Texas Roadhouse

Driving in Style

2012-02-06T11:52:00.001-08:00

I've always told the XO to protect her feet while driving. She don't listen too well. She sneaks off bare footed all the time and you would think the guys at the station would tell me. I guess I'll have to spank her when she gets home. I hope the punishment won't last into the Superbowl game. Hand me my drink.

Watch out for the XO

2012-02-03T16:06:00.001-08:00

The XO has been looking for a carry gun to threaten me with if I don't do what she wants. Well I am getting older and there are some things that are harder to do than before like 75 push ups. Well I'll slow down one in a few years.

Christmas

2011-12-24T10:59:00.001-08:00

After playing SANTA at the senior center I was so worn out the XO and her sister got to play good little elves and put me to bed. I didn't even need my drink.

2011-12-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

Had to go down to the hardware store to pick up a few things. I don't know why everything I ask for is on the top shelf. The girls are helpful though, they know I might have trouble reaching that high. I should tell her that her panties are full of holes though, winter is coming and she might catch cold. Can't wait to get home and have a drink.

2011-12-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

The XO is healthy, it goes without saying. It has something to do with the vitamin D that she gets on her strolls. She tends to get a lot of sun but she never takes off her boots in the pasture. That is a good thing because I have told her that you should never kick a fresh cow pie on a hot day. Is she bringing my drink?

Love Handles

2011-11-27T09:57:00.001-08:00

Honey, does this rig make my hips look big? How do you answer that. If I say yes she'll shoot me and if I say no she won't believe me. The XO is used to laying traps like that but I'm used to providing the correct answer, "where's my drink". Note, no she doesn't wear them to bed.

Checking the Equipment

2011-11-15T14:36:00.001-08:00

The family down the hill has a way with equipment. As you can see she has found the problem and solved it. The funny part is she hardly gets dirty but still wants to take a shower before she goes down the hill. I will probably have to scrub her back and she'll mess up all my towels. Oh well, it will be nice to have the equipment in good shape. Where's my drink?

Fashion Notes

2011-11-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm an old fashioned guy. I have tried to teach the XO that some things are just right and you shouldn't try to be different. One that sticks in my craw is the "no White after Labor Day". She tells me that this is just part of her Santa suit and to just wait for Christmas morning. Oh, well. My patience knows no bounds. Where's my drink?

Baking Cookies

2011-10-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

The XO's sister came by today. She likes to mess around in the kitchen. The XO was out of town so I told her to make herself at home. Her cookies are ~~great~~wonderful.

Fall in the air

2011-09-14T12:21:00.002-07:00

The XO likes to gaze out the window in the morning. I don't mind but she blocks the light and the green of her gown turns the room a funny color. I wish she would go get the coffee, I hate to wait. The weather hasn't turned cool yet but when it does she will get a log for the fire before she brings the coffee. Maybe we could saddle up and ride a little, she makes me feel like a cowboy.

2011-07-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Oh Oh I must have said something about the administration that ICE doesn't like. Oh well, I'm too old to worry about it now. I'll just keep my guns and religion up here on the mountain until I see them marching up the road.

New hiway crusier

2011-06-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

The XO deserves one of these. She works hard and needs some time to herself. Trouble is all the young guys that would make a move on her just for the car. She may get confused.

Round about way to a Bodyguard

2011-05-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

The XO and I were at the range the other day and the guy next to us was trying out his new S&W 380 Bodyguard. He let the XO try it and she was hooked. The only problem was the long, hard trigger (she had to use two fingers to fire it). He told us that he had gone to Cabelas to buy one and they didn't have any for some reason. I had the same problem a month ago when they were on sale (seems like you would have a couple if you were going to run a sale). He got angry and went to Academy to see if he could find something to spend money on. Well guess what? They had the S&W $50.00 cheaper than Cabelas sale price. We packed up the range bag and went directly to Academy. No luck but the clerk looked in the inventory and found one on the North side of Austin and they agreed to hold it for us. Ta Da.
Fast forward to the next Range trip. The long hard trigger was too much to be enjoyable so the XO tried out my pocket gun, a little TCP from Taurus. Well broken in and a smooth, light trigger, what's not to like. Needless to say I now have the S&W she has the TCP and we are both happy.

Time is coming...

2011-04-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

The XO and I were going down to the range today as a break from my getting ready for a garage sale. She went to the GYM while I worked through getting stuff ready to display. When she got home I was not ready for the trip. I have noticed that I don't have the stamina I had as a young 65 year old. I admit that after all the surgeries and the uncertainty of the blood problem I was drained (the phlebotomy aside) and had no strength. Our last trip to the range was just a week ago and she blew the center out of the target, again. I think I'll suggest that we take a class or two where we can move a little. I'm also thinking that it might mean a trip to Vegas. Well, I CAN DREAM CAN'T I.

