16 July 2010 - 0736 hours and it was already 95° when I left for work

Summer’s in full swing and we’ve got an excessive heat warning going here in town.  It’s this time of year that I desperately miss the ocean and the fog back in San Diego.  I love the climate there, but the laws and taxes suck.  If I had to choose (and I actually do), I’ll deal with the summer here in Vegas.

16 July 2010 - Yes, that's a $500 bottle of tequila

16 July 2010 - I thought the bottle was pretty cool 8)

16 July 2010 - Free product tasting at Lee's Discount Liquor

After a very long and trying week at work, I figured I’d stop by Lee’s Discount Liquor.  They’ve got lots of cool different beverages there and sometimes free tastings.  I left with a bottle of the New Amsterdam gin   I’ve never been a gin drinker, but then again it seems I’ve never had good gin.  New Amsterdam has a very interesting array of flavors and it was a steal at about $9.00

16 July 2010 - 1750 hours on my way home and the car shows 122°

This one was taken on the trip home from Lee’s.  The official temperature at North Las Vegas Airport was somewhere around 110° but I wouldn’t doubt this temperature on concrete and asphalt in town.

A bit later on, I noticed some interesting returns on the weather radar for my area.  They were a ways off to the north, but not all that far away…

16 July 2010 - A passing car on a highway in The Middle Of Nowhere, NV

16 July 2010 - Thunderstorm in the desert a ways north of Las Vegas, NV

16 July 2010 - Thunderstorm in the desert a ways north of Las Vegas, NV

I’m a sucker for thunderstorms   If it doesn’t cost too much to chase ‘em and I have a chance I’ll do it just about every time.  Last night was pretty successful   I tried getting video, but it didn’t come out all that well so these pics will have to do.

One thing I wanted to make sure to tell everyone was just how incredibly dark it was out there   Yes, I’ve been places that dark, but it was either for the purposes of developing film or I was in a cave when they shut the lights off.  I was quite a ways away from Vegas and all the lights, but with the clouds overhead there was pretty much no light at all.  It was almost spooky!

16 July 2010 - Rain in Alamo, NV

16 July 2010 - Now that's my kind of contest

16 July 2010 - Is it just small towns that have things like this?

My drive took me all the way up to Alamo, NV where I found this gas station.  The lights were all on, but the doors were locked.  Oh well, I could’ve used a snack but I lived.

I thought the green dinosaur was pretty cool 8)  You always see one on the sign for Sinclair gas stations, but this is the first time I’ve seen one standing out front as a mascot

16 July 2010 - Cool old truck at Moapa

My last stop of the night was at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza for a “nature break” and maybe a snack.  OK, so I picked up a few feet of cannon fuse while I was at it – wouldn’t you ?  This truck happened to be in the parking lot and I thought it was pretty cool, too

That’s it for now, but I hope you enjoyed the pics   Have a great night

The Missus made a cake just for Rod. It blew him away. He was constantly thanking her.

Rod and the Cake!

Cutting the cake.

A really nice memento!

Words from the Boss, Tony.

Falcon Maintainers. A REAL FUN BUNCH!

A good time had by all. We shall miss Rod but know that he is on to bigger and better things!

So what have I been doing in the time since I left work on Friday?  Well, you’ll be surprised to know I just had to stop by New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms   Yeah, I needed my gun fix and had to ask a few questions

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - Regent 1911-A1 .45 ACP pistol

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - Regent 1911-A1 .45 ACP pistol

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - Springfield Armory 1911 .45 pistol

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - Springfield Armory 1911 .45 pistol

I’ve always liked 1911 pistols, but they’ve always seemed out of my price range.  These aren’t quite so bad

The other problem I thought I had was the fact that I have small hands.  The last ones I handled were different from the G.I. versions above in that they had thicker grips and a beaver tail safety which made it impossible for me to operate the safety with one hand.  The problem with this is that the 1911 is a single action pistol which means it has to be cocked – the hammer has to be back – in order for it to be fired.  The proper way to carry a 1911 is with the safety on and the hammer cocked.  Taking that safety off is a big deal   The Regent and Springfield Armory guns were no problem

One of the reasons I’m so attracted to the .45 caliber these days is that here in Nevada it’s fairly darn easy to legally purchase suppressors.  Yes, those are also known as silencers   All normal .45 ammo is subsonic so there’s no miniature sonic boom or sonic crack from the round as it goes downrange which means that .45 suppressors are pretty darn quiet with virtually any ammunition out there.  There’s just something incredibly cool about firing such a powerful handgun and having it be so quiet.  Click here to see the difference on video.

