Silence Is Violence (?)

A song entitled "Silence is Violence" came out just a few years ago.  I personally am not familiar with this song but I know that the ideas presented in the lyrics of this song served as a spring-board for an organization called Silence Is Violence, organized for the purpose of helping and encouraging children in New Orleans to turn from violent activities and engage in constructive activities and experiences instead.  This is a very worthy organization, and similar groups have sprung up around the nation.  Since then, "Silence is Violence" has turned into a slogan calling for people to take action to end domestic violence, street violence, date rape, and several other worthy causes.  Unfortunately, in one of the many "protests" televised by the national media concerning Ferguson and New York City (you know, the "unjustified killing" of unarmed Black men by police) I saw some people carrying signs proclaiming "Silence Is Violence."  I could only infer that these people were implying that those who remain silent with regard to Ferguson and NYC, as well other "unjustified" killings of citizens by the police are furthering violence.  So, I will remain silent no longer!

First of all I would like to break my own silence by re-stating the obvious, and what has been common law ever since we were English colonies: Any person, including any police officer, has the right to defend himself with force, including deadly force, when that person believes that he is in immediate danger of losing his own life at the hands of another.  Since the states have been formed one by one, over the past two-hundred plus years, each and every state has enacted laws specifically stating that a police officer who is in imminent fear for his life may use deadly force to defend himself.  Further, the states have all added to this law another provision, that is that police officers have no duty to retreat prior to using deadly force.  The reason for this proviso was that the police were appointed by our civilized society to stand as a barrier between law-abiding citizens and law-breakers.  Given this responsibility, it only followed that the police needed to be given the necessary authority to carry out this task.

Second, I would like to restate what must have been an obvious observation by most people during these past troubled weeks, and that is that, notwithstanding the hype forced down our throats by a head-line hunting media, grand juries failed to indict (that is they No-billed) the two police officers involved in both of these most infamous situations.  In other words, after hearing both witnesses and experts, and seeing the forensic evidence, grand juries found that there was not enough evidence to indict these officers for murder.  Grand juries are the foundation of our rule by law, not by men, system of justice.  But "protesters" continued to tear up their own neighborhoods even after the grand juries spoke.

Third, the news media and certain Black "leaders" are responsible for fanning this apparently growing refusal to acknowledge that the actions of these "unarmed" (and in some cases ARMED) suspects were themselves responsible for causing the events that led to their deaths.  For instance, in Ferguson the "teen" was a hulking young man who was in fact just as tall and several pounds heavier than the officer who confronted him.  This "teen" proceeded to beat the officer to the point that the officer feared for his life!  But the "teen" could have submitted to arrest at any moment, and ended the situation without bloodshed.  In New York, we are told that a man was "only" selling cigarettes without paying taxes (bootlegging).  When confronted by police the man resisted arrested.  He was breaking a minor law. BUT...he resisted arrest.  All he had to do to stop the situation was submit to his clearly lawful arrest.  But he resisted to the point that several officers had to hold him and attempt to handcuff him, then to the point that drastic action had to be taken to subdue him.  Even then, it was clear (to the grand jury) that the officer did not intend to kill the man, but used the force he believed necessary to stop the resistance.  Even now in Texas, another Black man was shot by a White police officer, and, AS USUAL, the media and race-baiting "leaders" are on the scene and protesters are protesting right on cue.  In this case, the poor man was shot because he had a pistol in his hand and turned toward the officer AFTER THE OFFICER ORDERED HIM TO DROP HIS WEAPON.  This one does not even warrant comment.  But the constant railing by the media and by the "leaders" has directly led to the deaths of at least three police officers, and at least one incident where officers unnecessarily placed themselves in mortal danger because they were White and the suspect chasing them with a butcher knife was a minority. 

