The Cavalry Stetson

It's been a while since I wore one of these, and the legend and lore of the Cavalry Stetson is strong in my blood.  While the Stetson hat is closely associated with the Cavalry, the pure history is that John Stetson didn't begin making hats until 1885.  Prior to that time, the Cav wore hats from other makers.  So, from an historical perspective, the Cav Stetson didn't exist prior to then.

However, the Cavalry wore hats, generally wool felt, or fur felt, and the hats were generally black.  During the 1880's or 1890s they wore varying colors, including tan.  But, the classic Cavalry Stetson is a black felt hat of the western style.  Crown styles vary, even today.  You see the Cattleman, Brick, or Gambler style. Occasionally a pinched front, but styles vary even today.  The pure truth is that Stetson didn't start making hats until 1885.

I graduated from the Cavalry course in 1985, as a portion of the Armor Officer Advance Course.  I am qualified to wear a Cavalry Stetson.  When I joined the CFDA in March of this year, I wanted an alias that I would immediately and instinctively answer to .  My soldiers called me Major D for eight years.  It was a name I'd answer to in a whisper or a shout.  I took Major D as my CFDA alias.

Three weeks ago, Milady bough me a black felt hat.  Game on.  It was time to build my Cavalry hat.  I clicked on the US Cavalry Store and found the proper brass and hat cord.

It's been a while, but there's a Cav hat back on my hat rack.  I feel pretty damned good about that.

Let's Talk About This

It was a rough week, with three officers tragically killed.  We started off with Trooper Steven Vincent, gunned down on the side of a Louisiana road, then we followed up with Officer Henry Nelson was killed while responding to a domestic incident.  Finally, we learned that Harris County deputy Darren Goforth was killed at while pumping gas into his car.

Three police officers killed in the space of a week, within 200 miles of each other.  The local law enforcement community is in a state of shock.  We're saddened and angered, and mourning.  Yet, we put on our boots every morning and go to work.

They used to say that a police officer could expect to work twenty years and not draw his service pistol  I don't know if that's the case.  I've been a cop for 34 years and I've never been in a gunfight.  But, I've buried brother  officers.  Several of them.  Two that worked directly for me, both murdered in their prime.I'm no stranger to being a pall-bearer for a brother officer.

There is generally no common thread that binds these tragedies.  Each of the above incidents are purely individual, with differing motives and participants.  It's just that they came so closely together that the human mind tries to assign a commonality to them.  If there is any commonality to these three incidents, it is that it happened to police officers in the same week.  A State Trooper, a City Policeman, and a County Deputy, all killed in the space of the week.  The only commonality is that we notice, we pray, and we mourn.  We try to comfort those left to deal with the aftermath, and we try to serve justice.

It's tough being a cop right now.  Our president hates us, really he does.  Since his first pronouncement in 2009 that the police acted stupidly, he has put us down at every opportunity.  He really doesn't like the police.  He didn't help in Ferguson, or Charleston, or Virginia and his silence is deafening as regards the three officers killed last week. But that's okay, we're comfortable in his contempt.  We hold him in much the same regard.

For myself and my brothers and sisters who wear the badge, we'll keep on serving.  Most of us serve simply because we like helping people.  I like being friendly, and courteous, and helping people who need help. I can't imagine not being a cop.  And, just as once I couldn't imagine not being a soldier, one day I'll put the badge in a shadow box and hang it on the wall.

But, in the meantime, I have one request.  If you feel a burning need to kill a cop, go get mental help.  Don't be a coward, like those three guys last week.  Man up, admit you have a problem, and get some help.  Because, frankly, we're a little edgy right now.

Shottist

No, that's not a mis-spelling, that's a word.  Shottist.  I was scrolling through Cooper's Commentaries this morning and stumbled across the word.

I have had the opportunity now for a couple of years to evaluate the Glock pistol with sufficient care to give me justification in an opinion. I have not used one much myself, but just enough to know that it is not for me. However, I have some good friends in law enforcement who have pretty much set matters straight. My conclusion is that the Glock pistol is a very good choice for hired hands, but not for serious pistoleros. Its proper place lies in the public sector, and the dedicated shottist is rarely found therein. (Note: That is shottist rather than shootist. Look it up.)

So, I clicked over to the Oxford Dictionary to look up the word.  Sure enough.

shottist: noun - South African: A person who is skilled in shooting and takes part in shooting competitions.

So, it's in the Oxford Dictionary of the English language, and has a South African origin.

Of course, we all remember the John Wayne movie, The Shootist, where he played an aging gunfighter battling a fatal cancer.

And, in CFDA, we have a Shootist category, where the participants use revolvers with long barrels:

The Shootist category is for competitors that use Slim Jim Holsters and revolvers with a minimum barrel length of 7-1/2”.

