Blink!

Much more at http://icanhascheezburger.com

The past is passed

A former colleague of mine and I got in touch recently and have been exchanging some photos from our past. These two, that I received today, are of a going away party when my friend went across town to become my competitor. In the first photo, I have surprised him with a small gift of some kind. In the second photo he is being gracious and saying goodbye.
Two things stand out to me. #1, look how skinny we are! I've put on close to a hundred pounds since those days. #2, notice I am not without a cigarette in either photo. And that was inside of our studio, on the second floor. Nearly everyone smoked in those days and there were no laws about it. "Those days" - this was in 1968, some 41 years ago! (Incidentally, I stopped smoking, finally, 18 years ago but I still had to have a pacemaker installed a few years ago.)

Autumnal Beauty

So, okay. My last trip north to see the fall colors was a failure. But that was several weeks ago. Friday we went to Flagstaff to visit a friend. Saturday morning we came back down Oak Creek Canyon. (As I have said before, it is a place of great beauty on the earth.) And this time we got lucky. The colors were magnificent.

Doesn't this shot, with its apples for sale, look like New England. (I've never been there but I have a very good imagination.)

Governor Kinky?

Let's see . . . Bob Luzius is soon off the Prescott City Council, Steve Blair is back on, along with Tammy Linn and John Hanna. Paul Katan, as expected, finished a distant last. The voters approved an initiative to put any expenditure by the city over 40 million dollars to their approval in special elections. (Read: an attempt to stop the city's plan to pump needed water from the water ranch they bought.)

On the national scene, Republicans elected governors in Virginia and New Jersey (so long, Jon Corzine), Mayor Bloomberg's 100 million dollar gamble to win a third term in the Big Apple was successful, and the voters of Maine turned their backs on a significant part of their population as they reversed same sex marriage. But there was some good news nationally: Whackos Sarah Palin and (my old college pal) Dick Armey and their stooge were defeated in upstate New York as Democrat Bill Owens was elected to Congress.

But the best news of all? Kinky Friedman is running for governor of Texas again. This time he's decided to do it as a Democrat. (As he put it, the last independent elected governor in Texas was Sam Houston and that was a long time ago.) Politico has the full story.

What's that smoke?

This smoke is up on top of Mingus Mountain. It's yet another prescribed burn. The Prescott Daily Courier has all the details.

Halloween - Prescott - 2009

Some say Halloween is the biggest holiday of the year in Prescott. I may agree. Costumes are amazing.

But this guy may just be "normal" for the day.

But close behind the costumes began.

My wife tells me dead celebrities are big this year. Like Michael Jackson.

Some are traditional (the cat in the hat), others are showing the zombie look.

Then there's the . . . transsexual look?

Ladies seem to like the sexual look . . even when accompanying their teensy children.

Or not.

And then, the zombies are back.

And the kids.

A pirate? Wasn't that last year?

There was "the Wild Gang".

Bat-er up!

And finishing up . . . the zombies again.

I talked to a cab driver. She said most people were having dinner. The "action" didn't really start until about 9 p.m. The bars have their costume contests beginning at 10.

I'm too old for this!

Have a scary day!

Vegetables (twice)

SWMBO let her artistic side come to the front recently. She created this pretty relish plate for one of our meals. Red, orange and yellow peppers, quartered dill pickles, red and yellow cherry tomatoes. And you know what? It tasted as good as it looked!

Then there were these two vegetables, echoing each other's nap positions, though Muggles' eyes are wide open, casting a wary look at me. Don't be fooled by their proximity, however. Muggles initially used to nap on the bed in the afternoons. Then Smoke came along and discovered the comfy spot for himself. Now he usually beats Muggles there. She comes in a little later, jumps up on the bed and haughtily circles Smoke, sniffing at him, doing everything she can to get him to run away so she can take over the spot. Smoke is generally a very placid cat but he isn't easily bullied. So eventually Muggles lies down as close as she can get without actually touching him. Except for an occasional lazy flip of her tail in Smoke's face.

And there they stay.

Meat on the hoof

I know I've done this before but my camera just can't resist. For you city-folk and Easterners, here's what your steaks and hamburgers look like long before it gets to your plate.

Snow in Arizona!

You didn't believe me when I said yesterday that there might be snow, did you?

Well today . . . please note the calendar says it is October 28th . . . it snowed.

Forthwith, here is a photo of our first snowfall of the season. More later.

Here comes Old Man Winter!

Temperatures have dropped.

Winds have increased.

Snow may even be on the way.

Brrrrrrr!

In case you couldn't figure it out, "my" Arizona Cardinals beat the New York Giants tonight.

I'm sorry to say the California Angels were not able to triumph over the New York Yankees but you have to go with what you've got.

CARDINALS! CARDINALS! CARDINALS!

***The photo is confusing. Click on it to see "our" logo.

"Close" friends

Muggles and Smoke cautiously share the foot of the bed. Muggles really doesn't like it because it was her "spot" before Smoke came along but she's given up trying to force him off. So now they spend much of each day sleeping "almost" together.

" Just don't get too close!"

Curious as a . . . .

A new visitor has joined our cat crowd. SWMBO liked this rather abstract photo of him peering in through a screen and a glass window the other day.

This morning I spotted him walking very carefully along the top of the rear fence. He's apparently new to such activity because it was taking him awhile.

Smoke, the old veteran, then showed him how easy it was as he strode purposefully and quickly along.

As I've noted before, this black cat is still nervous about me and scampers over to his yard when I come outside.

But today I caught him for a full portrait as he perched on the railing right outside my window. As long as I stay in the house, he's okay with me . . . though on guard to run if I turn the door handle.

Our other visitor, Goldie, meanwhile seemed totally bored with the whole situation.

Now these are classic cars!

I spotted a couple of very old cars parked on Whiskey Row in Prescott today. I had to stop and snap some photos. You might notice a couple of very hairy passengers.

Upon closer examination, I found a black and a white dog, guarding the car while their masters stopped for lunch.

The car above is identified as a 1911 Ford Torpedo. Not sure about the one below.

Except to note that its license plate identified it as a Horseless Carriage.

I spoke briefly with the owners of the autos. They are both from Phoenix and had been making a tour of the northern part of the state.
. As fun as they are to look at, I can't imagine driving them for long distances at a time.