Missouri was cold. There was snow and ice everywhere you looked. In spite of the difficult weather the Single Action Shooters Society winter convention was a nice event. It was held at Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Missouri and Slipnoose and Misty did a great job trying to make it all work. Getting out of area was a chore. Flying in the best circumstances is a nightmare but this trip was doubly so. Flying in this country has turned into an amazing arduous process, especially boarding the plane, which has now become this tedious Bataan death march with American Tourister overnight bags. I got stuck behind this one guy who took forever to get situated. He clogged the aisle like a piece of human cholesterol jammed in the passengerial artery. I just wanted to get that soft drink cart and flush him out the back door. He folded his sport jacket like he was in the color guard at Arlington National Cemetery. At one point I was behind a wizard who wanted to beat the system by gaffer-taping a twine handle onto a refrigerator-freezer box and calling it “carry-on.” He wedged it into the overhead with hydraulic jacks. It was like trying to get Pavarotti into a wet suit. The highlight of the trip was getting to see author Monty McCord. He’s an exceptional writer and I’m a fan of his work. I’m not making any more book trips this year. Which is fine with me. I’m done with flying for a while. It’s hard to sit in coach class and watch them pull that curtain on first class. It makes me feel like a leper and who needs that.
Author Monty McCord and I at the SASS Convention.
