Firefighters & Pride

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Some people who do not really know me may have been confused by yesterday’s post on this blog which may seem to indicate that I don’t care about Gay Pride or choose to recognize the struggles that led to the rights earned by gay people and ongoing challenges facing us.

While marching, parading, and celebrating is all well and good — albeit the weather very hot and humid — Spouse and I choose to do our own special form of recognition.

Yesterday while people were on Washington’s Front Lawn (the Mall) participating in the Equality March for Unity and Pride in exceptionally hot weather, Spouse and I went another direction…
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“Pride” and the Gay Community

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This is Pride week in Washington, DC, where several events, including a parade, a dance, a street festival, and a march for “Unity and Pride” are going on. The march is among dozens of “marches” for this-and-that (science, women, climate, etc.) because the administration of #45 is all about destruction of the environment and reverting to anti-you-name-it policies of the neanderthal era of the 50s.

So there are indeed reasons to demonstrate and voice opinions, especially when dealing with the current hostile, narrow-minded, and bigoted President, Vice President, and appointed heads of the Executive branch of the U.S. Government, and downright hateful majority in Congmess, the Legislative branch.

As I was reading an article in the newspaper on Saturday about the history of the “Pride” events in the country and particularly in Washington, DC, I commented to my spouse…
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End of an Era

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Some people who have followed my my cop galleries wrote to me to ask if I participated in Law Ride this year, which has been held on the Sunday of Mother’s Day in mid-May each year. That is a motorcycle ride that assembles at a stadium in Washington, DC, rides past the U.S. Capitol Building, then arrives at the Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony.

In years past, this event was attended by hundreds of motor officers from all over the United States. However, in recent years, participation has declined remarkably. Last year was the worst-attended and -participated, so I said to myself…
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Challenging a Hypocrite (and Winning)

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As I mentioned in my previous blog post, my 89 year-old mother-in-law lives by herself in a run-down socially and economically-challenged suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the last remaining original homeowner on her block since homes were built on that block in 1948. She has seen a lot of turnover and changes, and does not like it, but has to live with it if indeed she intends to remain in her home for the remainder of her life.

And now there is a thrice-divorced man who lives in the house next to her who has done things to make her life miserable, because…
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Riding To Build Endurance

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I have finally negotiated with The Spouse to get some Harley saddle time, both on one weekend day as well as during the week. What were the basis of these negotiations and why? How did I win? (That is, convince The Spouse to reduce demand of the unending honey-do list of Spring chores and also let me begin commuting to work?)
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