If Silence Is Violence, then I do not want to foster more violence by not speaking out against this continuing and ludicrous national trend of condemning our police officers for carrying out their sworn duty and responsibility, and that is standing between us and criminals, even if it means using deadly force.  There are laws in place to deal with unlawful police actions.  There are laws in place that call for the automatic review of shootings of citizens by the police (who are citizens themselves, by the way).  I realize that there was a time when minorities could not rely on these laws and procedures, but that was several decades ago.  If anything, the law now goes the extra mile to ensure fairness to all concerned.  I expect and demand that police officers protect me and my loved ones by first protecting themselves while they do their most dangerous job.  I am sure I would be very angry if one of my relatives were killed by a policeman, but I also know that I would rely on the grand jury to decide whether or not to indict the officer.  And, even if the officer were indicted, that officer would still be entitled to a trial, just as would be any other citizen. 

If Silence Is Violence, then I do not want to foster more violence by not speaking out in support of our police officers.  No, I do not like everything the police do, but overall I appreciate the work they do.  I understand both first hand and as a bystander that the police are in danger every minute they are in uniform.  The murdered New York City officers are a loud testament to this fact.  I believe in the Second Amendment and I frequently exercise it.  But, most often I am unarmed and depending on the police to protect me.  I am confident that the police will act in a lawful manner.  Why?  Because the police, like most of us, are law-abiding citizens.  And, like most of us, they go to work to do their job in the best way they can.  I am also confident that very few police officers wake up each day with the desire to kill someone during their upcoming shift.  Most police officers, like most of us, just want to do their jobs, have successful careers, and live long enough to retire.  Most of us know that most police officers are here to protect us, and that is why we can live our lives as worry-free as possible in a free society. 

So  ....if Silence Is Violence, then I am shouting out loud here on this page that I for one stand behind our police officers, that I for one will NEVER protest when a cop is forced by a criminal to use deadly force to protect himself or herself, because that cop, by dealing with the criminal, is not only saving his or her own life, but is saving your life or my life as well.  I for one will never protest a police officer's power and authority to use deadly force.  I refuse to stand silently by anymore when certain "leaders" and the media use these events for political or monetary gain.  And above all, I refuse to be a part of the portion of society that has grown so unreasonable and so ignorant that they feel the need to riot and ravage in the guise of "protest" when the very thing they are protesting is trumped up by that media and hawked by the supposed "leaders," up to and including the President of the United States.

If Silence Is Violence then I shout loudly from this page...

                                                                    COPS' LIVES MATTER!!

God bless you,
And God bless America
  

Just A Quick Time Out

There has been such a wave of tragedy in the Midland area in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas that I just had to take a time-out from it all.  There has been so much anger and violence in our nation over the past few weeks before the holiday season that I just had to stop, for just a minute, and think about the true reason for the season, the meaning of what will transpire in just eight days, or seven if your family celebrates on Christmas Eve.  By the way, if you do not celebrate Christmas at all, please disregard this post, and please take no offense.  To each, his own.

Just about two thousand years ago a child was born in Nazareth, that child of course was later to be known as Jesus, Emmanuel, the Good Shepherd.  The story of his birth is what most people think of when they think of Christmas.  The name of Jesus' birthday anniversary celebration was first known as Christ's Mass, but was shortened over the years to the name of that day we love so much, Christmas.  This day became a holiday (a holy day, as it were) in which we celebrated our gratitude for Christ's great gift to us by giving gifts, or presents, to our friends and loved ones to show them how much we loved them, as Christ loved us so much.  But though we celebrate the day of Christ's birth, the great gift the Good Shepherd gave us was not his "birth" but his LIFE.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, showed us how to live in peace and how to love our neighbors as ourselves.  More than this, he showed us that it was POSSIBLE for people to love themselves, and to love their neighbors as they loved themselves.  Jesus showed us, by his own example, that we can live in a world where so much is going "wrong," where there is so much violence, so much hate, and we can yet have peace, an INNER peace, neither created by the world nor destroyed by it.  Jesus showed us how to find peace in every day we live, and how to be content in every state in which we may find ourselves.  He never told us that our day to day lives would be free from tragedy or ill circumstance, but He did show us that we had hope in Him while things were going "bad" for us, that we could still find joy when bad things and unhappy circumstances surrounded us.  He taught us to be thankful when things were good, and even more thankful to the Father when things were not going so well, because even when things are at their worst, God holds us in his hands.

