Happy Anniversary Baby, Got You On My Mind!

It's raining in Phoenix...
A nice, steady, easy rain. The ground here, (they cover most of their yards here with pea-gravel) seems to be smiling as it slowly sips what the sky is offering. We've now been here over a week and this overcast sky has the first clouds we've seen since our arrival. (While I'm writing this the sun is attempting to take control again.)
My son calls weather here "Ground Hog Day"...
Sixty-ish degree days followed by 40-ish degree nights. Several nights this week have dipped below the freezing level, but with 15% humidity and virtually no wind and proper preparation, motorcycle riding is still reasonably comfortable. We intended to ride today. Mom Nature and liquid sunshine changed our minds.
Sunday's forecast is 64 degrees and sunny, so we're takin' a raincheck.

New paragraph, new thought:
On December 31, 1980, I was invited by a friend to accompany him to a New Year's Eve party.
We were met and welcomed at the door by one of the most stunning females I had ever seen.
We've been together since.
Thirty-four years. Life has put obstacles in our path but we both know how to do the "Ask Abby" analysis-
"Is your life better WITH him/her, or WITHOUT them?"
The answer to that question makes it easy-
I cannot imagine life without her.
I think I'll keep her so long as her "Ask Abby" result is the same as mine.

Our son is home from Manila, Philippines where he has been mentoring others to do their jobs more efficiently.
He's leaving Friday morning to return for three months, leaving us here in this nice home to deal with the "Ground Hog Day" weather.
We intend to make the most of it, spending as much time on two wheels as we can.
Bring your bike. We have room in the house AND the garage!

Happy New Year to you all.
Be well.
Ride safely.

"Cruisin'... On A Sunday Afternoon". (And Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Too.)

I've never been on a Cruise Ship.
Sara Jean and Big Bubba took a Caribbean cruise last year and came back raving about the experience. I'm not at all sure I'm interested in cruising to Haiti. I know damn well I'm not interested in cruising to anywhere in MEXICO since our Marine Sgt was maltreated there.
So I've set my sights on a couple cruises I know I'll enjoy, while bein' educated and entertained at the same time: Alaska's inland passage, and locking through the Panama Canal.

I just got off the telephone with an agent. We're interested in a "Princess Cruise Lines" tour to Alaska. We've heard their food is GREAT. We want a room with a balcony. Beyond that, I'm Sgt Schultz-
"I KNOW NOTHING!"

Room. Board. Entertainment. Gorgeous scenery. Exotic locales. Exotic boat.
Ya gotta add it all up to understand how the total cost comes into play.

Suggestions?
Warnings?
Comments?
I'd appreciate your input.

Signing The "Blank Check"

Your child comes to you and says, "I want to join the ARMY".
What would be your reaction?
I think the answer to that question for me would be an initial knot in my stomach accompanied by a sense of pride.
Fear, at the thought of the possibility of losing my child in defense of the country.
Pride, that my child would feel the tug of responsibility that he/she needed to don the uniform like Dad and Granddad did to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America".

Now let me tweak the scenario a little bit to get your reaction after one minor change:
Your child comes to you and says, "I want to be a Law Enforcement Officer".
Would you get a knot in your stomach-
Or would you, like me, immediately run to the commode to throw up there?

Hope and Change?
I don't think those words mean what he thought they mean.
How do we find ourselves in this MESS?

Pokin' The Hornet's Nest:

I know history.
I know how our "Greatest Generation" Allies gathered information to save the lives of men storming the beaches at "Juno", "Omaha", "Sword", "Utah", and "Gold".
I know I WOULD NOT have been comfortable with the tactics used to get that information.
I also know those tactics saved millions...
Let me emphasize that: MILLIONS of lives.

The gathering of intelligence is a nasty business.
When intelligence agencies fail at their work, thousands can die either jumping from burning buildings or being crushed in the collapse of those structures.
Our intelligence agencies must be STRONG, and must be able to do things that make most of us uncomfortable.

Regular readers know I'm dismayed with the direction our country is taking.
I blame it on Dianne Feinstein.
I blame it on Nancy Pelosi.
And I question whether or not Harry Reid has enough testosterone to qualify as an actual male.

There is a term, The "Pussification of America".
Al Qaeda does not give a DAMN what Dianne Feinstein thinks.
And until we realize that, we're screwed.
Where is OUR Margaret Thatcher?

Schwinn

In 1958 my parents bought me a (made in Chicago, IL) Schwinn bicycle to use while delivering "The Indianapolis News".
I know it was financially stressful for them to buy the bike... I heard Mom and Dad talking about it.
It cost $70.

Yesterday Sara Jean and I went shopping for a bicycle to give as a Christmas/Birthday gift for one of our neighbor's kids.
We ended up purchasing her a Schwinn. I was surprised at the low price. I was also surprised at the "Made in China" label.
No bike in the store was made in the U.S..
Progress?