more to come...

I'm gonna write some more about our SF trip... we had some more delicious fun at Ghirardelli Square, saw Jimi Hendrix's house on Haight/Ashbury, and other neat stuff worth telling. Consider the first two posts as appetizers. Just ran out of energy for now... more to come.

Revised 7-6-13

So when we got off the ferry from Alcatraz at Pier 33, we proceeded up to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. I won't elaborate as it is a tourist trap like any other. We had lunch there at Boudin Bakery, famous local chain not at all unlike Panera Bread but much fresher. I enjoyed a lovely turkey sandwich as AA munched on salad, and Eliz had the tomato soup in a bread bowl. From Fisherman's Wharf, it is a short stroll up to Ghirardelli Square: best place for dessert in San Francisco.

This original chocolate manufactory is now relegated to gift and ice cream shop status as current production requires a much larger factory and corporate HQ in San Leandro. Nevertheless, a few of the old machines are set up and running to impress tourists like me and add a bit of a Willy Wonka motif to the room. The building itself is a stunning old brick structure with wrought iron and neatly manicured lawn overlooking the Bay. On a clear day I'm sure one can see Alcatraz, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Bridge quite nicely.  I digress from the main topic: chocolate. We had some intensely rich ice cream and drinking chocolate.

Ghirardelli's description of my sundae:
Two scoops of chocolate ice cream, freshly homemade dark chocolate hot fudge, dark decadent chips, whipped cream and an Intense Dark Twilight Delight® 72% chocolate.
and drink:

Decadent Drinking Chocolate with Biscotti Made with melted Chocolate Chips and packed with intense chocolate flavor in every rich, velvety sip.

The drink ordered by AA was so rich we tried cutting it with half & half creamers. It ended up being more than we could handle in one sitting, so a to-go cup was needed. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip and as evidenced by the lines out the door when we left, I encourage you to go early and soon!

Next on my list was The Haight. This neighborhood marked by the intersection of Haight & Ashbury was ground zero for 1960s Hippies, especially the 1967 "Summer of Love" that coincided with America's war in Vietnam. Notably, there were no long-haired, tie dyed, Birkenstock wearing folks smoking dope when I arrived. It felt more reminiscent of Atlanta's Little Five Points or the off campus Dead Head shops in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Historically Jerry Garcia's Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin all lived nearby. That is more than I care to know about it and we didn't stay for more than half an hour. So there it is; check The Haight off your list. 

      

Welcome to The Rock

Connery & Cage 

Title above is famously uttered by Sean Connery in 1996 film with Nick Cage. Many folks in California never make a trip to Alcatraz. Obviously for those over 60 it was a prison they can remember being operational and for guys in law enforcement it is just another jail. But for me, it was quite a memorable historic National Park. Obviously the only way in and out is via boat, and ferry tickets aren't that cheap, but entrance to the island and a high-quality audio tour are included. We took the early bird slot so we could be the first tourists of the day, and have other attractions less crowded upon return.

At Pier 33 there is a meticulously crafted model of Alcatraz that gets you psyched up for it more so than wandering through the obligatory cafe & gift shop. Eliz and AA had also never been, so that added to the excitement. Upon arrival the Park Service gave us a perfunctory spiel before our hike up to the actual prison. This time of year many seagulls are tending to their hatchlings, so the ladies made sure we paused for photos of the little chicks on our hike up.

Once inside the prison you get a feel for how desolate it really was. The tour is marvelously narrated by real guards and cons who served time on the Rock. My favorite bit was seeing the cells where 3 inmates enlarged their ventilation holes big enough to crawl through, then escaped over the roof and out into San Francisco Bay. Clint Eastwood's 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz gives a plausible storyline. No bodies were ever recovered, and the FBI has no idea where the fugitives may have gone. I'm of the persuasion that the cons had a boat waiting and that they retired to South America. We'll never know.

Among other highlights is a photo board with Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Robert Stroud and others. Also interesting is a spot on the floor with freckled concrete: tell-tale signs of grenade explosions during a riot. I think America has a lot to improve upon in our criminal justice system. Frivolous cable TV and weight rooms, with draconian drug charge sentencing... I really don't get it. We do a lot of things right in America, but letting violent offenders out early and locking up tax cheats, marijuana smokers and the like makes no sense to me. I think America is like a ladder with no top and no bottom. If you screw up and are middle class, you'll pay for it. If you're uber-rich or very poor there is no justice. That is my $0.02 so your mileage may vary.

If you're going to San Francisco...

