Finding Fun Under the Covid Sun

[David LaPell]

It's been a rough summer having a child. Everything here has been cancelled, all the county fairs, car shows, not much is open, my son's summer camp was cancelled, as was his aviation course he was looking forward to.

We've been trying to do as much with him as possible, fishing here and there but with the heat wave and a near drought, that hasn't been easy, so the one bright spot is that museums have opened up here and there and they're the good ones! I took him back to Fort Ticonderoga again, which is good because every year they change their tours, last year was the French in 1758, this year, the British in 1774.

My son with a very large French mortar.

My son next to a very large mortar that was made in 1724 for the French by the Spanish.

We also went to Fort William Henry which has also done a very good job despite all the rules and regs that they've had to adapt to.

Still, there's nothing like actually getting into the fun yourselves, and I bought a black powder mortar that shoots golf balls a month or so back. We've taken it to the range a couple of times and it lobs them a pretty fair distance, so far we've gotten it out to about 200 yards.

Today I brought out a gun I hadn't shot in some time, almost 15 years. It's my Grandfather's CVA .45 Kentucky Rifle. It was the first gun I ever fired when I was 11 years old some 33 years ago. So today, my son got to shoot it, and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He's got a couple of bruises but he wants to take it out again as soon as possible.

It's been tough finding stuff to do, but we're making the best of it. Now to try and see if there's a mini golf course open.

 

[rubiranch]

That looks like a GREAT time!!!!!
Thanks for the pictures and good luck on the miniature golf.

 

[ameridaddy]

David, thanks for the pics! That looks like a beautiful area, even in blistering summer heat. They along with your son's happy smile brightened my day.

 

[bamabiker]

I can only imagine that at 11 that smoke stick would be the cat's meow.

 

[ordnanceguy]

David:

I salute you for making the effort to educate your son on American History and firearms. He is fortunate indeed to have a father who understands the importance of these things.

Regards,
Charlie

 

[Farmer17]

To stay entertained my wife and I have gone to local lakes and rented a pontoon boat and stayed in a B&B or Hotel and it's been a lot of fun but recently everyone else is getting that same ideal. Its getting almost impossible to get a room or boat and almost every car at Lake Murray last weekend had a Texas license tag, I guess they are trying to get away from the virus hot spots there and bring up here.

 

[HardToHandle]

Good parenting.
I cannot picture what a challenge the New York rules are these days. Great to see the museums are opening.

 

[robrossk]

A bit pat on the back to you for spending quality time with your son sharing
some history and teaching him about firearms. Definitely something special to see him firing the same rifle you did as a youngster!!

 

[kmyers]

Thanks for sharing, those are great pictures and looks like a wonderful time.

 

[Golddollar]

David:

I salute you for making the effort to educate your son on American History and firearms. He is fortunate indeed to have a father who understands the importance of these things.

Regards,
Charlie

I won't go into the whole story, but it was an enjoyable experience at the range one time when I became an improptu living history exhibit as I was loading and firing my flintlock rifle while a father explained to his young daughter what I was doing.

 

[Dougaz]

It's been a rough summer having a child. Everything here has been cancelled, all the county fairs, car shows, not much is open, my son's summer camp was cancelled, as was his aviation course he was looking forward to.

We've been trying to do as much with him as possible, fishing here and there but with the heat wave and a near drought, that hasn't been easy, so the one bright spot is that museums have opened up here and there and they're the good ones! I took him back to Fort Ticonderoga again, which is good because every year they change their tours, last year was the French in 1758, this year, the British in 1774.

My son with a very large French mortar.

My son next to a very large mortar that was made in 1724 for the French by the Spanish.

We also went to Fort William Henry which has also done a very good job despite all the rules and regs that they've had to adapt to.

Still, there's nothing like actually getting into the fun yourselves, and I bought a black powder mortar that shoots golf balls a month or so back. We've taken it to the range a couple of times and it lobs them a pretty fair distance, so far we've gotten it out to about 200 yards.

Today I brought out a gun I hadn't shot in some time, almost 15 years. It's my Grandfather's CVA .45 Kentucky Rifle. It was the first gun I ever fired when I was 11 years old some 33 years ago. So today, my son got to shoot it, and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He's got a couple of bruises but he wants to take it out again as soon as possible.

It's been tough finding stuff to do, but we're making the best of it. Now to try and see if there's a mini golf course open.

GREAT phoyo's ! Thanks for sharing.