So this weekend I unexpectedly completed two more items on
my 30B430 list. Who knew that an afternoon at the Pastor’s house in between
church and the community picnic would have made that possible?
To start with, I found out that Mark has a little Yamaha
motorcycle. It’s not a Harley but I made no stipulations on my list. We didn’t
go very far, just around the country a little bit but I feel like it counts! I
learned a little bit about shifting and driving a motorcycle and I loved the feeling
of the wind (not the flies) in my face and the freedom that you have when you
don’t have to drive and don’t have to be confined to a big hunk of steel,
metal, and glass around you. I definitely could have ridden on that bike all
day long. Such a great feeling.
Then Mark brought out the guns- first he showed me some WWII
guns that his father had taken from the Germans. I practiced shooting a BB gun
first (Red Ryder- just like in the “Christmas Story”). I was a terrible shot. I
flinched and jumped back at soon as I pulled the trigger. It was fun but
needless to say, I am not going to be up next in line for the biathlon team.
Then Mark brought out the big guns, literally. OK, not huge, but it was a
definitely a shot-gun. We talked about the science behind how guns work and
then I put it to my shoulder. I had the worst stance- I was leaning back (isn’t
that how they do it in the movies?), and I was holding way too far down on the
muzzle. After re-positioning myself in the correct stance, I aimed for a big puddle
of water in the backyard, took off the safety, and pulled the trigger. My
reaction was much bigger than when I shot the BB gun and let’s just saw that
Mark got a total kick out of it. I tried a few more times, this time aiming for
a large gourd we threw into the water and let’s just say that again, I will not
be called up for any sort of shooting competition any time in the near future.
But, again, it was fun, and I didn’t kill anybody or anything, which was my
goal!
Two more checked off the list and I didn’t even plan for it-
those are the best kind of list check-offs!
