Yosemite stole my heart many years ago – I’ve climbed its mountains and hiked at least a  hundred miles of its trails – and the central coast enchants me, but when it comes to personal liberties – the political and social quality I cherish above all others – I am most at home in Texas and the freedom states of the west (Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana).  To live anywhere where those liberties are constrained, would chafe me too severely to be happy.

A fine example: while browsing at for a fishing shirt at Marburger’s, Old Seabrook’s sweet little sporting goods store, I came across a Springfield XD-9 on sale.  I’ve been resisting the urge to replace my too-small carry pistol, a Ruger LC9, with something with a longer barrel and double-stack magazine (the LC9 is only a 7-round single-stack).  My budget didn’t call for splurging for another gun, but the price was right; the Marburger folks greeted me as a homeboy they know well; and I am a strong advocate for supporting local, independent businesses.

A CHL and background check later, I walked out of there with a lovely new pistol. On the case was this tag: “Not Legal In California and W/High Capacity Magazine.”  Thank God for Texas – and in your eye, California!

Light and comfortable on the hip: