New Dog Jessie

We just got a new dog last night. Her name is Jessie, she is a 40 lb. 1 year old fancy fawn boxer. We got her from a rescue organization called Great Ohio Boxer Rescue. We went to Columbus last night to meet her foster parents and her. We played with her for about 30 minutes at their house and knew that she would be a good fit for us. After greeting us by jumping on the foster mom's coffee table, she played very joyfully and went with us like we have always been her owners. I think she is already attached to us. I took her to Kate's work today and then to the park where we played ball and she got extremely muddy. We tried to crate her last night, but she got very anxious and couldn't take being pent up. I put a blanket on the floor beside the bed and she slept just fine the whole night. She definitely has a lot of puppy still in her...she has a lot of energy. She gets very excited to meet strangers. We are excited to have her in the family (especially cause her name starts with a J!!!!!).

Laurel River Lake kayak trip

I just got home from an overnight kayak trip on Laurel River Lake. My put in was ar Craig's Creek boat ramp. I started the paddle around 1 pm (the drive took 3 hours, and packing the yak took awhile). I paddled towards Craig's Creek where they have a goose management area. On the way, I was looking for a suitable place to camp. The lake was probably 20 feet low, which was very visible by the inclines with no vegetation. Everywhere I went were sites that you had to pay $10-16 per night. I saw 2 other people on the lake that day, none of which camped like me. They probably had a couple hundred pay sites around the lake. Everywhere I looked, though, there was no place to camp for free that would be suitable for a tent. Went to the goose management area.....saw no geese. Lots of ducks on the way, but no geese. Found a spot to camp, which was a climb up a stteep hill, but ended up worth it. My space had a clearing enough for a tent and a stone ring to make a fire in with a half log bench beside. I put up my tent around 4:30 pm and then made a fire. It was dark by 5 pm. I sat by the fire till about 8 pm, and was bored enough to go to sleep. It gets dark early these days. Hard to do outdoorsy things when it gets dark so quick. I woke up at 2 am to blood curdling screams of some animal that continued to 3:30 ish. I then woke again at 7 am, ready to start out again. I spent an hour or so sitting out on a point near my tent eating breakfast enjoying the 300 degree view of the lake. I packed up and paddled toward the dam where there were supposed nesting bald eagles. Got relatively close to the dam and no eagles seen. Decided that I would head toward the car. I stopped at a pretty lookout and had lunch. Then I paddled back to the car and was out by noonish. It was very pretty paddle, but lake paddling is difficult and tiring. It was fun.

Hit-Skip OVI Outcome

Just in case anyone wonders what kind of penalty comes with the offenses such as described before, I just had court on one of the hit-skip OVI arrests. This particular subject got 60 days of incarceration and a 3 year license suspension (even though he has no license). Went to court on another OVI case from much further back that I was involved in as well. It was this guys 6th OVI (he was 32 years old. He got 2 years incarceration and a lifetime license suspension (he can never have a license again). These are pretty good outcomes for cases such as these. Some of the best sentences that I've been able to get on such cases. Just goes to show....DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!

Hit-Skip Ovi

A crazy life it has been over the past couple of days. Two days in a row I got what is called a hit-skip accident (one where the driver of one car flees the scene). In both cases, I (or other co-worker) located the driver a short time later. Both were OVI (DUI). The one yesterday night was at 10:30 pm. He was a hit-skip, ovi, no ol (no license), who blew a .193 on the BAC (the breathalyzer; .08 is Ohio's legal limit). Therefore all paperwork had to be completed before leaving. It took till about 2 am. The night before, the subject was unable to complete the BAC test, but had gotten it to register up to a .230. I don't know what it is lately, but I had just finished a hit-skip investigation where I had completed a photo lineup that pinpointed the driver. The investigation took 3 days of work, but I found him. I then signed warrants for the individual, only to get these two OVI's the following two nights. So that makes for 3 hit-skip investigations within a 4 day work period that I solved all 3, and all paperwork was completed for all of them before I left for 2 muchly needed days off.

