Cruising with DoD Intel and a great law enforcement encounter at midnight

Every seagoing vessel needs proper rope discipline.

Every seagoing vessel needs proper maintenance of sailors. For me, La Croix:

Off we go into the magnificent reservoirs in the back mountains here:

This was truly a gift to be away from the drug-violence of town. Thanks to our retired officers for this super pleasant outing. I had a great talk with the wife of the Navy guy. Interesting that her first question was pretty much verbatim what the “CIA” guy was asking to all my parishioners a couple of years back. ;-) All good.

We had refreshing showers of rain drops from a cloud a good half-mile or more away:

Very nice. Irish weather, I call it.

Let’s test your situational awareness in this next picture. Can you find what’s out of place? Try! (Hint: It has something do do with the power lines.)

So, here’s a bit closer:

That’s an Osprey nest. You know, of Ospreys:

I love it.

Afterward, we had a very pleasant meal with their neighbors, also lifetime Military Intel. This has now become a yearly event together. I think I’m the luckiest priest in these USA. Having said that a number of times on this outing, I immediately made the caveat that should my guardian angel hear that, I might be in trouble. I might just be having TOO much fun. So I begged him to be easy with me, because I’m so very stupid and know nothing of the providence of the Lord Jesus…

As soon as I got back on the road to come back across the mountains, I was greeted by a good dozen law enforcement officers, blue lights filling the midnight forests. Cruisers were all over the sides of the road and they were standing right across the road with flashlights. Not very safe that. Not in these times. Anywhere else they would simply have been run over.

• My windows rolled down, hands on the steering wheel, I said: Good evening, gentlemen. Hope everything’s alright. I gotta say that I’m carrying appendix.
• You got a permit for that?
• Yes sir. (I show it to him).
• Driver license?
• Yes sir. (I show it to him). Anything dangerous in the county tonight?
• No, no. We’re just checking.
• Thanks to all you for keeping up with law enforcement for us. We’re living in some really weird times. All respect for you guys, thank you.
• A whole chorus of officers responded together: Thank you for that. Thank you.
• Me: You guys be safe out here.
• Them: You have a good night now.

THAT’s how to do up a law enforcement stop. Don’t be the sovereign citizen. Don’t keep your windows rolled up. Just comply. Answer simple questions like about the permit and driver licence. These were totally cool officers. It’s not a police state. We should be thankful that we have any law enforcement whatsoever. It’s a thankless job. But we all depend on law enforcement. So…

Thanks to our Military. Thanks to our Law Enforcement.

P.S. And, yes, there were plenty of questions from all about religious everything. :-)