I’ve had a lot of great times with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda over the years but today has to be right around the top of the list. Jim and I have been talking about going to the shooting range for a while now but today we finally went and did it. It was a treat for my birthday and ended up being so much fun. I’ve only gone shooting twice before, most recently a couple years ago with Tom in San Diego. I’m not going to lie, I’m mostly into shooting because I’m so into watching the Tv show Top Shot. Jess and I have seen every episode and its sparked an interest in shooting for me.
Jim brought a couple revolvers, most notably a Smith & Wesson Performance Center .357 magnum, plus he rented the Smith & Wesson .50 caliber revolver. This thing is an absolute hand cannon with a 10 inch barrel. Unbelievable gun. Most of the time was spent shooting Jim’s .357, and I’d say it was my favorite of the 3 we shot. That thing is so smooth and accurate… I totally want one now. We also shot a little snub nose revolver and surprisingly enough, that little gun hurt your hand way more to fire than either of the big ones. I definitely want to get back out there with them again sometime soon. I told Jessica this morning when we woke up that all I wanted to do was shoot a bullseye with the .50 caliber. Mission accomplished.
Not only did Jim take me shooting, but the three of us went to lunch at Arturo’s Mexican Restaurant in Des Moines. I designed and built the website for Arturo’s about a year ago when we were living in San Diego. Until today I hadn’t met him or been to his restaurant. We ended up having a great lunch and it was really nice to finally get to meet him. When it was time to go home Jim and Brenda sent me with a bag full of my favorite chocolate mint cookies, a red wagon for the girls, and a bag full of fresh produce, including sweet corn that was picked in the fields that morning. This was so nice and thoughtful of them and we all appreciate it very much. You’ve always been so good to me and it means a lot.
While I was gone today Jessica took the girls downtown for a visit with Laurel. They spent time walking around Belltown, Queen Anne, and got to go to the sculpture park. Jessica stopped by El Gaucho for the first time in quite a while and got to say hello to a couple people. It sounded like they had a really nice time. We had to try out the new wagon with Ava tonight so the four of us did an evening trip to the park. Ava ran over to the wagon the second she saw it and was more than happy to get in and go for a ride. I have fond memories of my Dad towing me around in a little red wagon so I’m glad to be doing it now with the girls. A wagon is one of those things that has to be a part of every kid’s life so I’m glad that Ava is so into it.
Tonight we’re going to make a nice dinner with a bunch of the fresh produce, then tomorrow we’re meeting some of my friends from work at Idylwood Park in Redmond. It’s a beautiful park on Lake Sammamish and its only about 5 minutes from our house. Several of the guys I work with have young kids so we thought it would be fun to get the families together before the summer officially ends. I’m not sure who all is going to show up but as long as the weather holds out it should be a lot of fun. Then tomorrow evening I’m taking my buddy Sean to the Sounders game for his birthday. I’ve never been to a soccer game before but I love watching the World Cup, so it should be a lot of fun. It’s a huge rivalry game with Portland and I heard they were expecting 60,000 people!
There a link down below the pictures to see my first shot with the .50 caliber. Here’s a few pics from today.
Ava loves her new wagon
Guess which shot was last…
