“Think it’s Friday yet, Lucy?” “Hit the snooze. It’s just Wednesday.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, Larry and Andrew had a bizarre meeting with the Assistant DA Taggert. He apologized for treating our heroes like criminals, gave Larry back his gun, and then more or less left them to fend for themselves. Well, I see that they are in the car so let’s go and maybe we can collect some intel.
“So, you had a question while we were in Taggert’s office?”
“I did, Larry.”
“Let’s have it.”
“Don’t you think that guy was a little too casual with us.”
“What do you mean?”
“He strolls into his office, says an ‘I’m sorry,’ and then shoos us on our way.”
“Well, what’s you expect a cake or something?”
“No, but I thought he would give us some specific help. You know, like, ‘Let me get a couple of officers to help you in your investigation,’ kind of help.”
“You expect too much out of people. He was just glad to have us out of his office.”
“I hope that is all it was.”
“You worry too much. Here we are at the Hyatt.”
“I know I worry too much, but I can’t help it. Okay, what’s the plan here?”
“We go inside and ask to speak to the manager. We lay. The search warrant on him and then ask to see the registration records.”
“Sounds pretty straightforward to me. Let’s go.”
“Let me do the talking.”
“Always do. That’s how we get into trouble.”
“Yeah, very funny. Let’s go to the front desk over there.”
“Lead on my liege.”
“Yes, sir, how can I help you?”
“We would like to speak with the manager of the hotel.”
“Is there a problem, sir?”
“No problem, and I would appreciate your help in having the manager step out here. I’m a detective with the Boston Police department on official business. Here are my credentials.”
“Yes, sir. One moment sir.”
“Way to go on the Bogart, Larry.”
“I don’t need to waste words on a front desk clerk, Andrew. Here comes someone who looks like they are going to be a pain in the ass.”
“Be nice, Larry.”
“Yes, sir. My name is Wentworth, and I’m the senior manager. What seems to be the problem?”
“There is no problem, Wentworth. We just need to see some registration records.”
“Well sir I’m sorry, but registration records are confidential¾”
“I don’t mean to interrupt, Wentworth, but this warrant says otherwise.”
“Hmmm. I see this warrant authorizes a Detective Dunfee to view the registration records any time before eight Pm tonight.”
“Correct. So let’s go to where ever the records are and take a look.”
“Are you Detective Dunfee?”
“Yes, I am. Here are my credentials.”
“Yes, sir. Can you wait a minute? I will need to counsel with our attorney.”
“What do you mean by a minute? I would hate to see you in contempt of that order.”
“I just need to make a phone call. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. In the meantime, may I offer you some coffee?”
“I would love a coffee.”
“Very well. Let’s go to our executive office. We have coffee there. I will excuse myself and make the call from my office.”
“That’s fine. Lead the way.”
“Yes, sir. Right, this way. It is a short walk down the hall.”
“Larry, a word?”
“Yes, Andrew? Uh, Wentworth. Could you give us a minute?”
“Yes, sir. I go to the executive office door and wait for you.”
“What is it, Andrew?”
“This guy could drag his feet and take it beyond the eight o’clock cut off.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. We have served the warrant. If he delays too long, I’m sure we can threaten obstruction of justice of something. I may even pull my gun. I’m getting pretty sick of these runarounds. Thanks for the warning, though. Let’s catch up to old Wentworth and have a nice cup of joe.”
“Using this photo ( below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
Yes, this week marks the anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House by George Washington in 1792. I’m sure you want to be there, but before you go, take this list and maybe avoid making social or time travel mistakes.
Top Ten Things Not to Do at the Laying of the Cornerstone of the White House in 1792
10 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not think the silver trowel is a souvenir. If you do, at best, a kindly George Washington will ask you to put it back. At worst, the Navy men in attendance who are also celebrating the founding of the Navy will help you put it back. (It seems as if those Navy boys have had a little too much rum, Jakome. They are serious about your yardarm swing.)
9 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not sit in Tiny the WWF champ’s seat. If you do, at best, he will find another. At worst, Tiny, who missed his Anger Management support group that morning, will not be able to control himself. (If you can hold on for another minute, Jalen, Tiny will grow tired of spinning you around above his head. Of course, your landing after that helicopter experience might be a little rough.)
8 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not carry a sign that says, “Federalists Suck.” If you do, at best, the Federalists will think you are joking. At worst, It will be assumed that you do not support the constitution. ( You’ve done it now, Jamael. You have all those burley revolutionary veterans ready to run you out of town. )
7 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not ask Alexander Hamilton for tickets to his show. If you do, at best, he’ll wonder what show? At worst, he’ll have Aaron Burr meet you at dawn. ( Do not go through with the duel, Jamison. That guy knows his way around a flintlock. I’ll bet you have much to learn.)
