Wash Down

So I had planned on going to Trexlertown, PA for a swap/sale to clean out my garage of antique and reproduction bicycle parts I no longer needed. The caveat was, of course, that if it was nasty weather than I would cancel the trip. The plan was to be up about 3AM and to be up in Trexlertown about 6-7 or so. I spent a fine Saturday afternoon in the garage putting price tags on all the items and creating a catalog so people could browse what I had to buy more easily. I like being organized and knowing what I have to sell.

I put down my $30 for a spot and hoped it would be nice. Instead the weather showed 48 and rainy. I have no tent and travel pretty light aside from the parts. I also had visions of Ms. Casey sitting in a cold rain and becoming increasingly bitter and resentful of the enterprise as my sales helper. Saturday looked like a much better day.

 

So the day approached and I was hopeful the forecasts were wrong as they usually are. Weathermen change their stories nearly as frequently as politicians and trial attorneys do. By Friday night I knew things looked bad because the forecast was the same- cold and rainy. So we instead decided to head to Winchester, VA for a Civil War cannon shooting contest.

 

As you can see, my garage had quite a lot of stuff in it. I assumed it would take me just a couple hours to go through it. It instead took an entire afternoon. I'm now trying to sell it online, since it's just doing me no good sitting around in my garage. I'd likely never use this stuff. I swear that 50% of stuff people buy gets used a couple times and never again. Their heirs find it when they die, all piled up in the garage, attic, or barn. 

So here we have a cannon and its accoutrements. The targets are the little white rectangles off in the distance.

 Of course it wouldn't be Virginia without the Confederacy on hand. Their fans continue to root for them at reenactments everywhere, even though they end up losing the final, big game. That doesn't stop the local crowd from cheering when they advance. As a dissenting Yankee I keep quiet but smile whenever the "blue coats" win one.

These cannon sure do make some nice effects, even if you don't hit anything too.

Now if you ever  had a problem with someone tailgating, this is the way to stop it. This brass "Napoleon" smooth bore cannon hitches right up to the family vehicle and uses no gas of its own. What's more it's hand built in the USA, comes with its own American (Union) flag, and faces down anyone who wants to "drop in" right behind you, or otherwise ride your ass on the highway. I have no such device, and I don't even have a hitch for it right now. We all have our problems though...