It was actually Reggie who hepped me to Biden having been declared the winner of the marathon. “I heard something on the radio; it wasn’t coming in very well, but, maybe, it might be…”

I had a radio. Tuned it in.

Now maybe it’s different in your part of the woods, but out here on the frontier, we have folks who’ve been driving around in big-ass American trucks with big-ass flags. Trump flags, police support flags, and American flags. Within a few minutes of the announcement, Reggie started showing me memes on his phone, each one funnier than the last.

“I guess,” Reggie said, “all the Trump people will have to fly their flags at half mast.”

It turned out to be kind of a weird day, all in all. Reggie had helped me finish up an interior project, with the plan of heading for an exterior job. Oh, but, against the forecasts, it was raining; and it was still early. Magically, it seemed, I noticed rows of American flags along the main road in a place I had sort of assumed was a red pocket in a blue state.

Oh, maybe they were just getting the flags set up for Veterans’ Day, which was originally called Armistice Day, a holiday established at the end of World War II, celebrating the cessation of hostilities in what was, briefly, called the war to end all wars.

If only.

ANYWAY, since the day was shot for painting, a surfer might want to go surfing. YES, I know there’s no surf on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but I was persuaded to go by Trish, still kind of upset that I didn’t call her when I found out the news, and a little shove from Soul Rebel Keith, who convinced me probable waves today are a better choice than possible waves the next day. OKAY.

I’m glad I went. There may have been some waves; I did pass some of the same vehicles coming back toward civilization that I had passed when I was headed toward a job in the morning. This could be taken as good or bad. I just kept going.

A common thing one hears when asking about how someone else’s session or attempt at a session went is, “It was really pretty.” It might be a code. Yesterday, then, was beautiful. I did give Reggie credit for the half mast comment when I cruised up to a fire on the beach. It wasn’t the only story of disappointed Trump supporters.

We do own a few American flags; none really big ass sized. I think I’ll stick them out. Democracy, we have to agree, is fragile, and always in jeopardy. It is said that all it takes to lose it is for good people to do nothing. Good people did something. You don’t have to agree; I just don’t know how you can’t. Not that I want to argue

Peace. Armistice.

Oh, yeah; we do have an almost big-ass Seahawks flag. I’m flying it.