R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 111

Amsterdam Photo Tour — Part 1

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Amsterdam

I’ve been blogging articles a minimum of thrice weekly since January 3, 2011, so it’s time to take a break before beginning in earnest our next trip, which Ursula and I took August-September, 2017. That trip began with a flight to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where we spent a few days, then continued on to Switzerland to visit the in-laws, followed by a flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. In Copenhagen we spent a day visiting familiar sights before  catching a cruise ship for back-to-back cru...

Fun Firearm Friday — Colt MK IV/Series’ 80 Mustang Plus II

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Colt’s MK IV/Series 80′ Mustang Plus II

In May, 2017, I ran a three-article series on pocket pistols. The pistols viewed that week were the Beretta 3032 Tomcat (.32 ACP/7.65mm) and the Colt Mustang Lite (.380 ACP/9mm kurz). That series culminated in a shoot off between the two, as well as a size/weight comparison between them of the Walther PPK and PPK/S.

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Colt’s MK IV/Series 80 Mustang Plus II

While researching that article, I found information on the Colt MK IV/Series 80 Government Model 380...

Ruger (original) Police Carbine PC9 — A First Look

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Ruger Police Carbine from 1996

As many readers of my firearms articles may have surmised by now, I’m an unapologetic fan of pistol-caliber carbines. Why pistol calibers in a rifle? Because it just makes sense for a whole host of reasons, unless perhaps you’re a hunter of large game. A 9mm carbine, such as the Beretta CX4 Storm, is a perfect longer-range compliment to a handgun chambered for the same round. If your carbine accepts the same magazines as your handgun, such as a CX4 paired with a...

Beretta 81FS Cheetah — And tips on gun collecting

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Beretta 81FS Cheetah — The complete kit

We’ve looked at the Beretta 80 Series Cheetah before, but the Cheetah in today’s article is one you seldom see imported anymore. How seldom? The Beretta 81FS Cheetah is chambered in .32 ACP/7.65mm, and .32 ACP is frowned upon in the U.S. and mocked as a ‘mouse cartridge’ unworthy of use for defense (it most certainly is not, but that’s a discussion for a later date). As such, I’ve not seen a newly imported 81FS in any gun store ever. I know they’ve been...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea; New York Favorites

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Times Square

Today is the last of my 54 Days at Sea series.

Upcoming:

I’ll be returning to travel photography a week from Monday, but next week I owe fans of my firearms reviews some long-overdue articles. So, if you’re more into travel, cruises, and photography, I’ll see you the week after next. The week after next I’ll take you on a tour of the Baltic area, and during that series I’ll even throw in my recipe for pirozhki (piroshki — a Russian meat pie) when we take a look at Saint Petersbu...

54 Days at Sea — New York sights Part 2

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New York City sights

As I noted on Monday, this is the last week in my 54 Days at Sea series.

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New York City sights

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Times Square

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New York City sights

MS Prinsendam would depart New York around 6:00 p.m. on the evening of May 14. On our way out New York Harbor we passed Ellis Island, which welcomed immigrants to the United States of America starting January 1, 1892. The last immigrant passed through the Ellis Island Immigrant Inspection Station on November 12, 1954. Over 100,000,000 present-day...

54 Days at Sea — New York sights Part 1

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Times Square

This week will conclude my 54 Days at Sea series, as New York was our last stop before returning to Fort Lauderdale the disembarkation. The MS Prinsendam was home for us for nearly two months, and Ursula and I would miss her when we left. Indeed, our sense of loss is perhaps even greater now, nine years later, since finding out that Holland America has sold this small yet magnificent ship. Holland America is currently leasing back the “Elegant Explorer”, but MS Prinsendam leaves...

Guess I should have written that ACHDTB Shutdown article 5 weeks ago!

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Personally, I’ve had enough of the ACHDTB* Government Shutdown

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The ACHDTB* Government Shutdown

As many of you know, I spent over 34 years of my life performing the duties of Air Traffic Control, and I’ve been training air traffic controllers since September, 2011. Also, I’m sure many of you have noticed that I seldom blog anything political. That’s by design. Because of the highly polarized political environment in which we find ourselves today, it just doesn’t pay to get in the crossfire.

But enough is enough. Today, a ground stop was initiated into LaG...

Fun Food Friday — Attempting to duplicate Katz’s pastrami

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Pastrami closeup

Today I’m going to reveal my secret to duplicating (as best I can) the incredible pastrami that comes from the incomparable Katz’s Delicatessen. It’s not that difficult to do, and although I’ll be the first to admit Katz’s is still better, I believe this comes as close as you’re going to get short of a trip to New York City.

What you’ll need:

Good quality corned beef brisket (don’t skimp here; you get what you pay for) The packets of pickling spices included with those brisk...