Friday
(1)Adriana & I recently returned from a two week business/fun trip to the USA which took us to initially to New Jersey for a couple days...
Samizdatista Walter Uhlman demonstrates conclusively
that things are... bigger... in America
Adriana thought she should practice a little before venturing out
And thence to Los Angeles, where we lurked in the stygian cigar fog that is Brian Linse's rather nice home in the Hollywood Hills. We also ventured from there into the equally pungent Cigar Club The Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, as this proved to be the perpetual hang-out of our illustrious host. Therein amongst its Armani'ed and Prada'ed denizens, we encountered the splendid actor Robert Davi, who had some, interesting, things to say to us which I cannot repeat 
Welcome to Los Angeles!
Your papers, please
Your papers, please
Your papers, please
Your papers, please
Your papers, please
Your papers, please
your papers, please
It took a while to convince Adriana that this 'drive by' she had heard
about was not a sport much practiced in the Hollywood Hills
Hell, in Crimson Skies, I used to fly through the
second 'O' in the Hollywood sign... I dooooon't think so!
...then back to NJ/NY area for a blogger bash in the Big Apple organised by the mighty Jane Galt...
Time Square on a grey day really does look
like something straight out of Blade Runner
In the murky darkness that is the Shahel Lounge on 70th Street...
...we peered through the inky gloom...
...trying to make out who we were talking to
We then ventured into the wilds of rural Pennsylvania, a ways north of Scranton, a land known for its 'punkin pie'. The wildlife (a different sort than that which we encountered in Manhattan) looked apprehensive as we arrived at fellow Samizdatista Walter's stupendous property...
And I do mean stupendous!
Conditions were harsh and we had to eat typical hillbilly fare
Why does this thing have a honking great bottle opener on one end?
Adriana was looking forward to some sight-seeing
Perry shot a large number of leaves stone dead
It is nice to have enough land to shoot and not have
to worry overly much about where the bullets ended up
Glad to be back in London? Er, no, actually.
I am delighted to note that Adriana is a fellow left-hand shooters. There aren't many of us around.
And possibly also a fellow-member of the Red-Headed League.
That's assuming its her real colour. Oh, wash my mouth out...
Posted by Andrew Duffin at October 24, 2003 01:30 PM
Ngh! I'm in Pennsylvania hunting country, and trust me - there is *nowhere* where you don't have to worry about where your bullets end up. My boss lives in a nice little town on the edge of prime hunting land, where every building has a few holes here and there because hunters the next valley over don't think before firing uphill at deer. Spent rounds carry, y'all. Shoot into your hillsides, not over 'em.
Posted by Mitch H. at October 24, 2003 01:46 PM
Who said we were hunting? Target shooting does not involve bullets madly flying all over the place, unless you are really crap at it.
Actually, 67 acres of land does provide enough space for a bullet... And we were shooting into 'our' own hillsides.
Posted by Adriana Cronin at October 24, 2003 02:03 PM
One of these days before the year is out, I must do my report from the three month trek of the States I did early this year. Have Laptop, Will Travel...
Posted by Dale Amon at October 24, 2003 02:09 PM
Red-Headed League
Hey a fellow member of the premiership of barnets. Red haired individualists of the world unite!
Posted by mark holland at October 24, 2003 02:14 PM
Great pictures. It's nice to see you guys enjoying yourselves with the shooting sports, and being able to shoot guns banned in Britain.
I wish I had 65 acres. I only have 9, half of which is (very) marshy wetland.
Posted by Alfred E. Neuman at October 24, 2003 02:41 PM
grrr, I am as jealous as hell. This time last year I was shooting in a range in Nevada with fellow libertarian and blogger Russell Whitaker.
Posted by Tom at October 24, 2003 02:47 PM
Andrew, try being a left eye dominant right hander. I work for a local law-enforcement agency (I don't wish to say which one) and qualifiying is a pain. Sorry. I just had to whine here for a minute. :-)
Posted by Adam at October 24, 2003 03:24 PM
...and as I said earlier, the next time you guys come to the U.S. and don't include Dallas, I'm going to launch an invasion of the U.K. in retaliation.
Unfortunately, our estate is not as extensive as Walter's, nor as posh as Brian's, nor as errrr dark and smelly as Jane's.
BUT
We do have a number of ranges where we can shoot (I'm a member of all) and you'd have an opportunity to shoot some stuff that is not as, well, common as the AK (although I have one of those too).
Just don't come during June - August or your insides will be parboiled.
Posted by Kim du Toit at October 24, 2003 04:10 PM
<commence whingeing pedant mode>:
Please - eye and ear protection.
</end whingeing pedant mode>
llater,
llamas
Posted by llamas at October 24, 2003 06:16 PM
Adam- I have the same problem, but I discovered this halfway through a summer when I was teaching archery. (No wonder my aim wasn't improving!) I figure that if/when I learn to shoot a gun, I'll start left-handed from the get-go and not suffer the difficulties of the eye-hand mismatch.
Posted by B. Durbin at October 25, 2003 04:29 AM
Good idead B. Durbin. Just remember some guns are not very left hand friendly. Choose wisely. As an aside, I learned about my eye dominance while playing softball. :-)
Posted by Adam at October 25, 2003 03:05 PM
OK, it's official. If I see one more photo of the gorgeous Adriana holding a fine gun, I'm going to cry.
I mean, this is the kind of stuff that makes you beg for human cloning.
Honestly.
Posted by Sylvain Galineau at October 27, 2003 11:47 PM
