Over the past weekend, I finally had some time to crop and post 96 photos from the Mid-Atlantic Police Motorcycle Riding Competition that was held earlier than usual this year (June 25-27, 2015) in Chantilly, Virginia.
I was there one evening and for two full days on Friday and Saturday. The weekday evening practice and orientation was warm and sunny. On Friday, it was cloudy. On Saturday, the skies…
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Yearly Archives: 2015
Favorite USA-made Boots
On this USA Independence Day, I am posting photos of some of my favorite boots made in the USA. Read on…
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Boots for the Holiday
Saturday July 4 is the date we celebrate Independence Day in the United States. Contrary to popular but incorrect lingo, it is not “Happy fourth!”, but “Happy Independence Day!”
Now that I’ve got that settled… what boots are planned for wear on a long holiday weekend?
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Choices for My Time
Like most people, I have a long list of activities to do when I am on my own time outside of work. For this blog and my website, the list is growing longer.
But I am not being compulsive about it. Instead, I…
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Counting My Blessings
I had lunch yesterday with an old friend who was visiting to attend his high school 40-year reunion. We met and worked together at a voluntary organization back in the ’80s and ’90s. My friend and I have had a similar upbringing and educational background, but our situations changed over time — his for the worse and mine for the better. It made me think…
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A Marriage Is A Marriage
Just a brief break from the boots-and-cops postings. My spouse and I are pleased that finally our United States Supreme Court has rendered a decision that essentially says that a marriage is a marriage. That’s it. There is no “gay marriage,” or “heterosexual marriage,” but a marriage is a marriage is a marriage.
We appreciated the words of Justice Kennedy on the top of the front page of today’s Washington Post, our hometown newspaper, which stated…
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Dressed-Down, Firefighter Booted Cop
Last night, I slogged through the slow bumper-to-bumper traffic between my home state and Virginia to attend a training session for judges at the upcoming motorcycle police skills competition that will be held tomorrow and Saturday.
Man, traffic during “slog hours” (I have no idea why they call it “rush hour.” No one is rushing anywhere!) is a nightmare. I am sooooo very glad that I do not have to deal with that traffic on a daily basis, or I would lose whatever is left of my mind.
Anyway, when we arrived, some cops…
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You’re One of “Them?”
The other night, I attended a meeting in my community of a group that I once served as the elected leader. Three terms of office later, I am pleased that the current Board and leadership are doing a good job carrying on my legacy. The group deals with matters related to planning, zoning, and transportation for an area of roughly 80 square miles in the heart of the sprawling suburban county where I grew up and have lived my entire life.
I greeted dozens of people in the room who I have known for a long time — neighbors, friends, colleagues in public advocacy. While we were waiting for the meeting to begin, I took a seat next to someone I had not met before. He was about my age. I introduced myself and he shook my hand and introduced himself to me. A new resident of the area — concerned with construction of a small housing development near him.
He began to chit-chat with me by discussing the news of the day, including (for whatever reason), that the U.S. Supreme Court is due to announce a decision on same-sex marriage once again. I just let him ramble, until…
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When A Cop “Asks”
When a cop “asks,” you do as requested.
Yesterday afternoon, I was in our back yard with the spouse. He was relaxing by the pond that I built for him. I was using the powerwasher and cleaning the winter’s grime and algae from the siding on our house and the decks.
It was a rather warm day. While I would like to have been out riding my motorcycle, I still have this incredibly long “honey-do” list on which I only have weekends to execute. I lost time completing home fix-it tasks when I had to take too much time off recently to allow my back to heal.
The powerwasher makes a lot of noise. I had ear protectors on. So I didn’t hear a police motorcycle arrive and park in the drive. I was in the back yard, and could not see the front.
Imagine my surprise, then, to be up on a ladder with the spray wand of the power washer and look down to see a cop talking to my spouse. What was that about?
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Wear Cowboy Boots to the Office in DC?
My website’s cowboy boots collection and this blog receive a lot of visitors from men who are curious about whether or not it is acceptable to wear cowboy boots with a suit or dress clothing to a professional office, especially in stodgy, drab, dull, fashionless and conservatively dressed Washington, DC.
Recently, I received another email from a DC-based office professional who went on a business trip to Texas and bought himself a pair of nice boots, then began to question his decision after his girlfriend made some comments after he returned home with them. The email said:
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