hunting expo? Now picture it having the biggest spread of fine gun manufacturers and amazing taxidermy covering two floors in Las Vegas... that's SCI at Mandalay Bay. From the bull elephant, to the dozen grizzly bears - Holland & Holland, to Winchester, Ruger, and Hornady - all the coolest stuff you can conceive of for big game hunting under one roof. There is of course a concentration of guides peddling African safaris and Alaskan bear hunts that you just don't see at other shows. A big reason for the focus on international hunting is SCI is the foremost conservation organization in the world and all the high rollers come to the annual show. If you were to merge guest lists from the Texas Cattlemen's and the Beverly Wilshire, that would be your average show attendee.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with a former colleague Eric, who after a career as a Marine Sniper became a professional hunter in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. He offers package hunts for the novice, or tailored hunts of specific dangerous game for more experienced hunters.

Happy New Year!

Chun jie kuai le! Happy Year of the Horse. So Christmas and New Year have come and gone. Lunar New Year was a few weeks ago, and Valentine's Day was this past week. Hope you had a pleasant and joyful time as much as my family has.

In January my wife gave birth to our beautiful daughter. It is very cool having a kid, much less frightening than one would think. Although we spend massive amounts of time changing and feeding her, it is worth it for the fun times when she is staring at you with cute round eyes or gently sleeping. Our two kittehs have been fine so far in adjusting to the change. Since a picture says more, I'll let the photos speak...

First encounter

Curious Winchester

Guard Cat

Legendary Leather, Cool Cars, Mountains & Airplanes... yes I've been to Palm Springs.

Palm Springs means a few things to many people. Retired wealthy folks, endless desert sun, golf, panoramic mountains and of course, fine gunleather. Leather? What? Yes. When this cozy resort town is mentioned, my mind drifts to cowboys and the premium gun rigs made by John Bianchi, a living legend. If you ever watched "Gunsmoke" back in the day, then you probably remember Mr. Bianchi's good friend James Arness playing the part of Marshall Dillon. He wore a clean, custom built holster and gun belt designed by John Bianchi. Besides CBS studios and Warner Brothers, he also made holsters for Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and more. He now sells premium belts and holsters under the name Frontier Gunleather based in Cathedral City, California. His original business Bianchi International was sold about twenty years ago. There are few things that smell better than a room full of fresh leather goods. Burnt gunpowder would top my list, with dark chocolate coming in a close third. Ballistol or Hoppe's solution holds a solid fourth spot; pine or spiced meats take turns at number five and six, whilst seven through ten are probably of no real consequence to you and I hate to drag out more non-sequitur facts.

The aforementioned smell hit me upon entering Frontier Gunleather, but I was struck more by the sight of John Bianchi himself than the delectable leather aroma. It was totally unexpected, a shock; I was surprised that he actually still came to work. My notion that he sat at home like other retirees or went golfing was pleasantly shattered. The wife didn't really get how famous he is until I explained it in the car later. If you don't get it, imagine going to a batting cage and having Hank Aaron working there. Or walking in to Nordstrom and being assisted by Ralph Lauren. Doesn't happen much, huh? Aside from crafting the gold standard for holsters, Mr. Bianchi is good enough with a gun to have an NRA pistol tournament named after him: the Bianchi Cup. In spite of this prestige, he is quite down to earth and folksy. We walked out with an order for a custom fit gunbelt with holster, an autographed poster, personalized copy of his biography, and a 1911 double magazine pouch dyed black while we waited. The only thing I'd planned on getting was the mag pouch, but my wife insisted we get more. The poster was a total surprise. :)  

McCormick car show/ auction happened this weekend, too. Cool Model A with my father-in-law.

Mountain snow above Palm Springs, CA

America #1... still most awesome place I've ever been!

America, Heck Yeah! Without trying to sound like I'm tooting Uncle Sam's horn, or being overly patriotic, there are some things I experience that keep me believing in American Exceptionalism. Two examples will illustrate the unbridled enthusiasm we pour into our pursuit of quality. One should keep in mind the truism: you get what you pay for.