6 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not ask Washington what he thinks of “the wall.” If you do, at best, he’ll talk about clearing rocks out of the fields at Mount Vernon. At worst, when you describe what you are asking, he will have you committed. (You knew that that was a non-subject, Jamshid. Gotta wonder why you would go there?)
5 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not expect to find a Starbucks right next door. If you do, at best you can handle disappointment. At worst, your caffeine cravings will get the best of you. (There was no reason to yell at that sweet old lady when she couldn’t tell you where the nearest Starbucks was, Jantzen. Now you have that big soldier over there looking crossly at you.)
4 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not ask for directions to the Washington monument. If you do, at best, someone will point to George. At worst, whoever you ask will begin to suspect you are not from around there. (Since the monument was not started until 1848, Janyd, you are going to gather a crowd who may not like your story of time travel.)
3 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not ask about the Secret Service protecting the President. If you do, at best, no one will care. At worst, you might be asked why you think the President needs protecting? (Since the Secret Service was not established until 1865, Japhet those police officers are wondering why you are so concerned. Maybe time to leave.)
2 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not ask the architect why he forgot a fence? If you do, at best he’ll tell you there is no need since the President doesn’t keep cows. At worst, the idea will get passed around, and someone will suggest one be put in. (In effect you caused a time tear, Jarah since Thomas Jefferson helped build one in 1801)
1 If you go to the cornerstone laying, do not offer to help carry the stone. If you do, at best, it will arrive in one piece. At worst, it was a little heavier than you thought, and now it is laying in two chunks on the ground. (Yeah, I would say it is time to run not walk to the time machine, Jari. I think your work is done here plus there about 200folks who would love to wring your neck.)
Last weekend was the Fall Fest at Emmaus Catholic Parish. The fest is a major fundraiser for the Parish. I stopped by and was amazed at everything that was going on. I thought you would enjoy seeing it as well. This post has way too many photos, but this is a fraction of those I took. I hope you enjoy it.
A nod to the fact that fall is approaching
Vendor booths. (Should have set up my book stand.)
Games required tickets to play.
The Wine wheel was popular, as was the cake wheel.
A Pot of gold is like a bean bag toss.
Putting contest.
The street of games and vendors and a nun.
The Bookmobile. (YAY)
Some games weren’t too popular like the broom race.
and the Flamingo toss.
The burger truck.
I thought it was pretty funny to have no parking signs except for Sunday. I’m wondering about who would want to park there the rest of the week.
A fun Tejano band.
Yeah, I’ll have a double-double chocolate shake with whipped cream on top and hurry please. (The producer is somewhere else)
Shave ice.
Hot dog truck.
Train ride.
Slide.
Bouncy Castle.
And a petting zoo. There were all kinds of animals, but I thought this calf was very cute.
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. Here is the prompt, as explained by Linda Hill. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ground.” Use it as a noun or a verb in any tense (i.e., grind). Have fun!” Okay, so there you have it. If you would like to join in on this fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.
“Well, aren’t you twisted around the axle trying to come up with a Stream of Consciousness post?”
“No, I have already finished it.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. Want to hear part?”
“Do I get anything for listening?”
“Sure, the joy of new knowledge.”
“I was thinking more about the joy of freshly brewed barley and hops.”
“Yeah, of course, you were. so here goes. ‘There I was standing on the ground when all to sudden—'”
“Hold it.”
“What?”
“All to sudden?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It should be ‘all of a sudden.”‘
“This is a country story. People talk differently.”
“Yeah, okay. Proceed.”
“Okay. ‘All to sudden, a giant bar comes out of the woods and sits down. I grabs my trusty musket and shimmies up a tree. From up there, I could safely stand my ground should that bar decide to attack.’ How’s it sound so far?”
“You want to really know?”
“Yeah. That’s why I asked.”
“Where is this story going?”
“Well, the guy up the tree decides that the bear means him no harm, so he comes down and offers the bear a cup of coffee. The bear happens to be a Starbucks regular and asks the man, “I would like a cup if you have a Sumatra Bold regular grind.” The guy is dumbfounded since all he has is a French Roast fine grind. He tells the bear about the ground coffee, and the bear takes a swipe and knocks him to the ground. The guy looks up at the bear and asks, ‘Why’d you do that?’ The bear tells him that if he is going to offer coffee, at least he should be prepared to provide what the customer wants. The bear roars and then says, ‘Fine grind is not what the customer wants.’ The man offers to go to Starbucks and get the bear his order. The bear agrees and asks for a blueberry scone as well. It ends with the bear and guy enjoying their coffee.”