Be sure to see Alcatraz and Sausalito (and wear some flowers in your hair). In spite of Scott McKenzie's promise that everyone had aforementioned cranial floral arrangements, it was very lovely indeed. A short itinerary below:

Sutro's Cliff House/ Seal Rocks

Alcatraz tour

Pier 39 & Fisherman's Wharf

Boudin Bakery

Ghirardelli Square, chocolate ice cream 

Haight & Ashbury

Patxi's Pizza in Haye's Valley

Lombard "crooked" Street

Golden Gate Bridge

Breakfast in Sausalito (Fred's)

Ferry back to downtown SF

Chinatown (Z&Y Restaurant)

Ride the cable car Trolley

As you may have ascertained from earlier posts, I've been to lots of places in California and the American West, but prior to last weekend had never visited the San Francisco or "Nine Gold Mountains" as the Chinese call it. Summer is a wonderful time to go. While it is 105 in Loma Linda, SF only got up to 75 degrees. Of course foggy drizzle is a respite to folks like us living in a desert, while it would not be so amazing for tourists from Great Britain, Europe, etc. I digress.

We completed our itinerary using only public transit: very convenient on a 7 by 7 square mile peninsula. After flying into SFO, the BART metro took us to Montgomery Street Station, less than 3 blocks from our hotel near Chinatown. Eliz' friend AA was our main tour guide for the trip. She does something computer related up there. After meeting up at Anthropologie on Market Street, the ladies let me take a nap on the "husbands sofa" while they shopped. When I woke up, it was time to go meet AA's boyfriend and get ready for supper.

We had a splendid double date at Sutro's at the Cliff House overlooking Seal Rocks which is perched at the southwest entrance to San Francisco Bay. I had and recommend the salmon. Our transit to and from dinner was with Lyft and Uber: two new "app based" services that don't take cash or require the long wait for traditional taxis. Look here.

.22LR- Can I Get Some Plinkin' Ammo?

Elusive Ballistic Wampum

The above title is an often asked question where we work. It has swelled into an overwhelming disgruntled chorus of customers wanting to go to the range. Whether it is a father who'd like to teach his kids how to shoot, a lady wanting practice without wasting precious 9mm rounds, or a prepper who is convinced that the "gubmint is gonna cut off supply," everyone wants more .22 ammo. The most frustrating aspect to me, is seeing first time buyers with their shiny new Henry rifle not be able to go enjoy their purchase as one could easily have done last summer. So as one who worked during Hurricane Katrina (similar market effect) at an Alabama gun shop and has a decent grasp of the human psyche, I will offer my hypothesis.

Firstly, the US government hasn't "bought up all the ammo." According to Hornady, a major player in the ammo business, only 5% of their production goes to gov't sales. That means Mr. and Mrs. regular citizen purchase MOST of their output. Ah, but they don't make rimfire ammo do they? Well CCI, leader of the rimfire pack, churns out about 4 million rounds of "unobtainium" per day. That is one out of the four majors (Winchester Olin, Remington UMC, Hornady, CCI/Federal ATK) producing 28 million cartridges each and every week.

Do you really think folks shoot it all up? I don't think so. When our shooting public cuts back on .223, .308, .45ACP, and 9mm consumption they usually use a .22 for cheaper practice. But these days more folks are buying and fewer are actually shooting as they don't know when store shelves will be replenished. I saw at the Tulsa Gun Show folks asking (and getting) $80 per 500 round brick. That is four times retail, yet folks buying it seemed happy that it was available. Economists refer to this as the price elasticity of demand. When everybody wants the same thing at the same time prices will go up as a way of rationing the scarce item and enriching those lucky enough to have a decent quantity on hand.

Those with a clear memory will remember that such activity inevitably leads to market saturation. Gasoline, Beanie Babies, or bullets: if enough money is poured into one area, the market will eventually settle back down to rational levels. It has been almost 8 months now, so I predict in 5 months or less we will see an ocean of ammo available to those still needing more. By then a full year will have elapsed since the Newtown Massacre, all the preppers will already be stocked up, and the ammo entrepreneurs currently "flipping it" won't have any suckers left.

As noted earlier, a shortage of any of the major defense calibers in turn leads to a .22LR shortage. One should be seeing more and more .223 available this summer. That is a welcome sign that we are over the hump. Without a ban on AR-15s we see a trickle down effect. Less folks are interested in plunking down $1200 on a complex rifle, and those that did have eased up on their vulture-ish shopping habits. I'm really hoping the rest of the firearms get caught up this fall, so we can have more ammo for all starting early January.

Most everyone in this business would agree that we'd sure settle for a slow down.
-----

September 21, 2014

Update: All major calibers such as .223, .308, .45ACP, and 9mm are readily available; still difficult to obtain .22LR except online or gun shows (paying $50 or more per brick). All major variants of AR-15 are now available at rock bottom prices and most wholesale distributors are stocked deep on guns of all variety (excluding S&W revolvers, Colt SAA, and limited run items). This is a buyer's market if ever there's been one. I think demand will remain steady for the foreseeable future, with no major legislation proposed or implemented.

