This year I went to my niece's new home. I had never been there before, since I wanted to give her time to get arranged. It was a short 30 mile trip, 26 miles on an interstate just 1 city mile away from my apartment and 3 country miles to her tiny town / village. GPS made it easy even though I had never been there and a few more trips and I can ignore the GPS.

Once there I began talking with my older sister. We just moved into the dining room and ignored the game on TV that captivated everybody else. Just the sort of conversation that old people have - medical affairs, scandalous politicians, political scandals, dumb government actions, books, one of her daughters. Now that her daughter has moved to a new and better school district, for the first time in years we did not discuss the horrible school district where my sister lives. (And where her daughter and grandchildren had lived.)

My niece finally shot her first deer this November. Last year she missed her only shot. She told me that the Browning BAR rifle chambered for the .308 Winchester cartridge that I had given her did not bother her pacemaker. This was the first I had heard about that problem. I believe that the family she married into swears by the 30-06, which does kick harder than the old NATO battle standard 7.62 by 51 mm (also called the .308 Winchester). I told her that they stopped making the 16-gauge that I liked so well growing up so the 12-gauge shotgun for dove hunting that I had given her was chambered for 2-3/4 inch shells, the lightest kick possible for standard 12-gauge. She takes her son hunting with her, so maybe he will try the dove gun in a few years. He is still a bit small for full size weapons. The pacemaker problem explains why she started with deer hunting rather than with quail and doves. After all, the 12-gauge is really a .67 caliber, much larger than the .50 heavy machine gun. She should have her husband look for very light loads.

In short, I had a fun visit with family. The conversation never flagged.


Lawrence