That "Christmas Day" celebrated by the shepherds of the field, and later by the Magi, two thousand years ago, gave us a special day to celebrate.  But it was the Good Shepherd's life that showed us how we should live, how we could live.  And the greatest gift of all that the Good Shepherd gave us was not His birth, not His life, but His greatest gift came on us that day, that sad day that He went to His death on the cross.  While hanging on the cross, the Good Shepherd demonstrated to us that most profound truth, that no greater love has a man, than to die for those he loves.  The Good Shepherd demonstrated this truth by giving His life on the cross for all the people then, and for all the people from then on.  It is this gift, this greatest gift of all, that is truly the Reason for the Season. 

Yes, the past few weeks have been especially tragic times in Midland, but I suppose that the same can be said by many people across this nation of ours, and around the world.  Tragedy never seems to take a holiday, and we may feel that we are surrounded by so much heartache.  But it is the Good Shepherd's gift, a gift that surrounds us all year long, not just during the "holiday season," that allows us to have hope, and find joy.  We love our friends and relatives, and we show this love especially at this time of the year, by giving gifts, symbols of our love, to those for whom we care.  The Good Shepherd showed us how to give not just things, but ourselves as well, to those we love.

Well, I am glad for this little detour out of the hustle and bustle, and the heartache, to remember all that I am blessed with, and all those who bless me every day, not just during Christmas time.  There are still eight days until Christmas, but the greatest gift ever given just keeps on giving.  And during the holiday season, we get a double-dose of this gift.  As I wrote yesterday, my heart goes out to those who are hurting right now, and I hope they are even now feeling the arms of the Good Shepherd holding them.  Christmas will be a much more tearful time for some people this year, yet even in their sorrow, they will still be able to celebrate the greatest gift ever given.

God bless all of you, and God bless America.

 

Midland Is In Shock Today In Light Of Tragic Murder - Suicide

Tonight my heart and my prayers go out to two families as they struggle to comprehend and come to terms with the terrible events of last evening; events that shocked a city and struck another blow to the local men and women of law enforcement.  Last evening, shortly after 6:00 PM, we first received news of shooting, and we at the local hospital began bracing for the possible reaction.  It came swiftly, and very soon we knew there was much greater law enforcement response than would normally be seen for a shooting.  Shortly after the arrival of the first victim we learned that a police officer was involved in the incident.

By morning the news was out; a police officer had gone to his residence and shot his wife.  He then dialed 9-1-1 and left the telephone line open.  Other police officers were dispatched to the officer's residence, where they were met with a horrifying sight.  The officers found their colleague's wife lying wounded.  She was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after arriving there.  The officer himself was found dead in the residence with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gun shot.  Midland police officers were shocked and numbed, as well as saddened so greatly, by what they found.  In a great show of support, the Midland County Sheriff's Office and criminal investigators and technicians from the Odessa Police Department arrived and took over the sad duty of investigating those terrible events and documenting evidence found at the scene.  The Texas Rangers also became involved in the investigation.

Enough of the facts! 

The family and friends of these two young people, as well as the officer's colleagues, must now try to carry on with their lives, and their jobs, while they try to make sense of what has happened.  The only positive aspect of this situation that has come to light so far as that the officer spared the lives of his two small children.  These little children are now in the loving care of their extended family.  But two families are left devastated, and an entire city is reeling, wondering why this tragedy occurred.

No one really knows what brings a person to such a point in his life that he believes he has no other recourse than to take the life of the mother of his children, or to take his own life, for that matter.  There are so many questions, though, that may or may not be answered.  Did this young couple have ongoing domestic violence issues?  Was a divorce pending?  Maybe there was some other issue, but whatever the problem might have been, it is almost beyond belief that the officer, or should I just say, the husband, evidently felt that he had no alternative other than killing his wife.  It is difficult to believe that one or both of these young people had not sought help, or that if they had, there was not something that could have been said or done that might have turned this man away from the idea that there was no way out but the final one.