Range Time

2011-03-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

The XO and I try to go to the range once a week. Even while I was hobbling around on a cane we kept that date. She is an easy shooter and right on the button all the time. Today she blew the center out of the target through 150 shots. There were two fliers but even they were within four inches.
The XO is an angel. She has had to put up with me through all of the surgeries and the rehab that went with them. It's a good thing that I know how to avoid getting shot.

Don't ya just hate....

2010-11-18T07:41:00.000-08:00

Girls that sweat (even if they don't smell bad) just turn me off. This girl has a tat, too (accidental pun) and that right there would make me throw her out of bed. How about you?

Body Building-one part at a time

2010-11-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

The wedding album is full of pictures like this. The XO and I tried to cheap out and hire a teen-ager from the neighborhood to take the pictures and he cut off most of the heads. Thinking about body parts reminds me that I am getting a new knee tomorrow. I've been down this trail before and am looking forward to getting it over with. The past several years have been a bother and now that the XO knows how to text nothing is the same. You can imagine how distracting it is to have that clicking in your ear during those "special" times. After this knee she says she wants to pick the next part. I wonder what she means....

Good Help is Hard to Find

2010-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Although she makes a good apple pie she doesn't like to wear shoes. She sometimes interrupts my reading by sneaking up behind me with a scotch and cigar and I don't hear her because she is not wearing her shoes.
When she and the XO mow the lawn they really bring the neighbors out to enjoy the fine weather.

Mornings around the Roadhouse

2010-09-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

The XO likes to ride in the morning. She's too good a shot to argue with and now that we have the new, flexible spurs it's not that bad. Sometimes I would rather read a good book.

Ruger Single Six

2010-08-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for cowboy style fire arms. I ran across a nice, early model, Ruger single six at a good price a while back and I just had to have it. What a sweet gun. The XO and I have run about 1K through it and it shoots to POA at 7 and 15 yards with nary a bobble. The XO forgot it was a revolver on the last trip to the range and used a two handed grip on it like on an automatic. Turned the tips of two fingers and a thumb black but didn't burn them. I did that years ago with a S&W .44 that was old and worn and nearly blew the tips of my fingers off. Doesn't take long to learn.

Range Wars

2010-07-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Got to see my first Gen4 G19 today. I didn't find much difference from the outside. The back strap to trigger distance was shorter but to a guy with my size hands it was hard to tell. The mag release was about three times bigger and THAT does make a difference. I didn't get to shoot it but I know it has a double recoil spring.
That's what we worked on today. I had the G26 and the G19C so we did a spring test. The XO finds the G19C easier to return to POA because of the downward force of the muzzle flash. I feel the same way. So I thought we would see if the double springs on the G26 made any difference. She double tapped with the G19 and then with the G26. I could see the flip of the G19C but she put them both in the center of the target. She put the G19C down and quickly shot the G26. What a shot and NO (or very little) flip. Now some of the difference could be in the longer barrel length but when I tried the same test I swear that the G26 was softer by a lot. Double spring? I got to get my hands on a Gen4 G19 or maybe a OD G26 either one. Anyone need a G19C?

Tea Party '10

2010-04-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

The XO and I did something that we have never done before. We have always been too busy making a living to become political but the time has come to keep the country that has provided that living from becoming something we don't recognize anymore. We became Tea Partiers. We were somewhat disappointed in the turnout here in Austin. To be fair, there were three tea partys scheduled and one of them had Newt Gingrich as a speaker so the low turnout could have been caused by the competition.
There were about 400 people in attendance and the enthusiasm was very high. We were not domestic terrorists, nor were we advocating the armed take over of the country as some of the leaders of the New National Socialist Party (woops...Democrats) have accused us of this past year. We are just Americans that remember the exceptionalism of this country and wonder how it has been eroded and stolen in last fifty years.

Sugar Bird

2010-03-12T18:00:00.001-08:00

The XO and I were enjoying a wonderful dinner In Port Isabel the other night and I watched this bird devower a whole package of the pink stuff. He found it on the tile with just the corner torn. He ripped the rest of the top off and got after it. He ate the whole thing.

Cowboy Poet Gathering

2010-02-28T06:04:00.001-08:00

Spent the weekend down in Alpine enjoying the cowboy poets and musicians at Sul Ross University. I lost count but I think there were 80 performers. A lot were actually from around here. More later, with pictures.

Trip to the range

2010-02-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

I was eager to try out the new TCP so as soon as it dried up a little we headed South. We did some work with the Glocks (9MM 26-19) and because of the mud out at the targets we only shot at seven yards. The XO out-shot me again but what's new. The TCP and the Kel Tek came out and we ran a couple of magazines through each one. You could close your eyes and not know which one you're shooting (the TCP has about half the trigger pull so you can cheat). Both shoot to point of aim and at seven yards and that means in the 9 or the X without even using the sights. I think the XO has eyes for the TCP and it will end up in her purse more than the G26.

