I thought this would go well with this morning's post.
"There's no such thing as a good gun. There's no such thing as a bad gun. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a very dangerous thing. A gun in the hands of a good person is no danger to anyone except the bad guys."
-- Charlton Heston, 15 Sep 1997
It's a simple thought that's spoken very plainly, but every bit of it is true.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
April 15th B.A.G. day
Some years ago several bloggers declared April 15 "Buy A Gun" day. The reasons for this varied, but the basic idea was to encourage responsible, law abiding citizens to assert their second amendment rights.
Now I'm not running out and purchasing a new firearm today. (I'm still making a list of things I can and cannot do in Cook County IL) But I certainly am doing some shopping.
The problem is, there are just so many choices out there.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Railfanning
It's not too often that I get a chance to do some good rail-fanning, and it's not until recently that I've had a camera good enough to really get good pictures. Luckily my work can occasionally make it easier to do some train chasing. No, I'm not running out and chasing trains in the middle of the work day, but being on the road does take me to plenty of different locations where I can do some railfanning.
The Winchester and Western railroad happens to be very close to one of my employer's facilities, so it's not too difficult to get a picture or two of the locomotives in operation.
The W&W (known to many locals as the old 'Weak and Weary' because of it's limited activity) was originally created during WW-I as a way to move lumber from the hills around Winchester to the B&O mainline. Now it runs from Gore to Winchester and most of it's business comes from a local quarry.
Most of the locomotives are older EMD units, although there are at least a few more unusual units on their roster.
Here's just a taste (I'll get more photos the next time I'm back there) Engine no 709.
It doesn't really hold as much appeal as a steam locomotive, but it's still nice to see something like this up close. Hopefully I'll get more chances to go railfanning soon.
The Winchester and Western railroad happens to be very close to one of my employer's facilities, so it's not too difficult to get a picture or two of the locomotives in operation.
The W&W (known to many locals as the old 'Weak and Weary' because of it's limited activity) was originally created during WW-I as a way to move lumber from the hills around Winchester to the B&O mainline. Now it runs from Gore to Winchester and most of it's business comes from a local quarry.
Most of the locomotives are older EMD units, although there are at least a few more unusual units on their roster.
Here's just a taste (I'll get more photos the next time I'm back there) Engine no 709.
It doesn't really hold as much appeal as a steam locomotive, but it's still nice to see something like this up close. Hopefully I'll get more chances to go railfanning soon.
Is that 'vroom' with two o's or three?
I'm still recovering from my last trip, so I'm not posting anything elaborate today.
Here's a link I just ran across that talks about the latest cars that are too extravagant for most of us. Go have a look!
Here's a link I just ran across that talks about the latest cars that are too extravagant for most of us. Go have a look!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Old downtown Winchester
After work I went looking for a place to eat and ended up in old downtown Winchester (VA)
The city has done an absolutely amazing job of preserving the old downtown atmosphere. There are plenty shops and restaurants along the closed-off streets and alleyways. Right in the middle of it all there is the old courthouse, which now houses a Civil War museum.
The monument is for the confederate soldiers who died in the war. It's one of several such monuments in the region, as this was a hotbed of activity. In fact, Winchester changed hands more than any city during the war.
There were also several elegant churches in the area which, from the outside, looked to be in excellent condition.
Even many of the businesses have made an effort to keep with the old fashioned look of the area, and although the styles varied considerably, they're still quite lovely.
The city has done an absolutely amazing job of preserving the old downtown atmosphere. There are plenty shops and restaurants along the closed-off streets and alleyways. Right in the middle of it all there is the old courthouse, which now houses a Civil War museum.
The monument is for the confederate soldiers who died in the war. It's one of several such monuments in the region, as this was a hotbed of activity. In fact, Winchester changed hands more than any city during the war.
There were also several elegant churches in the area which, from the outside, looked to be in excellent condition.
Even many of the businesses have made an effort to keep with the old fashioned look of the area, and although the styles varied considerably, they're still quite lovely.
Sunny day?
Bo apparently thought the picture from yesterday was too gloomy. So Here's another pic taken just after work today. I couldn't get any blue sky, but it does have puffy clouds and plenty of sunshine.
This is actually looking back at where I was parked when I took the picture the other day. The Clearbook Shopping Center is also the home of a very popular little lunchroom with a half dozen booths and as many stools at the counter. Every time I've been there at midday, the place is packed with people. In fact the parking lot usually has about 12 or 15 cars in it (there's enough room for about 10.)
The food there isn't great but it's decent. Besides, it's very fast, inexpensive, and close to work.
This is actually looking back at where I was parked when I took the picture the other day. The Clearbook Shopping Center is also the home of a very popular little lunchroom with a half dozen booths and as many stools at the counter. Every time I've been there at midday, the place is packed with people. In fact the parking lot usually has about 12 or 15 cars in it (there's enough room for about 10.)
The food there isn't great but it's decent. Besides, it's very fast, inexpensive, and close to work.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Random snapshot of America
This was taken today on my lunchbreak.
Looks like the perfect picture of modern day rural America to me. I love it!
Looks like the perfect picture of modern day rural America to me. I love it!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Perfect search results
It's impressive how good search engines are today. Just check out the search results that came back for this blog.
Oh, wait. Never mind.
Oh, wait. Never mind.
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