Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

2023 Annual Cops Cruise

Damsel and I attended the annual “Cops Who Care” Cruise and Toy Drive today at the community center downtown. There was a pretty good turn out of folks who brought their prized antique and classic cars to the event. Each one of the attendees was required to bring an unwrapped toy as a gift to our underprivileged kids in the area. We brought four unwrapped toys (not required but just to help out) as we usually do for this event.

Image above: Damsel posing next to a 1927 Ford farm truck.

We stayed for the better part of an hour, taking photos and gawking at the goodies on display. Here are a couple of photos of classics we deem to be very cool:

Image above: 1957 Red Chevrolet Hardtop Coupe

Image above: 1960’s Pontiac Trans-Am Firebird

We headed back home to prepare our Sunday Dinner which was a Keto version of Ham and Spaghetti Alfredo. Yummers!

03 Dec 2023 by Charity Nostalgia Photography

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Happy Thanksgiving from our household to yours! We will be celebrating the day of thanks by feasting, as usual, serving traditional turkey and all the trimmings (tailored to our diets, of course). We wish for you a peaceful and enjoyable day of thanks.

In yesterday mornings reading, The Patriot Post included this Thanksgiving message given by President Ronald Reagan:

We Americans have so much for which to be thankful. … But prosperity is not an end in itself. It helps us pay attention to the more important things: raising our children as we want them to be raised, helping others in need, and bringing nations together in peace. … We will give thanks for these and one thing more: our freedom. Yes, in America, freedom seems like the air around us: It’s there; it’s sweet, though we rarely give it a thought. Yet as the air fills our lungs, freedom fills our souls. It gives breath to our laughter and joy. It gives voice to our songs. It gives us strength as we race for our dreams. Think of those around the world who cannot bow their heads in prayer without risking their lives. … And then think of how blessed we are to be Americans. Yes, as we gather together this Thanksgiving to ask the Lord’s blessings. … Let us thank Him for our peace, prosperity, and freedom.

We ask you to give prayerful thanks for our freedoms and pray for peace at home and elsewhere.

23 Nov 2023 by Food & Dining Holidays

Braced Pistol Injunction

Image: Foxtrot Mike FM9B 9mm Braced Pistol

We have been following several of the unconstitutional edicts set forth by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms’, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) for several years now. Of particular interest to us would be the ATF’s conversion (magically) of braced pistols to become short-barreled rifles (registered and taxable under the NFA), even though there are millions of these items in use by law-abiding Americans for lawful purposes.

After declaring that braced pistols are not Short Barreled Rifles (SBRs) in the past, the ATF suddenly (as prompted by the 2nd Amendment hating Biden administration) decided to enact a rule (not a law) to declare these pistols as SBRs in January of this year (2023). Since then, there have been several legal challenges to the rule. Recently, a Texas-based Federal District Court judge issued a nationwide stay preventing the ATF from enforcing its rule on pistols equipped with stabilizing devices.

From Ammoland:

The case, Britto v. ATF, challenged the “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces’” rule. The ATF created the regulation after an executive order by President Joe Biden directing the Bureau to deal with pistol braces. The ATF would reverse years of classification letters and revoke previous determinations issued to brace manufacturers.
The Britto case challenged the rule, claiming the ATF pistol brace rule violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The plaintiffs felt the final rule wasn’t a logical outgrowth of the proposed rule. The proposed rule had a point system (ATF Form 4999) that helped individuals determine if their firearm would be considered a braced pistol or short-barreled rifle (SBR). Most of the comments during the public comment period addressed concerns with the form.

The bottom line is that the ATF and other law-enforcement agencies are enjoined from enforcing the rule for all braced pistols, nationwide. However, the fight is not over by a long shot since the ATF has unlimited tax plunder to continue fighting this ruling all the way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime though, we may all continue using our braced pistols in whatever manner we please.

It now seems to be a good idea to continue (or start) supporting those pro-2A organizations that are making these rulings possible:

Firearms Policy Coalition

Second Amendment Foundation

Gun Owners of America

National Association for Gun Rights

Look for the 501(c)(3) foundation of each of the above entities if you want your donations to be tax deductible. Thank you in advance for your support.