Even as the events here in Midland were unfolding, the entire nation was shocked by the news about a man who killed his spouse and five other family members, and was still on the run at the same time the officer and his wife died.  And we were once again left to wonder what happened?  Why?  Couldn't someone have intervened, couldn't something have been done, to prevent this tragedy, and so many like it that happen every year?  I wish I had answers, and I am sure these families do as well, much more strongly than do I. 

I certainly have no answers tonight.  I have no platitudes to tell the survivors, nor would I want to hear any if I were in their position.  Was it "just one of those things?"  Was it because we "just never know what someone we love is really capable of?"  And the most over-used one, "it was just God's will."  Yes, I have no answers, and I offer no trite clichés.  I only want to express in some small way to those hurting tonight that others care about them, and that I hope they feel the comfort that only the Good Shepherd can offer, and does, even when we don't know why these terrible things happen.  May these families feel the Good Shepherd's hands, and may the officers who have lost their colleague feel this Comfort as well.


 

Baltimore Day 3 and Day 4

It was a damp morning that greeted me Saturday.  My lovely bride was off early to her conference.  I awoke when she did but then thought the better of it.  I then did not get up until the cleaning woman knocked on the door sometime around 12 or so (more so than 12).  So then I got up to greet the dawn, but was not able to do so since the dawn had moved out of downtown several hours before.

My first foray out of the hotel was to meet with my lovely bride for lunch at Five Guys.  Five Guys was its usual good-self, but the crowd there was quite entertaining.  I am sure my rather Texas-like garb did not attract much attention, either.  But the really entertaining part was when a young mother was giving her boy-child messages with only the tightening of her lips, the raising of her eyebrows, and of course, her laser eyes when appropriate.  It appeared that the young man was not interested in putting on his coat, but his mother was ready to leave Five Guys.  But with appropriate facial expressions, either approving or fiercely disapproving as necessary, eyebrows raised or lowered is needed, and laser eyes applied when the child failed to receive the other signals, the mother finally got her child outfitted for the outdoors, and they were gone.  Not a single word was spoken by the mother and child during this exchange

You might recall that during our short foray to Washington, D.C. I saw no movie stars, no car chases or shootings, and no REAL spies either.  That was the same for Baltimore I am afraid, so, having no exciting (BUT TOTALLY TRUE) stories concerning espionage with which to regale the reader, I am forced to delve into more mundane subjects.  I say mundane, but the information I am about to impart to you should be very helpful if you ever visit Baltimore your own-self.  For instance, there is protocol involved in the proper use of the sidewalks through downtown.  Yes, I am telling the truth.  And, failure to follow such protocol could result in injury or embarrassment to those attempting to share the same sidewalk.  For instance, people who are just strolling along the sidewalks, minding their own business (even if it is blatantly OBVIOUS that they are tourists from Texas), are expected to walk "to the right."  Yes, the left center "lane" is reserved for those persons (usually NOT tourists from Texas) who have a definite purpose for walking down the sidewalk at a breakneck speed which is much faster than I can run (right up around 4 mph or so).  These people say "excuse me" or "passing on the left" at which time, if you do not want to end up in a tangled mass of humanity on the sidewalk, the slower person would make sure to move to the right and stay there. 

The far, far left side of the sidewalk is reserved for cyclists, skateboarders, and joggers who are moving at a clip that leaves little room for error or misunderstanding.  I learned this little tip very quickly and do not mind sharing with you at all.  In this case, my lovely bride and I were leisurely strolling along the sidewalk a couple of blocks from the hotel when a faint male voice that sounded like the speaker must have been at least fifty feet behind us said, "Riding by on the left."  Just as I turned to the left to see who was speaking the bicyclist shot past like a tree-hugging bolt of lightning, nearly slamming into my left rib cage.  I managed to just side-step to the right, heroically saving my lovely bride from the near miss with the two-wheeled maniac!  As the young man rode away, I could swear I saw a look on his face that said he recognized us as world tourists and thus did not make any obscene gestures or excited utterances.  Or maybe we could not hear him over the sirens of a passing fire truck.  Anyway, once bitten, twice as shy, as they say.

