Wizard of Aus

Posted on by kathousekelli70

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz, I mean Aus.

Yes we are heading back to Australia to catch up with family, friends and sort out a few things we need to do.

At the end of September, beginning of October we have the Australian National Single Action Championships. Plenty of catch up with some great cowboys and cowgirls. More on that later.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here so far. There is still so much to see, do and experience. We are very much looking forward to returning!

We will keep you posted with adventures from there!

Well, better finish packing and get ready for the ride to the airport.

Take care, wherever you may be.

Kat xo

 

A Day Out with Friends

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Yesterday we had rain for most of the day, first time in a few weeks or more. Was nice to be able to have the doors open, air con off and it cleared to a sunny late afternoon in time for drinks!

An early start to the day as we head to Stillwater for the last club match here for a while and it's a clear, cloudless sky!

22 shooters formed up 2 posses for 6 stages. Fast but not clean, a hell of a lot of fun and laughs to go with it though.

When we head to Stillwater it warrants lunch afterwards at El Vaquero, the busiest Mexican restaurant I've ever been in. Most head in there after where we can chat and discuss scores over lunch.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Aussie Dad's this morning, mine especially, love you Dad xo See you soon!

Kat xo

 

Shootin’ In The Shade

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Hot Springs, Arkansas, home of the Mountain Valley Vigilantes and hosts of 'Shootin' In The Shade' Annual match (which was also the 2014 Arkansas State Championships).

Hot Springs is known for it's many bath houses and healing waters, it was developed as a bath house town in the 1800's. Their 8 historic Bath Houses maintained by the National Park known as Bathhouse Row on Central Avenue. (See pic below and bottom right corner is The Arlington Hotel – where Al Capone often visited!)

A few have Native American names I noticed and a little bit of research tells me that they of course knew of and used the healing waters for many years and so some of the bath houses were named after different tribes.

Labour Day weekend is also their Blues Festival so it was a very busy little town! Despite an occasional shower of rain.

Check out this marble statue in the middle island of the street.

This huge hotel, bath house looks like it is unfortunately being torn down.

And I had to get a pic of this cake shop! What an awesome name! Love it.

The MVA's range is set wayyyy out in the forest amongst beautiful trees in the Ouchita Mountains, great facades and facilities. Whilst it was extremely humid, there was plenty of shade!

So we had set off Thursday catching up with our Okie mates along the road in Alma at the Catfish Hole and later for drinks, dinner and stories (lies we would say, hey TR?!).

Friday was the Professionals match which we shot with our usual Wild Bunch guns and then the afternoon was filled with practice, speed events and a ladies 'High Tea' where Velvet Glove, Cheeka Bow Wow, Mimsy and Ima Dunnit shared secrets, shortcuts and ideas for costuming for all ends of the spectrum and budget.

Main match commenced Saturday with 6 stages under our belt and a few misses too!! The targets are smaller than we're used too and you will see by the pic's are out there! So a little more precision was required.

The evening ended with the banquet held in Hot Springs at The Regency, filled with cowboys, Victorian Ladies, Saloon Girls, Silver Screen men and ladies and Military. The band if I recall was called '1, 2, 3' and Fast Fingers Green once again picked a couple of tunes with the band!

Annie Shadows took 3rd Place, Mustang Toni 2nd and myself, Kathouse Kelli 1st Place in Best Dressed Soiled Dove.

A great night of laughing, chatting and dancing.

Sunday morning and a low mist looked like we might get rain today for the final 4 stages (we got some rain during the last 2 nights) but it stayed away until just before the awards where there was a short heavy shower and then it cleared for the drive home.

So times weren't blinding fast for this match but the stages were quite good, a nice mix of transitions and we did have a great Posse. Once again we shot with some familiar faces and met some new people with Boomstick Jay and Elle Wood, Buffalo Bill Matthewson and Longbranch Kitty, Dusty Dee and Rusty Rider, Copper Rose and Printer Doc, Kid Koo, Kowboy Koo, Rotten Shot Laura, South Paw Mike, Yell County Kid, Outrider and our Posse Marshall Dewey Cheatem. Dewey's twin cherubs came and helped pick up brass today, cute and very well behaved kids.

So this is what I remember with awards for us and some of our friends.

