Tears of Sadness, Tears of Joy

Yes, I shed a few of both at a Patriot Guard mission this morning for a veteran with no family to claim his remains. Sadness because this poor soul had no one on the entire planet that came forward to collect his remains. Joy because of the incredible honor it was to stand a graveside flag line with my brothers and sisters of the Patriot Guard in his honor in place of family. From the mission notice:

"Patriot Guard and Associates;

Sadly, we have been requested to stand a Flag Line for Mark White, US Navy and who is unfortunately, an unclaimed Veteran with no family.

We do not have any further information on this Hero but we do know there is no family and students from Xavier High School will serve as pallbearers."

Xavier High School is an all boys Catholic institution. Six smartly dressed students in school uniform jackets and ties were there with a male advisor.

Little is known about Mark's service. His DD214 is blank except his E-3 pay grade. A theory was raised that he may have died during basic, but no one really knows.

I showed up in time for the 9:15 staging in the CT State Veterans Cemetery with over 20 fellow P.G.R. members. The Navy Honor Guard and state military rifle team arrived next. The boys from Xavier arrived as well as 10 people from the general public that heard about this burial. We assembled our flag line near the freshly opened grave and were in place when the hearse arrived. There was no clergy to perform religious services. The military rendered honors and the folded flag was presented to one of our P.G.R. members, who then laid it on top of the casket. The funeral director closed out the ceremonies with a very nice prepared speech, and individually thanked the different groups in attendance. The entire proceedings took 18 minutes.

That worked out well for me, because there was a P.G.R. mission in MA with staging at 12:30. I would have time to run home and let the dogs out before heading to Agawam. I arrived early giving me time to down a snack and a good drink of cold water. I always carry ice cold water on my bike in one of these:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a Swiss Army cargo strap attached to the inside of the bike's trunk to keep it upright and out of the way. The water stays cold all day long.

The service was scheduled for 2 PM and we were done before 2:30. I made the rounds visiting the 5 family graves that includes my parents and headed towards home and lunch. My usual lunch spot in that area is Chick-Fil-A and I got to try the new Honey Pimento chicken sandwich. I recommend the spicy version. SO GOOD! The rest of the ride home included a gas fill up and was uneventful.

The Wall That Heals

It is a 3/4 scale replica of the actual Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. that travels around the country. This stop in Manchester was put together by the Manchester Elks Club. Unfortunately, Goolag or Blogger or YouTube is being stupid and won't let me embed the video I wanted to place here, so I have a link to it instead.

The Wall That Heals - Visitor Experience

On Tuesday the 17th, I was part of the very large motorcycle escort from the staging area at the defunct Enfield Square Mall, to the wall's destination at Charter Oak Park in Manchester. This first photo is from the middle of the motorcycle group on I-91 southbound by exit 45. You can't see the truck hauling the wall far ahead in the distance. Me and the two guys I rode with are ahead in the group somewhere. There were lots more bikes behind the photographer. CT State Police closed the highway so everyone could get on, and then ran blocking for us for lane changes and interchanges. The ride went I-91S, to I-291E, to I-384E, and then we got off at the Main Street Manchester exit. We got a little jammed up getting on I-384 due to crossing traffic, but everyone made it through safely.

This part of the event was meant to also act as a homecoming parade for the Vietnam vets. Main Street in Manchester was full of people and there were tons of school children from the local schools cheering and waving flags. Someone shot this video of the parade and posted it on the town's Fakebook page. I lifted this picture of yours truly rolling by on The Beast from about the 1:45 mark.

We rode all the way up Main Street to the intersection of East Center Street, turned right on East Center, and then right again onto Spruce Street riding all the way south back down to Charter Oak Road. That put us directly across from the entrance to the park and our final destination. When everyone parked and dismounted, we gathered by the truck for a group photo and thank yous from the organizers and town officials. Afterwards, everyone mounted up and rode a few blocks back up Spruce Street to Bissell Street and the Elks Lodge for a fantastic complimentary meal. Needing to do some yard work later on, I chose to just head home instead of riding more with some of my co-workers that are members of the "Riders of Fire" motorcycle club.

Wednesday was the day they assembled the wall. I had a 24 hour shift at the FD so I could not go to lend a hand. This is pretty cool; members of Gold Star Families in attendance get to help carry the panel containing the name of their loved one that was KIA.

There was a coastal storm spinning around in the Atlantic off the coast of Cape Cod and the weather forecast was for rain Wednesday night and showers on Thursday. Instead, the high pressure system to the northwest kept it all away. Thursday morning was bright and sunny so I decided I needed me a dose of wind therapy. I decided to head down to the wall for my own private visit. That bright and sunny turned into hot and sunny, and temps that were supposed to be in the low 70's pushed up to 89. I arrived just before 11 AM and the whole place was packed with people and cars with the lots full. But as usual, there is always room for motorcycles, so I got parked and started walking down to the crowd. All of a sudden, a C-130 screamed overhead at about 500' and I realized that was the flyover for the official opening ceremonies! I went down to the seating area just as it was starting and stayed for the whole thing which lasted a little over an hour. Afterwards I thought I would get my visit in but there were too many people in my way. My wife and I had a meeting with a financial planner the next day and planned to visit the wall after having lunch.

So that's exactly what we did. Went to our meeting first, had a yummy lunch at Hana Sushi, and then went down to Charter Oak Park. The crowds from Thursday were gone, and we had our choice of where to park and see what we wanted when we wanted.

I only know one name on the wall, Whitney T. Ferguson III. He was from the town I used to live in and a school chum of another Vietnam Vet I know personally. The first thing we did was find what panel he was on. Its 29W, Row 7. When I tried to get a picture of his name on my visit to The Wall in D.C. it was up so high I had to blindly hold my camera as high as I could standing on tiptoe. It had taken several tries to get a decent shot. I was easily able to photograph his name on the 3/4 scale wall.

I have not seen this display since 2002 when it was set up at Coventry High School on the athletic field. I forgot it was engraved stone like the original. For some reason I thought it was laser etched or just printed on metal. This allows visitors to do rubbings just like the full scale memorial. The visitor guides were walking around with pads of paper and pencils for anyone desiring one to do their own rubbing.

Here is a panoramic shot I took of the entire length of The Wall. Click it to big it.

There is more to see than just the wall. The trailer the wall comes in is also a Vietnam War museum. There are windows on the sides of the trailer containing artifacts and displays. One thing that was on display was this 1970 draft lottery numbering system table. We plugged in my birthday and I would not have been drafted if I were draft age. My baby brother, on the other hand would have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plaque was set on the ground in a small cordoned off area. It is a duplicate of the one in D.C.