Kayaking Acton Lake

Well, it's been a while since I did it, but never blogged the fact that I took my kayak out for the first time. I went to Acton Lake in Hueston Woods near Oxford, Oh. The lake isn't gigantic, but boats are limited to 10 horsepower and lower, so it's mostly sailboats that cruise the lake. I paddled pretty much the whole thing, not wanting to get too close to the dam. It was a vary peaceful paddle. I saw 3-5 blue herons (some may have been repeats) and lots of fish jumping. My boat tracks very well, but is a beast to turn. It's definitely made for non-fast moving waters. The boat seemed very stable. I'm not very good at getting in and out (I almost dumped myself trying to get into it the first time at the boat ramp), but I think it will come with practice. I almost went on an overnight, but it did not appear the weather wanted to cooperate. I will let you know as soon as that happens. I believe I'm taking it to Laurel Lake in Ky.

The Power

First, I'd like to say sorry it's been so long since I wrote. I've been working a lot and just haven't found the time to sit and write. Second, a very funny thing happened yesterday, so here goes.

I'd like to start off by saying it was not me who immediately responded, but I'll tell it as if it were. We receive a call about traffic lights malfunctioning on a major intersection. Sure enough, upon arrival, we find that the lights are all completely off. Then, they come back on. Next we notice a guy on the corner in a certain pizza delivery outfit (blue and white, a major company), taking a picture of the said intersection with the lights on. This guy then goes over to a traffic box (what is used to control the lights in case of emergency or traffic problems and flips a switch turning all the intersection back off. The guy then goes to the corner and takes another picture with his phone. Upon approaching said individual, we find several open containers of alcohol (some empty). After taking the guy into custody and the back of the cruiser his statement is this: You know how when you're growing up you always want the power. Well, I finally got it, so I had to use it! The guy was then arrested and charged with a felony for tampering with the lights and charged with having open containers of alcohol. I then got the pleasure of delivering the news to his boss (He was supposed to be working at the time, holding an advertisement at the intersection for his pizza place). I don't think he has a job anymore. His boss was shocked to say the least. The guy then wrote a nice one page statement about what he had done that couldn't have been better if I made it up myself. He was then transported to the county justice center, all the while still in his pizza delivery outfit. I say good luck to him when he gets there and is locked up with 20 thugs in a small room.

1st Anniversary

Well, today is my first anniversary. I think this marriage thing is easier than people told me. No problems to report. Kate and I are great. We are still having a blast hanging out with each other and traveling, or just sitting at home with a movie. I can't imagine life being any other way.

Kayak Paddle

Just wanted to show you a picture of my new paddle. Man, equipment gets expensive quick. This is about the same paddle, but of course I got one that matches the yak. Now I just have to get a life jacket and hit the water.

Triple Arrest

Well, you know how sometimes your day can go really slow, and then all of a sudden something happens that puts you to work for hours... it did to me. So this happened a couple of days ago, but I figured, hey, it's a good work story. I think all of you know now how our plate reader car works...so I'll skip it. If you have questions about it, please comment and I'll explain. I'm in the plate reader car near a motel lot when I see a strange looking guy appearing as if he's a lookout for something, so I cruise the lot trying to find a plate that may be his. Bingo. Very last car I get a hit. I pulled up a picture, and sure enough it was him. He was with several other people who all looked to be up to no good, so I figured I would wait it out. Eventually I had someone hide in a nearby building who was on bike patrol, and sped out of the lot like I had a call. Sure enough, 2 minutes later they all are scanning the area making sure coast is clear and come out, and get in a van. The bike cop and I stop them and put them in cuffs, 1 by 1. The first guy, the guy I knew was wanted, simply had to receive a court date for missing his 1st, so he was released at the scene. Guy number 2 was wanted x6. Yes, 6 warrants for all sorts of things relating to drugs and traffic charges. Another department came and picked him up. He'll be visiting several jails by the time his tour is over. Then Guy number 3...he had the worst violation of all. He owed taxes to a nearby city. Guy number 1 posted his bail on scene to that department, so he was also released at scene. Come to find out #3 had been charged with manslaughter in an adjoining state....a good couple of fellows. All 3 had numerous drug charges, though we found none on them. They had been acting very suspicious the whole time about another car (the car that I got a hit on), claiming to not have any idea why it was there, even though it belonged to the mother of #3. The van that we stopped them in also belonged to mother of #3. All three were sent on their way, and I called for a K9 unit to do a search on the mysterious car. Sure enough the dog hits on the car, we open it, and find a small amount of cocaine and prescription drugs (illegal and ready for sale). So I took the dope and the car. Now #3 is calling wanting his car back, but was told he had to come talk to me about the drugs that were found. He said he would be in tomorrow....We'll see.
So, in conclusion....a good hunch is something to go on. I ended up getting 3 arrests of some not so very good guys, and pulled some drugs off the street. The arrests took about 2 hours. The paperwork to follow...5 hours....so far.

