Field Trip

 I did something today I have wanted to do for a long time. I applied for my Concealed Weapons Permit. This particular errand was like a grown-up field trip to the police station!  I have been smart or... maybe lucky enough to avoid becoming familiar with the station, so I admit it was a bit eye opening. After a simple form and $55.25 you are sent downstairs to the finger print machine. I also must add that I had Vern with me and his father was the local police chief for 18 years. His father was a very well known and respected man and that became even more obvious as we walked the halls of the station. His father was in so many of the photos on the walls,very cool :) Vern looks so much like his Dad...So back to my permit-we head downstairs to the finger print machine. We wait at the counter as our officer escort prepares the machine. On a dry erase board in front of us is a chart containing the 20ish people currently visiting our local jail. It states their name,offense and possible time serving. Wow? Although it seemed nosey..I quickly scanned the list to see if I just might recognize a name or two...nope.Then my curiosity had to know what criminals in our small town were doing these days..but it was the typical stuff-DUI,assault,probation violation bla bla .He was finally ready to take my fingerprints. He wet my fingers and squished them onto a glass lens and wa la- my fingerprints appeared on the computer screen!I seemed to be the only one impressed with this process!?Sooo, I think this means that now is not the time to start a criminal career,I am in the system!haha We headed back upstairs and Vern finished my tour down his father's memory lane,who knew going to the police station could be so fun?They will be calling me in a week or so and I can go pick up my permit..well I assume I will pass the background check?!?! haha I don't plan on packing a gun,I just want to exercise my gun rights while I still have them. The permit is also a way for me to show that I intend  to own and use a gun legally and responsibly. I just hope I am never put in a position to have to use it,only the position I am in now of protecting myself in case I do. :)

Food Porn :)

Today's blog is going to star with what I call "food porn"! Remember the pork tenderloin I mentioned yesterday? Well thanks to Vern's meat smoking research I just had to attempt the "bacon blanket" I had seen on so many web sites. I have to admit it looks impressive...yet it's sooo easy to do!

Then I painted on a little liquid smoke and ground some fresh black pepper...

Then into the oven on a broiler pan at 350 for about 2 hours or until it reaches 170 degrees

I broiled mine for the last 5 minutes to crisp the bacon...remove from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Oh but it's worth the wait...

The result was a juicy,smokey, bacon flavored roast! Yum!