This principle applies as well to escalators in both Baltimore and D.C.  The law-abiding escalating pedestrian is expected to "keep right."  That means single-file, by the way.  A couple using the escalators together will quickly find themselves at odds with persons who are busy, late, jogging, fleeing police officers, or on the way to a clandestine meeting at the Washington Monument, if said couple fails to "keep right!"  This protocol was easily learned within thirty seconds of stepping onto the "down" escalator at Union Station.  I generally "escalate" on an escalator, meaning that I either (for my own safety due to the lack of a "grace" gene) stay on the stair that I originally landed on, or may step no more than two steps between the top and bottom of the escalator.  In fact, if a person is using the escalator as "intended" the person must stay to the right, and you get about ONE chance to learn this.  Failure to be a quick study in this area could easily result in multiple injuries as the escalator "pro" and the Texas tourist both go falling down, producing what I assume would be a similar aspect to the lowly snowball rolling downhill until it becomes an avalanche.  Luckily, I was able to assimilate this protocol very quickly.  No one was injured by my trips up and down the escalator.

After such a "hands on" education, I was tired, and my lovely bride was due back at her conference.  So I went back to the hotel and did what many people would mistakenly construe as "nothing" until time to meet again for dinner.  I in fact DID accomplish some things, but it is difficult to catalogue them here, so I will leave that part your own imaginations.  Suffice it to say that I met my lovely bride after her conference was done for the day.  We dined at the Kona Grill once again.  The food there is terrific and the atmosphere is, uh, not Hawaiian, but still a great dining experience.  Then back to the hotel.  We did not hit the town as such, but we DID have two cups of the Marriott's most wonderful spiced apple cider.  Then it was time to call it a night.  I know it was because Sweetie yelled and threw a pillow at me sometime around 1AM as a gentle and loving hint that I might need to turn off the light...NOW!!

Sunday morning for me was a morning spent packing and arranging leave from our hotel, while my lovely bride attended the last sessions of her conference.  All too soon we were in a cab headed back to Baltimore Thurgood Marshall International Airport.  Here I would like to point out that taxis are VERY expensive forms of transportation, yet there are times when they are the best form of "no hassle" travel, and this was one of those times...never mind the extra dollars spent.  Soon we were in the air.  We had a short stop at Houston to change planes, then we were Midland bound.  It was very nice to get home.  No matter how comfortable a hotel is, it is always so much MORE comfortable to lay down in one's own bed.

But...now it is Monday morning, and I am off to Dallas for a conference of my own, sans my lovely bride.  If you are going to Baltimore and DC, please keep my very helpful tips in mind.  Oh, and if you see Mark Harmon, let him know I was upset about missing him the other day.

Thanks, and God bless Baltimore

And America

Baltimore Trip - Day 2 (or, Washington DC In Four Hours)

My lovely bride and I arrived in Baltimore Thursday night, and what with the time change, jet lag, and all, I did not go to bed until 1 AM, Baltimore time (midnight Texas time).  My lovely bride, being much smarter, hit the sack three hours earlier.  So, when the alarm sounded at 6 AM, I was not ready to arise with the sun.  Unfortunately, we had to get to Washington D.C., and we wanted to get there fairly early, so that meant catching the local train at 8:15.  This train ride was, by the way, the second train ride of my life, other than the small, scale model train that used to take children around Cameron Park in Waco.  So, today's ride was an interesting experience.