Champagne brunch. These words fill one's mind with fashionable dining in blissful tranquility. A buffet of omelettes, carved ribeye, pancakes, Belgian waffles, and the like thrown in with the standard breakfast fare of hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, fruits, cheeses, pastries, and a Mimosa to wash it down. A little backstory may be in order. My wife is due to deliver our first child in early January. So we know for a fact that there will be a solid three to five months we won't be dining out at "cloth napkin" restaurants. So we're sandbagging now and eating out a couple times a week if her schedule and nausea permit it. Our dash to soak up these last few meals took us to the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. After enjoying one of the best steaks in my life, I casually pointed out that they offer an appealing Champagne Brunch. The wife's response was "Excellent, let's eat here again on Sunday!" No argument from me :).

So that is how I found myself at noon on Sunday, in a Spanish style courtyard, indulging in hot chocolate, eggs with smoked salmon, and a Mimosa: that sweet combination of orange juice and champagne.
---

Titanium AR-10: Sure, why not?

Carrying on the theme of penultimate quality, I had the chance this week to handle a rifle that costs more than a Range Rover, but the guy buying this would probably take it home in a Porsche. MSRP of above rifle: a cool $100,000. It doesn't contain any gold or platinum. Nor are any parts covered in unicorn horn or dragon scales, although it may have the very unique Hen's Tooth shell extractor. Why the six-figure price tag? One word: Titanium. The raw materials in this gun cost about $25,000. Add in labor and machining on the toughest metal extant, plus the unique designation of Serial #1 and one rises up into very rare air. I count nine specific titanium parts on the spec list below. Would it really cost more than a condo to build it on your own? No. At least not if you have access to CNC machining equipment with diamond tip cutters and are willing to plunk down the initial material costs. Word amongst some in the industry is that if this had become a "production model" gun, it would list between forty to fifty thousand. Still, at $45K each, Nemo Arms, the company who built this didn't figure demand would support the capital expenditure. I applaud their self-control.

Titanium Matched Receiver Set

416 Stainless Steel, .308 Win, 1/10 Twist, Black Nitride Finish, 16” HBAR Profile

Titanium Customizable Tube Handguard

Troy Tritium Micro Set Back Up Iron Sights

Titanium Picatinny Handguard Rails

Choate 6-position Buttstock

Titanium Low Profile Gas Block

Titanium Charging Handle with Tactical Latch

Hogue Grip with Battery Management System

Titanium DRK Compensator

KNS Anti-Rotational Pins

Timney 4lb Solid Trigger

Norgon Ambi Mag Catch

Ambi Safety Selector

Titanium Buffer Tube

Stainless Steel Buffer

Titanium Bolt Carrier, Nickel Boron Coated Bolt

Trijicon TA648RMR-308 ACOG 6×48

Alabama Rollin'

So back in October we visited my family in Alabama; took the wife to her very first game in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium (capacity 102,000) which was a smashing victory over Arkansas, and returned to Kentuck Festival of the Arts for some cultural enlivening. A great time was had by all. More detail will follow :)

High Class Cultural Activity

This weekend was spent with wife and in-laws partaking in some wonderfully enriching activities. My dear wife has never been to an Alabama football game, nor even Tuscaloosa on Game Day. So by cashing in all of my brownie points, I was able to coax her into joining me at Sonny McLean's Pub via Randy's Donuts to watch Coach Saban's Crimson Tide whoop up on Ole Miss. As a complete non-seqitur: we traversed the entire length of Inglewood on Manchester  Avenue, passing Soul Food Kitchen, The Forum, and seven different places selling fried chicken. I must say that a drive from Lincoln Blvd to the 110 Fwy is a lot like driving through Memphis. Anyway, I digress.

After getting a pre-game donut at the much hyped Randy's Donuts, we took a short rest back in Santa Monica before heading over to Sonny McLean's Irish Pub on Wilshire. Those readers familiar with West L.A. will know that there is absolutely no soul food anywhere near this part of the city. Fortunately though, Sonny's makes fabulous guacamole and perfect shepherd's pie with ground lamb and savory sauce. If you wanted to replicate a Tuscaloosa or Birmingham sports pub, Sonny's would be a close to perfect match. There are plenty of TVs; enough to watch the opening part of my Alabama vs. Ole Miss game, and simultaneously revel in Oklahoma thrashing Notre Dame, and Georgia beating LSU. We found out about this "meet up" of Bama fans online. Apparently there is no connection to LA's chapter of UA Alumni Association, but that doesn't stop 10-20 Southerners from gathering to watch the Tide Roll.