Red River Gorge

Well, we went to Red River Gorge in Kentucky for 2 days to hike and camp. Lots of fun. On the first day we hiked about 6.1 miles (ridge top to ridge top), which was a very difficult hike. We did however, see a really cool "Double Arch"(pictured above, though u can only see 1 of the arches), and a ridge top called "Auxiar Ridge" that was a sandstone rock bluff overlooking miles of landscape throughout the Red River Gorge area. It was very pretty. We camped at Koomer Ridge Campground after being very lucky to land a spot as someone else was just packing up. Campground was full. On the second day, we just hiked two small trails totaling about 1.5 miles. We saw "Princess Arch" and another lookout nearby. We then left for lunch at "Miguel's" which has fabulous food (mainly pizza with all the topping choices you can think of) in a cozy, hippie(ish) atmosphere with climbing gear and t-shirts for sale. It's a very popular place for the in crowd in the area. We then had to leave for the day, as we both had work the following day. A good 2 day trip. Strenuous, but very pretty and fun.

My Toys

So here is a picture of my new toys. My new car, and new kayak on its new car rack. I like them. Haven't gotten out on the water yet, but planning away for when it's registered.

New Car!! 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe

Well, in response to my last odd purchase....I bought a new car!!! It was a good two days. First day, I buy a really nice kayak, the next, a new car. I bought a black 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. Black is not usually my thing, but hey it looked good sitting on the lot. Ended up working the price down quite a bit from the msrp, especially when a rebate got thrown in on top. So now I have a new car to haul my new kayak around. I think that's every guys dream. A new boat and new car to haul it. I'm just awaiting my first trip out on the yak. Trying to get it registered which I have to do before I go on the water. I'll write another blog as soon as I go out on the water.

Kayak: My new toy

Well, I just made a rather odd purchase. I just bought a brand new touring kayak!!! It's not so odd a purchase in and of itself. More...it's odd because I don't have any way to transport it, and not quite sure if it will fit in a storage space at my house. It is the "Wilderness Systems: Tsunami 145"( Brand: Wilderness Systems, Model : Tsunami, Size: 14.5'). Photos are of the correct model, but mine is orange. It's made to haul quite a bit of gear if needed so I can go on multi-day trips in it. However, the length makes it so that you should keep on the larger, deeper rivers or lakes. No creeks for this bad boy, but it should be able to handle lower portions of the Little Miami and Whitewater rivers. Yeah....I got a kayak. I really didn't plan on buying one quite yet, but got a pretty good deal on this one. The place I bought it from (D & D Outfitters) is great. Very good prices and extremely knowledgeable staff who aren't trying to get more money from you, but instead put you in a boat that will work for what you want to do in it. I got a good deal on it (I think) because its the end of the year...it's a 2007 model, and the company is already ordering the 2008's. It was the last of it's style in the place, and the one they had just happened to be the color I wanted (orange, of course). So I bought it. However, I couldn't bring it home yet. No transport!. So Kate and I are going serious car hunting this afternoon. Sort of backwards purchasing don't you think? Buy the toy, then the necessary item for it to be utilized. Still have to buy a paddle. Don't know what car I will get, but currently I like the look of the Subaru Outback 2.5i. We'll see. As long as it carries my kayak, I'll be happy right now.

