since9
Campaign Veteran
The title of the thread is from Chicago's "Saturday," although these took place yesterday, on a Friday, but it felt like a Saturday, so...
My son and I headed downtown (Colorado Springs), as it was one of the things I promised we'd do before he headed back home. He was hungry for ice cream, but we'd just eaten lunch, so I stopped by Acacia Park, as I knew he'd have a blast in the fountain while I sat and read my book.
The benches were full, so I asked a gentleman reading his own book on one of the benches if it was ok if I join him. He said, "Sure! Have a seat - my name's M." I noticed he'd noticed I was OCing my 9 mm, but he didn't skip a beat. We didn't do much reading, as he was just a couple of years older than I, and we both had some interesting backgrounds. As we talked, I noticed a couple other people walking past noticed I was carrying, but all took it in stride.
After about 45 minutes, we headed to the breakfast food place across the street from 1st Pres, on Bijou and Nevada, but discovered they had no ice cream and were cash only. They recommended Josh and John's, a block past the bus stationon Pikes Peak between Tejon and Nevada, so I fed the meter and my son and I headed down the street.
As we strode in front of the bus station, where some buses load from the street next to the hot dog vender, a few people caught sight of my firearm, and it was clear they followed me with their eyes. I got the impression the sort of folks who take buses tend to be a bit more street savvy than your average Walmart shopper.
Josh and John's was great as usual, and we enjoyed our ice creams and Colorado root bear out front while sitting at the tables. One of the Spring's finest (a transportation sequestering QA specialist) was strolling along, dispensing a ticket or two, and she spotted my firearm as she passed. She simply smiled and said, "Hello" to which I replied, "How are you this afternoon, Ma'am?"
Afterwards, we headed North on Tejon back to where I'd parked at Acacia Park, but my son spotted a jewelry store and wanted to see if they made their own jewelry (they did), so we spent about five minutes inside while he conversed with the attendant. When we were through, we strolled back through Acacia Park to where we'd parked, and left the area.
It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday, and incident-free during the 2+ hours I OC'd throughout the downtown Colorado Springs area.
My son and I headed downtown (Colorado Springs), as it was one of the things I promised we'd do before he headed back home. He was hungry for ice cream, but we'd just eaten lunch, so I stopped by Acacia Park, as I knew he'd have a blast in the fountain while I sat and read my book.
The benches were full, so I asked a gentleman reading his own book on one of the benches if it was ok if I join him. He said, "Sure! Have a seat - my name's M." I noticed he'd noticed I was OCing my 9 mm, but he didn't skip a beat. We didn't do much reading, as he was just a couple of years older than I, and we both had some interesting backgrounds. As we talked, I noticed a couple other people walking past noticed I was carrying, but all took it in stride.
After about 45 minutes, we headed to the breakfast food place across the street from 1st Pres, on Bijou and Nevada, but discovered they had no ice cream and were cash only. They recommended Josh and John's, a block past the bus stationon Pikes Peak between Tejon and Nevada, so I fed the meter and my son and I headed down the street.
As we strode in front of the bus station, where some buses load from the street next to the hot dog vender, a few people caught sight of my firearm, and it was clear they followed me with their eyes. I got the impression the sort of folks who take buses tend to be a bit more street savvy than your average Walmart shopper.
Josh and John's was great as usual, and we enjoyed our ice creams and Colorado root bear out front while sitting at the tables. One of the Spring's finest (a transportation sequestering QA specialist) was strolling along, dispensing a ticket or two, and she spotted my firearm as she passed. She simply smiled and said, "Hello" to which I replied, "How are you this afternoon, Ma'am?"
Afterwards, we headed North on Tejon back to where I'd parked at Acacia Park, but my son spotted a jewelry store and wanted to see if they made their own jewelry (they did), so we spent about five minutes inside while he conversed with the attendant. When we were through, we strolled back through Acacia Park to where we'd parked, and left the area.
It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday, and incident-free during the 2+ hours I OC'd throughout the downtown Colorado Springs area.