Bye-Bye Elsie

2010-02-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Tried to like the little Ruger LCP but in actual use it was uncomfortable. Exit Elsie, enter TCP. I know, it's a Taurus but it fits the hand like it was custom made and in firing it is as smooth as the little Kel Tek. For $250 it is more than worth it. It replaces the P3AT as the go-along gun. It it almost exactly the same size and it fits the pocket like an extra money clip. Most people think the .380 is too light but I have never seen a person that would let me empty a magazine into them, 9mm/short placed right, from personal defense distance = effective.

Don't Mess with Mama

2009-11-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

The XO said she felt good about the new Glock and she was ready to get serious with it. Well...That's five through nearly the same hole from 7 yards. Like I said. Don't Mess with Mama. The gun is a Glock 26 with a 4" barrel and stock except for night sights. This is her carry weapon and has a nice little compartment in the back of her purse. May she never have to use it in fear or defense of others.

Elsie goes by by

2009-10-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

We tried to live with the Ruger LCP but had to throw the flag. The XO found that it was too rough to be a carry piece. The other choice was a Glock 26 so we went shopping today and found one cheap and fairly new (it was born 3/19/09). Now I have a whole box of Glocks and the Ruger and some Kel Teks. They will probably make good trade fodder some day. Pictures later...

Bionic Man Redux

2009-10-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

One week out from surgery I had the stitches removed and the Dr. said I could begin PT, carefully, with the XO acting as coach. He was amazed that I was ready to go home the day after my new shoulder was installed. No sense staying though, I'm really good at pain control and I had a little football of nerve-block so off I went. He doesn't know about years of dentist visits with no pain meds. I have pretty good mobility because I have been working at it since the surgery. I can raise my arm forward from my side to 135 degrees, think heil Hitler, and pivot my elbow and wrist 100% of their pre- replacement motion. When my right shoulder went, the company I was working for required me to be off 12 weeks, I'll be 100% and swimming laps in 4 now that I'm retired.

Quick trip to the range

2009-09-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ran down to the range this morning just for the heck of it. We didn't take the cc guns because we had some drills to work on. The XO brought 100 shots down to about 4" at 10 yards. That was with the .22 Ruger model II. Then she switched to the 9mm Glock and the first three shots went through the same hole. We still need to work on double taps but that will come. I feel bad because we don't use all of the target. My work was mostly rapid fire with the Glock non supported and off hand. I can still out shoot her but it's getting harder. John was running the place and tried to sell me a .40 Kahr and when I turned him down he tried to put a Glock .45 in my hand. I am of the opinion that placement is more important than size. (Most of my wives agree.) I can't see myself in an altercation that is more than 3 feet between us. I don't want to drag out some huge hoq leg and loose the advantage of a smooth presentation with a Glock19 or even the surprise of a .380. I really think a CCL should include a few hours of biology and physiology just to show where the damage will do the most good.

Elsie

2009-09-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

XO and I took her new LCP(Elsie Pea) to the range to punch holes and get the feel of her new gun. Really small and even though it is the exact size of my P3AT it seems to fit her hand better. The real reason she opted for the Ruger was that she could rack it, something she found hard to do with the Keltec. Her first few shots had her looking for the sights. They are almost nonexistent and it's really better to just cover the target with the nose of the gun and blast away. After a few shots she found that she could be fairly accurate, not like her Glock 19C but sufficient for protection.
We have had discussions on the correct carry configuration. It is my opinion that all guns be carried locked and unloaded from home to the range but the carry gun should be carried loaded with one in the chamber. After all self protection is about protection and time is your enemy in a situation where you feel the need. That goes for the nightstand weapon too. The one thing about self defense is the lack of hearing protection and if you have never fired a gun indoors you probably still have your hearing. It's bad outdoors too but the ringing goes away in a day or two and it's years before the hearing goes. I like to wear muffs. They help and keep the screams from screwing up your third shot.

Non-PC Warning......Remember

2009-09-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

The new sidebar on this page is to remind us all what happened eight years ago. The images have been hidden from us because "the government" thought we would be outraged and demand something be done. Well...why not. Eight years later our new "leader" is soft and blames us for the attack. He points his finger at the CIA interrogators that have provided the information that has helped keep us safe. He apologizes to the world for this country being exceptional and keeping the world safe by our character and might. I can't go on....

