91/365: A is Authority.91/365: A is Authority.

As in, "Respect my AuthoriTIE!" New Month, time for a new theme... I may kick myself later for this one, and it may be cliche, but I'm going to do a picture for each letter in the alphabet. It's been done and done, I know, but I like the forced thinking that's involved. I've only really had themes that were technical in nature to this point, now I'd like to use a more conceptual approach, and utilize whatever technical tool or skill set I have at my disposal to achieve the concepts. Thanks to Krista and Neil for separately inspiring this direction.

A little background on the shot. That jacket was my uncle's, who was a deputy sheriff and detective in Bertie County. He's retired now, if farming full time counts as retired. My cousin, his son, my best friend growing up, now wears these stripes. Scary job, worthy of respect, even if a handful of low-caliber individuals out there have given cops a bad name (I met a few of them in New Hampshire once...) They are just people too, but those that understand the power and responsibility they shoulder are making the world safer for the rest of us.

Also personal to me is the shotgun, which has been seen on here before. It belonged to my wife's grandfather Homer. I chose this pose so you could see the carving on the stock, which Homer did by hand. (Although, at this angle, the duck looks like it's falling dead out of the sky, which I suppose is appropriate.) It was given to my wife and I by her father, and even if it didn't work it'd still be one of my prized possessions for it's history. But it does still work, which is also awesome, especially in a field with some clay pigeons and a few buddies.

The final personal item is the mustache, carved out of my beard by myself. Insert appropriate line from Super Troopers here.

-llg