Kim du Toit – Page 165 – Splendid Isolation

Another 1,000-Mile Tour

July 15, 2023 Kim du Toit Drive Time

We’ve done the Mille Miglia before, so why not the Tour de France?

I know, the TdF is a bicycle race, but that’s an exercise for young men, fitness freaks and fools [some redundancy]. Also for soldiers of foreign extraction:

…but let’s not go there.

This time, we’re going to do the thing in cars.

Now annoyingly, the course changes every year (unlike the Mille Miglia) because it’s organized by Frenchmen, but let’s just go with the one below (don’t know the year, maybe 2008):

You’re going to start in Brest on the west coast, take a huge loop around the country, and then up to Paris for the finish. Assume the dotted lines will be roads.

Now the fun part: I’m going to divide it into three stages, and you must use a different car for each stage. And you can only use cars made in Europe (including the U.K.). Also, no GPS devices or software like Google Maps are allowed: paper maps only.

Stage 1 will be the road from Brest to Le Creusot. It’s largely flat, some rolling hills but nothing that a car of any vintage couldn’t handle. So: nothing made after 1960.

Stage 2 will be mountains, mountains and still more mountains, from Le Creusot along the Alps, thence above the Midi coast to the Pyrenees, ending in Mourenx near the Atlantic coastline. (I’ve done a tiny part of the lower stage along the Midi, and it’s both beautiful and taxing.) Speed, therefore, is not a premium, but roadholding most definitely is. As for the car: anything made between 1960 and 1990.

Stage 3 is from Mourenx to Paris — a flat-out dash over flat land along mostly straight roads which can be taken at any speed. When you get to Paris, you’ll have a celebratory dinner at one of Paris’s finest restaurants. The car: 1990 until today. (Indulge yourself, if you want, in a modern dream car, something that would look good as you show up at the George V or Ritz hotels.)

There are a couple of caveats: the TdF does not do highways or even wide roads. They are narrow, sometimes run through small towns (much like the MM), and the road signs can be baffling — sometimes, U-turns may be necessary. It’s an adventure, and more often than not, the shortest way is not necessarily the prettiest.

Finally, you’ll probably want a French companion, for translation etc. purposes. A different one for each stage, so as not to get sick of their nonsense.

I’ll start the ball rolling with my choices:

Worthwhile Read

July 14, 2023 Kim du Toit History

…and quite possibly one of the best Modern European History books I’ve ever read. It should be the foundational text for all college courses of European history of the post-WWII period.

I speak of Tony Judt’s excellent work: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

You don’t have to be interested in European history, or a history buff at all to enjoy this. But if you ever look around at the total screaming insanity that has become a feature of our modern political and social era, read Postwar and you’ll see exactly where it all came from.

And as one critic wrote, it reads with the pacing of a whodunnit, but contains all the detail and dispassionate analysis necessary for an outstanding study. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I wish I’d read it eighteen years ago, when it was first released. I am most certainly going to re-read it within the next year.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Parker VH 410 (.410)

July 14, 2023 Kim du Toit Gratuitous Gun Pics

Okay, here’s one last look at a .410 shotgun at Steve Barnett’s: an old but very lovely Parker:

The price of this piece is on a par with that of most Parkers made in this era: spendy, but not excessively so. I have fired many Parker shotguns of all sizes and gauge, and have to agree with everyone else who’s ever fired one, that they’re reliable, quality and rugged guns which are well worth the investment.

Certainly, if I had the funds I would strongly consider snatching up the above because a.) side-by-side barrels and b.) double trigger. (The rounded pistol grip is a negative, but not a huge one in this case.)

Dept. Of Righteous Shootings

July 14, 2023 Kim du Toit Righteous Shootings

One more time:

Homicide Unit detectives are investigating a self-defense claim following Saturday’s 3:30 a.m. fatal shooting of DeCarlos Groves, 25, inside the Corner Mart, 2600 Clarksville Pike.

A review of the store’s video surveillance shows Groves producing a handgun during an apparent robbery attempt. Groves then jumped over the counter, landing on top of the store clerk, Peter Fang, 20. Fang retrieved a weapon from his shirt pocket which discharged as Groves landed on him, striking Groves. As the struggle continued, additional shots were fired from Fang’s gun and Groves fell to the floor. Fang called police. Groves died at the scene.

Not to prejudice the thing, of course, but “Guess The Scumbag’s Efnicity” will be a slam-dunk.

Given the clear video evidence of the event, Our Hero will be sent on his way with an attaboy from the po-po. And from my Readers, too.

News Roundup

July 14, 2023 Kim du Toit Bad News

Speaking of tranquilized women:

...you had me at “zodiac zealots” — a more polite way to term “superstitious morons”. And speaking of idiots:

...animal lovers: no helping them.

...not to mention all those “teens” on the street where she lives in NYfC.

...yeah, how dare they. And speaking of the Constitution:

...so lemme see: all-White golf clubs (for example) are Constitutionally protected? Got it.

It’s the Chicago Way:

...I would suggest that the bonus-holers who put them there are the real trash, but I’m just a man so what do I know?

...adds meaning to the term “Officer Friendly”, dunnit? Although it must be said that being forced to give a government agent a blowjob is very good training for future citizens.