Family Values


There aren’t any liberals in my family. I have a daughter who is more liberal than I am, but even she is a raging conservative. Thus, the political arguments are largely a matter degree. Should the border wall be 35 feet high or 100 feet high? Should we lay landmines along the border or just use the Border Patrol? Are we facing a new ice age or is it ‘just a wet year’? Things like that cross the table from time to time. Should there be mandatory military service or is a volunteer military ok? Should those who burn the American flag have their arms ripped off and used to beat them to death, or is a major ass whipping good enough?

Road Tripping

We stuffed them all into a Toyota FJ Cruiser

(above) My daughter, Amanda, and I set out for Jack’s Canyon (near Blue Ridge, AZ). It’s a popular spot for climbers. There were some very large mountain lion tracks and I took this photo of her. We returned with family about twenty minutes later and there was lion scat where she is standing in the photo and more fresh lion tracks. As has been reported on this blog. Sometimes you stalk the lion and sometimes the lion stalks you.

There were a number of interesting moments when I took the rig to demonstrate what it can do in some challenging situations. I’ve had this FJ for eleven years now, and know what it can do so it wasn’t puckering for me, but the kids had a different take.

We happened on elk skeletons and the boys had to play with the bones. Boys will be boys.
Then I spotted a swing hanging from a tall pine. Somebody made it sometime in the past and the boys took turns swinging. I think that they could have spent a large portion of the afternoon doing nothing but swinging.
There were a few other treasures (elk skull, rock that looked like an Indian arrowhead, but wasn’t and so forth) discovered along the way. It’s all just down the road for me but the grandsons had a splendid time. I have another crew of grandsons on the way to the house. I’ll have to introduce those boys to the swing.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. I'm sure you were 'prepared'… And you're NOT the top of the food chain out there, as we well know.

  2. Awesome day!
    I imagine you were not unarmed on the trip.
    Hope the weather is just a good for the next crew visit. 🙂

  3. Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Casull. It will stop a grizzly and it will stop a mountain lion. But it was yet another reminder that I was in their house, and they play their games. I also play mine.

  4. We have had a good few days. Time for them to pack and head back to all the madness.

    No, I literally carry everywhere. At night, I'm never more than a reach from defensive preparations. Overseas, I usually have somebody meet the plane with appropriate work tools. If you act like an alpha male, you have to be able to deliver.

    These particular lion tracks were huge. I don't think that it was a jaguar, but the tracks were big enough.

  5. Sounds like a great time, and with bones. How cool.

    Gotta watch out for accidentally picking up Injun arrowheads. Department of the Interior gets seriously arsed up over touching 'ancient relics.' Had a good friend who got on the wrong side of them for picking up arrowheads out of the rocks and spoil the County was spreading on the road.

    Other than that, yes, it is always amazing to newbies how off-road an off-roader can go.

  6. Grandsons are so much fun! I can hardly wait until ours is older and I can do 'Grandpa Stuff' like take him fishing.

    When we go out to 'the country', I have my 1911, the wife's 357, and my 870 with slugs in it.

    She thought it was unnecessary, then humorous, and then she heard of the bear attacks and that guy who killed the attacking lion just a couple of miles from here.

    Now she helps load the car…..

  7. Glad to hear your family is 100% rational. I wish mine was. The wife is a reformed democrat, meaning that even though she's still registered as one, she hasn't voted for one in a number of years. My younger brother on the other hand, is something of a loon politically speaking. Surprisingly he is with the good guys on the firearms issue, so they may be hope that it'll dawn on him just how nutty the people he votes for are.

  8. Sounds like a good day was had by all, glad you didn't get eaten by liona and the boys had a good swing.

    Our crew is pretty sensible, as you know, but my sister in law thinks the South was bad and statues of General Lee need to be removed.

    And replaced by what? Juicy Smollet, Kamala Harris? I correct the error, obvs.

  10. Good to hear the hovel is in operation for it's primary purpose!

    Armed is always better, but there'd have to be something wrong with an American lion, for it to go after a group of people… too much chance not all of them are Democrats.

    They didn't almost make us extinct, after all.
    -Kle.

  12. Big cats (and even little cats) instinctively stalk interlopers into their turf. In this case, there was curiosity and then the "mark" left overlapping our scent to remind all who ruled there.

  13. Replace them with statues of TRUMP – if you want to tear the venerable statues down… or Reagan. Just think of a million statues of Trump going up across America. The progs would like that, wouldn't they? They'd yearn for the good old days of Confederate generals.

  15. Better to have and not need than the other way around.

    Fishing season will arrive soon and with luck, I'll have my granddaughters (who live in AZ) up for the weekend to wet a line.

  16. This was the first visit by this set of grandkids. The set due to arrive tomorrow will demand to fire the musket upon arrival. They've been here before and are old hands at the place. I have a few surprises for them, though.

  17. The youngest daughter is poised to marry into a family that is not nearly conservative enough, though the past three marriages were to sound, conservative families. So the 100% number is about to be tested.

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