The last thing I photographed was the most touching. It is the empty seat set at the dinner table for those MIA's or POW's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wall will be going to Bridgeport next. The escort will go from staging in Westport to Bridgeport. I will not be doing that escort run. It's well outside of my normal PGR A.O.

 

I apologize for not getting this post up sooner. I started it on Saturday the 21st while on duty at the FD, but got hit with ambulance calls and never got back to it. Sunday and Monday were days off which were booked up with stuff to do. I am back on duty today and finally got it done.

 

Say Her Name

Aubrey Ashleigh Premo

Let me explain....

Yesterday was day 2 of my normal two day off rotation at the FD. Since I took care of half the yard work and some other errands on Wednesday, Thursday was going to be a motorcycle outing again this week. The plan was to prep the yard for mowing later in the day by blowing off the leaves that are already starting to fall, allowing the grass to dry completely. Then I could head out to see if I could convince one of my co-workers to hop on his bike and go get some lunch. I find that I have been more successful showing up at peoples door on my bike than making a phone call or sending a text. He wasn't home but I found his car parked at his town firehouse. I called him thinking he was inside, but he was out of town working a dive recovery from a weekend boating accident. So I was on my own. I decided to once again head for the shoreline, heading for the CT/RI border town of Pawcatuck, where I could pick up U.S. 1 and head west to Mystic this time. That would take me past the roadside seafood stand called The Sea Swirl for lunch. $22 and change for a fish sandwich, fries, and a large drink, but boy was it good! The only thing I don't like about that place (which I had forgotten) is there are no restrooms, not even a porta-potty. Kind of a necessity when stopping for food especially on two wheels. I hate eating with a full bladder but what could I do? As I was finishing my lunch a car pulls in and parks head in near the table I was sitting at. The male driver was drinking a fucking beer. He knows I saw him but he must think since I am a biker, I'll just be cool about it so he downs the rest of it. I decided to delay my departure to see what these people were going to do. Driving a bike can be hazardous enough without a known intoxicated driver being on the road in the vicinity. They got out to order food and it was obvious that the female passenger was drunk as she stumbled over to the outdoor sink to wash her hands. They order food and knowing they would have to wait for it, that's when I started getting ready to leave so I could be well away from them. She sits on a bench and he goes back to the car, opens the trunk, and grabs another beer. Busch Light... and I see he is wearing a casual shirt that is imprinted with the Busch Light logo all over it. What does that tell you? I know what it tells me, this guy is a functional drunk with a beer in his hand all the time. And these two are not young dumb teens, they are in they're late 40's or early 50's! He gets in the car and sits in the passenger seat to drink his beer, kinda eyeballin' me. I was so tempted to report them, but that would take time and I.... looking out for NUMBER 1 (me) decided to just get the hell away from them. I headed west on U.S. 1 and turned north on RT. 27 past Mystic Seaport and The Mystic Aquarium. There is a large Shell station with a mini-mart and restrooms just before the aquarium access road, so I stopped to perform some hydraulic recycling. I continued up RT. 27 to the end and took some very nice back roads I know through Ledyard and Preston heading north toward the Norwich area and then on to home.

In my travels towards home I passed the road side memorial for Aubrey. I drive by it regularly and have noticed recently it was overgrown, and the cross had fallen over. I had planned to grab some yard implements and make a special trip to clean it up, but on impulse I decided to stop and see what I could do. Here are the results.

Click it to big it

 

I cleared the overgrowth by hand. The weeds were easily moved/removed, but the mushrooms and toadstools looked nice in place. The cross is made of steel painted white with decal letters spelling out her name. Most of the decals are gone, so later I will come back to clean off the old adhesive and replace them. I found a rock 3X the size of my fist which worked perfectly to hammer the cross back into the ground, The sign with her name and picture was bent over so I straightened it back up. The sunflower ornament had fallen over as well, so that got put back up.

Here is the back story of her accident that I found out through my FD connections. She was working at Day Kimball Hospital as a PCT (patient care technician) while attending nursing school to become an RN. She was engaged to be married, had a brand new 2019 Harley-Davidson and was out for a nice September afternoon cruise with her fiance'. He was following behind her on his bike when the accident happened right in front of him. According to my sources in EMS, she was killed instantly. There was nothing anyone could do to save her. I had been out on my bike that Sunday as well, and drove right through there going the opposite direction less than 2 hours earlier. When I was at home, I heard on the scanner that there was a motorcycle accident on RT. 89 in Mansfield, but did not closely listen to the call. After being home a few hours, my wife and I were headed out for dinner going out that way. When we got to Laurel Lane, the road was closed and we turned around to take another route. I could see the scene from where we turned around and it just looked like a tree down across the road. I didn't put two and two together. It was only later that I found out that it was the motorcycle accident and that it was a fatality. The news reports said that Aubrey was "struck by a tree branch." Bullshit, she was crushed to death by a whole large tree. Interestingly, tree crews had been working in the area, removing and trimming trees that could take down power lines the previous weeks. Did they miss taking down this tree or somehow otherwise cause this accident? Who knows.

As a biker with The Patriot Guard Riders, I know how important memorials and services are. It is sad that Aubrey's memorial has fallen to the wayside but I understand people move on with their lives. As a fellow biker that works in emergency services I feel a special kinship to those who meet their end while out enjoying God's Creation on two wheels. I guess I will take on the role of maintainer and try to keep her memorial visible and fresh anonymously. Only my blog and X readers know about this, no one in meat space does.

Three P.G.R. Funeral Flag Lines

Yesterday I reported for Patriot Guard duty at the CT Veterans Cemetery in Middletown for two funerals back to back. Staging time for the first one was 12:00 and the second one was set for 13:00. I arrived on "The Beast" early as usual, with my first stop at the admin building to use the restroom. I spotted the area in the cemetery where the others were gathered and moved over there to park. There were three freshly dug and readied graves for cremains right in a row nearby. While we were just hanging out the funeral director shows up and informs the Ride Captain that there is a funeral prior to the two we are there for, and the family is asking if we would stand a flag line for their loved one as well. Now the P.G.R. will never just show up, or come on hearsay, we must be officially invited by immediate family of the deceased. Since we were already there and the mission kinda met the criteria, we assembled our flags and got in place just as the procession was arriving. There were only 12 mourners but about 20 P.G.R. members, and the family was extremely happy with what we did. It was a little unusual because the urn was a his & hers side by side holding two sets of cremains. Therefore, because the husband was the veteran but the wife wasn't, no military honors were performed. It was a simple burial.

