SHPADOINKLE DAY in BELMAR!
Howdy Folks!
Well, I guess I was the first to arrive. On my way over to Belmar, I rehearsed scenarios in my head if an LEO encounter should take place, espcially one as inappropriate as Lokster suffered a few weeks back. It wasn't that I was looking for a confrontation, but more about being mentally prepared if one should arise.
After I was unable to locate the Target store using Mapquest or Google Earth, I asked where this location was. LittleMan answered by saying:
"Wadsworth and alameda pretty much. It's an outside mall with a big parking lot by target. then the fountain is right near there, can't miss it."
Well, I managed to miss the fountain twice as I drove by. I didn't see any fountain, so asked a citizen where one might be concealed. They pointed me in the right direction and I parked my car and walked across to the plaza. Oh, there's the fountain. Only it didn't look anything like a fountain. It was more a water cascade down a terrace of granite. Sure, you can't miss it... if you're standing in the plaza!!! LOL!
After taking bearings and walking around the plaza, it became glaringly obvious why sushi was suggested as a place to chomp down. A sushi restaurant dominated the east side of the plaza. I walked around it to the next street and saw a man coming my way with a weapon on his hip. I stood and waited for him to get close and learned he is Lokster, returned again to the scene of the crime!!! LOL! We walked together to a table and sat down to chat while awaiting others.
Next to show up was JamesB. After awhile, LittleMan arrived with his lovely girlfriend. She really is pretty, and I don't give real names without permission, so will refer to her here as LM's/gf.
We chatted merrily on a variety of topics, including the incident that happened to Lokster at Belmar and how the attempt to deal with this incident was going. It must have been about 30 minutes later when Skopro walked up and introduced himself. He said he'd walked past maybe 3 or 4 times and couldn't find anybody OC'ing. Of course, we were right there in the open at a table on the plaza, right in the middle of the whole sheebang and plain to see. But that's okay, he eventually found us and joined the festivities.
After more conversation, we moved on to the Montana Grill for some good eating. They offer bison burgers, steaks and all manner of delicious victuals, and we dined together at a table that accomodated our party of 6 nicely. Eventually we returned to the plaza, beltlines a bit snugger and feeling sated.
Here are some photos I shot, but not very many. Skopro, somewhat anxious about OC'ing in public, wasn't wearing his sidearm. He isn't in the photos I shot because he made his decision to go get his pistol and strap it on. So he was absent at that particular time. But he returned OC'ing, and we spent some time trying to help him feel comfortable with his decision to carry.
This first photo is (from left to right) Lokster, LittleMan and LM's/gf!
Here's a solo shot of JamesB.
I was surprised how really tiny my companions turned out to be! Actually, they have a bench at the plaza that is way oversized and gives the illusion that people are really tiny.
On this reverse angle, you can see LM's/GF looking at the fountain, with LittleMan and Lokster chatting with JamesB on the far right.
As the sun started setting, we broke up our meeting and headed on home without any incident at all.
We enjoyed terrific food, excellent companionship and an afternoon of fun in Belmar.
I think the best way to describe our day is.... SHPADOINKLE!
Blessings,
M-Taliesin