The nice concierge at our hotel told us exactly how to get to the light rail train only three blocks from the hotel.  My lovely bride had me listen to the directions so that we could be sure to get there without getting lost on the way.  MISTAKE!  I promptly got us lost on the way to the train.  A three block walk may not seem THAT complicated, but remember, there are FOUR directions in which one can walk those three blocks, and only ONE of those directions is correct.  So, I immediately led us off in the wrong direction.  My lovely bride asked me if I was positive we were going in the right direction.  I told her that "of course I was positive."  For some reason, my spouse immediately stopped a passer-by and asked for directions.  Here I would like to say two things.  First, I would NEVER have asked for directions once I was lost, even though that would be the best thing to do.  Second, this particular young man resembled someone I thought I had seen on the FBI's most wanted list.  I tried to lead my wife away immediately, but she instead walked over to the somewhat dangerous looking guy and, yes...., asked for directions.  (HA!...it turned out I was taking us generally in the right direction, although we would have missed the train because I was about to take us past a building that would have concealed the light rail station. ( Oops.)  By the way, apparently there is no turntable on the light rail.  We literally BACKED all the way to Union Station, sometimes at nearly 70 miles per hour!

So we got on the light rail and rode to Union Station, Baltimore.  When we left the train and entered Union Station, I once again got accurate directions from a railroad employee.  Once again I led us to the next train, in accordance with the new directions.  Unfortunately I had led us in the complete opposite direction so that we ended up on the wrong side of the boarding platform.  Luckily my lovely bride pointed out that we were on the wrong side of the platform, so we were able to climb back up the escalators, run across the walkover bridge, and get back down to the correct platform and STILL not miss the train to DC.  And, finally we arrived at the Smithsonian Institution. 

The first thing I observed was that the Smithsonian is not just one large building.  In fact there are several large buildings spread across a couple hundred acres, it seems.  Fortunately there are signs posted periodically so that I could see what exhibits were housed in what buildings, and these were normally in buildings I had passed two or three blocks earlier.  So we spent a little time backtracking to the places we wanted to go.  The Air and Space Museum was our first stop.  Oh, here is a free pointer if you should ever visit the Smithsonian.  They open at TEN AM, not 9:58, 9:59, and not 9:599999999999999...they open at TEN.  I also observed, and pass this on for free as well, that if a person tries hard enough to get in before 10:00 AM, a large police officer (by large I mean retired from a pro-football offensive line!) comes out the door and inquires as to why said person wants in before TEN.  The person in question walked quickly away so I never learned why the person wanted in early, but I did realize that 10 AM on the dot was just fine by me.

My lovely bride and I toured the Flight Museum and, of course, found many things of interest.  Firstly, I got to play with a little model airplane that was attached to a small wind tunnel.  This little gadget allows a person to control the basic flight characteristics such as lift, banking, pitch, and yaw (yes, this is really a word!) by using controls that actually operate the ailerons, elevators, and rudder.  The demonstration lasts about thirty seconds, then one is supposed to surrender the device to the next kid in line.  It was not until some poor little boy's mother snidely remarked that an old man was hogging the flight trainer that I realized I should probably move on.  My lovely bride was also nowhere to be seen, so this was another indication that I had stayed at one exhibit for too long.

I found my bride edging her way out of the school kids' section and into the larger exhibit area, so I followed her cue.  Outside on the main floor, and close to the entrance, was the space capsule that famed astronaut, and later United States senator, John Glenn piloted as he orbited the earth.  I would like to say here that I did not realize how SMALL these capsules were.  The chair portion of the capsule was smaller than a cheap #$%-Mart lawn chair.   I am pretty sure that once a person finally contorted and compressed himself into the folded shape necessary to enter the capsule and sit on the chair, that person could pretty much not move again until the space flight was over.  The Mercury flights were sometimes only a few hours long, but I suspect the poor astronaut could not move or stand for at least an hour after being pried out of the capsule by those helpful Navy guys that rig the capsule for recovery onto the aircraft carrier.  Even more amazing was the heat shields on these capsules.  There places on some of the capsules where the heat shields had burned completely away.  I bet the astronauts had to rub aloe vera gel on various parts of their anatomy upon reentry.