The next two burials proceeded as usual, with an honor guard rifle team firing 3 volleys, a bugler playing taps, and two Army soldiers doing the flag. When there is a casket, the casket is draped with a flag right to the grave. That flag is 5' x 9' and specially made for draping a casket. It is never meant to be flown on a flagpole. It is lifted from the casket and folded 13 times into a triangle for presentation to the family. When there are cremains, the flag arrives already folded and placed with the urn. The military honor guard then picks up the flag, unfolds it, smartly snaps it open horizontally, pauses, then refolds it into the triangle for presentation. I have heard it so many times I know it by heart:

"On behalf of the President of The United States, The United States Army/Navy/Air Force, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

The Marines (fucking crayon eaters 😆) have their own version that goes like this:

On behalf of the President of The United States, The Commandant of The Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service.

After military honors are rendered, religious burial services are then held. It seems all the ones I've ever been to were Christian or none. Raised a Catholic, I know that one really well and usually includes "The Lord's Prayer" and the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (Catholic prayer ends here) 

For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. (Other Christian denominations)

Amen.

 

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

 

One of the final prayers is called the "Eternal Rest Prayer" and goes like this:

Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon him/her.
May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed
rest in peace.

Amen.

While it is entirely recited by the priest, the second line is said by all in attendance.

 

Over the past six years of Patriot Guard duty, I have learned more about funerals than I ever thought possible. For someone that deals with death on the job regularly, attending all these funerals seems to provide a sort of closure. Most of the people I deal with that die are strangers anyway, just like the funerals I go to. It kind of evens out.

A Nice Send Off

I became a member of The Patriot Guard Riders immediately upon purchasing "The Beast" in June 2018. CT and MA P.G.R. did an awesome two state mission for my father's service earlier that year, and I swore that when I got my bike I would join them. Because of where I live, I belong to and do missions in CT, MA, and RI. Below is a map of the area I usually stick to circled in orange. Its a guideline, not a hard and fast line I won't cross. I only do Cape Cod about once a year because it is over a hundred miles one way and it depends on the start time, but it is a nice ride to Cape Cod Harley Davidson, and the National Cemetery in Bourne is quite beautiful. I did this mission on July 1st that had a staging time of 10:15. I was able to leave my house at 07:30, stop for breakfast and gas in RI, and get to Bourne about 09:45. The state veterans cemetery in Exeter, RI is a beautiful place too.

Click it to big it

I am going to pause for a moment to shamelessly promote The Patriot Guard Riders and try to convince you to join us. Do you ride a motorcycle? Great! For me it gives me great purpose (as if I need one) to ride. You don't ride? Guess what, you don't need to. Cars and trucks are in escort processions as well, or you can ride with someone else to the flag line area. Are you a veteran? Then you know what this shit means to have a flag line of volunteers standing silently at the services of a comrade, fellow veteran, or family member. Oh, you never served? No problem, you are welcomed in our ranks and will stand shoulder to shoulder with combat veterans that are happy to see you. Other members will show you what to do and what the different commands are. Not a Conservative Republican? No one cares about your politics, only that you respect the flag and the traditions, but most of all utmost respect to the families. The P.G.R. is supposed to be "A-Political" and the subject of politics rarely comes up among members. If someone were to say something disagreeable, just walk away, don't start an argument. You are disabled and can't stand up for long periods of time or are in a wheelchair? No problem. Do what you can and fall out of line if you need to. Park that wheelchair in line with the rest of us and hold your flag proudly. Members will be more than happy to assist you in getting around if needed. No time for membership meetings? No problem because there are none. Can't afford the dues? There aren't any of those either. Time is at a premium in your life? You sign up via email, and when a mission comes up in your area and you are available, you get an email alert and just show up at the staging area. No one, and I mean NO ONE will ever say, "Where were you last week?" or "Who the fuck are you?" I know, "funerals are grim, sad affairs" true... but they can also be looked at as a celebration of a hero's life and I always feel honored to be a part of it. Also, there are lots of other missions that are not funerals. Military send-offs and welcome home ceremonies, Honor Flight departures and arrivals, and other events dealing with honoring those that serve or have served. This event was to stand a flag line at a veterans luncheon at the Westbrook Elks Club back in June. I have been before (I took my veteran father-in-law last summer and we both enjoyed it) and was bummed I had to work that day this year. At any event, we will do whatever is asked by organizers or families. I have been pall bearer, assisted with dignified transfer of remains, helped set up tents, and as an EMT always keep a watchful eye on elderly or handicapped participants for any signs of medical stress or emergency. Most of the folks that regularly show up are retired and can make almost every mission and are happy to have something else to do. I now work 24 on and 48 off with the FD, so it has recently gotten easier for me to attend missions. On good days I take The Beast, on iffy or crummy days or in the winter I will take my truck. Some of the missions are multiple parts over a few days. In the evening during calling hours at the funeral home, we might be asked to stand a flag line to greet the arriving mourners. That's easy to do after work. Therefore, there is really no reason not to join us.

 

 

I do a lot of funeral flag lines at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, MA. I have a lot of family buried there so after the service I visit every grave and leave a shiny penny on top to signify a visit. Again, another beautiful piece of hallowed ground. This post is about the service from yesterday, for a veteran and long time member of the MA P.G.R. Chief Petty Officer (retired) Edward J. Boutin. He was part of my Dad's service at Agawam and remembered it well when I first asked him about it. 

Ed (circled) standing a flag line outside the Agawam chapel

 

Ed was one of those members that didn't ride a a motorcycle. Instead he always showed up in his red Mustang with P.G.R. door magnets and amber lightbar. He would pull out first and block traffic on RT. 159 so all the riders could exit the parking lot together then bring up the rear of the motorcade.