Pavarotti/ Davinci Code

Sorry. It has been awhile since I left a new blog. Nothing really to report in the cop world, and I haven't traveled anywhere new in a while. I watched the "Davinci Code" finally. Pretty good. I liked it due to the fact that it was a new movie that hadnt been done yet. Yes, I know it was a book, first. I like the idea of turning best selling books into movies. That way I don't have to read them. I heard today that Luciano Pavarotti died. I myself have never been much of a listener of the genre, but can definitely appreciate how good he was.
I don't really have anything good else to report. Hope I have something entertaining in the near future. Otherwise, keep checking back....you never know when something crazy will happen in my life. I will be switching onto 2nd shift in October....that usually means less family time for me, but greater stories for you.

Accident Report gone wrong

Well, yesterday started with a bang. 7:20 (mind you I start at 7), while in briefing, the clerk comes in and says that the chief's mom was in an accident on my beat. I ran out the door, got in the car, and sped away, arriving shortly after to find that it was in fact not the chief's wife (whew!!), but it was one of my Lt.'s. 3 car accident, car in the rear struck Lt.'s wife in the middle pushing her into the car in front of her. Sounds simple enough....long report due to 3 cars, but simple enough. Car at fault is a Hispanic female with no license (an arrestable offense). I ask the woman to step back to my car and turn around. As soon as I grab ahold of a hand to cuff her, she decides to try to fight me. Great....as if I didn't have enough to think about with my supervisors wife watching my every move. I was much bigger than the female, but couldn't seem to get a grip on her arms, finally deciding to just push her over the hood of my car and call for assistance. Meanwhile while I'm tussling with this chick, the supervisors wife is stumbling nearby trying to see if she could help. All I could think was no...please don't get hurt. I told her I was just going to wait till I got a backup car. At that time she decided to cooperate and I got the cuffs on her and tossed her in my car as backup was arriving. So I arrested her, and got the information from the other 2 needed for the report. So now I'm wondering what the Lt.'s wife will say about the situation. Hopefully the report was done flawlessly and I will get an ataboy.

Oh, yeah...and it continued to be a busy day....3 accident reports, 1 arrest, 6 tickets, and had to deal with a court case in our mayor's court.

Chicago

Well, I went to Chicago for the weekend. Love it. Lots of things to do downtown including several fountains and sites. Spent a lot of time yesterday at a place called Navy Pier. Lot of history behind it, but it has since been turned into a family fun atmosphere with lots of restaurants, beer stands, and shops....right on the Chicago River/ Lake Michigan waterfront. We also stayed to see Cirque de Shanghai, which was pretty cool. Lots of very flexible, balanced, strong people twisting and stacking themselves in weird ways, balancing themselves on slack wire, and doing amazing rope acts among other things. We had deep dish pizza the evening that we got in, which is always fantastic. The next morning, we went to a local farmer's market, which was small but cute. I bought some salsa and some freshly baked apple cinnamon bread. We leave today to go back home. It was a short, but very fun trip. Navy Pier is a fun place to hang out. Very touristy, but hey....I'm a tourist. A friend of ours took several hours to paint us a painting of the harbor and skyline of Chicago. I really like his art. He turns a white canvas into a great painting in a matter of a couple of hours. So we bought that painting from him and he will be working on another for us in the future. If you're interested, look up Nathan Mellott on facebook, or he may have a website to look at his paintings (http://homepages.nyu.edu/~ncm221/art.html). So Chicago was fun. A return trip will happen.

