Stopped in Stamford

Dumb Old Dad had grand plans for heading into THE BIG CITY to see the sights and eat 5 hamburgers and drink 12 milkshakes, catch 3 foul balls, and ride 7 subway trains.  But just as he was passing the docks, he once again heard rustling in his backpack.  I bet I'm about to get an earful, thought Dumb Old Dad.

From inside the backpack, Salty shouted, "Bust my buffers! What are you doing!?"

"Everything!" yelled Dumb Old Dad.  "I've got a lot of stuff to do.  Like eat 5 hamburgers and drink 12 milkshakes and catch 3 foul balls and ride 7 subway trains!  We can't just sit here.  It's a nice day!"

Salty screamed, "Bollards!  You need to sit on this bench, watch the birds and think about the boy and Mean Old Mom!"

"Good point!  Now let's stop yelling at each other!" bellowed Dad.

Dad took Salty out of his backpack.  Salty smiled and he and Dumb Old Dad sat down on a bench by the bay.  While most of the birds had flown away due to the strange man who was shouting into his backpack, there were 4 geese still splashing in the water.  Dad and Salty watched them splash, thought about the Ciaran boy and Mean Old Mom, and promised never to shout at each other again.

Graduating from the Western New Jersey Military School for Naval Gentlemen

Upon arriving in New Jersey, at least 3 different people warned me about the New Jersey Devil, a winged creature of pre-revolutionary origin that supposedly stalks the Pine Barrens and makes sasquatch look like a tenderhearted hydroponic gardener.  And while the woods were thick with vegetation and trembling with deer ticks, what I found at Fort Dix was really a variety of discrete military experiences that will hopefully synthesize themselves into decisive action should something unpleasant happen. I can't say that I'm particularly expert, but I can theoretically shoot guns, read terrain, put on gas masks, apply tourniquets, and identify explosives.  And that's kind of cool. But mostly scary in its necessity.

Not really sure why some people are obsessed with having these things.   They are a pain to keep clean and American democracy is not that fragile.