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6,594 Posts
First off, congratulations to Doctor Burke, for his top five finish in the recently concluded Gunsite Alumni Shoot! Tim, ya done us all proud.
Now, the memories flood back, none more compelling for me than that of the late Aeliah Britton who died betimes at the end of April 1995. Earlier this month I tried to explain the whole Aeliah dynamic to Jeanne, my SO, who's looked at the photo of the laughing, gesturing and homely Filipina which graces our sleeping quarters, and wondered. I really couldn't do the narrative justice, I fear… I'm going to have to find the long-stored zip file of her E-mails to me over the last three months of her life after we'd finally achieved a rapproachment. The only person with whom I've ever shared them was our friend JillyBean the Summer after Aeliah left us, typically, on her own terms, for she gave new definition to the term "control freak." It is in every respect a hair-raising chronicle. But from time-to-time, alone on the range, I think of her and hunker down to "shoot some ornary Xs" in her honor… in her less than 23 years, this was a gal who never caught a break.
And so many others, from CeePee and Chris Killoy of S&W who first revealed the there-to-fore impenetrable secret of finding the Sports Play BB/Shooting Sports Topic on the late Prodigy Classic, to that original crew and some of the first on-line friends I made: RAJ ("Tutuman"), Schmit, Dave McCracken, that hell-for-leather Maryland Corrections Officer who picked his teeth with an 870 barrel, MikeGunner (who, try as I might, could never be educated beyond not posting "I can get it for you at dealer cost" prices on the old Classic BB), Tim de Illy (who became a close friend, regular "live" chum, and plankowner of Lodge 1201 of the Unspeakable Order of Serious Social Shotgunners), "Big John" Kepler (the consummate .30 caliber High Power Competitor), and on….
And while there was never a chance that he and I would ever take in a Dodgers game and go for a Dos Equis afterwards, "Bowden, the misunderstood," who called B.S. on a documented first-person after action report because the bad guy didn't disintegrate immediately being hit with the initial Black Talon .40 S&W round. ("I have a Deputy Sheriff friend who told me that Black Talon would blow your arm off!") We all learned something from Bowden… except, sadly, Bowden. Then there were John Hunter and Jules and Patty Rogers and Sean McMahon and Phill and Tom Burczynski and Texican Sam (whose older eyes are such a valuable asset in catching TGZ typos) and of course our new "benefactor" Fernando.
And the ladies… from Mrs. Fittinger, our in-house "high speed, low drag, demon bytch of darkness," who thoughtfully migrated from the Republic of Kalifornia several states East so we could all sing, "O You Colorado Gals," and encompass Carol/"Lace" and Charlie's and my Darlin' Kit. The two I never quite got a handle on were "Fervidity" and "Prurience" from that positively bizarre Sunday night chat session in 1996. I know that Schmit and RAJ have something to share with me about that sometime when the Guiness is flowing! (BTW: RAJ had the final post ever on the entire Sports.Rec BB sometime around 0616 this morning, more than six hours after the SBC PTB were to have pulled the plug.)
I can't begin to mention all who were so vital on Shooting Sports BB… and "back there" on Classic's Shooting Sports Topic… I tried to start this right after Charlie's post on Tuesday, but my accountant took remote control of my desktop, and the note was lost!
O, well… here we are on The Gun Zone Forum on AmBack!
Thanks for this opportunity, Señor Fernando… the Prodigy expatriates salute you.
To the rest who've registered here and logged in, thanks as well. I think we have a terrific chance to build something worthwhile here.
Now, the memories flood back, none more compelling for me than that of the late Aeliah Britton who died betimes at the end of April 1995. Earlier this month I tried to explain the whole Aeliah dynamic to Jeanne, my SO, who's looked at the photo of the laughing, gesturing and homely Filipina which graces our sleeping quarters, and wondered. I really couldn't do the narrative justice, I fear… I'm going to have to find the long-stored zip file of her E-mails to me over the last three months of her life after we'd finally achieved a rapproachment. The only person with whom I've ever shared them was our friend JillyBean the Summer after Aeliah left us, typically, on her own terms, for she gave new definition to the term "control freak." It is in every respect a hair-raising chronicle. But from time-to-time, alone on the range, I think of her and hunker down to "shoot some ornary Xs" in her honor… in her less than 23 years, this was a gal who never caught a break.
And so many others, from CeePee and Chris Killoy of S&W who first revealed the there-to-fore impenetrable secret of finding the Sports Play BB/Shooting Sports Topic on the late Prodigy Classic, to that original crew and some of the first on-line friends I made: RAJ ("Tutuman"), Schmit, Dave McCracken, that hell-for-leather Maryland Corrections Officer who picked his teeth with an 870 barrel, MikeGunner (who, try as I might, could never be educated beyond not posting "I can get it for you at dealer cost" prices on the old Classic BB), Tim de Illy (who became a close friend, regular "live" chum, and plankowner of Lodge 1201 of the Unspeakable Order of Serious Social Shotgunners), "Big John" Kepler (the consummate .30 caliber High Power Competitor), and on….
And while there was never a chance that he and I would ever take in a Dodgers game and go for a Dos Equis afterwards, "Bowden, the misunderstood," who called B.S. on a documented first-person after action report because the bad guy didn't disintegrate immediately being hit with the initial Black Talon .40 S&W round. ("I have a Deputy Sheriff friend who told me that Black Talon would blow your arm off!") We all learned something from Bowden… except, sadly, Bowden. Then there were John Hunter and Jules and Patty Rogers and Sean McMahon and Phill and Tom Burczynski and Texican Sam (whose older eyes are such a valuable asset in catching TGZ typos) and of course our new "benefactor" Fernando.
And the ladies… from Mrs. Fittinger, our in-house "high speed, low drag, demon bytch of darkness," who thoughtfully migrated from the Republic of Kalifornia several states East so we could all sing, "O You Colorado Gals," and encompass Carol/"Lace" and Charlie's and my Darlin' Kit. The two I never quite got a handle on were "Fervidity" and "Prurience" from that positively bizarre Sunday night chat session in 1996. I know that Schmit and RAJ have something to share with me about that sometime when the Guiness is flowing! (BTW: RAJ had the final post ever on the entire Sports.Rec BB sometime around 0616 this morning, more than six hours after the SBC PTB were to have pulled the plug.)
I can't begin to mention all who were so vital on Shooting Sports BB… and "back there" on Classic's Shooting Sports Topic… I tried to start this right after Charlie's post on Tuesday, but my accountant took remote control of my desktop, and the note was lost!
O, well… here we are on The Gun Zone Forum on AmBack!
Thanks for this opportunity, Señor Fernando… the Prodigy expatriates salute you.
To the rest who've registered here and logged in, thanks as well. I think we have a terrific chance to build something worthwhile here.
