Pro-Gun Rally does pretty well for subzero temps and 44mph winds

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Saturday was cold, and Saturday was windy…but that didn’t stop patriots from arriving and speaking up for their freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Many huddled as close to the capitol as possible to escape the biting wind, which the National Weather Service reported as sustaining 26 mph with gusts to 44 mph for the hour. Brrrr. The wind actually blew my lens cap all the way across the steps.

One thing that nobody talks about in regard to these rallies held by conservatives groups such as as the TEA Party, Guns Across America, or others: we’ve co-opted one of the left’s biggest tools and turned it back on them.

Remember when any ragtag bunch of hippies would get together for some sort of cause, and the media would be there to inflate their numbers and use it to try to sway public opinion? Well, now your average everyday Mom and Pop are there, they strike a clear contrast to the filthy and disrespectful “Occupy” movement, and they’re showing up in even greater numbers.

The same media used to try to minimize these rallies and their numbers or ignore them altogether, but both local TV news teams and the newspaper were there on Saturday. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that people who were content to just live their lives as everyday Americans are sick and tired of having liberal progressives intrude further and further into their lives every day.

The brisk North Dakota winter air wasn’t the only wind blowing this weekend. The winds of renewed patriotism and an awakened electorate are sweeping the country as well, and I believe we’ve got what it takes to sweep away the bogus, counterfeit Hope™ and Change™ that are threatening our nation.

Flashback: Take Back Washington Rally

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CSPAN has put together remarks by Senator “Not Byron Dorgan” on the upcoming assault on the Second Amendment:

and:

Pretty wishy-washy and non-specific. What I’m looking for is, “My constituents are firm in asserting their rights under the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, and as their duly elected representative in the Senate I plan to stand by and fight for their convictions on the chamber floor.”

Instead we’ve got a big question mark hanging over us. What will we get in return for sending Governor Hoeven to the United States Senate?

 

Elevation

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No, I wasn’t listening to U2 when I began posting this…although now I have that song stuck in my head. No, this is simply a photo I chose to convert to black and white while playing in Photoshop. I haven’t had much time to play with either my camera or my image editing software lately, so this was a nice diversion. With spring right around the corner, hopefully many outdoor photography days lie in store!

That Internet, she’s a two-edged sword

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You can’t make this sort of thing up. First there’s the funny yet touching story of a guy spending decades to find a long-lost sibling, only to have an elementary school kid types her name into Facebook and finds her in an instant. Irony? Sure. Sappy? You betcha. Until you look at the top comment in the graphic above. Some savvy internet wizard did a cursory web search of his own and came up with:

Yikes. Apparently the elderly chap’s got priors. Still got the warm fuzzies around your heart from the tale above? I always find AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL SEXUAL ASSAULT to be a major buzzkill. Assuming, of course, that it’s the same fella…the birth date appears to line up. Not that I want to spend another second pondering it. Someone out there made the connection, though, so the moment is ruined…even if they got the wrong guy. If the long-lost sister has done her own web search or read the comments in that article, I predict an awkward family reunion – whether it’s the right guy or not.

Ah, “teh Intarwebz”…is there anything they can’t do?

He’s BACK: the Whirling Chicken of Doom™

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I don’t find myself in this part of Mandan often, but when I do pass the former Village Mart I always look for it: the metal chicken statue. I was surprised recently when I drove by, because it’s back after a lengthy absence.

The chicken’s hiatus began roughly around the time that the Village Mart, home of fond remembrances from my adolescence, became the Petro Serve. It spent some time in an unused part of the store and was even the target of at least one attempted theft.

Well, he’s back…and better than ever. After some jackhole damaged the chicken trying to steal him, he went in for some body work. There again he was almost stolen, as the trailer belonging to the people repairing him was also stolen. All of that having played out, he did manage to find his way back – and in better form than ever. In fact, the leading edges of those menacing spinning wings have been lined with plastic to avoid the unthinkable from happening.

I’m not exactly Johnny-on-the-spot with this news; employees I spoke to say he’s been back for a few weeks now. In any case, it’s good to see this local oddity back again, spinning its wings, tongue sticking out almost defiantly, sporting that red-crested smile of resilience.

That last step’s a doozy

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I was on my way home from a photo/handgun trip and saw this staircase near Sunrise Avenue east of town. I’d photographed it before, but the light and snow this time made for a much more interesting shot than the last time. I did a quick u-turn and took another photo. That’s a neat thing about photography; the same object can provide many different photo opportunities depending on the conditions!

Obligatory capitol New Year’s Day photo

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Since 2006 I’ve been doing this…in fact, the first post ever on this blog is from January 1, 2006. In 2013 I almost missed the boat.

We spent New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house with a ton of folks from church, then came home to put the little ones to bed before midnight. I figured I’d just snap my capitol shots after dark on New Year’s Day. That didn’t go entirely as planned, however.

First it was snowing, which on a long exposure can ruin a shot. Then, once the snowfall tapered off and I ventured out, the wind picked up. Again, that’s devastating to a long exposure. I did finally catch a brief window of calm to get my rather generic 2013 shot.

I wanted to be all creative…after all, I’ve been discovering new angles all around the capitol grounds lately, but the cold and wind shut me down. I’ll try to brainstorm something for 2014 instead…and take the first opportunity to photograph it, not the last.

Now the windows will return to normal until Independence Day!

Midnight vigil – from a different angle

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Since I picked up this photography hobby a few years ago, I’ve taken countless photos of the capitol tower…especially over various holidays. I spent most of this Christmas sleeping off a cold/flu bug, but found myself back on my feet late on Christmas Eve. The family was tucked all snug in their beds (I have no confirmation of sugarplum dreams, however) so I decided to head out with my cameras for a little bit.

The sky was perfect, the weather fantastic, and Bismarck appeared to have drifted into a sleepy calm which is sadly uncommon these days. I roamed around for a couple of hours, and even found a new perspective on the capitol’s Christmas attire. Hiking along the walking path to the north, I decided to venture off into the snow a little bit and was rewarded with this shot.

I’m still on the mend from this nasty bug. I don’t think it’s influenza, but whatever it is I don’t recommend trying it. It deprived me of most of my Christmas vacation this year, but it couldn’t take it all.

I wish you a continued Merry Christmas, good health, and a Happy New Year!