 Interesting the way the language changes over time, and the regional variations.  I'm not suggesting that we change the category, nor the various club names, but I found it interesting that Cooper used the term Shottist, which is decidedly archaic, over the more familiar shootist.

I also note with some interest that Cooper disdained the Glock for a dedicated pistolero, saying that it was more suited to hired hands.  If Cooper was nothing else, he was educated in firearms, and he was opinionated.

Graphics

I talked earlier about my daughter-in-law who does graphic design.  She helped me with our Thorn Valley logo. I needed a B/W logo that we could use on flyers and such, easily printed with a common desktop printer.  After she did the work, I asked her to colorize it and gave her full creative license to work her magic on our logo.

I think she did great!  The more I look at it, the more little details I see.  Lots of little shadings and color shifts.  Of course, you can click on the pic for a bigger view.

Good work, Kimmie!  You are da bomb!

TGIF

Thank God It's Friday, the end of the workaday week.  Saturday is the club shoot, and Sunday we're feeding the kids, so we'll have a fun-filled weekend of frolic and adventure.

I'll leave you with this little .gif, cautioning everyone to be careful this weekend.

Oh, my.  Y'all have fun this weekend, but be careful  Tip of the hat to Wirecutter for the gif.

Another One Gone

While I was playing in the backyard yesterday, another fatal drama was playing out in St. Landry parish.  I learn this morning that another police officer was killed yesterday in Sunset, LA.

Two sisters of Grand Coteau Interim Mayor Shaterral Johnson were stabbed while trying to stop 35-year-old Harrison Lee Riley Jr., of Arnaudville, from stabbing his wife, Courtney Jolivette. Despite earlier miscommunication, one of the sisters, 40-year-old Shameka Johnson, and Officer Henry Nelson both died on the scene. 

 51-year-old Nelson was responding to the scene of a stabbing on Anna Street when he was shot by Riley with his own gun. According to the sheriff, Riley had taken the gun from Nelson during a confrontation. 

The suspect is in custody after a stand-off at a local mini-mart.

We offer prayers for Officer Henry Nelson.  Domestic incidents claim lots of good officers, and it seems that Officer Nelson's death is the result of such a disturbance.

I'll be wearing the mourning band on the badge for another few days.  Just Damn!

Wednesday Night Shoot

We set up the targets this afternoon and had a little Wednesday night shoot.  Invited the neighbor, strapped him up, and let him try his hand at Cowboy Fast Draw.  Milady and I enjoy showing new folks our game, and while the neighbor is not a new shooter, it's the first time he has shot wax bullets at steel targets in the backyard.

He shot 50 rounds, and in just a few cylinders, he was hitting in the 7s with an occasional hit down in the 6s (that's six-tenths of a second).  Good eye for the game on his first time on the line.

This Wednesday night shoot might become a regular thing.  We'll see if he stays interested.

Growing The Club

Growing the club is one of our goals for this year.  Several of us have been working on the things that other people see, so that we can get our name in the public eye.  Our club president came up with a nice logo, and we're trying to make brochures that are unique to the club, while still meeting the association guidelines.

One of our objectives is low-cost, simple black and white printing that can be accomplished on any home printer.   Or, at least cost at a print shop.  Sure, color brochures are wonderful visually, but black and white is so much more economical.  We're a small club right now and any money we can save on printing costs is money we can spend on other things.

I'm putting together a little 3-column  brochure that can be printed on a single piece of copy paper.  My editing skills are such that Milady proofreads my drafts, makes corrections, and layout decisions.  I'm learning about fonts, column styles, page breaks, and all manner of things that I didn't know I needed to learn.

Being the old dog that I am, I've had to learn on family.  My daughter-in-law Kim does graphic design for a living, and she's been a wonderful help to me.  Almost before I can explain the problem, she has it solved, on the screen before me.  Each of my kids, and their spouses has separate talents and I don't think that there is anything we can't accomplish.  The strength of my family and the depth of our collective talent amazes me.

Thanks, Kim, for helping this old dog learn new tricks.

Tuesday Thoughts

Keeping a weather eye on the Atlantic and Caribbean, we find that a disturbance we watched earlier has morphed into a tropical storm.  After Danny came apart, Erika formed east of the Leeward Islands.

She's the latest in the line, and we hope that she dies early.  However, we're starting to see these things pop up and we best keep an eye on the tropics.  Right now, the storm track is predicting she'll head toward the east coast of Florida, but I've seen these things break predictions.  We'll keep our eye on her.

