Some celebrities find time in their schedule to come visit the troops, wherever we may be. Daniel Craig, fresh off his success in the latest James Bond flick, visited my old stomping air. I would write stomping grounds, but we were always at a high elevation when we flew over Camp Bastion in Helmand Province:
007, Daniel Craig, visits Camp Bastion to meet soldiers, introduce new James Bond film Skyfall
Mr. Craig recently got his American driving license. Remember, we drive on the right side.
The Navy fiddles with our uniforms (perhaps) more than is necessary. An Academy grad played James Bond and has evidence of the latest malfeasance:
Traditional look (l) and female midshipmen wearing a combination cover (r)
I was driving through Annapolis the other weekend when I saw some midshipmen walking around near the city dock area. I did a bit of a double take because something didn’t look quite right as one of the mids walked past my car.
To my surprise, one of the female midshipman was wearing a “combination cover”, or the brimmed, flat-topped hats depicted in the top right image.
Women don’t wear “combo covers”, they wear hats like the one shown in the image on the left. Only the men wear those sort of hats… or so I thought.
The United States Naval Academy was chosen as a test site for the Navy’s Standard Cover Initiative. . .
NSCI? That reminds me of a television show; I forget which one.
Range visits are always thought-provoking. Even though I do not own a weapon, my first thought with a gun is: is this a gun I should buy? Does it feel right in my hand and do the bullets go where I want them to?
First, we shot the CZ 513 Basic, a .22 rifle. Every time I squeezed the trigger, the bullet went where I thought it was going. It looked a lot like this rifle, minus the diamond-checkered stock, suppressor, and scope:
The CZ 452, like a CZ 513 Basic but with a diamond-checked stock, suppressor, and scope.
We stuck with a 22 caliber, mostly because one of my friends had little experience shooting guns. And she is tiny. Hence, the Browning Buck Mark Camper:
The Browning Buck Mark Camper, a pleasant .22
Honestly, the Ruger Mark II that I shot here was a better weapon. It felt more balanced in my hands. But the Buck Mark was pleasant. I would not refuse one if I received it as a gift.
The last pistol we shot was the Sig Arms P232 380. It has a James Bond-ish look to it. Although a little small, it has a nice feel. My major problem with it is that I could not consistently place bullets where I wanted to put them. It does look cool, though:
Sig Arms P232 380 Auto
The worst day on the range is better than the best day at work. Unless, of course, you work on the range. I did get a good picture of me with an AR. I think the camera may have added a pound or two. . .