So yesterday, there were a lot of P.G.R. members from all over New England to see Ed off. I got off work at 6 AM and scrambled to take care of everything I needed to before hitting the road at almost 7. We staged as usual and then rode in a group to the cemetery. Another group of riders were in the actual funeral procession to the cemetery. MA limits processions to only six P.G.R. escort motorcycles (stupid). We got there first and assembled our flag line. The funeral procession arrived soon after. Ed's family brought his Mustang and the funeral director placed his cremains inside. Ed's daughter donned his leather vest and the Navy Honor Guard came out of the chapel to do the dignified transfer of Ed's cremains into the chapel. I chuckled to myself, thinking it was almost like ED did the P.G.R. mission for his own funeral 😆. The service and rendering of military honors was not long. The unfolding and refolding of the flag (only done when the deceased is cremated), the rifle salute, and then taps. Because members of The P.G.R. were also considered to be mourners; when it came time to pay last respects, we stacked our flags and lined up outside the main doors behind the rifle team. The doors opened and we all filed in to pay final respects with a salute and a snappy right face out the side door to get back in the flag line. The flag line stood as the remainder of mourners and family came out the side doors. We stood for several minutes until dismissed. Upon dismissal, we file off the flag line in a single file to the support vehicle carrying our flags. Only once we get to the support vehicle are the flags broken down and rolled up. That optic is pretty awesome.

I went to my bike and took a nice long drink of ice cold water from the insulated 2 QT mil-surp canteen I carry on warm days. I made the rounds to the family graves to leave the penny and headed for my aunt's house next town over for a visit. She wasn't home so that's where I headed. Good thing she wasn't home because I hit some drizzle about 15 miles from home, and it got heavier as I got closer. I just got a little damp and had put Rain-X on my windshield and helmet visor because of the morning fog I left in. Once I was in my garage though, the rain came down steady for quite a while.

PGR Mission 11-3-23

The Mission: Friday November 3, 2023, The Dignified Transfer and rendering of military honors for burial of six CT Veterans whose cremains have gone unclaimed for years and even decades.

The six U.S. Veterans to be honored are (in alphabetical order):

• TEC-5 Wilfred A. Carpentier, U.S. Army serving 1941-45. December 6, 1917-April 27, 1976, died in Derby;
• CPL Robert L. Coston, Sr., U.S. Army serving 1951-53. October 27, 1938-November 12, 2014, died in East Hartford;
• FA Michael Joseph Gruttadauria, Jr., U.S. Navy serving 1967-68. September 25, 1948-November 28, 2021, died in Hartford;
• A1C Joseph Henry O'Brien, II, U.S. Air Force serving 1951-61. January 25, 1937-August 13, 2021, died in Southbury;
• *SGT Bernice Greenstreet Record, U.S. Army Air Forces serving 1945-46. November 1, 1923-September 9, 2007, died in Cheshire; and
• *PVT Roland H. Record, U.S. Army Air Forces serving 1945-46. December 19, 1927- November 10, 1998, died in Waterbury.
  *A married couple

Here is a link to the story with video from WTNH TV-8 in New Haven

Here is a link to the story with video from NBC CT in Hartford

Here is a link to the story with video from FOX 61 in Hartford

There were also assorted radio, print, and online news services there as well.

 

I had been looking forward to this event for weeks, ever since I got the notice and was hoping conditions would allow me to ride "The Beast." I did the last one in 2021 and it was so awesome I wanted to be part of it again. Riding the bike means I will definitely be in the escort ride from the VA to the cemetery in Middletown. First thing was to be off work for the day which I was without having to swap shifts. I got up at 5:30 AM to take care of animals, shower, and get appropriately dressed. When I headed out at 7 AM it was only 25 degrees. I stopped for coffee, a breakfast sandwich, and hash browns at the local convenience store. It's a good 45 minute ride to the VA in Rocky Hill so I had plenty of time to eat and got under way at 07:30. I arrived a little early which was good. We hung out in the lot for a bit and got our assignments. At the VA Home and Hospital, the Patriot Guard Riders do the dignified transfer of the cremains. They all arrive in one hearse, and need to be separated and moved to additional hearses.

Because I had done this before, I was to handle an urn. Each urn was accompanied by a pre-folded US flag carried behind by another PGR member. Here is how it worked:

1) The first PGR member approaches the back of the main hearse

2) A salute is rendered and the urn is handed to the member by the funeral director.

3) An "about face" is done and several slow and purposeful steps are taken away from the hearse

4) A "column left, march" is done and the slow purposeful walk continues a few steps, where the lead member pauses briefly so that the flag bearer can execute their maneuvers and fall in behind the urn.

5) Both members slowly and purposely walk in formation to the rear of the assigned hearse and stop.

6) A left face, a few steps, and another left face and the member is in position to place the urn in the hearse as directed by another funeral director. The urn is set down and then turned 180 degrees so the name is facing outward. The member steps back and once again salutes the urn. The member then clears the area behind the hearse to make room for the flag bearer.

7) The flag bearer executes the same maneuvers and places the folded flag next to the urn in the hearse. He then renders a salute to the flag and clears the back of the hearse.

Because there were six urns and six flags, I got called up again to handle a second urn. It is an unbelievable honor to handle these cremains.

Once the Dignified Transfer was completed, law enforcement began showing up. There were two motorcycle cops from Middletown and several state troopers in Ford Explorer Police Interceptors. We got ourselves lined up for the procession to Middletown so we could head out smoothly. We hit the restroom as needed and milled around for a few minutes until it was time to saddle up. The motorcycle cops lead, followed by a state trooper, our PGR bikes and flagged vehicles, the hearses, and more state troopers bringing up the rear. The Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and Middletown police had all the intersections blocked off down RT. 99 up to the entrance ramp to CT RT. 9. As we entered RT. 9, CT State Police had the highway closed southbound so we could enter unimpeded, and the Middletown police had the entrances to RT. 9 south closed so we could get by. We got off RT. 9 at the Silver Street exit and Middletown PD had the intersections closed the rest of the way to the cemetery. We pulled in to the cemetery and were greeted by more PGR personnel standing a flag line, Middletown FD had their giant flag suspended from their ladder truck, media, veterans groups, citizen attendees, and of course.... the politicians.

The posting of the colors was a flop in my opinion. A dopey female Army E-4 at the rear of the formation did not know the proper way to carry an M-14 on "Right shoulder...ARMS!"... it was upside down. She at least had the butt in her right hand and the muzzle up in the air, but the rifle rested on her shoulder with the trigger facing up! She also did not render the proper presentation of the rifle at "Present Arms!" She stood there with the rifle lying trigger up on her shoulder the whole time. I am sure all my fellow veterans in attendance cringed as I did at this poor display of Drill and Ceremony. She had no business being front and center in such a position. The lead Sargent carrying his M-14 did it properly, and did the proper movements for present arms and order arms.