It looks as if "Crazy Uncle" Joe Biden is considering another run for the White House.  According to CNN, Obama has given Joe his blessing.  We learned yesterday that Biden had confab'd with "Faux Princess" Warren.  It looks like a Biden-Warren ticket might be in the offing.  I"m sure that Hillary will be pissed, but if the investigation goes wrong, (or goes well, depending on your point of view), the least of Hillary's problems will be the presidential race.  She'll do well to stay out of prison.

On the Republican side of the race, it continues to be a clown circus.  We're in the three-ring stage of this circus, and the less said, the better.

Last, but certainly not least, I see in a report from last month that the military is banning fried food:

The Navy Times reported that there will be no more fried chicken, french fries and shrimp. Instead these foods will be baked in “state of the art ovens.”“Whole milk will be replaced by skim and soy; fruits and vegetables will be on prominent display,” the report noted. “The fast line will remain, but its offerings will be cut back.

What the hell is going on in my military?  That's simply heresy!

In The Mail

I find today on my doorstep, a package from the Displaced Louisiana Guy.  Milady's holster has arrived.  She's been jonesing for a black holster, because it would look so good with her black boots and her new gun.  Matter of fact, it would look good with her old gun and turquoise grips.

It's a straight-drop Mexican loop holster, black, with teal stitching, and our brand on the loop.  Very nicely done.  It's period correct in many details, and fits the revolver nicely. It has that handcrafted look that everyone admires, and seems very functional.

Milady will be pleased.  Thanks, son.  Let me know what I owe you.

**UPDATE** Milady is truly pleased.  Life is good.

Officer Down

I have just learned with much grief and sadness that Senior Trooper Steven Vincent has succumbed to his wounds.  Sr. Trooper Vincent was shot yesterday near Lake Charles during a traffic stop.  He was a 13-year veteran of the force and leaves a wife and son.

Police officers all over Louisiana are now adding mourning bands to their badges.  A suspect is in custody.

Please take a moment and say a prayer for Trooper Vincent, his wife and son.

Sapling Maple Whiskey

My brother David is in town for the day, and he brought me two bottles of Vermont whiskey.  Maple whiskey.  Seriously.

The bottle on the left is labeled Vermont Maple Rye Whiskey.  The bottle on the right is labeled Maple Bourbon.  Like most of us on the intertubes I came home and Googled it.  Sapling whiskey is produced at  Saxtons River Distillery in Brattleboro, Vermont.  It is maple infused whiskey, and no, I haven't tasted it.  I told David that I'd wait until Autumn, and try it as I sit near a fire.  There is a review here.

Thanks, David.  I'll sample then when the weather cools.  Good to see you and the girls today, and y'all be careful on the drive home.

Tropical Update

As predicted, Danny has weakened to a tropical storm.  He still bears watching because these things are known to pick up steam as they travel across warm water.  We'll keep a weather eye on him until he ceases to become a threat.

I see that another tropical wave has come out of the desert in Africa.  The one we talked about earlier has changed color on the map, from yellow to amber.  That means there is a 50% chance of cyclone activity in the next 48 hours.  Both of those yellow Xs bear watching because they're on the line of storms that become hurricanes.  It's that time of year in the tropics and we'd best pay attention.

Sunday Morning Dawg

Beau has been spending a lot of time relaxing on the back porch.

There's noting wrong with hanging out on the back porch.

Club Shoot

Saturday afternoons are club shoot days at the Thorn Valley Shootists Society, my home club.  We're a small club and we were only affiliated earlier this year, but we're growing, one member at a time.

We shoot in a barn at the Lucky 4B Ranch, im Melder, LA.  The owners of the place are very accomodating, letting us use a portion of the barn as an indoor range, which is a huge help in Louisiana.  Normally lately, it rains while we're shooting, as it did today.  We had a pop-up shower fall across us, but except for the sound of the rain on the tin, we never knew about it.

Paula and Art behind the scorer's table.  We take turns "talking", calling times and working the timers.

That's Akarate Zach (Zachary King) in lane 1, and Gator (Roland Scallion) in lane 2.  This game is for everyone.  I imagine that 50 years separate Zach and Gator, and they're about even in ability.

Zach is getting better.  He was really consistent in the 8s (that's 8/10ths of a second) and was hitting really well.  Zach met my cousin Denise today.  Denise shoots in the club as well, and when Zach found out she was kin, he had to challenge her to a duel.  Denise said that Zach kept giving her the "stink-eye" when the times didn't go his way.

Some people play golf, or watch sports on Saturday afternoon.  My crew?  We get into gunfights.

Danny Weakens

From what I'm reading, Hurricane Danny is a compact storm, barely 60 miles across with hurricane force winds extending only 15 miles from the center.  Although he flirted with Cat3 status, he's expected to weaken as he approaches the Leeward Islands.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 100 mph (155 km/h) with higher gusts.  Additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Danny is expected to become a tropical storm on Sunday as it approaches the Leeward Islands.