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - FN FS2000 rifle

Something you don’t see very often is the FN FS2000 rifle.  It’s a bullpup design with the action in the back which makes it much shorter than a normal rifle.  It’s chambered for 5.56mm – the same as most AR-15 rifles – and takes AR-15 / M-16 magazines as well.  The spent shell casings are ejected out the front and all controls are ambidextrous so it’s friendly to left handed shooters.  I like it and think it’s really rather comfortable, but I’ll spend my $2000 on something else

28 May 2010 - New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms - Draco 7.62x39 AK based handgun

I’ve actually seen a Draco pistol shot and it’s FREAKING LOUD !!!  Basically what you’re looking at is a semi-auto AK-47 with no stock and a very short barrel.  In my non-expert opinion, it’s a cool gun but doesn’t have all that many real uses.  Scratch that – it would make a nice car gun to ward off carjackers and other threats to life in the small confines of a vehicle due to its small size.  You just have to be willing to deal with hearing aids after actually using it in a small space.

28 May 2010 - USAF F-15E Strike Eagle heading out from Nellis AFB

Being so near Nellis AFB, it’s no surprise that New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms sees its fair share of jets overhead.  More than that, it’s a very friendly shop to the military and several of the employees and even the owner of New Frontier Armory are active duty military.  Yet another reason I’m happy to support this fine establishment

28 May 2010 - Police activity at my apartment complex

Finally arriving home last night, I found the scene above in my apartment parking lot.  I didn’t get close at all, but from what I could hear it sounded like a domestic dispute had caused all the ruckus.  I have to say that this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this here.  It’s normally a really nice place.

That was Friday.  Today wasn’t all that exciting, but I still managed to get a couple pictures

28 May 2010 - Mango infused rum at Lee's Discount Liquor - Yum !!!

Now that’s something I can appreciate   I love rum and I love mangoes.  Put ‘em together like that and you’ve got a winning combination!  I stopped by Lee’s Discount Liquor for something else but I always take a good look around while I’m there.  Being a Parrothead most people think I drink a whole lot more than I actually do.  I really don’t drink very much these days, but I can still appreciate a good drink

28 May 2010 - Prairie dogs at Exotic Pets - only $150 each!

28 May 2010 - Amazon tree boa at Exotic Pets

My other stop for the day was at Exotic Pets – Ziva needed some dinner and that’s my go to source for frozen mice.  She’s up to adult mice now but it still only costs about $1.00 a week to feed her

28 May 2010 - Mead AKA honey wine - Yet another tasty treat from Lee's Discount Liquor

Last but not least is a pic of my reason for going to Lee’s Discount Liquor – Mead

If you’ve never tried mead, I highly recommend it   It’s basically wine that was made with diluted honey instead of fruit juice.  It can be dry or sweet and there are many variations just as you’d find with any other wine, but it has a unique flavor that I really enjoy 8)  At $11.00 a bottle it’s also pretty affordable – at least that’s what I pay for this brand at Lee’s.

That’s it for now – gotta get some rest and be ready for the reloading clinic I’ll be attending tomorrow morning

Have a great Sunday

About the only thing I did most of the day was to go to Borders for the third Harry Potter book before going to Sonic for some brunch.  After that it was back home for more rest and recovery.  I watched a movie and took a nap and that was about it.

But I did head out one other time…

31 October 2009 - Jeremiah Weed!!!

31 October 2009 - Mount Gay Rum - The real, honest to goodness pirate stuff!

31 October 2009 - It sure was a nice evening

I forgot my normal camera, so my LG Neon cellphone did camera duty this afternoon instead.  It’s not the greatest, but it’s sure better than nothing

My afternoon excursion took me to two places – Lee’s Discount Liquor and Taco Bell.

Taco Bell was of course chosen as a destination for the dinner part of the day, but I had a good reason for going to Lee’s as well.  I’m still mulling over the idea (if you’ll excuse the pun) of starting to make wine, beer, and mead and I wanted to actually try some mead to ensure that I would like the finished product of my labors.  I know I can find people to help drink any excess beer I produce (like that’s difficult ), but the mead might be a bit of an issue.  Very few people I’ve spoken to have had any idea what it is.  I figured if any place would have some mead for me to try, Lee’s would.

