caucus99percent

free-range politics, organic community

Happy Friday everyone. Welcome to Friday Night Photos your once a week escape from the day to day insanity of the world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music or whatever else you find of interest that helps tune out the madness.

It was a good week this week. The weather has been pleasant. Mostly sunny and 70s. The price of gas and groceries didn't go up. That's a good thing. And I got out twice with the camera. The bird watching group went to Mission Trails Regional Park on Monday (tonight's photos) and the camera club went to the botanical garden yesterday for their annual spring orchid exhibit of which I have 3 dozen photos I need to edit for future editions of FNP.

Black-headed Grosbeak

Morning

Interesting week in the rise and fall cycles of human civilizations. Was this the week the a pivot point for a new direction became clear? Time will tell.

A President CAN be Arrested!

A week or so ago I went down a rabbit hole about speed limits before motorized vehicles. Laws about reckless driving with horses or horse-drawn vehicles existed, dating from Medieval times at least. Colonial America had such limits as well. For example, what was to become New York city had one on galloping horses pulling carts, wagons, or sleighs in 1652.

These limits, on galloping horses, carts, carriages, etc, in cities, were in effect when Ulysses S. Grant was President (and, before that General). And he broke them, in DC, at least. He was arrested twice before becoming President (when he was still 'just' a lieutenant general of the US Army) in 1866. The first time, he drove off after getting the warrant, but showed up and paid the fine a few days later. He was "exercising his fast gray nag".

General Grant and Robert Bonner racing in a carriage in New York in 1868 - From Wikimedia.

Don't know why that famous quote sticks in my mind. It is of course from the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson.
We've certainly had a great deal of human events since that time of struggle to free a people from immense tyranny, mostly originating from a power from far away, overseas.