Concealed carry?......pftt....wimp

I had just gassed up at a Racetrac near the airport and went in to enjoy the facilities when I noticed a late 20s / early 30s female wearing a pair of painted on Miss Me jeans and...a Glock.  Nothing concealed here.

Moving around the coffee bar to get another glimpse, I couldn't see a badge on the belt as I normally do when I see cops wearing pistols exposed.  Since I was in an "Open Carry" state I wasn't really alarmed but have to admit it was an unusual occurrence, especially on a young(ish) female.

As I went back to my car, two separate police cars drove up.  This gets my attention.  There was also a red bearded homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk next to the door being extremely cheerful to everyone that passed by and even threw up his hands  at the first cop who completely ignored him.

So now, armed with all kinds of information (homeless guy, girl with Glock, two policemen) that I need to process, I crank up the car, pull out my phone and get the camera ready.

Possibilities include the homeless guy getting arrested but more the idea that somehow the folks at the gas station had called in a complaint. and I would be ready for the excitement that might ensue.

After waiting for 4 or 5 minutes, I could see the armed woman paying for her items through the window.  Another minute or so, out comes one of the cops with a donut and coffee.  The redheaded homeless guy says something to the cop again and still, no reaction other than getting in his cruiser and driving off.

In another minute, the girl walks out, ignores the bum and gets into her Dodge Challenger.

So much for excitement at the Racetrac in Baton Rouge.

Memorial Day 2015

Early this morning, I shoved a very full garbage can out to the street and wondered if there would be a trash pickup today, since it was Memorial Day.

Reflecting on that, I made my mind up that I would observe it in the manner in which it was intended.  Looking up various locations for the observance on the internet, I chose Baton Rouge for partly selfish reasons.  Selfish reasons were mostly the chance to ride Boudreaux II up old River Road, a nice peaceful drive.

It was a sunny day yet cool in my short sleeves.  As I rode north up by the levee, disturbing the occasional egret and crane in the water filled ditches, I passed strings of bicyclists who motioned for me to pass. With hardly any motorized traffic and the cool wind in my face, I felt as if the world was mine alone.

With that in mind, I began to think of the blessing I had received over the years and how nothing is truly free.  I thanked Almighty God for what seemed to be the obvious things but also thought about how even though His Son had died for my salvation, there were others who had sacrificed their own lives so that I could ride down a road and enjoy life without recourse.

Other than one distant cousin that I barely knew, I had not known anyone who had given the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

The Bible tells us there will be wars and rumors of wars and the past couple of decades have proved this to be true.  Some wars seem justified and some don't but at the time, I suspect even those wars seemed to be justified.  Politics have a way of changing the relevancy of events to suit current passions.

Anyway, I arrived at the USS Kidd near the I-10 bridge in Baton Rouge where a small group of people were gathered to pay homage to those who had fallen.  A half dozen speakers including Gold Star family members and politicians gave short speeches amounting to 45 minutes of ceremony.

There was even a guy playing bagpipes ( I still don't understand the kilt thing) and what was a probably a Korean War veteran who played taps.  Thinking the taps rendition was the end of it, I began walking down the levee back toward my bike only to hear another speaker tap the microphone.

At least I did stop and bow my head when I heard someone offering a benediction.

Really, I thought taps always signaled the end to it all.