I will be sure to double down, better yet triple down, on my prayers for you and yours as well as all the planning on going.. Here's hoping, no that is not right, demanding the powers that be to see you to the gathering in fine fettle and able to enjoy meeting with the contingent of folks that are looking in high hopes for you and yours to be there.
The sheer volume of experience of those in attendance will be a wondrous experience to just listen to stories, world views and simply share a nice 'fireside chat with. Hope it works out on my end to be able to go as my friend is taking me on a vacation (been over 7+ years since I have had a proper vacation) to FL and then VA (looking for possible retirement locations) and other places not too long before the Quemado affair...
If my luck plays out in a positive way I will arrive bearing as large an amount as I can pool together small gifts for any interested in acquiring things collected over a lifetime and also any brass I have left over after trying to gather some gas money on the classifieds here selling some surplus brass, scopes and a couple other things to keep the wheels in motion to and from New Mexico.
I REALY like passing on to others things of use or simply momento's of a journey and remembrances of a memorable trip. I am going to try like heck to make it and also the son in law may be able to go too. He is veteran (ex Airforce) and a firearm enthusiast though only recently has he gotten into the shooting sports from prodding from I. His wife is in the late stages of finishing her Nursing degree and eventually going on to be anesthesiologist. The drive of both of them and the time they spend with their lovely children really warms my heart and astounds me given their work load.
A well, warm and proper campfire welcome would be a gift he would remember for the ages and perhaps some of his 4 children (4 of my 5 grand kids) would be perhaps attendees in the future. Should he be able to attend, I would consider it a personal favor, though I certainly have no grounds to ask (not being turd like or any of the other mantles of honor bestowed here, just an azz head at times of frustration, despair or anger), to all of a warm welcome to him by all.
I am absolutely certain that he is 'campfire material and one that all would be enrichment to the lives of those that have the pleasure of meeting a person of such high moral order as him. I have not told him of any of this beyond "it is a campout with a group of folks I hold in high regard, shooting of many firearms, several, once in a life time type guns to be held, fondled and perhaps fired, many stories (embellished or true to the core) and camaraderie with a dollop of yarn spinning and a likely a toddy or several, shared around a nice fire, kind of an "ATF" weekend" is the event, even though for the most part, I haven;t met F2F most but one is able to get a feeling of folks by their expressive writings and reputations through many others.
I know that I strive to deal as I wish to be dealt with and value my reputation extremely highly, but being human my frailties have seeped through in several of my past posts. With the familial and personal medical difficulties of the past couple years and especially the last 6 months or so, I have found my "center" or as I call it my "Wa" and it is a very comfortable feeling, likening it to a smooth slick body of water to look upon and reflect of lifes wonders and looking forward to the positives one can help when and where we can. Nope, I am not ANYWHERE near to perfect, but to hijack a song title from a group I admire, I am closer to fine...
Thank you for Mark and especially Ken and others that extended the offers of being a part of this meeting and allaying my trepidations and taking the time emailing me with warm hopes of my attending this years festivities. I really would enjoy meeting you and the very many others going as I am one that finds making acquaintances quite often leads to life long friends. I reckon this is the case with this gathering, given most folks have several common interests and judging by previous posts I have read over the years and those that I have had the pleasure of posting here, there seems to be a large contingent of truly quality folks out there.
Do be safe and perhaps take a look at the evening sky this weekend with your lovvie and/or loved ones held close. It is a mind boggling thing to behold, the sheer magnificence of the universe makes me feel like an amoeba looking at a whale shark in the cosmic order of things. In other words I feel insignificantly minute compared to that is beyond our understanding and us mere mortals.