“So the guy escapes and goes to Starbucks and then comes back?”
“Well, yeah. How else could I finish the story?”
“I think it was finished at the phrase, ‘All to sudden.”‘
“Lucy. Time to get up.” “Ummm What?” “It’s Friday. Time to celebrate the weekend.” “Last time I looked Little One every day is the weekend.”
What a week. It seemed to go pretty fast. I don’t want anyone wishing their life away, but I hope it moved quickly for you as well.
I started editing my WIP on Monday and was pleasantly surprised that the story still looked good to me. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I go back to things I’ve written, and they look like something that requires some starter and a match. I’m glad this one has salvageable parts.
I was delighted to get an excellent Circumstances of Childhood review on Thursday from Kevin Cooper. If you missed it, you could go HERE
I was also a guest of Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising. She asks some outstanding questions, and it is always a fun time. You could go HERE as well if you missed it.
I certainly want to thank Kevin and Teri and all of you who visited the posts. Thank you.
Today’s John Ku talks about encouragement from others. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. We are looking for temperatures in the 70s Whoo-Whoo.
“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.” “Yes, Little One?” “Is it Friday yet?” “Ten more naps till Friday.” “My naps or yours?” “Mine, of course.” “Poo.”
Sorry, this post is a little late. I had a scheduling problem this morning.
It is Wednesday Story Day time again, and last week we witnessed the arrival of a couple of Nevada State troopers who are operating on the direction of the Reno District Attorney. Yeah, this was the same DA who seemed to believe Larry and Andrew shot some citizens for no reason. I see the troopers have delivered our heroes to the DA’s office, so I think we better get there.
“Please have a seat, gentlemen. Mr. Taggett will be with you in a moment.”
“Thank you, officers. We appreciate the ride and the security.”
“Just doing our job, detective. We’ll be right outside.”
“Wait until they are gone, Andrew.”
“Why are you always saying that?”
“I just don’t want you making a slip in front of people is all.”
“He who walks on ice is talking about a slip. Okay, they are gone. Can I speak?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“We have a warrant burning a hole in our pocket. By my watch, we have less than twelve hours to use it.”
“I know, but as you can see, we now have friends in high places.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’m as sure as I can be. Hold on here’s a call from the Chief.”
“Our chief?”
“Yes. Sush. Hi Chief. Yes, we are fine. Right now? We are sitting in the waiting room of ADA Spenser Taggert. No, we haven’t talked to him yet. A couple of State Troopers brought us here. Yes, sir, I understand you and the DA had a conversation with Taggert. Huh? The troopers told me. Okay, I understand. Yes, sir, we will. Goodbye, sir.”
“What the heck?”
“The chief says Taggert will give us full cooperation.”
“Why don’t I think that is a good thing?”
“Yeah, I have the same feeling about Taggert. I still think someone has him under their thumb. Well, worst-case scenario, I get my gun back, and we are no better or worse off than when we arrived.”
“A lot of crap has gone on for a zero-sum gain.”
“I think a lot of folks would agree with you.”
“Folks? What folks?”
“Just a manner of speaking. Once we are through here, we need to get to the Hyatt and finally determine if we can nail Mrs. Rafferty with lying.”
“Did the chief offer any other words of advice.”
“Yeah, he said to keep a low profile and to be polite to Taggert.”
“Handy advice, huh?”
“Someone is coming. Later on, my comments.”
“Hello, Gentlemen. Please come in.”
“Thank you, Mr. Taggert.”
“Oh, call me Spencer. After all, we are on the same team.”
“Okay, Spencer.”
“Can I get you a coffee?”
“No, I think we are good. I’m guessing you have talked to the Chief of police in Boston.”
“Oh, yes. Charming man. He actually called my boss, and we all had a nice conversation about a path forward through this mess. I do want to apologize for treating you like persons of interest, but I needed to be careful.”
“Oh, I understand. Believe me, having a couple of guys come into your area of jurisdiction would be a cause of concern.”
“Guys who killed a couple of men, I might add.”
“No hard feelings, Spencer.”
“Nice to hear you say that. I, of course, had a lot of explaining to do.”
“I can imagine. No hare feelings on your part then?”
“Let’s say that my office has been directed to help as much as possible. Let’s start by giving you back your weapon. “
“Thank you.”
“Now, if you will excuse me, I have a full agenda today. Please let me know how I can help.”
“We will.”
“One more thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Please keep me in the loop on what you find out.”
“You can count on that. We will be going now.”
“Good day, then.”
“Yes, good day. Get up Andrew, we are leaving.”
“Need to ask.”
“Wait until we are outside, Andrew.”
“Slip sliding away. The nearer your destination, the more it keeps slip-sliding away.”
“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