Back to Guns...

In an earlier post, I made a list of most popular "American" guns. I use quotes because the last on the list, Glock, is a product of Austria. That list contained pistols and long guns, but today we will focus on pistols and their use. As I have stated earlier, a pistol, worn on the body at all times, allows one to react to a threat instantaneously. Just like a wristwatch or pocketknife it is there whether one "needs it or not." For more than a century Colt has produced the perfect .45 automatic, known as the Government Model (and the perfect revolver since 1873). Colt's Gov't Model a.k.a "1911" is the most copied semi-automatic pistol in history. To wit, Smith & Wesson, Remington, Ruger, Sig Sauer, and Auto Ordnance have joined the party recently whilst Springfield Armory, Kimber, Les Baer, Dan Wesson, and dozens of smaller companies' business model is churning out 1911 clones ranging from $700 to $7,500 each. There are dozens more that I don't have space to list; point being that 101 years after John Browning's design for Colt was adopted as our military sidearm, demand has never been greater. Quality makes it a Colt.    

I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a defensive pistol course yesterday, running 300+ rounds through a pre-war Colt Gov't Model. This eight hour course by Solutions Group Int'l was held at Prado Shooting Park, home of the 1984 Olympics, a fine facility. The course instructors gave me a little ribbing for bringing a 90 year old gun (and Glock for backup) with a 35 year old Bianchi rig. They all had Glocks in some sort of Kydex plastic holsters. By the end of the day I was ribbing them for doubting such fine "old school" equipment. There were a few shooters that did have some problems with their gat. 

Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory products showed true failures. The shooter to my right with a Springfield 1911 had his rear sight wobble out multiple times. The folks at SA could invest in a few cents worth of Loc-tite. Also his factory supplied magazines had feeding issues. Cheap magazines cause 85% of 1911 problems. A young fellow using the rental S&W Sigma had his front sight fly off. That pistol should be melted down and made into something more useful like a garden trowel. Anyway, I graciously allowed him to borrow my Glock for the remainder of the course. One competitive shooter using his S&W M&P 9 had undetermined issues. He also had a "spare Glock." 

The only products that performed in the heat and dirt without fail were Colt, Glock, and Beretta. I neither affirm nor deny Beretta's merits for personal reasons. It is a pity more shooters don't try Colt before wasting money on cheaper alternatives. While the fantastic plastic Glocks are reliable, they lack the deep bluing, graceful lines, and remarkable quality of Colt's.  Remember, the bitterness of poor quality lingers after the sweetness of low price has gone away.

As 1911 clones abound, there is nonsense swirling amongst gun store counters that a good pistol requires a "break in" before it will function reliably. That companies would sell a product not ready to use is not as amazing to me as customers' willingness to take it as acceptable practice. Would you own a fire extinguisher that required break in? Colt made their 1911A1 to military spec, meaning when you pick it up and shake it, there's a tell-tale rattle. The slide is much easier to manipulate and the guns will shoot dirty (fouled by carbon or sand). Try pulling the slide on any Kimber or other high end clone and you'll understand my meaning. Yes, the clones are very accurate. No they will not shoot reliably in adverse conditions. So sad that "new & improved" has given "old reliable" a bad rap. I hope anyone looking to purchase a .45 ACP finds this informative and helpful. 

Shalom & Happy Everyday! 

Live on Purpose

So last month I turned 30. The big three-oh. I feel like with a healthy diet, exercise, regular prayers, Bible reading, and logic games I will make it to 90. Lots of folks in my family lived past 85 and several were over 90... I think it is possible that I am just finished with the first third of my life and am looking forward to my next 60 years :).  What am I doing with my time?

I answer many folks' question of "What do you do?" with a subtle: "I'm in sporting goods." Sometimes for effect I'll say "I'm an arms dealer." Then my wife pokes me in the ribs to clarify that I sell guns (not via surplus Russian Antonov in the Congo) at a sporting goods store. So that accounts for 40 hours, but what am I DOING? Again, that is a hard question that requires introspection. To say I'm still studying Mandarin would be a very generous statement. To say I'm gardening (we did just plant a 4' tall camellia) would make it sound like I spent an inordinate amount of time weeding, pruning or improving our yard. That, I do in small amounts, but not enough to be declared a gardener. Reading? Yes, I read probably more than any of my colleagues, but not in any sort of concentrated or organized method. I feel a bit like I'm drifting (no pun intended).