Senior Category – Jackaroo 2nd Place, Snake Oil George 4th Place (1st I Reckon, 3rd Place and Arkansas State Champion Just Charlie)

B Western – Flat Top Okie 2nd Place

Wrangler – Scott Wayne 3rd Place (1st Place C S Brady, 2nd Place Slick McClade)

Elder Statesman – Tail N Kid 2nd Place (1st Place Arizona Ranger, 3rd Place and Arkansas State Champ Piney Woods)

Silver Senior – Ambler 1st Place, Fast Fingers Green 3rd

49ers – Naildriver 1st Place and Arkansas State Champ

Frontier Cartridge Duelist – Bois D' Arc 3rd Place

Lady Senior – Tacky Jackie 3rd Place (Copper Rose 1st Place and Arkansas State Champion)

Lady 49er – Missouri Mae 1st Place (Mustang Toni 2nd Place)

Lady Wrangler – Kathouse Kelli 1st Place (2nd Place Ivory, 3rd Place and Arkansas Champion Cheeka Bow Wow)

A few more placed but without scores yet, can't remember their categories.

In closing, Top Overall Lady was Missouri Mae and Top Overall Man was CS Brady. Top Arkansas State Champions were CS Brady and Velvet Glove. Congratulations to all winners for this match and to all shooters in attendance.

Now it's time to head back to Oklahoma!! Night y'all!

 

Kat xo

PS 1st Place in Ladies Traditional for the Professional Match with 2nd Place Garbage Gertie 😉

PPS for more information on the Mt Valley Vigilantes, take a gander at the following. Cheers!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Springs,_Arkansas

http://mvvcowboys.homestead.com

 

 

Headin’ Out

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Yee haa, car's packed and in the morning we will be heading off to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the annual known as 'Shootin' In The Shade'.

We haven't been to this one before but have heard it's a good'un!

I've got car projects coming out the whazoo so should keep me entertained for the 6hr drive and then some.

Well it's midnight so I'll say goodnight and wish you all a great weekend. Some we will see there and others will just have to live vicariously through another adventure!

Kat xo

 

What’s Coming Up?

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Howdy y'all!

It's been a little slow in the shooting department this month. We had the Territorial Marshal's club match here at OKC Gun club both Cowboy and Wild Bunch, did a Sunday up at Stillwater club and went to Texas last weekend for club match.

We were invited last week to the Friends of NRA banquet and WOW! What an eye opener that was.

625 odd people packed the National Cowboy Museum for this event with raffles, silent auctions and a huge auction to the highest bidder. Love trying to understand the auctioneers and flabbergasted at some of the prices people paid!

BUT it was all for a good cause. The banquets fund program's for youth in various disciplines, as well as women's day program's and other events.

This weekend there is a gun show on at the fairgrounds so we will head out to that and check it out, looks massive!

Sunday we have cowboy club match and then next week we head up to Hot Springs, Arkansas for Shootin' In The Shade. Looking forward to that!

Hope everyone has a great weekend coming up, wherever you may be.

Jack n Kat xo

 

Ohhhh Fudge Brownie

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Now you might say, well it's a 'skinny' recipe but seriously?!

You gotta laugh, I don't have a lot of pans here so thought this would do but now I really DO have skinny fudge brownies!!!

I left out the vanilla – only because I forgot – I'm sure they will taste okay just the same.

120 calories per piece. Would look better thicker but anyway all goes down the same!

Bona petite!

Kat xo

 

 

A quick jaunt to Texas

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Friday and we are heading down to English, TX, for a club match shoot at the Bar 3 Ranch tomorrow and drop off a new guncart for 'Lightning Striker'.

We go past Tinker Airforce Base on the I-40 where they have a display of old planes. Must make a Walkabout Wednesday trip out there to have a look. That wasn't what caught my eye though but an FA18 landing and taking off again, practicing manoeuvres! Very cool.

This is the only photo I managed to get haa haa haa can you find it?

Wasn't quite quick enough!

Four hours later, down highways, through small towns in the very south eastern corner of Oklahoma, we have entered Texas and soon would be making a stop in New Boston to check out T-Bones 'Cowboy Guns' store which will soon be a pawn shop as well. If you ever get down – or up that way go check it out.

It's neat. They've done a great fit out, and besides the guns and other accessories you can buy saddles, guitars and see the antique displays.