Show-Me State Games 2007, MO (Soccer)

Well, I played in the Show-Me State Games once again. Once again, no medal. Having all of our players from a small town, we aren't usually the best team out there, but I always think I've got a chance. This year, I went back to MO not knowing who was going to be on my team, except a few players. The regulars were there, but of course practice time was limited. All of us work regular jobs and were doing this for the fun of it. We entered the Governor's Cup Open Rec Division (See the word Rec in italics....it will come into play later). We had a good mix of guys and girls, mostly people I knew from high school back in the day. I felt good about this. Then I looked at the schedule. The three teams in our bracket were from St. Louis, Saint Joseph, and Kansas City....yeah (sarcasm). Our first game was on Friday against FC Truman (from St. Louis). I had to start the first half playing keeper, as we had no other (short handed the first day with only two subs). These guys came out wearing a club soccer team shirt......in a RECREATIONAL LEAGUE! As predicted, they began tearing us up. Because of this, I was able to make some very good saves throughout the half, though the half ended in a 0-7 score. I got to play field then. Halfway through I went on a run, seeing my buddie Stu put a nice ball through two defenders and was able to get there before the keeper, putting it into the back of the net. Now it was 8-1. Game ended 10-2 (with another goal scored by us!).

Game 2: The second game was against the Saint Joseph team. We hung with them for most of the game, though the ref sucked. Elbows were flung quite a few times, giving me a bruise above my eye. Most of there players were fine, but a few needed some sportsmanship lessons. We were in a rec league, and were the two worst teams in our bracket, let alone the division. Not worth cracking a skull to get third instead of fourth in the bracket....only the top team moves on. Game ended I think 1-4. We lose again, but at least it was a match.

Game 3: The third game we played was on a much smaller field. We played KC United. We started playing very hard, getting as many chances as them and it finally paid off. We scored. Half ended 1-0. Good yeah? Not so fast. The second half started and we took a turn for the worst or they did for the better. One of their players, I guess finally decided it was time to play and made us pay dearly. Four goals in the first five minutes of the second half making it 1-4. We lost our momentum from there even more. Game ended in a 2-9 score.
Though we lost horribly, I figured we wouldn't win and was going for the fun of it and the exercise. Got to play ball again with people I like that actually like playing. And guess what, short of people complaining of the pain of injuries and being out of shape, I heard no complaints. 10-2, 9-2, 4-1. Serious beat downs, and yet nobody wanted the other team to let up once and nobody gave up. Novel concept.
What did I gain from all of this you ask? I got a t-shirt, a rolled swollen ankle, a few abrasions on my left arm, and a bruise over my eye. Not too bad of a deal. Man, I really must love soccer. By the end of it all, it felt like I had wrestled a 500 lb. man who had everything on the line. Soccer is great.

Oak Island (Southport), NC

Spent a week in Oak Island which is near Southport, NC. A large crowd of family of about 11 people went. Very relaxing place. We do lots of eating out (lots of seafood). My favorite restaurant is called the Provision. It's located on the waterfront in Southport. Fabulous food in an interesting setting. The week was spent playing games, playing in the warm ocean, and eating. Not a bad way to spend the week when you are in a house overlooking the ocean. The beach is not crowded, unless you're very near a pier. If you are going here, enjoy. It's not a huge tourist destination like many places in Florida, so you get a calmer atmosphere, but the beach is still there, and so is a lot more seafood.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

I arrived at Cape Hatteras (outer banks) area starting at the northern end by Whalebone Junction. I went to the visitor center at the start of this area. There I picked up several maps and spoke with the ranger there. I asked if I could go ahead and book a ferry ride from Ocracoke Island (the island furthest south) to the mainland area. This is the only way off the outer banks if your do not come back up to the northern most start point where I currently was. After a brief phone call, I was told that the ferry was booked up for the duration of the day and there was no way of catching a ferry to the mainland. I pondered this for a minute then said that it was okay, I would camp for the night on the outer banks and take the ferry the next day. After a brief moment on the phone again, the ranger told me that I had no chance. The ferry was booked through the weekend and the only way for me to go down the outer banks was to come right back out the way I came in (only to go directly back south on the mainland to get to Wilmington, NC). I accepted my fate and proceeded down the outer banks visting several beach spots along the way. I visited Bodie Island lighthouse, which was my favorite along the chain, only to be greeted rudely because I appeared five minutes after the lighthouse center opened. Apparently the ranger at that station believed that nobody should be allowed in the visotr center when it opened, but would have to wait another 30 minutes or so till he was ready. I went in anyway. It was my vacation. The building stated it opened at 9, I got there at 9:08. I enjoyed the view of the lighthouse, then carried on down the outer banks many more miles for a couple of hours till I reached Cape Hatteras lighthouse. It was very grand and tall, and had been moved from its original location to its present due to the land deteriorating. It was very nice to look at. I reached the end of the island and decided not to take a free ferry to ocracoke due to time constraints. I ate at a local chain crab shack, then proceeded back up the chain. After several more hours of driving, I reached the top and went acros the mainland only to take back roads all the way to Wilmington, NC to pick up Kate at the airport. After picking up Kate, we proceeded to Oak Island near Southport where I currently am.

