Now you must realize that my plane was MAYBE 40 feet from the door he was
blocking, while Mr. Liability-Attorney's 727 was several hundred yards
farther out. I pointed this fact out to him, and also pointed to my
children, stating that all we wanted to do was get off the ground before
dark, since neither of us were legal to fly at night.

A bit off topic (and I don't want to diminish your point), but I just want
to make sure I understand the regulations...
Couldn't you or Mary just do three quick patterns (full-stop) and be legal
to fly at night?

Adam