There was so much to see in the Air and Space Museum that I cannot write it all here.  Those beautiful bi-planes, World War II - era planes, the pioneering and modern jets, all were so interesting.  I felt awed to see the Spirit of St. Louis hanging next to one of the first jet planes to break the sound barrier.  My lovely bride was amazed by one exhibit...it was scale model of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, and next that was twin-engine DC-3, built to the same scale.  At least six DC-3's would have fit on the Spruce Goose, yet these airplanes seem so big when one stands beside them.  Next we went to an Imax movie dealing with the Hubble Telescope.

I would like to preface this story with some vital need to know information, and that is that I did not sleep well (or go to bed until late) the night before.  So, we go into the Imax, and pretty soon this wonderful 3-D movie starts.  It deals briefly with the history of the Hubble telescope, and about the space mission in which astronauts went to the Hubble while it was in orbit, so that they could replace the warped objective mirror.  Once the mirror was replaced, the telescope sent back to earth some of the most spectacular and beautiful images of the celestial bodies ever seen by mankind.  Uh...except this man did not see many of those images.  As those beautiful images filled the 3-D screen, the sound-track switched from narration to very celestial, and unfortunately, very relaxing music.  Although I was only checking the inside of my eyelids, some people, including my lovely bride, mistakenly thought I had gone to sleep.  Okay, they were not THAT mistaken.  Apparently the celestial images I saw were mostly in my mind, until I was rudely awakened by a hard jab to the right ribs.  Apparently my lovely bride had become certain that I was sleeping due to noises that sounded to her like snoring.  Anyway, I had apparently missed most of the show, because when I opened my eyes, the lovely celestial bodies had been replaced by the rolling credits of the movie production staff.  So, that was the tour of the Air and Space Museum.

It being lunch time, we left the Smithsonian and walked a little further downtown.  I need not mention that my lovely bride was a little irritated with me for going to sleep during such a spectacular show, but she did not bear ill will for me very long.  Maybe hunger outweighed the need to chide me for that indiscretion.  Anyway, as we strolled along on the streets of Washington, D.C. looking for a place to dine, I saw a sign and nearly could not believe my eyes.  So I put my glasses back on and read the sign again.  Sure enough, it said "Hill Country Ribs."  Now I know we were halfway across the world from Texas, but there is only ONE REASON a place would be called Hill Country Ribs!  So, ignoring all the Indian, Thai, Irish, IHOP, and other ethnic restaurants, I dragged my lovely bride with me to Hill Country.  There, right on the outside wall was the Lone Star flag in all its glory!  And the smell of the Hill Country rolled out the door and off the roof vents.  Barbeque!  All the fixin's plus pictures of Austin, Lockhart, and the Hill Country.  Who would have thought it?!  By the way, you should try the baked beans made with burnt ends.  Wow, hot and spicy, with melt in your mouth beef!  It was a balanced meal with a nice helping of brisket in one hand and beans and cornbread in the other.  I love Texas-style balanced meals!  Then, back to the Smithsonian.

Did I mention it was cold?  I guess it was not really cold by Baltimore standards, but it was cool with 100% humidity, which meant that my joints were all rubbing bone against bone and were freezing.  But still it was a good day, and not snowing or anything that severe.  We made our way back to Smithsonian complex and headed toward the American Museum of Natural History.  BUT...then Sweetie decided we wanted to go to the Smithsonian Castle.  I have to admit, I was intrigued by the fact that there was a castle within the complex, and I was curious what was inside.  It turns out that the castle serves as an information center and also features very small tidbits of the various collections housed at the Smithsonian, sort of an appetizer, I suppose.  There is also a museum store located there. 

Did you know that housed in the Castle is a collection of locks of hair of historic Americans?  I would not have believed this myself, but apparently some enterprising man set out to collect hair from the prominent Americans of his day, as well as somehow to secure hair from those that had passed on early in the nation's history.  George Washington's hair, for instance, is there, as is hair from President Tyler, certain military figures, and various other politicians and elites.  I was curious about how the various hair samples were procured, but my lovely bride gave me a look that seemed to discourage further inquiry in this direction.  Plus, by this time we needed to start making our way back to the train station, as we had a dinner date back in Baltimore.  Thus ended my four hour excursion into Washington D.C.