Thoughts on Outer Banks area: Beautiful scenery, beautiful beach, interesting lighthouses, but very insufficient travel possibilities. The ferry's should run more frequently allowing people to come and go more easily. I don't think this would be too hard to get done. A little effort on the ferry system and everyone could have a much more enjoyable time. But I had fun in the oceanside setting. Very nice.

Assateague Island National Seashore

Assateague Island National Seashore was the next stop on my journey east....finally getting to the coast. Assateague Island stretches north to south along the border of Maryland and Virginia. The unique thing about this sandy seashore is that wild horses live on the island. The horses can sometimes be seen along the roadside going down the island, causing quite the traffic jam. As soon as I got on the island I saw a group of horses off the side of the road, which was very cool to see. I checked in at the ranger station for my campsite and proceeded to my spot. I was in an ocean side campsite, which meant that I had to walk about 100 yards from the car down a boardwalk to where I could set up my tent. I set up my tent at my spot and carried wood for a fire when it got dark and proceeded to the beach which was just over a sand dune from my tent. After a few minutes a storm was quickly approaching that luckily I had advanced warning of. I went to dinner just off the island at some local crab shack. Food was not too bad, but not too fond of dining alone because of everybody looking at you. I returned to camp after the storm was over which was still before dark. I chilled on the beach for the last remaining sunlight and then went for another drive down the island, seeing several more horses. I went back to camp, started a fire and chilled for a while before going to bed. I woke up at about 1 am due to strong winds blowing sand into my tent from under the rain cover. I tried to go back to sleep till 2 am, and after wiping the sand off of me, got out of then tent. A strong wind was blowing sand everywhere ripping some people's tents from the ground stakes they had in place. My tent was holding strong, but the sand being blown in was too much. After seeing many people scrambling to pack up at 2 am, I decided that was also my only option. I did, in fact, have many hours of driving ahead of me the next day. A very cold breeze came over the beach followed by even darker clouds with lightning. I packed in a hurry and headed to the nearest city, Ocean City, Maryland. After trying about 6 hotels, finally found one with vacancy. I paid the overpriced fee and went to sleep after showering to get the sand off of me. It was a restful sleep, as I slept till about 11:30 am. The room was not nice, but it had a bed and that's all that I cared at the time.

Thoughts on Assateague: I liked Assateague very much. You get beach atmosphere which is lovely and a bonus of wild horses roaming about the island. Not too much more to say about the place. Very pretty. I just had quite a bit of bad weather luck (which is my norm when it comes to tent camping). Other than that, very pleasant place.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. was my next stop on my journey. Hate it!!!! I don't think I'll go back. Parking was awful, traffic was awful, and the sites were exactly as they appear on any television set or movie screen. Seen it all before. I have nothing good to say about the place. If you're planning a trip to D.C., my first idea is think again! If you decide against my judgement anyway, please do not go it as a lone tourist. Go with some sort of group tour or group that has a good idea of where everything is and has a good plan to get things done. Without these, I think you'll get lost in a see of tourists, never accomplishing the things that you want to do or see. In my journey through D.C., I saw the sites I wanted to see, but from my car with no pictures gained. I saw the White House, Washington Memorial and the reflecting pool and many other federal buildings.

Thought on D.C.: Hate it! Won't go back unforced. Nothing good to say about it. An overcrowded area with lack of parking and lack of good structure for tourists wanting to see the capitol of their nation. Glad I can say I've been there, but glad about nothing else in the place.

