[Sca-cooks] Pennsic Progress

[Phlip]

I set off for Pennsic, got about 100 miles down the road, and my truck died.
And, FYI, the breakdown involved more excitement than I prefer to deal with.
I was stuck in a traffic jam, and accidently stalled- it wouldn't start back
up. I managed to roll to the side of the road, and thinking that A. I might
have flooded it and B, it didn't sound very powerful, so being night, with
lights on, and stop and go traffic, the battery might not have quite enough
juice, figured I'd wait half an hour, and try it again. No luck. At that
point, I saw a nice young cop go tip toeing by me, flagged him down, and
asked him to call AAA for me, which he did, telling me the truck would be
there in half an hour.

So, there I am waiting, looking around at all the traffic, and I see 1
bubblegum machine flashing. Then two. Then three on the overpass behind me,
nearly hitting each other- then a couple more come screaming up the highway.
Then there's one behind me a piece- and more and more- musta been 15 or 20,
in various positions and directions. Then a BIG bright truck comes up behind
me and stops- can see flashing, but no blue and red. Next thing I know,
there are three of them, guns drawn and pointed at their feet (be surprised
if one of those boys doesn't lose a toe at least) coming up on me.

Now by this point, I had made sure my doors were locked, although it was too
hot to roll up my window (85 degrees and humid, according to my pouch
thermometer- at 1:30 AM, fer Chrissake!!!), so I was checking my resources
for defensive weapons, and managed a flashlight, and a cup of moderately hot
coffee, with a sharp piece of steel I'm working on for a smithing project
(that has nothing to do with blades, merely brought to a sharp point in
preparation for the next step in shaping) but rather thought I'd leave it in
grabbing distance, but not obviously, with all the cops running around).

Anyway, cops are coming up on me, I exchange a couple words, and one tells
the others I'm female, so they lose interest, but there's still quite a few
nearby, 9 mms and shotguns in their hands, blocking roads, and running
around in circles. And, about this time, a nice young kid driving the AAA
tow truck pulls up, and comes to my window, and I tell him, "I think all I
need is a jump, but get me the Hel out of here".

At which point, the cop says to him, "We've had a shooting, and the guy with
the gun is hiding in these woods- get this truck out of here." The kid and I
look at each other, and we conspire to load up the truck as fast as
possible, and go elsewhere to see if I need a jump.

Which didn't start the truck, so he towed me the 112 miles home.

So, here I am, 6 hours on the road to Pennsic, and still at home.

Why do I think this is going to be an interesting War?

<Sigh>

Saint Phlip,
CoD

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....