I have to say here that I was slightly disappointed in one respect.  That is that during the duration of our Washington foray, we did not see ONE SINGLE SPY.  That is right!  I figured that the area around the Smithsonian would be rife with spies.  I mean, aren't they always meeting in the shadows of the Washington Monument, or at the steps of Lincoln's Memorial?  And I did not see a single high-speed chase involving a Ferrari or Lamborghini being pursued by a caravan of shiny black Chevrolet Tahoes or Suburbans.  AND I did not see Mark Harmon standing around talking to some shady character, nor did I see Jim Spader or the other guys from the Black List!  So disappointing.  I figured pedestrians would be constantly narrowly escaping death in the crosswalks as chases and gunfire raged through downtown.  Snaps!

But, the disappointment was short-lived,  Sweetie and I managed to board the correct trains and make the correct connections so that we made it back to Baltimore to our hotel.  An hour later we were at the Cheesecake Factor eagerly awaiting the arrival of my lovely cousin, her daughter, and grandson.  And when they arrived it was a grand reunion.  Well, reunion with my cousin.  But I had never met her charming daughter or the grandson so full of vim even though it was getting late.  We had a good meal at the Cheesecake Factory.  By the way, they make more than cheesecake.  In fact, I was so full of my meal that I did not even get to sample the cheesecake.  Rats.  Another time, perhaps.  The dinner was so fun and full of conversation, but all too soon it was time to call it a night.  We said our goodbyes and collected our hugs.  I am not sure how long it will be until we see these good people again, but the short time we had to visit will last until then.  A short walk back to our hotel and we called it a night.  Having slept through the Imax movie, I decided to go to bed at a slightly more reasonable hour tonight. 

Good night Baltimore, and God Bless America

Baltimore Bound, or...But Do We HAVE TO Fly?

I am sitting in the Southwest Terminal at the great and powerful Midland International Airport at the moment while waiting for our boarding gate to open.  Those of you who know me will know that I do not like to fly in a jet on a GOOD day, much less on a day when the ceiling is at around 500 feet.  Yes, I know they have radar and that I should be glad it is not raining or snowing, or worse.  Well, I AM glad for all the above; it's just that I get a little queasy every time I have to fly.  Not that I am a world traveler, you understand, but occasionally my lovely bride asks me to go on business trips with her.  But I usually limit those trips to Houston in the summer.  I suspect that the clime to which we will be journeying will be less than balmy.  But, I digress...

So it is hour two of day one of the trip to Baltimore.  I confess that I am excited about this opportunity to see such a historical location.  It was in the harbor near Fort McHenry that Francis Scott Key penned "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the British navy bombarded said fort.  Yes, I will be excited to see Baltimore and also the many attractions in nearby Washington, D.C.  But first, there is the dreaded flight!

I have to say that I made a feeble, futile attempt to talk my wife in to letting me drive to Baltimore.  I told her I was willing to drive all the way there and all the way back.  I know there is a chance of having a car wreck on the way to and from, but many times there are survivors in car accidents.  I suppose that there are many situations in which the airplane is already on the ground when a crash occurs, and in those cases some people DO survive.  But...if anything goes wrong at, say, 38,000 feet, and the pilots are not able to take corrective action...well, you know what happens then.

Cripees, the airliner just pulled up to the gate.  We will be boarding soon, like in ten minutes.  I know we have to be in Baltimore so that my lovely bride can attend her conference in the morning, but, as the jet parks at the portable gate, as the baggage is unloaded, and while our baggage is being onloaded, I have to wonder once again, Do We HAVE To Fly!!! 

The little kids are jumping with joy to board the plane...I guess I will put on my brave face for their sake.  So, I will (hopefully!!) make another post later today...time to run!