COSTA . . . WHERE???

The BRD and her Beau Jack, AKA The Travelin' Man, have been at it yet again, Gentle Readers.

They're back at home now but only after a mega-hour return from their latest vacation.

No, it's not Shangri La, it only looks that way.

This journey was to the jungle-ly region of Costa Rica.

I can't even tell you where it was, except that it was in the mountains and it was green, very green.

They do look like they belong there, don't they?

As do these natives.

I'm not sure what was going on in that last picture but I fear for the one that (didn't) follow it.

The natural surroundings were breath-taking.

But you know Americans.

They have to leave their mark on the planet.

That's Jack's son on the left.

A large group ford a river, sort of.

And then, the BRD prepares to ease into a mud-bog.

The Beau Jack, however, is not one to "ease" his way through life.

Or mud bogs.

Which may explain this next picture.

Oh, yes, that's him . . . in the rinse cycle.

There were quieter times, or at least dining times.

(You knew I'd actually get around to food, didn't you?)

Jeremy, Marina, Gayle (and a CAT) at a restaurant that the BRD said served the absolute best barbecue she'd ever had . . . and she spent a lot of years eating it in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I'm not sure what this was but it's pretty, isn't it?

And, speaking of that . . .

Looks like it was a great vacation!

AURAE

MY BLUE JAY FIXATION EXPLAINED

Some of you have commented how the blue color of our bird bath/drinking pond matches nearly perfectly the color of the blue jays that visit it.

Some others of you may wondered about my constant photographing and displaying their visits to said bath/pond.

It goes back.

Way, way, way back to the days of my youth in a small town in northwestern North Dakota where I was born and raised.

The town's name was Stanley and the nickname of the school's sports teams was . . . well, I bet you guessed it, didn't you?

I never was on any of the teams but, as I think I've said here before, I was the tallest student manager in the state.

And I still remember the "fight song".

Stanley Blue Jays

Hats off to thee

Your name, your fame

spreading from sea to sea.

Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah,

Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah,

H'ray for the white and blue!

So forgive this alumnus of 1958 for his favoring the blue jays in his yard.

It runs deep.

BLUE ON BLUE

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Good morning Gentle Readers.

Wait!  There's Breaking News!

Glad we got that out of the way.

Seems like I'm getting afraid to turn on the television or the computer these days.

Ah well, let us forget about all of those travails and get to some righteous humor.

No, that's not what I meant.

I think it is time once again to explore the various ways real live human beings have chosen to act around statues.

Whew!  I know what you're thinking.

People confronted by statuary seem to have either a violent or a romantic thought.

Well, one last guy had a different notion and I think he's my favorite this week.

That was a bigger than normal selection but I just decided to clean out the files a little bit.

Now get out there and have a wonderful, fun-der-full weekend, Gentle Readers, and always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Oh, everyone has to get into the act.)

DIY CAR

I was in a grocery store parking lot a week or so ago and heard a very loud vehicle.

This is what it turned out to be.

It appeared to be a Do It Yourself vehicle.

The driver got out and went around to the passenger side to open the rusty door for his companion.

It took quite a tug to get it open.

The "car" looked even more unique from the rear.

A pretty strange creation.