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park was the first stop on my journey to the east coast. It was about a 7 hour drive from home to the southern end of the park. The park only has one road that goes through it and it is known as Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive is a famous winding road that stretches 105 miles through Shenandoah from one end to the other. I began at the southern end and worked my way north. Along the way there are overlooks too many to be counted. I began stopping and looking at the landscape of each. I decided that I was early enough to hike a short trail along my route. I hiked a trail known as Jone's Run. It was a 3 1/2 mile hike round trip to a 40 foot waterfall. The trail wound downhill very quickly and after about an hour or so, I reached the waterfall. I have seen much more impressive. There was not a lot of water flowing over the falls due to it being the peak of the summer. After a few minutes and a few pictures, I began the arduous journey back to the car. After about 1.75 hours, I reached my end, very out of breath. Come to find out, the climb back out is approximately 1000 ft within about 1.5 miles. That's steep. I reached my campground at Big Meadows campground around 6-7 p.m. and quickly set up tent and the rest of my camp, seeing deer very nearby in the woods. I met my tent neighbor, later known as Lisa and her 5 year old son Josh. They were very nice. I then went to the lodge bar and listened to some local music (not very good). I went back to camp to find Lisa by herself in front of a campfire, and went over and joined her. We sat by the fire and drank a couple Yuengling's in the course of two hours till midnight. Went to bed, and began the rest of my journey out of the park the next morning, continuing to stop at each overlook along the way. I did no more hiking as I was in somewhat of a hurry to get to my next destination. I found my way out of the park by early noon.

Thoughts on Shenandoah: I believe Shenandoah was a very nice park, especially for those that go there to hike. If you don't have a lot of time to hike, it doesn't seem to be as nice as it could be. It was not crowded when I was there (weekdays) as opposed to what I have heard about the crowds there. The views were nice from the overlooks, but I believe it is a hikers place. If you don't plan to do a lot of hiking, there are other parks I would suggest first. Most trails require several miles to see anything resembling a worthwhile feature. Be prepared for this. But a pretty park nonetheless.

Vacation Time:

I am going on vacation starting early tomorrow. Lots of driving, hiking, and lots of different places are on my route. I plan to see Shenandoah NP, Washington D.C., Assateague Island NS, and several other places along the outer banks. My trip will come to a one week halt in Southport, NC staying in a beach house with many others, then will continue going to Missouri where I get to play in a state soccer tournament. I'm am sure I will have lots to write about when I get back. Keep checking back, cause I don't know if I may find somewhere with Internet in between.

TDI: Tactical Defense Institute

Went to this place for the second time now last week. It is a 186 acre area with many different firing ranges and live fire houses. This place is world renowned for its quality. West Point sends their pistol team to the owner every year. Owner's name is John Benner (spelling may be wrong). He is one of those guys that knows everything, but is very humble about it. He's a very good shooter and good at teaching it.

We started on the beginner range with metal targets from short range doing draws from the holster, timing our shooting. The two instructors went around trying to correct problems they saw. They kept watching me a lot, but never said anything to me. After a couple of hours of this, we moved to different areas. Those that had been to TDI before moved to the "live fire" house. Basically set up with walls like a building and has doors and hallways and everything you may find in these buildings. You go through searching the building (very tactically) with a partner and if you encounter a "bad guy" (target) with a gun, you put a couple rounds into them. Some are very tricky in tight corners. Some targets are tricky (one was pregnant lady with gun pointed at you from her waist). Very tough and stressful going through these houses because it is live fire shooting left, right and forward. Have to make sure you know where your rounds are going.
Then we moved to the upper range which was the most fun. Metal targets set up at the end of the field. At the front of the field is a large ply wood wall with shapes cut out of it (triangles, rectangles, and squares). In between the wall and the targets were obstacles you may be able to hide behind. Instructor calls out a shape and you have to shoot the metal targets at the end of the field through the shape, moving along the wall shooting through each. In the middle of the wall is a staircase going up the wall and ramp going down. This may cause you to lay down shooting, kneel, or stand up depending on the shape and your height. At the end of the wall you run to different obstacles firing up the metal targets at the end of the field. The whole scenario takes about 4-5 minutes and is extremely tiring. That was the end of our day after a couple hours in this field.
It is kind of wonderful that I have a job that not only pays for me to go to these things, but pays me to go. Beautiful day, lots of shooting, what more fun could there be.

