A Day at the Property
Whenever I have a free Saturday, I like to head out to the property. This time my two oldest boys wanted to come along.
We packed up the BBQ, propane tank and a few old pallets I wanted to bring out after building a wood shelter at home.
I also tossed the .22 rifle, a steel target and two 154-round cases into the truck. I wasn’t planning on doing much shooting, but figured I might as well bring it.
At the Property
It’s about an hour drive to the property, so when we arrived I let the kids run wild while I unpacked everything.
Our home base sits on an elevated sand ridge. Over the years I’ve added a few things for the kids, including a playground and a giant sandbox that was created by digging a hole in the sand.
After they burnt off some energy, we fired up the BBQ and put some hot dogs on for lunch.
Once we finished eating, I set up the steel target and shot through about 50 rounds with the .22. Before long, the kids were ready to move again, so I packed up the rifle, target and ammo cases.
Instead of heading back to the playground, they decided to explore the woods. It’s funny how a good-sized branch is more interesting to a kid than a playground — but boys will be boys. Out here, I don’t have to worry about them breaking anything.
Good Thing We Brought the Rifle Along
After returning from the woods and climbing my nearby tree stand, the in-laws pulled in with their side-by-side. Before long, we decided to head over to their property for a fire about five miles down the road.
The kids jumped into the side-by-side while I followed behind with the truck.
My brother-in-law was already at the cabin and, since I had the rifle along, we ended up spending most of the afternoon shooting. We backed up the truck and pulled out my father-in-law’s steel target in addition to the one I had brought along. What started as “maybe I’ll fire a few rounds” turned into an afternoon of ringing steel targets.
I figured the kids would be occupied with the change of scenery, but before long they wandered over to watch us shoot. Eventually it turned into a game — they found a few pails and started collecting spent .22 LR casings every time we stopped to reload.
Wrapping Up the Day
Once we shot through both 154-round cases, we grabbed a seat around the fire while the kids continued scavenging for empty casings.
What started off as hauling pallets, making lunch and spending time at the property turned into an afternoon of shooting, a fire and a full day outdoors.
That’s also one of the reasons I like having gear packed, organized and ready to go. You never know when you’ll end up using it.