As a high schooler I wanted to be a radiologist: hahaha! Way too much organic chemistry required for that. As a student at UA I first wanted to earn a business degree (too much math/statistics) then possibly become a lawyer (too much debt after earning bachelor's). So I went to China. And that was very good:) When I look back on what I did there and how I met my wife on that journey, I'm amazed. I don't understand why so many folks chase comfort over adventure, or settle for familiarity instead of growing beyond themselves. It wasn't hard deciding to move to China compared with moving to California. As I stated in earlier posts, I LOVE my new home in California and am glad that my wife is from here... there are worse fates than life in Southern California.

Sorry, I digress. Tempus fugit... carpe diem. For you non-Latin speakers that roughly translates to "Time flies... seize the day."  I really want to be able to say in 10 years that I spent my time encouraging my wife to excel. Also I want to deepen my relationship with the Lord and spend more time in His Word. My fantastically generous M.I.L. Kathi gave me a Kindle for my birthday with the stipulation I download the Bible first. I logged in and with the magic of Amazon, now have an electric NIV Bible.

It is much easier looking up verses on that instead of thumbing through pages. I still cherish my leather clad Bibles and think of all the enlightening Proverbs, encouraging Psalms, life changing Gospels and Pauline Epistles that are highlighted and bookmarked. My record for consecutive days of Bible reading was at UA after completing the Rick Warren 40 Days series. I don't remember how long it lasted, but I want to shatter that by reading daily for the next year. As the experts say 3 weeks establishes a habit, it should be well ingrained before the end of May. The times when I remember feeling most content were times I was reading the Word. My "restart" has been Ephesians 6:13, a very encouraging verse. I encourage all of y'all to give it a try, or if it is already in your daily routine please encourage me in the comments to keep it up. Thanks very much. Shalom!

Desert freedoms

There is a sublime feeling one gets when driving through the high desert of Southern California. An area encompassing parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties holds a wondrous views. The ghostly Joshua tree yucca, scrubby chaparral creosote, and stark mountains fill your windshield with quite a soothing sight.

Finding a spot to exercise the 2nd Amendment safely with some friend was the reason for today's excursion. Nothing in the world is quite so therapeutic as a day spent at the shooting range. Our range is what may be considered impromptu or 'as you find it,' though I'm told by friends that this spot is used regularly by many desert folk. We drive far enough off of paved roads so as to be way the heck 'out of dodge' and use a mountain for our safe bullet trap. This is akin to finding a gravel pit in Alabama, box canyon in Arkansas, stern deck on open water or sandy berm in other parts of the West. 

I shot a full menu of the marksman's sports: pistol, rifle, shotgun, and bow. Having been raised on the gun, my archery skills leave a bit of room for improvement. Recently (7 years ago) being introduced to shotgun games, I also need some more practice with my scattergun: Remington 870 Express 20 gauge. The boomstick was just purchased about 3 years back to give me a reason to join Redlands Shooting Park. My specialty (if you can call it that) is that of rifleman and pistolero. 

Any boy raised in West Alabama on venison has to be a good shot with the rifle. Otherwise he quickly finds himself in the minority when classmates discuss deer, squirrel and other fine game worth skinning to eat. I haven't yet had the pleasure of roasted squirrel or brunswick stew, but would savor the opportunity to try a bite. But I digress. Rifles today ranged from .22s for plinking, to custom ARs for reaching out a bit and punching tight groups on paper. Mastering the rifle is what keeps citizens free and confident, a supreme deterrent to any two or four legged critter that would cause harm.

Whilst the rifle is borne, pistols are worn. Generally, the ignorant Hollywood writers portray a hero charging into unknown danger armed with merely a pistol. I say merely because a Rifle or shotgun would be the choice of any prudent man. Note that our soldiers and SWAT officers alike keep their pistols holstered until their Rifle has malfunctioned or run dry. Only then do they fall back to their last resort: the pistol. Getting accurate shots beyond 7 yards or 20 feet with a pistol requires extensive practice and training. On the other hand, I can teach nearly anyone with a Rifle to make hits out past 25  yards (50-100 yds w/ practice).

Much has been written extolling the virtues of Glock products. Everything you read is mostly true. Their 9mm G17 and G19 are the world standard amongst military and police. What is often neglected in this ocean of positive data, is that a full-size Colt Gov't Model feels much better to shoot. The .45ACP cartridge throws a 230 grain bullet at 850 feet per second. Our wonder-nine is slinging a 115 grain bullet approximately 1200 FPS.  The velocity difference combined with a much lighter frame makes our 9mm Glock generate way more 'felt recoil' than the venerable Colt .45 Auto.  I think John Browning got it right 102 years ago making Colt's entry for the Army pistol trials.

My host for the day was very generous with his guns and I look forward to taking my wife to this beautiful spot. The drive up is well worth it.   

     

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