Damsel and I each have a special interest in this litigation process.

14 Nov 2023 by Firearms Gun Grabbers Second Amendment

Veterans Day 2023

Arizona’s Veterans Memorial Highway

In 2004, Interstate 17, which runs from Phoenix, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ, was designated to be “Veterans Memorial Highway,” in recognition of America’s Veterans, past, present and future.

The Memorial Plaque seen here is located at the McGuireville Rest Area (southbound) on I-17 in Rimrock, AZ. Click on the image to enlarge. There may be another plaque on the northbound side, but I can’t say for sure.

To All Veterans

From Mark Alexander at The Patriot Post

vets-day.jpgIt is notable that Veterans Day shares the same anniversary date as the signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620. That simple document, after all, is the taproot of a great nation, now a shining beacon of Liberty, which owes its very existence to the toils and trials of generations of American Veterans.

From the cold winter winds at Valley Forge in 1777 to the deadly terrain of the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan today, generations of American Patriots have stood fast in defense of Liberty and at great cost.

I am certain I will never meet a seasoned war Veteran who is fond of combat, but to a man, every Patriot concurs with John Stuart Mill’s timeless note on the subject: “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

I am equally certain that these Patriots, like millions of others since the 1789 founding of our Republic, have honored their “sacred oaths” to support and defend the Liberty enshrined in our Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic.

God Bless our veterans!

10 Nov 2023 by Holidays Military

Samhain Weekend

Most of you by now know that Damsel and I share ancestry originating from the Celtic tribes of ancient Ireland and Scotland. To that effect, we have come to celebrate some of the festivals and traditions of the Celts. This weekend, we decided to celebrate the festival of Samhain.

Samhain, (Celtic: “End of Summer”) in ancient Celtic religion, one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshippers; it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes.

Sacrifices and propitiations of every kind were thought to be vital, for without them the Celts believed they could not prevail over the perils of the season or counteract the activities of the deities. Samhain was an important precursor to Halloween.

Of course, we are not Pagans and don’t believe in all the spooky stuff the Celts thought to be true. We are Christians and merely celebrate our heritage while being true to the One and Only God. We celebrate Samhain on the first Sunday of November with traditional Irish and/or Scottish feasting.

This weekend turned out to be atypical weather for November since it got up to 85°F on the patio today. We celebrated the Samhain cross-quarter event with an actual Feast – Corned Beef, Cabbage, Root Veggies (lo carb, of course) and an Irish Coffee.

We hope everyone enjoys the good weather while it lasts.

05 Nov 2023 by Ancestors Food & Dining Notions

Home Again!

We’re relaxing at home after the last leg of our vacation. Damsel and I saw a number of cool things on the return voyage. Here are some of the pix from the days collection of over 500 images in the Damsel Camera:

Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tucson, AZ:

Picacho Peak near Eloy, AZ:

Casa Grande Native Ruins, Coolidge, AZ:

Now that we’re back, we have numerous things we need to attend to pertaining to our normal retirement routine, plus a couple of other business items that popped up. We’re prepared for all of that and we’re glad to be back home in our little desert paradise.

23 Oct 2023 by Arizona Notions Photography Travel Wanderlust

Camping Day 11 – Last Day Out

We’re still in South Tucson today, relaxing and dining. We had a delicious Chicken Pepper Casserole for late lunch today.

Since it is warm outside here (95°), we spent most of our day inside the RV. There was a power failure for about an hour but, luckily, we were able to run the 6KW generator to keep the A/C and other appliances going.

We will be heading for home tomorrow morning with a rest stop and visit at Casa Grande on the way. Our route takes us through Coolidge, AZ where the ruins are located. Then, its about two more hours to home.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our outing, particularly watching the eclipse on Saturday 10/14. We’re already thinking about another outing before the big trip to Waco, TX to watch another eclipse next April.

22 Oct 2023 by Arizona Retirement Travel Wanderlust

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