A Saturday Unexpected

El Dorado Park

                Yesterday Jason and I went on an adventure to the outdoor bow range at El Dorado Park in Los Alamitos, CA.  Archery Outpost, where Jason bought his bow a few months ago, was full when we arrived so we had decided we would come back later.  Outdoor Post being closed was such a blessing because we ended up at El Dorado Park and made new friends that we would not have made otherwise! 

                We originally thought El Dorado Park would be too crowded because it had lines of cars entering for a Civil War reenactment.  But as we drove, we found the outdoor bow range had a few open spots and we decided this was the best way to spend our day.  What is better than doing what you love, outside on a beautiful summer day right?

                As soon as we got out of the Jeep Jason was already engaged in conversation with a man who had his bow resting, which quickly turned into an afternoon of lesson and learning for him.  Jason spent the day learning new information from bow hunters who have not only won bow competitions but have been immersed in this hobby longer than Jay has been alive.  You cannot ask to meet better people when exploring an outdoor bow range for the first time. 

Getting my knit on

                As the hub spent the next few hours playing with his new friends, I tried something new for the first time myself!  My scarf is my first real knitting project and it had come time to start a new ball of yarn.  If I had thought ahead I would have watched videos of people doing this so I could really visualize what I needed to do.  But, I did not think that far ahead.  I did, however, bring my knitting bible – Stitch’n Bitch.  I taught myself the hardest way to attach the new ball of yarn, which I unfortunately was so entangled in I did not take pictures.  (Hi, my name is Brianna and I am still getting used to all the details of detailed and entertaining blogging.)   It took me a good 8 tries, but I finally succeeded!  I admit, I was jealous that I had not found any knitters to help me out like Jason’s new friends were helping him.  But, I succeeded nonetheless! (I will definitely have to make the next ball attachment look slightly more cohesive than this one.)  So I spent the few hours we were there getting my knit on, while Jason got his bow on.

                I think the most rewarding part of the day was the sheer generosity of the men we had met.  They helped Jason with techniques and know-hows, as well as the perfecting of his tools specifically for his stature.  When you shoot a bow, there are many factors involved that can add or take away from your precision in hitting the target.  Jason learned that the set of arrows he had bought appeared to be 1 ¼ inch too long and were affecting his trajectory.

                At this point, I had been engrossed in my knitting for quite a while.  So when I heard a blow torch I was a little confused as to what the hell was going on.  These men do not just puts around with bows at the park all day.  These men had all the equipment necessary to hook Jason the frick up.  

               The following are play-by-play photos of the process taken in shortening Jason's arrows:

Cheers!