The wife had never seen anyone besides me sing "Yeah Alabama" or shout "Rammer Jammer", so allowing her to witness these firsthand was a real treat. I really enjoyed explaining the bad calls and how the system of "downs" works (why the goal is to keep getting 1st Down) en route to the end zone. Both of us were impressed by the safety for 2 points toward the end of the game. After the win, we both had a little bit of ringing in our ears from the crowd noise inside Sonny McLean's. There is nothing quite so sweet as driving home after an Alabama SEC victory. Roll Tide Roll.

---
On Sunday afternoon, we partook in a similarly exciting event: Georges Bizet's "Carmen" performed by the LA Opera in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, conducted by the legendary Placido Domingo.  Carmen is one of the three most famous operas of all time; sandwiched between Puccini's "La Boheme" and Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro", it was amazing to see for the very first time (with my wife/ in LA). We saw "La Boheme" last year, which was my first live opera experience. Everyone should see a few famous operas in their life to get a sense of refinement, and see and hear Western Civilization's classiest form of entertainment. Filled with very memorable songs, "Carmen" is the story of a gypsy lady who runs off with Don Jose, corporal of Dragoons and later dumps him for Escamillo, the grand bullfighter baritone who sings "Toreador."

At half an hour into the first act, we are treated to the "Habanera" which is the trademark song of this opera. It contains this line: L'amour est l'enfant de Boheme... or in English: Love is a gypsy's child. While I don't proffer this as a rational worldview, it does contain poetic charm. My main grievance on the performance was that my opera-mates told me the ending. Spoiler alert! When taking your son-in-law or your husband out to see a show that he's never seen, don't ruin the suspense by telling him that the title character gets stabbed. If I wanted to know who dies at the end, I'd have read up on it! As my wife says, "don't get attached to any of the characters because they'll probably die." Wow! How's that for comfort? Anyway, aside from Don Jose stabbing Carmen in a fit of desperate rage, it has a cute ending. I hope you like the songs as much as I do --> really catchy tunes.


vivid costumes, gallant dancing, lustrous voices, fun people watching

FINAL: No. 1 Alabama 35, Virginia Tech 10

So we won. But there is much room for improvement... running game was non-existent, and offensive line was lackluster. However VA Tech fielded one of the best defenses (I hope) we see all season. This is just the first game. Thankfully we have a "bye" week to prepare for retribution against Texas A&M and their snotty prima donna quarterback, Johnny Manziel.

Hope y'all have a pleasant weekend and Happy Labor Day. Roll Tide Roll!!!

Run in Feet, Dream in Miles... RTR!

So this is the last day of August and also the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The Alabama Crimson Tide, my home team (Class of '07), will be playing Virgina Tech in Atlanta's Georgia Dome at 1:30pm PST. I plan to watch the game here in Santa Monica with a friend from Nashville. For many years as a youngster, a game like today's in a neutral setting against a big East Coast team would have made me jittery about the outcome. But being #1 reigning National Champion for the 3rd season in 4 years, I have a bit more swagger. Hopefully Coach Saban has put his boys in the proper mindset. Winning today is a foregone conclusion by many fans. That's why we pay the fella the big bucks: $5 million per year to knock the stuffing out of Auburn and beat Tennessee like a drum, whilst carrying on a proud and glorious tradition.

Will he get more than 323 wins before retiring? At 159 wins he's almost halfway there, but I doubt it. Will he win more championships in Tuscaloosa than Bear Bryant? Maybe he can. It would take 4 more, which isn't asking too much for a coach in his early 60s. As "Sports' Most Powerful Coach" per Forbes magazine, I believe Saban really loves to watch his players win games and he's the only guy tough enough to impart that mental certitude to young college boys. I wish he had taken over at UA four years before 2007 when I was still a student. It would have made my memories from the Student Section of Bryant Denny Stadium much more exciting. Alas, I'm so glad Coach Saban is our guy now and pray that he stays till he's 85. A championship to Coach Saban is just "part of the Process." His process is methodical and inimitable. I hope we win :) Roll Tide Roll!