More Springtime

DW received a pre-birthday present yesterday! Please meet Mr. Murphy, whose job is to overlook the gardens in front of HiltonHouse.

And there is plenty to overlook, with the roses starting to bloom and the cherry trees beginning their annual April blossom explosions.

Meanwhile, DD's two West Lawn cherry trees, much different varieties, are in blossom at the same time.

It's fun to watch. Lots of fun.

THIS is what is was all about

I actually saw the Benny Goodman Band on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City.

Honda Hybrid Insight

 

  Just click here 

It's a  whole lot of fun, but I'm not sure how environmentally conscious it is.

New Addition to the Extended Kikuchi Family

Please meet Jue & Satoshi's new daughter, Yuna. Welcome, Yuna!

(note the Kikuchi nose :-)

More Spring 2009 Stuff

Seen from afar, under cloudy skies, DD's weepingcherry tree appears dormant. Close inspection, however, reveals little buds with signs of life. Even closer inspection reveals even more...real cherry blossoms!

Thank you, DD.

More Signs of Spring

(I'm having trouble placing text)

Anyway, up at top is the first red leaf of the Japanese Maple.

The groundcover is Periwinkle, now in full bloom.

The white cluster is from the potato bush (?) on the side of the garage.

And the white thingy with the beautiful center may be a zinnea (help!) and it opens to sunlight.

Lots of Spring fun so far.

Springtime 2009

I shall have some new pics of the red-leaf Japanese Maple and, perhaps, the cherry trees soon. In the meantime, I was struck by the following:

"Lonely Red Umbrella"

Another Early Sign

Those are the first leaves of the season on Hisako's Japanese Maple. Soon, there will be more. (Perhaps, from another tree.)

(Click to enlarge. This is important for this pic, since the detail only shows when enlarged.)

For Dog Lovers

 

Something to make you chuckle on a foggy Sunday.

All Publicity Is Good (as long as they spell my name write)

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/uh-oh-white-house-seeks-economic-advice-from-twitter-2009-3

(at least Twitter uses tinyurl)

Thursday's Moon Halo

The halo is apparently caused by zillions of ice crystals in the sky. Some say that the number of stars inside the halo indicate the number of days before the next storm. Don't know about that; just know that it was a wonderful sight.

American Toilet Paper Is The Best!

 

The UK Guardian disagrees:

"People just don't understand that softness equals ecological destruction."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/26/toilet-roll-america

sheesh

USAir 1549 Animation

You go, Sully!

It's Almost March!

Akiko's peach tree is showing definite signs of life.  Can the cherry trees be far behind?

ABC "Nightline" 25 Feb 09

Here's the show.  7:40 minutes:

Aquaducts. viaducts, etc.

The Romans discovered the beauty and utility of the arch. Once discovered, the arch began showing up everywhere, for every imaginable use.

The Greeks had used columns and slabs, much more limited than the arch. Remember the Parthenon. But, arches are much more flexible.

That last one certainly took some guts!

Idle Thoughts

I don't think I can go that fast.

Calm Between Storms

We have a couple of sun days between storms, and guess who opened her eyes to look around. That's Akiko's peach tree above. Lots and lots of buds, and a few flowers.

All in all, a very good sign.

Friends, there are serious problems around us

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/4642259/Eastern-European-currencies-crumble-as-fears-of-debt-crisis-grow.html 

The world, as we knew it, is slowly dissolving. These are dangerous times.

Not to be too sad, however, the daffodils are blooming as usual.

Stimulus

Just what are these lady and gentlemen laughing so hard about? Think about it.