Back to Bar 3 and within 10minutes I'm the brand new owner of a fixer upper!! This will be perfect for my bicycle costume! Yee haaa! Watch me ride this one down main street next Land Run!

Now I know it's not period correct but this little duck can make it look like it belongs back then. Yes indeed! Jack can clean up the chrome work and that will give him something to do while I'm sewing.

(After dinner this began and I might add now that very little alcohol was involved) Wooo! There's about 10 of us and it's dancing and karaoke! Bring it on!

Oh my goodness, I'm hoarse! Give me a deep song, can't do them high pitch girly ones but we had fun just the same!!! Shhh Jack went to bed already and it's now 12.55am, I better get some shut eye.

Up and at em!! Rise and shine!

We had 26 shooters for the day and shot 5 stages. Lunchtime with sandwich fixings and plenty of cake including Omaha John and Complicated Lady's wedding cake. Congratulations and thanks for the yummy cake.

It's back to Oklahoma and maybe a swim is in need when we get there, man it is hot, hot, hot in Texas today – with the humidity it must be well over 100F, the car gauge is saying 97F.

Back in Oklahoma and a few spots of rain, or an attempt. An hour to go and all my car projects are done and ready for the machine.

Hope everyone had or has a good rest of their weekend! Take care! Thanks again to T-Bone Dooley and Ellie Gant for hosting us.

Kat xo

P.S. And shooting wise?! Had a good run and finished 3rd overall, Jack 4th!

 

 

Have your cake and eat it too!

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Last night while I was meal planning for the next couple of weeks and making the shopping list for today, it was with despair – that the man had no dessert for the evening cup of tea!

We have run out of berries, yoghurt, not even a square of dark chocolate until I realised that I had all the makings for a coffee cake. A recipe I have from one of those fitness ‘things’ I have so many of.

Coffee cake, made with stevia instead of sugar but has a coating of a small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon on top, 20 minutes in the oven and da-dah! Dessert for a cuppa!

AND might I add for 1/8 only ends up being 91 calories. A very nice alternative. Recipe says a portion size is a quarter of the cake (if you were having it for breakfast) but was plenty for us even though we could have quite easily had more!

Kat xo

PS Thanks to the Venus Factor for this little beauty!

 

 

Gotta Love Another Summer

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Mmmmmm, yes, warm days and sunshine!

We went out and about today, dropping off boots for repairs to heels and soles – much needed for Cowboy Action Shooting!

We joined the gym – yes folks you heard it first WE joined a gym. Fitness session Monday and then into it! Woo hoo! I can't wait, much cheaper here than in Australia too. Now I can get back to boxing as well. Yeah.

Jack will survive if only using the treadmills as they have tv's and cable tv so I'm sure he won't be leaving until a Western has finished playing perhaps!?! Haa haa haa. He is looking forward to some weights as well though.

Bought some plants finally for the pots we bought a few months ago and then spent a little time this arvo potting Salvia's 'May Night'.

This evening we have had a barbecue happening or a grill you might say here. Delicious!

As we sit here in the quiet with crickets in the background (very slight traffic noise and the hum of air conditioners) the fans are providing some gentle breeze as we watch the sun set. Sensational!

Citronella candle burns to keep the mozzies away – yep, they're here as well!

Heading in for more of 'Hell On Wheels' soon. while I catch up on boring ironing.

Hope you are having a fantabulous weekend! Tomorrow we are off to Stillwater for their club match.

Catchya! Kat xo

 

To comment, or not to comment….

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Well, that IS the question.

I seem to be getting a lot of comments that may be spam, some relate to games which I have no idea even what they are, some maybe genuine and I will hereby apologise if your comment has not been approved and showing on this website.

Everything I post on this blog is my own words, some memorised from tours and information we have read in the Museums and attractions we attend. Therefore the information is correct as far as my recollection.

I do not proclaim to have it all right which is why I will try and include some of the websites for direct contact with the place we have been or additional information through Wikipedia and other service providers of historical information.

Our blog is intended to keep family and friends (and anyone else who might find it informative or amusing) up to date with our mundane, to more adventurous travels, history tours and competitions etc while we enjoy our extended holidays.

I hope you all continue to follow The Adventures of Jack n Kat and that I can keep you somewhat entertained or give you ideas for your own holidays!

Kat xo