Fleet Week, Doyle and strange fun things

Well Darklings,



Here in my area we just had “Fleet Week”, this is where the Navy shows off all it’s Toys, but also to give an understand of what is involved in running a ship as well as historical interest.



The Blue Angels, that death defying Navy squadron shows aerial maneuvers where if any one of them was a millisecond off, would mean instant fiery death. And some people go bunging jumping, it’s nothing compared to what these fly boys do.



There were ships galore all around and people just in awe of what was demonstrated, and there were protestors as well, waving their banners---Sorry Darklings, I still am with the Theodore Roosevelt philosophy “Speak Softly but carry a DAMN BIG STICK”.



Of course any one is entitled to disagree with me and that is perfectly all right, but Darklings, I know how to shoot, only once did I ever have to use my Berretta, the Perp survived and is serving 20 to life.



Many years ago my Father insisted that I learn to shoot, and that one time, that very one time I was so glad I did learn. Otherwise Moi would not be posting this post.



Going to San Francisco in a car was out of the question; what with the America’s Cup practice races, Fleet Week, the Blue Grass event, and the Ball game, driving one’s own car would have been insane.



But I have a friend in the City that has the most wonderful view and we had ring side seats, enough to have our breaths taken away. And that was just Saturday.



Sunday I felt was important to relax and take care of things; I was restless and got up early, it’s easy to do grocery shopping early. Doyle had to go to the office to do some inquiries on a case which he is handing over to an operative out of state, so I just had to make a few purchases at our local Safeway grocery store.



I love shopping on a Sunday morning, hardly any crowds and I can dawdle a bit, but with Halloween coming up I had a pleasant surprise.



I saw two bottles of wine that had strange names, one was called “Stark Raving” and it was a Red, the other was called “Curious Beasts” also a red wine. But the price was cheap, $10 on one and $13 on the other. I called Doyle on my cell and told him what I found, he thought it was a “Hoot” and said that if it was really bad we could use it for cooking and save the bottles and pour a better vintage into them for Halloween.



It was passable but nothing great, but Darklings can you imagine the look on peoples faces when you ask “Would you like Stark Raving Red?” They’d think you’ve gone mad, or better yet, insane.



But there was other little treats, I found heavy duty plastic or melmac type plates with a vampire on it and the words “Just a nibble” I found it so exquisitely delicious, they are fine for dishwashers but not for microwaving, as well has heavy duty plastic glasses that say “Pick your Poison”. So perfect for Halloween.



Of course some people would say where do you have the space for all of that? I’m lucky in that my Great-Aunt’s house has what is called a Butler’s pantry---this is different from a “Food pantry”. Here all the serving pieces and better china and silverware is kept. But it also has storage for day to day dish wear as well as well as Seasonal things. So that is where it will be kept, but Doyle is suggesting that we may want to have it for daily common use, given our darkly inclined natures.



Some of you have asked me “Who is Doyle and how does he factor into your life?”



I met Doyle many, many years ago while I was in my 2nd year of college, I mentioned him but not by name in a much earlier post, where he met my Granny and learned from us what real evil and Satanists are, not that Granny or I were or are evil or even Satanists, but he, at the time was being a poser and Granny set him straight by meeting with a real Satanist (I know my family was and is a strange group of people).



This fortunate meeting set him on his course to become a police officer, where he eventually dealt with very strange cases dealing with drugs and homicide and bizarre things. I introduced him to his future wife and was Maid of Honor at their wedding, they were my friends for many years, having helped at times with emergency baby sitting duties and then helping through the trauma and grief of his wife’s final illness.



His children are grown and are involved in either police or forensic work and they have children of their own, and I am their unofficial “Auntie”.



Doyle does not live with me, he has his own apartment, several years after his wife’s death he was thinking of selling the family home but I suggested to him to consult with his children about this possible decision. End result is one of the children bought the house and many major family dinners and events are still being held there with the house bustling with the sound of children and young teen’s energy.



Doyle flits between my home and his apartment, depending if he needs either to serious concentrate on a case he’s working on or needs his space from time to time or when he wishes or wants to be around me if I so choose. He keeps several changes of clothing and some of his toiletries as needed are here.



But he is his own person as am I, however there have been times when we were so glad to have each other in our respective lives. One time at my old apartment some demented person had cut my phone lines, fortunately I had my cell phone, I called Doyle who advised I call the police, I could only surmise who would have done the deed but without any visual evidence it could not go any further, since my apartment was one of a half dozen in an old court, Doyle set up a surveillance camera that was carefully hidden but pointed at the phone lines, and we caught the person.



As I said he was demented, kept claiming that I was sending ultrasound waves to his apartment to scramble his brain, it was determined he was a danger to himself and others and was place in an institution for a period of time.



Fortunately I moved to my current home before he was recently released, the sad thing is his parents kept paying the rent on his studio apartment, so he had a place to go back to, and from what I’ve heard he’s targeted another person who has moved into my old place. I feel sorry for them.



Doyle helped me move and we keep tabs on each other. A sort of comfortable relationship, as one friend of ours has said I’m a little bit Goth and he’s a little bit Night Hawk.



Of course he can’t be with me all the time as he is now a private investigator, since he retired from the police department after 30 years, so I remain independent and very much my own person, which is what I prefer. But as my Father use to say, “its always nice to have someone watch your back.”



Later Darklings