The politicians in attendance was Gov. "Jolly Ned" Lamont, LT. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Senator "DaNang Dickie" Blumenthal, and Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim. The head of the CT VA Brigadier General, (Ret.), Ronald P. “Ron” Welch and CT Funeral Directors Association President Lionel Lessard were there and spoke as well. Also in attendance was Major General Francis J. Evon, the Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard. He actually came down the PGR flag line after our arrival and assembly to meet, shake hands, and thank every PGR member. He was formally introduced but did not speak. I have met him before at other events. A down to Earth guy for sure that remembers where he came from.

First off, as much of a douchebag Commie liar/stolen valor Blumenthal is, he does keep his speeches short and on topic at these events. That said, several PGR members said that if they weren't there representing the PGR, they would have definitely turned their backs when he got up to the podium, as would I. The only speech that seemed to go off the rails was Susan Bysiewicz, who takes every opportunity to play the woman card as her speech went off on a diversity tangent while referring to SGT. Bernice Greenstreet Record and her military service. Too bad the female E-4 rifle honor guard went and ruined the optic of female competence in the military, huh?

After the speeches, a single 21 gun salute was fired in honor of all six veterans, and a single ceremonial flag was unfolded, held outstretched briefly, then refolded in the traditional manner. The flag was presented to General Welch to represent the six families. The ceremony concluded shortly after and although we could stay for the actual internment of the urns, I was getting hungry and had other plans.

 

Trip to Hoffman's Gun Center

Because of this post from Pawpaw's House back on October 23rd, I decided to explore using a couple of my old "mouse guns" for backup duty possibly in an ankle holster. The older gun is a Raven Arms MP-25 in .25 ACP, and the other is a Beretta Tomcat in .32ACP. First I needed to find some appropriate defensive ammo for both. It turns out Hornady makes Critical Defense ammo in both calibers so I would have to get some. I just figured I would have to order it online. Because I was in Middletown not too far from Hoffman's in Berlin, that would be my next stop. I had no specific purchase plans, it was just that I hadn't been there in a long time and was going for a look-see. I browsed all the firearm showcases and found there to be a good supply of just about everything. As far as guns go, I believe my next gun is going to be the Ruger PCC with the M-Lock handguard, AR stock, threaded barrel, and the optional Glock mag well probably sometime before spring. When I went over to the ammo shelves.... lo and behold! the Hornady Critical Defense .25 ACP and .32 ACP in stock. Both were $24.99 for a box of 25 so I grabbed one of each. I then went over to the wall of holsters and found a DeSantis universal ankle holster made for small autos. Perfect and out the door for $101 plus change. Because of having to work all weekend, I haven't yet tried to put everything together. Once I do I will do a review post here.

A quick lunch at the Newington Burger King and I headed home. Between the frigid temperatures in the morning and being on my feet so long all day, I was wiped when I got home at 2:30 PM. I plopped on the couch with the doggos, turned on the TV, and zonked off for a bit before wifey came home.

Great Day Out On "The Beast"

Late this morning, my lovely bride suggested the two of us heading out for ride on the bike. She knew I had been texting other riding buddies and it looked like no one was going to be able to get out. My wife suggesting a bike excursion is unheard of and I was thrilled. Her only stipulation was we had to get dinner. I suggested heading to the shore for seafood. She wanted to go to the Dogwatch Cafe in Stonington, but reservations are required, especially for the outdoor seating, and we wouldn't get seated until 3:30 PM. We decided to head to New London to Captain Scotty's Lobster Dock instead. We took mostly two lane state roads with the exception of a short stretch of I-395 to bypass all the traffic lights going through Norwich. We rolled into New London and down the little hidden side street between some old run down warehouses, across the railroad siding, and into the parking lot of Cap'n Scotty's.

Parking is normally a nightmare, but today it was crowded but with plenty of empty spaces. I got a good spot by the building where they cook and serve the food as well as the restrooms. We hit those first before ordering. Wifey got a lobster roll, I got a scallop roll, and we split a small order of onion rings. We both had Diet Coke to drink because no alky-hol when on two wheels.

After dinner, we mounted up and headed for Mystic. This required another short trip on the highway, this time I-95 and The Gold Star Bridge to get over the mouth of the Thames River and connect to RT. 1 on the east side. My wife didn't think we'd be able to park and walk around, but it turned out traffic wasn't bad and I scored another excellent parking space near the waterfront. The first order of business was to get ice cream at the Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream shop. It is located right at the drawbridge hinge on the west side of the Mystic River. We were parked on the east side of the river and its a good thing we got to the shop when we did. Shortly after getting in line, the drawbridge had to be opened to let a gigantic catamaran sailboat go up river. It is really slow to open and close. My wife got a caramel swirl they call "Sticky Fractured Finger" in a cone, and I got a waffle cone of Maine Wild Blueberry. We ate it on the back deck over looking the Mystic River. When we finished, I asked my wife if she wanted to stroll up and down the main drag to do some window shopping. She was like, "Sure!" knowing I usually don't care to do such things, but it was a beautiful afternoon for a walk. We hit the restrooms and started getting ready to leave. A guy pulls up behind us and asked if we are leaving so he could have my spot. I told him we would be a few minutes and apparently he didn't mind waiting while we continued getting ready. I backed out and then pulled forward so my wife could get on in the street. Patience paid off for the guy because he slid right into where I was parked. We took some scenic back roads up to Ledyard where we took RT. 2A across the Thames River to pickup I-395 and go home the same way we came. We arrived safely back home just before 6 PM.

Notes & Observations From Vacation

I typed these off-line into my phone when I had down time and while the thoughts were fresh in my mind. The raw notes have been refined for posting.

 

FIRST... Road Travel and AirBNB
 

1. My bedside Glock 21 with Streamlight TLR-4 laser/light combo came with me. It was unloaded and locked in a hard steel case that was tethered to the seat mounting and hidden way up under the back seat. The ammo was locked in a separate hard steel case and inside my luggage, following the rules of "no quick access" set forth by F.O.P.A. Travel across the 71 miles of Hochul's Hellhole (NY state) on I-84 to PA and back was uneventful. Traveling through PA was not a worry. Although more direct, I chose to completely avoid NJ for the obvious reasons. Those fuckers will arrest and jail anyone that dare cross their imaginary line at the state border with a firearm, regardless of how it is stored and secured. The weapon was loaded with Hornady Critical Defense 185gr .45ACP with a spare mag and placed by my bedside every night. For the entire vacation no one knew including wife, and they still don't. It keeps the subject off the table for possible future vacations. In the morning it was unloaded and secured. The only place to keep it secure when not at the house was in my vehicle, locked in the lock box and secured the same way I traveled. The ammo container stayed at the AirBNB house locked and hidden in my suitcase. AirBNB does not forbid weapons on either side; rental or renter. If you are renting out your property, all weapons must be secured and out of sight of renters. Renters are supposed to get prior permission to bring weapons onto a rental property. FUCK THAT! I don't beg for permission to exercise my right to self defense. I think AirBNB's would be the perfect target for home invaders, especially if criminals were to just use the app to locate them and then prey upon unsuspecting folks on vacation when occupied. If no one breaches my perimeter, no one gets hurt and no one will ever know I was armed. Since PA dos not honor my pistol permit, I carried an assortment of blades while out and about. Better than nothing.