That's good news, but we can't take him off the radar yet.  He bears watching, and watching closely.  However, the graphic that goes with the discussion shows a disturbance following closely behind him.

 Hurricanes are born in the Sahara Desert.  Tropical waves that come out of the desert and find homes in the warm waters of the tropical Atlantic ocean.  They chug along, some gathering strength, some falling apart, depending on the warmth of the water, the steering of the jet stream, and other meteorological phenomena that are very individual to each storm.  That yellow X to the east of Danny bears watching.

Reminds Me Of A Story

Talking wiht a non-cop coworker today, we were discussing justifiable violence and I was reminded of a story from my young cop days.

Mid 1980s, near Chinquapin, LA, we got a call about a gunshot victim near the Brickyard, an area on the outskirs of town.  The Brickyard was a mixed area, residence and light industry, no real zoning to speak of.  We went out there and found a young gunshot victim in a ditch.  He was still alive and very vocal.  Some sumbitch had shot him twice in the leg and left him laying in the ditch.

Okay, fine.  He was sure enough gunshot, and he was in a ditch, but his story didn't ring true.  This fellow was in his late teens/early 20s and was one of our "usual suspects", very well known to the police.  He told us an old man had shot him, and walked down the road.

While the ambulance was tending to him prior to transport to the hospital, the young fellow points.  "There's the guy who shot me."

We looked up, and here comes an old pensioner, with a cane, walking up the street, carrying a sack full of Honey Buns.  The old man had just come from the day-old bread store.  We stopped him and talked to him.

"Yessir" the old fellow said, "I shot him, sure did.  I was walking to the day-old store to get some Honey Buns, and this young fellow said he'd whip my ass and take my money, so I pulled out my .22 and shot him in the leg."

We took the old man down to the station, and took his statement.  When asked why he didn't call an ambulance, he retorted "He wouldn't have called an ambulance after he left me laying in the ditch!" Which, I suppose, has a certain truth to it.

We didn't arrest the old man, but we did take the case to the District Attorney, who I understand later declined to prosecute.

There's not much moral here to this little fable, but I wrote it down just like I remember it, and we shouldn't take any valuable lesson from it.  This is a different time with different expectations.

Thursday Odds n' Ends

I've got to brag on the US Postal Service.  When I order something and they tell me it's coming via USPS, I generally groan, but here lately they are stepping up their game.  The last three or four orders have gotten here early.

For example, I ordered some wax bullets from the CFDA.  I got a shipping notice telling me that they'd be here Friday, and when I got home I found them on the doorstep a full day early, on Thursday.  We shoot a lot of wax bullets and when I get down to the last 500, I re-order.  They can put 4000 wax bullets in a medium flat rate box.

If you've ever wondered what 4000 wax bullets looks like, they're bulk packed.

I repack them into zipper storage bags, and I can get 500 into a quart-size bag, which is handy when I'm taking inventory.  The quart bags fit very nicely into the shooting bag, also.

Someone asked earlier this week about The Dawg.  I've been remiss in posting a Sunday Dawg, but he's doing fine.  He's achieved senior status.  He's going a little bit blind, and he's slowing down some, but otherwise he's okay.

I took that picture this afternoon while he was exploring something on the other side of the pool.

Speaking of livestock, I thought we had lost a cat today.  I saw this pose while I was snapping the Dawg, and thought the cat had died.

Eyes half-open, distressed pose, I went over an nudged him with my foot.  Asleep.  The cat was simply asleep.  I thought someone had kilt him, and he barely made it over the fence before he expired.  No, just napping.  He's about worthless, although he is a pretty good mouser.  As long as he keeps the mice nervous, he can hang around here.

Here Comes Danny

Welcome Tropical Storm Danny to the 2015 hurricane season.  Nola.com reports that Danny is forecast to become a hurricane soon.

It's too soon to tell where Danny might be headed, or where he'll wind up, But, here in Louisiana we keep track of such things.  PawPaw will be keeping an eye on this one, and generally keeping an eye at the National Hurricane Center.  It's one of my daily reads this time of year.

It's mid August.  You bet'cha I'll be paying attention till the end of September.

Blue Bell

The little creamery from Brenham, TX has had their problems recently, with a listeria problem in one or more of their plants.

I love Blue Bell ice cream, and I hope that they get their problems solved.  There is hope, because I saw last week that Blue Bell is hipping out of their Alabama plant.   There is hope, and I hope we soon see Blue Bell back on the shelves.  Don't talk to me about Ben &Jerry's or Haagen Dazs.  If you want ice cream, it's Blue Bell.

C'mon, Blue Bell, get your act together.  We believe in you.  If it isn't Blue Bell, it isn't ice cream.