Remember when?

 

Truly, I used to have two of these. Marvelous devices.

Our Glorious Leader

 

is definitely multi faceted.

Changing of the Guard

 

January 20th 2009. A peaceful transition. Pretty neat!

There Shall Be Spring

 

The splendid roses had to be pruned, actually about a month late, to provide for new growth (soon!) Meanwhile, up to the right, hints of soon-to-come daffodils look promising.

 

 The Hardy Camellia bush is looking very healthy, and its vagabond illegitimate child nearby is blooming like crazy.

 

Two Nites in Red Bluff

 

Visited a dear friend, her daughter, her new house, her grandkids and friends, and a golf course in Red Bluff CA this week. Mt. Shasta (above) and Mt. Lassen were always on the horizon.

Lots of fun. 9 holes of golf (with a starter who remembered our name from 6 years ago!) plus home cooking (brandied chicken) and steak/liver at the Green Barn.

On the way back home, we stopped (long story) by the new Links Course at Sevillano, near Corning CA. It looks like an interesting golf course.

Winter in Northern California

Let's see. Last week at this time, it looked like this outside:

Today, we hit 59F (and may go a bit higher tomorrow.) I checked the outside plants. First, of course, are Mieko's roses, which have been blooming all winter:

 

And then, a quick check of our camelia, next to the barn. This hardy bush is always the first to bloom in the Spring. Voila! There are young buds:

  

Spring can't be too far away.

Choices

This is for beginners...

Just Thinking Creatively...

 

Country Estate. River views, in-ground pool, fenced back yard. This is a horse property. Totally fenced acreage. Act quickly, as this listing may disappear quickly!

2009 Year of the Ox

 

Prosperity through fortitude and hard work. (Let's hope, anyway.)

Salutes to our Troops for the New Year

 

That's USS Ronald Reagan, CVN 76, with a tender and a supporting destroyer. Awesome that there are probably 6,000 men and women on these three ships.

Now, where America's Day Begins, here's Apra Harbor, Guam with the USS Ronald Reagan entering:

Sometimes...

on a chilly, quiet, day-after-Christmas, I just feel like burying myself in a good book:

Breakfast Food!

Before:

 

And, after:

And now, I'm getting hungry, even though it's a long way from breakfast. Mmmmm

Compare & Contrast

 

That's the classic Hiroshige above. Great painting of water, with Fuji-san in the distance.

Now, consider HDR, or High Dynamic Range imaging:

I, at least, noticed some strong similarities.

Christmas Ornaments

 

Hope that you and yours are enjoying the celebration.

Merry Christmas To All

 

A redwood church in Yosemite valley.

Mt. Rushmore, SD

The celebrated presidential sculpture on Mt. Rushmore has never drawn me to its view. However, I was attracted to the seldom-seen view of the back of the mountain.

 

Happy Birthday, Giacomo!

 

Hey! It's Puccini's 150th Birthday Anniversary. My Dad absolutely loved this guy. He also had somewhat mixed feelings about Italians in general.

Have a listen:

Winter Solstice 2008

Tonight is the longest night of the year, at 4 minutes after midnight Universal Time. Congratulations, I guess; it's all downhill from here, until the next solstice.

 

For no logical reason (except that it was very dark inside the tree) I attach a picture of the famous Wawona Tree in Yosemite, which collapsed under a two-ton load of snow in 1969, at the young age of 2300!

The Navy's Latest Toy!

 

That's Pegasus! It's the Navy's X-47B UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle.) It takes off from, and lands back on an aircraft carrier. Flies at 40,000 feet for hours, and hours, and hours. No toilet needed.

I don't know what it costs, but it sure is neat!

Final Years of the Shuttle

Discovery on the Pad:

And, Endeavor returning from California to Florida:

 

Don't you just love this stuff?