2. AirBNB house: I live on a quiet rural back road. This rental house was on a very busy road that had traffic (including trucks) 7/24. The first night was tough but we quickly got used to it. Our first house was in a busy neighborhood. The next door neighbor has what looked like an old classic bike in his garage. I only saw it at night in low light inside his garage while the door was open. I waited until I saw him outside and went over to say hello and talk bikes. The guy and his wife are nice friendly people. It wasn't a 40+ year old bike but a nice 2005 Kawasaki Concours with really low miles. In low light the twin exhaust and shaft drive had me thinking something like a 1980 Suzuki GS850. Plus he had the removable saddle bags off so that also gave it a retro look. I showed him photos of "The Beast." Turns out his wife doesn't ride much either.

 

SECOND... Hershey Park

1. No weapons allowed. PFFFFT! I carried my Gerber GDC money clip with discreet blade and my Blackie Collins "CIA Letter opener." On Wednesday I accidentally also carried in S&W Border Guard in a belt sheath. I only got stopped on the way in Tuesday because of my metal eyeglass case. The guard wanted a looksee at my glasses. He said people use eyeglass cases to sneak stuff in. They never knew about any of my blades.

2. OMG! Talk about the oversexualization of children, particularly young girls. Most girls were wearing the same basic outfit from about age 8 to early 20's; high tight shorts with crop tops or baby tees. I spotted girls as young as 12 sporting cameltoes while walking around with their parents. I saw one girl of about 12 or 13 repeatedly in a ride line so I know what I saw. Too many mentally ill tranny weirdos as well wandering around instead of being committed to a facility. Day 2 at the park was a combination of roller coasters and several hours in the water park. It wasn't as warm on the second day and we froze getting off water rides. But the rides were just too much fun to care.

3. There was plenty of black and brown people but the parks were not overrun and everyone behaved themselves.



Trip to Amish country 8-24-23
 

Amish Marketplace: I'd never been to one before and it was a feast for the eyes. The meat cases were incredible. A young Amish man asked if I needed anything, but I said no, I was just enjoying the sights and how delicious everything looked. He said "We are blessed!" and I heartily agreed. Then there was the breads, pies, candy, and canned goods. Everyone was so nice and lots of samples. I bought stuff I liked; fruit preserves, some bacon jam, and some pineapple salsa. Both of my Grandmothers had these wall mount folding wooden drying racks in their houses. When I saw these for sale I had to get one for my own laundry room. $37 and NOT MADE IN CHY-NAH!

Fully extended and ready to use. No need for paint or poly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folds down flat against the wall for storage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fisher Farm: We stopped there because of the homemade root beer. I met what I assume was the family patriarch Elim Fisher and had a nice conversation with him. He was curious where I was from and what I did for work. He told me Amish are being pushed out because of high land prices. I have never interacted with The Amish, only viewed from afar. I really like and respect them and am just a bit envious of their way of life. While I could never convert myself, I would enjoy living among them as their neighbors.
 

Kettle Village: outdoor market place with more good eats. My wife picked up a couple of jars of spicy pickles, and a pot holder for the handle of a frying pan. She makes delicious frittatas using a large oven safe non-stick frying pan, so that will make it easier handling the hot pans.

Shady Maple Smorgasbord: I am not normally a fan of all you can eat because I never feel I get my money's worth. We went on a Thursday which is their Wing/Rib Night and was reasonable at $21.99 per person with senior discount for three of us. So I just ate what I liked in normal portions. I started with a good salad loaded with my favorite veggies, toppings, and super chunky bleu cheese dressing. For my entree I got the "burnt" end of a juicy, tender brisket. A helping of smooth mashed potatoes and gravy, a heap of string beans, and a hunk of cornbread, all washed down with some ice cold chocolate milk. For dessert a serving of cherry cobbler and a cup of coffee. I was definitely satisfied without feeling stuffed and bloated. After dinner we all returned to the house to play Marbles. Guys against the girls, and the XY chromosome team dominated.

The other side is for four players. Two decks of cards for moves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-25-23

Most of family left this morning, but we stay until 26th. We took a ride to Bird In Hand for a horse and buggy ride at Abe's Buggy Rides and took the longest ride they offer at 6 1/2 miles. Our driver was a delightful Amish girl in her late teens/early twenties named Naomi. She had been driving horses since she was very young and made it look easy. She is getting married at the end of November and we wished her well. She clarified what Elim Fisher told me about the Amish being pushed out. She said because of land prices, it is very hard for young couples just starting out to get a place of their own. Midway through the ride is a stop at an Amish bakery. I got a pecan sticky and an ice cold chocolate milk. So good! I took some great photos of the countryside with my Nikon D5600. After that we went to a place called "The Amish House and Farm" for their on-site tour of an authentic house and farm. It is surrounded by shopping plazas but once inside you don't see them. A stop for ice cream at the Strasburg Creamery in Strasburg and then over to the Tanger Outlets and the New Balance store for new sneakers. We headed back to our AirBNB for a dinner of leftover pasta that my wife turned into a cheese covered pasta bake. After supper we started making preparations for the trip home tomorrow.

 

8-26-23

Check out time is 10:00 AM, so we got up early to pack and clear out on time. We pulled out at 09:30 and headed to Gus's Keystone Family Restaurant in Mount Joy for a big breakfast. Holy shit they serve a full plate of food. I got one of the day's specials.... a Mexican Omelet. Charizo sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and melted shredded cheese. It comes with salsa and sour cream and a side of fried sliced potatoes and toast (I opted for raisin toast). Everybody's breakfast was absolutely delicious and filling so we would not have to stop for lunch on the way home. The only traffic we hit was in Kommiecticut at the NY border that went almost to Waterbury due to the shitty highways we have that are a total choke point when coming into New England. A stop for gas at BJ's and we were home by 4:30 PM. Vacation is great, but returning home to my own bed and the peace and quiet where I live feels real good after being away.

