Fourteen years ago my Grandfather (my Father's father) was tracked down by a "long lost" relative. The man looking for him was actually his nephew, who, due to a disjointed family history, had never met anyone from the "Rice" side of the family.
Unfortunately, his reason for tracking down our side of the family was a bittersweet one. A man in his 40s, he had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease".
What is ALS? - The ALS Association
As he was quickly progressing through the various stages of ALS, he wanted to find about about his family's history. My Grandfather, Father (lovemywoods), and I soon made the trip from Indy to his home in Asheville, North Carolina. I was just 14-years-old at the time.
His condition had already deteriorated his ability to speak, but he could still write and he could still walk. Using a write-on/wipe-off board, he was able to ask lots of questions, and we were able to share lots of family stories and history.
He not only had many dominant physical features from the Rice family, but he also shared some of our hobbies-- like a love of guns. Opening up an under-bed safe, he introduced me to the first Class III weapon I had ever seen in person-- an UZI with an enormous suppressor. At 14-years-old, I was hooked. He later let me watch a few VHS tapes of various machine guns being shot, and would smile and laugh as I stared awe-struck at the TV screen.
Before we left his home, he retrieved a rifle case from the back room and presented it to my Grandfather. Inside was a heavy-barreled Remington 700 BDL in .223 with Bushnell scope. He wanted him to have it as his way of saying "thank you".
We received a phone call a few months after returning home-- he had passed away.
esrice, my Grandfather, Dale Rice, lovemywoods
The rifle spent a few years in my Grandfather's safe. We would pull it out when looking through his collection and the 3 of us would remember our trip.
Later my Grandfather passed it down to my Father. For a minute we debated on whether or not we were going to shoot it. We decided that the best way to preserve Dale's memory was to use it like he would've used it. Since then we've shot it 4 or 5 times.
Yesterday I took my 2 boys down to lovemywoods' property. After working on a playhouse project and watching the boys play in a kiddie pool, lovemywoods reminded me that he had installed a few new Bobcat Steel plates (9" and 6") on the other side of the lake, 132 yards from the elevated back porch. He suggested using Dale's rifle to test the new setup.
So I did just that.
(yes, that is dinner in the background
)
I shot a box of 20 rounds, and made 20 hits. Dale's Remy 700 is the smoothest, most confidence-inspiring firearm in lovemywoods' safe. I look forward to passing this particular heirloom onto my sons.
And yes, the Black Diamond strip steaks were EXCELLENT!
Unfortunately, his reason for tracking down our side of the family was a bittersweet one. A man in his 40s, he had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease".
What is ALS? - The ALS Association
As he was quickly progressing through the various stages of ALS, he wanted to find about about his family's history. My Grandfather, Father (lovemywoods), and I soon made the trip from Indy to his home in Asheville, North Carolina. I was just 14-years-old at the time.
His condition had already deteriorated his ability to speak, but he could still write and he could still walk. Using a write-on/wipe-off board, he was able to ask lots of questions, and we were able to share lots of family stories and history.
He not only had many dominant physical features from the Rice family, but he also shared some of our hobbies-- like a love of guns. Opening up an under-bed safe, he introduced me to the first Class III weapon I had ever seen in person-- an UZI with an enormous suppressor. At 14-years-old, I was hooked. He later let me watch a few VHS tapes of various machine guns being shot, and would smile and laugh as I stared awe-struck at the TV screen.
Before we left his home, he retrieved a rifle case from the back room and presented it to my Grandfather. Inside was a heavy-barreled Remington 700 BDL in .223 with Bushnell scope. He wanted him to have it as his way of saying "thank you".
We received a phone call a few months after returning home-- he had passed away.
esrice, my Grandfather, Dale Rice, lovemywoods
The rifle spent a few years in my Grandfather's safe. We would pull it out when looking through his collection and the 3 of us would remember our trip.
Later my Grandfather passed it down to my Father. For a minute we debated on whether or not we were going to shoot it. We decided that the best way to preserve Dale's memory was to use it like he would've used it. Since then we've shot it 4 or 5 times.
Yesterday I took my 2 boys down to lovemywoods' property. After working on a playhouse project and watching the boys play in a kiddie pool, lovemywoods reminded me that he had installed a few new Bobcat Steel plates (9" and 6") on the other side of the lake, 132 yards from the elevated back porch. He suggested using Dale's rifle to test the new setup.
So I did just that.
(yes, that is dinner in the background
)
I shot a box of 20 rounds, and made 20 hits.
Dale's Remy 700 is the smoothest, most confidence-inspiring firearm in lovemywoods' safe. I look forward to passing this particular heirloom onto my sons. And yes, the Black Diamond strip steaks were EXCELLENT!