Armed & Dangerous

2009-09-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the XO can carry without looking over her shoulder. It took six months (the state of Texas says the time should be 60 days). I guess she had something in her background that the FBI found questionable. Oh, and she had no finger prints. No kidding, she has worn them off with all the typing she has done for the past 50 years. We had to get them done twice before DPS would even accept the application and then the FBI rejected them at 12 weeks so she had to start over. All the time we were waiting we went through an hour a week at the range going through different drills. She can out/shoot most men and a goodly number of law enforcement officers. Right hand, left hand, speed and double taps and multi target acquisition. You name it and she can do it with three different calibers and a smile on her face.
I told her that when her permit came in we would get her a new carry gun. Her S&W doesn't fit her purse too well so she opted for a Ruger LCP. She has used my Keltec during drills so she knows how the Ruger will handle. They both are not target guns so we only shoot a magazine at each range session but in a tight situation they are just 9mm shorts and just as deadly inside 20 feet.

Welcome

2009-07-13T17:49:00.001-07:00

The neon beckons travelers down on the hi-way to come up the hill and see what the heck is going on. This setup once welcomed visitors to a B-B-Q restruant in Austin and now the wall at the bunker. Fitting?

Back to the Roadhouse

2009-07-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

A cousin to this guy has taken up residence on the bunker neon. When they get this big it means that they are finding lots of bugs.

Don't pay the ransom

2008-09-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Back among the living. This has been a hard couple of years and I'm glad I'm still forked end down. Work on the bunker is slow but moving along. I was out there last weekend and did some much needed maintenance.

2008-05-16T07:40:00.001-07:00

I spent Saturday at a training facility qualifying for my Texas Concealed Handgun license. I don't know why, except that I feel much more vulnerable these days. Hell I can't even run with this new knee let alone stand and fight. I took the class on the 3rd and have written two blogs on it since then but have deleted them after proof reading. In my past I was an ace with a handgun, rifle too, and qualified expert with several different ones. This time around I had to make some choices. Which carry gun? I found that a good carry piece is not necessarily a good range gun. I picked up a Kel-Tek P3AT because it fit my pocket so well. The only problem with it might be loosing it in my pocket. It beat me up pretty good after 50 shots. The PF9 was even worse so I got both. One for the pocket and one for the drawer next to the bed. Barbara couldn't handle either one of them so we found her a Ruger MKII .22 Cal. She has never fired a gun before so we spent a few sessions at the range. She picked it up nicely, which I attribute to my instructions, and now she can put 50 in the nine circle as fast as I can help her reload the mags. I was concerned that the little pup guns would be hard to score well with at the CHL range so I used a Ruger 89DC. It is a dream to shoot. Big, smooth and best of all borrowed from a friend, so the price was right. Passed the course with a 100 on the written and 247/250 on the range. Not bad for my shaky old hands.
The picture is the Bunker Gun. It's a S&W 38spcl in nickle with a pair of bone grips and looks really good in the cowboy rig I found. It is a dream to shoot also with that smooth S&W action and fits the hand like it was born there. I will probably find an airweight S&W for Barbara if she ever wants to carry. She has trouble racking the slide on most of the automatics.
So here I am after about 30 years of forced gun deprivation. It is like riding a bicycle and after a few hundred rounds at the range I can lay them in like I did years ago. I can even do well off-hand and point and shoot but I haven't tried to do much moving or rolling. Rolling is out for now because of the knee but in a pinch I guess I could blank out the pain and be able to respond to any threat.

A run for the bunker

2008-02-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

March 1st is my birthday. Too many years to count but I'm still "fork-ed end down" and aside from some minor aging problems I'm as good as ever. We will be at the roadhouse over the weekend and while we're there we will go down to Sul Ross university for the 21st annual cowboy poetry gathering. If you have never been to one you are missing out on one of the best times of your life.

LAZY?

2007-11-14T07:02:00.001-08:00

I guess I'm getting old.

Time to start again

2007-11-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

This blog has been shuffled to the back so many times I have lost track. I named it the Texas Roadhouse because of the neon sign on the front that says, what else, Texas Roadhouse. The roadhouse is also called the bunker, see lonestarbunker.com and I have been working on it for about five years. Go and visit that site and it tells all about it. It is soooo... far out that it is in. I lifted the name from Willie Nelsons restaurant in Austin (and all over the country) and am sure that his bunch would lave to have gotten it first.

Back to the Roadhouse

2007-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

After recovering from a big "C" scare and the installing of a new knee joint I am back among the active. The knee is a son of a gun to get used to and it still hurts 24/7 but the Dr says it will go away within the year....wait, what. The pain used to go away from time to time and I was mostly mobile but now it hurts all the time and I am limted. I'll just have to wait and see.
Went by the Roadhouse this week just to see if everything was still there. No problems, the neighbors keep and eye on the place and I pity the intruder.

The Texas Roadhouse

2006-01-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

This blog was to be about the finished product of a bunker/roadhouse. Well it's not finished and here it is 2007.