I am not very active at work because we are stuck at the station on standby most of the time, and then most of our calls are for EMS. My activity level goes way up when I have days off catching up on yard work. For all the eating I did on vacation, I also did a lot of walking and amazingly dropped a couple of pounds. All the walking did my knee good too.

A Couple Of Items

Monday I was out on "The Beast" to run an errand and then help out a friend with his Goldwing. It was a warm and partly sunny midday, with thunderstorms in the evening well after I got safely home. My riding bud has been laid up since winter, and is no closer to riding after stints in the hospital and rehab facilities. I don't think he will ever be able to ride on two wheels again, so I went over to dust off, start, and take his 2015 Goldwing out for a short run. It already had and still had a full tank of fuel when I got back. He came out in the blazing heat with his walker and sat on his bike side-saddle, and then barely made it back into the house without collapsing. I thought his girlfriend was gonna kill him for that. I let his bike cool down and hooked up his battery charger and put the cover on. On the way home I had a revelation. I stream iHeart Radio on my cell phone, connected to my bike via a Bluetooth adapter. I happened to be streaming the iHeart 70's channel and something felt really familiar. Not deja vu but just very familiar. OF COURSE.... I KNOW WHAT IT IS!!

The earlier model Archer Road Patrol Bike Radio I had

I got one of these for maybe my 11th birthday. My siblings had later received the newer round red model. They were AM only, mounted to the handlebars of your bike, and had an electronic horn. There was a large round yellow reflector on the other side. We spent all summer riding our bikes from just after breakfast until dark every single day it wasn't raining. All of us had our bike radios tuned to WDRC AM-1360 in Hartford listening to the pop hits of the day, and what they play on iHeart 70's is exactly what they used to play on WDRC. Just before the WDRC noon news break every day, the DJ (I believe it was Ted Dalaku) would say the day's "sandwich of the day" (which was usually a gross combination of foods and toppings) and then loudly proclaim, "It's LUUUUUUUUNCH TIME!!!" followed by the news jingle and noon news with Walt Dibble. After the noon news it was music with commercial breaks until late afternoon drive time when news and traffic would be at the top and bottom of the hour in between music. While I was heading home on my motorcycle Monday listening to my streaming tunes, I was mentally transported back to summer vacation 1974 as a 12 year old kid riding my bicycle. Oh if only I could have 3 months off every summer to do nothing but have fun like a kid again with no worries or cares as an adult.

Today would have been Cassidy Wofford's 35th birthday. Who is she you ask? She was a PT I once transported that attempted to commit suicide by lying down in the middle of a dark back country road. Luckily an alert motorist spotted her and called 911. I won't go into any more detail, but she is the primary reason I do not like what I call the "sad little girl call." To me the "sad little girl" is 13-22 years old, depressed, suicidal, crying her eyes out, most likely abused, a cutter, and I am probably meeting her because of a suicide attempt and a law enforcement 72 hour psychiatric hold in the ER. While there have been many others, she is the one that I probably should have sought counseling for, it was that upsetting. I am much better on these calls now, even though I still would rather drive the boo-boo bus and let someone else tech the call.

Cassidy during one of her few happier times.

Cassidy had moved out of state; to Kentucky I believe, and finally, sadly committed suicide on May 28, 2011. At 35 she would have been only 3 years younger than my own daughter. I think about her on both days; her birthday and death day. 

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Little One. You are not forgotten and although you never knew it, you touched someone that really did care for you.

GREAT NEWS!

For me anyway. Had my post MRI consult with the orthopedic doc today. NO SURGERY! He reviewed my case notes and the MRI and pointed out the tear to me (see image below).

Click it to big it. My personal info was scrubbed and those are my notes on the slide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out (no surprise) I had no idea what I was looking at when I got the results a week or so ago, but then, I am not a radiologist. The doc then performed a physical examination and manual manipulation of my knee. I winced a little for some lateral motion and he said there was no point going further and causing me unnecessary pain. Because I have been basically pain-free for the last six-weeks right after the injury and able to do normal stuff outside of work there is no way insurance was going to pay for what amounts to preventative arthroscopic surgery. He recommended just a cortisone shot, ice if I need it for post-shot pain, and a follow up visit to his office in six weeks. I've never had a cortisone shot before, it felt weird. It was a 3 inch long large gauge needle and the syringe held about an inch of white cortisone. He numbed the injection site with lidocaine and buried the entire length of the needle into my knee joint (smartly I might add) by my kneecap. It didn't hurt at all but I felt the pressure of the juice going in. The doc said as long as I don't firmly plant my right foot and then twist, I should be fine going forward without surgery. He said I still may need surgery at some distant future date, possibly a full replacement because there is some thinning of the cartilage and arthritis that isn't going to get better on its own. Hopefully that will all be after mandatory retirement as an interior rated firefighter. I told him I would do my best to be cautious with lifting and such so as not to repeat this mess.

This means that as of Monday, I will be up on a ladder cleaning my gutters, get out on "The Beast" for a post-injury ride, and get out in the canoe with my FIL to do some fishin'! My next scheduled shift was supposed to be an 18 on Sunday, but that is a day before authorized. Therefore I will be on duty Thursday as my next scheduled shift. I can't wait!

UPDATE 6-14-23 @ 21:00 EDT: I have taken the doctor's advice and put an ice pack on my knee. It's just a bit sore from the cortisone shot, and I figure if I do it now maybe it won't wake me up out of a sound sleep at Zero-Dark-Thirty.

Finally Got A New Trailer

My wife was right. In 2016 when I got permanently exiled from a 35 year career in telecommunications and I.T., I sold off several possessions in order to keep the roof over our heads. One of those possessions was a utility trailer I owned in order to sweeten the deal when I sold my snowmobile. My wife didn't think I should let the trailer go and stated I would later regret it. Yup... I did and missed it more than the sled itself which was itself one sweet ride. It was 15 years old with low miles and a fresh top end, electric start, studded track, reverse, and heated seats and grips. I had modified the trailer to also carry the sled which it did perfectly and that clinched the sale.