And indeed, Lee’s had two types of mead.  There was the regular mead and there was also blackberry mead.  I had a devil of a time deciding, so I just bought both as they really didn’t cost all that much

I’m happy to say that yes, I really do like it – a lot 8)  I didn’t quite know what to expect, but it didn’t surprise me that much.  I’ve heard it described as honey wine and that’s exactly how it tastes   It’s 11% alcohol by volume, so it would equate to 22 Proof if it were liquor.  So a bit stronger than beer but not overly strong at the same time.

The two meads I picked up were from Chaucer Winery in California.  They say they use three types of 100% raw honey – clover, alfalfa, and sage – and I think they might just know what they’re doing

The two types of liquor in the pictures are there for a reason – they’re a couple of my favorites.  No doubt most people have heard of that wonderful liquid known as Jeremiah Weed – 100 Proof bourbon liqueur is good stuff !  Most people probably haven’t heard of Mount Gay rum though.  Mount Gay has been made in the same way in the same place since 1753.  Hmm… Let’s see, what happened in the Caribbean near Barbados around that time frame and a bit later…  Oh yeah – PIRATES !!!  Yes, this is straight up, no fooling, no BS, straight cane pirate rum !  I won’t try to kid you, it’s not anything like smooth sipping rum.  It’s more than a bit harsh and I can truly see why it was watered down into grog.  I still like it and I guess it’s partly for that history – the Caribbean connection to the Pirates of old

The weather really was great today aside from the wind and I do wish I could have been out doing something which requires hearing protection, but that’s life   Anywho, I’m going to just kick back tonight and relax.  I might watch a movie or two and get some more sleep – I need my rest if I’m going to be ready for everything that’s slated to happen in November

Have a groovy weekend everyone

Don’t get me wrong here, I still love margaritas and I’ve found that real Belgian chocolate liqueur is a thing of beauty. Thankfully, I’ve found that I can still enjoy Jeremiah Weed if it’s straight out of the freezer

I can’t quite tell you just when I started getting the idea that it might be fun and even a good idea to learn how to home brew beer, wine, and mead, but I’m getting pretty interested in it lately. I’m by no means a big beer drinker, but I do enjoy a bit every now and then and I figure even if I can’t drink it all myself, I have friends I know who will. As for the wine, cider and mead, well those probably have more to do with Cindy and Harry Potter than anything else.

You’re probably just a touch confused by that last bit. OK, I should clarify it a bit. Cindy’s no big drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but she does love fruit. One of her favorite fruits happens to be Gooseberries. She had them as a kid growing up and loves the tart taste I got to thinking about what fun I could have making up fruit wines and one of the ideas I got was gooseberry wine. After digging around a bit, I’ve found a source for gooseberry wine base that might be worth looking into Of course, you just know there’s going to be mango wine around at some point in time if I get into this

So that covers Cindy, but you might still be a bit puzzled by the reference to Harry Potter and I wouldn’t blame you. Well, I’ve gotten into a bit of a Harry Potter mood lately and have started reading the books along with re-watching all the movies. One of the things that’s mentioned in and which plays an important part in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a bottle of Mead. I’d heard of the stuff, but had never known just what it is. I did some research and found that it’s basically wine that’s made with honey instead of fruit juice, but can have fruits and other flavors added to it as well. Now that sounds like something good

As for the cider, it’s also mentioned in Harry Potter and I figured if I’m going to be making wine and mead, why not cider ?

Those who know me already know I’ve been shopping around a bit for equipment.  It’s been just window shopping for now, but that will likely change in the not too distant future.  I’ve found that a beginner’s setup for wine, mead, and cider making (which are all very similar) will cost somewhere between $100 and $150, but I might be able to bring that down in a few ways.  Much of the equipment for wine making also works for brewing beer, so it shouldn’t be a stretch if I decide to do that as well.

One thing I puzzled over was how I could make a press for apples and berries and such that wouldn’t break the bank.  Commonly available fruit presses start at about $150 and go up from there and I don’t want to spend quite that much.  I have a juicer, but I don’t know how well it would work for berries.  I found my answer in some lumber (or possibly pipe) and a simple $10 bottle jack like you’d use to change a tire

This whole idea is still under consideration, but it’s growing on me.  If I do go through with it, I’ll make sure to keep everyone posted here on the blog

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?