GRITS

Growing up in a southern family, I learned there were two meanings for the word grits.  One was the traditional, coarsely ground corn breakfast cereal.  The other, Mother and Annie taught me- Girls Raised in the South.  Now while I wasn't technically raised in the south I was raised by two women who were Southern born and bred, so I kind of qualified.  But three decades later, I've found a new meaning for the word that makes me a bona fide GRITS...
Girls
Really
In
To
Shooting

I've mentioned before that I've been taking shooting lessons from a wonderful woman in Central Virginia.  Several years ago Elizabeth formed the GRITS so that women interested in the shooting sports had an opportunity to get together in a setting with constant encouragement, helpful instruction and good old fashioned fun.

Dave I shoot several rounds of sporting clays each month and are sometimes joined by his friends.  While it's fun to hang with the boys, I cherish the time I have every month with the GRITS girls.  We meet once a month to shoot, hoot and have fun with each other while breaking clays.  We met in November at a sporting clays course not far from Monticello and a few weeks ago we had our holiday part at Elizabeth's farm.

Shooting a teal (target launched straight up in the air)

The blondes in their Dubarrys :-)

The whole gang

Elizabeth's shooting shack is all dressed up for Christmas

My friend SJ, lighting it up on the chilly morning

Shooting from middle position of the covered 5-stand pavillion

Our wonderful instructor, venerable leader, and hostess with the mostess

Pictures from around the fields...

M, doing a great job!

The elves, D and S, having a little too much fun

The best four letter word in sports- PULL!

The gang

If you have the opportunity to take a shooting lesson, do it!  There are public shooting ranges in almost all locations and you can find one near you by visiting the National Shooting Sports Foundation or the National Sporting Clays Association.  If you've never shot before, make sure to sign up for a lesson or a learn to shoot class.  Ranges provide everything- shotguns and eye and ear protection- so if you don't like it, you don't have to invest anything in it.  But I guarantee that once you've broken a clay or two, you'll be hooked!

I'm off to southwestern Virginia this weekend for a quail hunt with the GRITS.  Shhh, I don't like the taste of game birds (at all) but I do have fun hanging out with the girls!