My 45th Anniversary Edition Polaris 2000 700 XC. *Sniff* no more

So after getting a substantial sum of back overtime pay, I went trailer shopping again. The other things I use my trailer for is forest management from the road in front of my house, moving large items, and carrying my canoe with kayaks to and from bodies of water. I had looked around before and never found what I really wanted for a decent price. I started looking again and have had a bitch of time finding what I want. I came across an internet ad for Big Tex trailers, and found a local dealer. I called CT Trailer in Bolton and they had a brand new leftover trailer that was larger and heavier than I wanted but at a discounted price of $3995. They were going to close before I got out of work, so they said I could come by and look at it in their lot after hours then call them the next day. I looked at it and thought it was huge, but the price was unbeatable. I also looked at some aluminum trailers that had on site and jotted down some model numbers to see how much more they were out of curiosity.

When I called the next day, the saleswoman I originally spoke to was off. The salesman I spoke to said the Big Tex trailer I was looking to buy should not have been on the inventory because it was already sold. Since I had looked at the aluminum trailers I inquired about an Aluma 7210 they had on the lot. YIKES.... $5299.00 but was the size and capacity with the features I wanted. Plus it is all aluminum construction instead of a wooden deck like the Big Tex had. I went down that afternoon with the intention of buying it and taking it home. Unfortunately, my wife had other plans. She called me to see when I was coming home just as I was walking into the showroom. I went out with the salesman to give it a good once over and decided to take it. Because I did not have time to process the whole sale, I gave them a 10% down payment and told them I'd be back next Saturday the 6th to finalize the sale and take it home.

Saturday the 6th (bum knee and all) I went to CT Trailer to pickup my new trailer. The saleswoman I originally dealt with over the phone was there and I must say, quite the hot cougar (younger than me but older than MILF status). I did the paperwork and paid the money, which meant I was leaving with a fully registered trailer sporting a brand new license plate. I went outside with the saleswoman to get it ready to take away. Uh oh.... a problem developed with my hitch. I had a 6" drop hitch in my receiver, which was perfect for my old trailer, but too low for the new one. She said the too low angle will wear out the tires unnecessarily. "No problem, I have a level hitch with a 2" ball in my truck box" I said all proud of myself. That hitch was made by Toyota and came with our 2005 4Runner we had bought new and traded in back in 2019. I had never tried it in my Tundra tow receiver. The way it was made it would not go in far enough for the locking pin holes to line up. Now I look like an idiot. OK, they have some level hitches in the accessory store, they would just move my 2" ball onto it. Nope. The Toyota ball has a larger shank and was not even close to fitting. Another $50 for a whole new hitch and another 2" ball. OK it is hooked up and level, and all the lights are working fine. I had tested my truck's trailer electrical connector previously to make sure it was all good.

The new hitch and ball. I already had the locking retention pin

I have large stainless steel lock-nut rings on the receiver because unless the trailer safety chains have monster size hooks, they don't fit in those angled slots. That was the case with the new trailer's safety chains that had snap hooks on the ends. I also wanted to purchase hitch locks, so back into the store to pick out what I wanted.

A ball lock and a hitch lever pin lock

Because I bought a brand new trailer I got 10% off all the accessories, but it still all cost me another $144.38 for every thing. The whole deal for the trailer, registration, sales tax, and the accessories was $5960.56 which I plunked down on my rewards VISA card. I will pay the entire balance when the bill comes next month and use the points to get gift cards like I always do.

I extended and re-adjusted my tow mirrors, put on my headlights, and made the uneventful trip home. At only 450 pounds empty, I didn't even feel the trailer back there. I share a driveway with my neighbor, and I pulled in and up their driveway and then easily backed into mine and all the way up to my garage. It tracks and maneuvers like a dream.

Parked in my driveway. GVW is 2200 pounds

From the other side. Dimensions are 10' x 6' with 24" high removable sides

Heavy duty tie-down points in all four corners

The tie-downs will allow me to trailer "The Beast" to the Honda dealer in the event something happens that I can't drive it there.

So the anti-theft locks I put on really won't prevent theft. The hitch is bolted onto the trailer tongue, where it was all welded steel on my old trailer and these locks worked fine. All someone had to do was unbolt my hitch and toss it aside, bolt on a new one, and drive away with my trailer. See what I mean below.

 

So here is my solution; a 20' tow chain I had in the barn wrapped around a 2' diameter pine tree and threaded around the trailer tongue, secured with a "Level 9"  Master padlock. The trailer would be destroyed cutting the softer aluminum around the chain and lock. The hitch locks are there also. Will a determined thief with all the time in the world make off with my trailer? Probably. The hope is that the run of the mill petty thieves that sometimes pop up in our area would look at this mess and go elsewhere.

Current view from my Blink Outdoor camera

I had contemplated parking the trailer and chaining it to the telephone pole down the driveway in a better and flatter spot, but here by the pine tree puts it in camera range. It won't be used every day so secured, under video surveillance, and out of the way is fine.

Goings On In The "Quiet Corner"

I took and passed my annual fire department "Interior Firefighter" physical yesterday, meaning another year of cheating death with interior attack firefighting inside burning buildings. The last one I was in occurred on February 16th. Nothing visible from the outside, we had to go in and look for it. First guy on scene did a 360 (walk around to see all sides of a building) and told us the fire was to the right. Unfortunately it was when he was looking at the back of the house, not the front where we went in. The house was filled with smoke, and we went down the hallway searching the bedrooms for the fire. The sound of the over the range microwave crashing to the floor in the kitchen behind us said to go the other way to check. Sure enough the fire was in the kitchen and the adjoining room. We knocked it down quick with a single hose line. Being in my 60's I am good for one cylinder of SCBA air for initial knock down and then I'm done. I am more than happy to let others go in to pull ceilings and do overhaul while staying outside to roll hose or run the pump.

With temps in the mid 50's and partly sunny yesterday afternoon, I got out on "The Beast" for an inaugural spring ride. Last time I was out was New Years Day. I pulled off the cover, disconnected the Battery Tender, topped off the tire air pressure, took it off the stands, and punched the starter button. It fired right up as I expected. I backed it out of the garage to let it get up to temperature, and took the opportunity to re-position the snowblower at the front of the bike. I won't move it down to the barn until its time to get the lawnmower and lawn furniture out. I don't need to have it put away for a surprise heavy spring snowstorm and get caught unprepared. I did a simple 20 mile loop around through my town and the next one over. Of course, since it was Friday, my normal shift partner was on duty, so I had to stop at the firehouse to torment him. I do circles in front of the Day Room window with the music blaring and honking the horn. I got the expected two hand middle finger salute out the window. I went around back and parked so he came out to B.S. for a bit. After that it was back home to put the bike away because today was predicted to be wet and crappy out. They were right for a change.