Justin's take on "Origins: International Board Gaming Convention"

Yeah, what Josh said.

No, really I had a good time too. It was fun to play a lot of different board games. I don't think I was nearly as into it as one could be to get maximum satisfaction out of the convention as the LARP's were, but fun non-the less. Price was on the very steep side to be going to a place to play board games. Don't think we were able to get enough in in one full day to make it worth the money. Games were fun, but it took quite a while to learn the rules and how to play each, so that took up a while. Each of the games we played had their ups and downs I thought, but were very different from each other. All in all a good time playing games, but price was too high for me to want to try it again. I'd be just as satisfied playing at Josh and Sarah's. But a fun experience regardless. And I got to see some vampire chick's butt.

Traffic Pursuit #2

Responded to assist a bordering agency with a traffic pursuit nearby. Vehicle fled officer's traffic stop after he stepped toward the car. Vehicle soon crashed over an embankment on a residential street. When pursuing officer caught up, driver had fled into the woods. K9 was turned loose to chase, but was unsuccessful in finding culprit. Perimeter was set up to start a track with the K9, but turned no results. Car was impounded with investigation to follow.

Traffic Pursuit

While on a traffic stop, a fellow officer called out that a vehicle was fleeing from him. Let my stop go and responded to the area of the pursuit. Vehicle stopped on a residential street without warning after running stop signs and crashing into one. Myself and fellow officer conducted a felony stop (where you get them out one by one at gunpoint, handcuffing each). Turns out that the driver was a 17 year old with no license and no insurance. That's it. They hadn't killed anyone or been involved in any illicit activities. The pursuing officer only noticed the vehicle after it squealed its tires in reverse, ran over a stop sign, then squealed its tires again trying to get away from the cop. That's when he turned on his lights and siren. Had he not fled so quickly and recklessly, the cop wouldn't have even gone toward the vehicle. Driver was charged with: fleeing and eluding police, reckless operation, stop sign violation, driving without valid license, and failure to obey law enforcement official. The two passengers were released. Had the officer pulled them over without fleeing, the driver would have been cited for having no license and released. Not so lucky now.

Domestic: Don't Mess with My Mom

Responded to a call of a father that had been assaulted by his son. Upon arrival, found "Joe", the father, who had his skull bashed in, causing severe bleeding to the head and neck region. Joe did not realize that his condition was this bad and was requesting that our life squad not respond. We didn't listen. While speaking with Joe, a car pulled into the driveway with a teenage boy, "Mark", and a female,"Mary". Found out that Mary is married to Joe and Mark is Mary's son (Joe's step-son). After attempting to sort the situation out, here's what happened. Joe and Mary were in their bedroom. They began to argue, ending in Joe slapping Mary. Mary yelled "don't hit me." Mark, hearing his mom, entered their bedroom and began beating Joe (who was twice his size) nearly to death. Joe was transported to the hospital where he received numerous stitches/staples and went through cat cans and x-rays finding broken ribs and fractured skull. Mark was arrested at the scene for domestic violence for nearly killing his step-father by beating him. Joe was also later arrested for domestic violence upon release from the hospital for slapping Mary. What did we all learn from this situation. Don't mess with some one's mom. I think Joe will think twice about slapping someone again.

Welcome

Well, to start off with, I just wanted to welcome everyone to my posts. A couple individuals said that I should start writing posts on all the crazy things that happen to me at work, in my life, and write other posts about whatever randomness comes to mind. Because I have such a horrible memory, I figured this would be a good idea in case I forget to include anyone in my storytelling. Any stories that you read will be actual events. Some may have details thrown out and names changed to protect people that have not yet been found guilty in court. However, I will make sure you get the good parts. I have work tomorrow night, so my stories may begin soon. Again, hope everyone enjoys. If you think someone else should be added to my list of people that are able to read my posts, let me know and I can add their email. Enjoy.