CHALK IT UP

An annual festival of colored chalk artists was taking place in a bank's parking lot in downtown Prescott this weekend.  There were only a few professional artists this year.

But there were plenty of amateurs of all ages on hand and some of their work was pretty darned good.

Here's one of the younger artists . . choosing his colors and deciding on his theme, with the help of a proud dad.

All in all, a fine festival on a warm sunny weekend.

MUSTANGS!

There was a big car show in Prescott today, aptly in the parking lot of the local In-N-Out Burger.

Can you guess what it was all about?

If you can't guess by that familiar logo, it was a Mustang show in honor of the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Ford Mustang.

There were representatives both young and old.

Muscle car designer Carrol Shelby was celebrated on one car.

And speaking of muscle . . .

If you're going to drive one of these beauties at it's best, you'd better have one of these on your dashboard.

That's a radar detector, in case you didn't know.

But sometimes it's just all about color.

The owner of this little gem told me pink was her favorite color. Her husband finally found her a pink car and spent 16 months restoring it to its original beauty.

Complete to a pair of pink fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

Another owner had a Route 66 steering wheel cover.

Another car had white fuzzy dice and a warning sign.

This license plate on one of the original 'Stangs brought forth memories of the old song "Mustang Sally."

Another car's owner seemed to be thinking of Hawaii Five-Oh.

And have you ever seen a hood held in place with barbed wire? You still haven't.  That clever design was painted on by a car detailer.

Another car's owner had gone all out with his paint job.

So which of the many Mustangs over the past 50 years, with the many styles and many colors is the best?

Something tells me these guys will be arguing about that one for years and years.

(This post is dedicated to my pal, Scott, a true car aficionado.  If you read his blog Flight Plan, you're no doubt familiar with his frequent visits to Cars 'n' Coffee.)

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Have a wonderful weekend, gentle readers, and thanks to my contributors/victims for the photos.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

Judy (SWMBO) & I in the 1980's

Guadalajara, Mexico

Pre-white hair

Pre-Pacemakers

Those were the days!

UPDATE

Judy (SWMBO) now has her Pacemaker installed.  The operation went well this morning, she's now on 6 hours of bedrest and will spend the night in the hospital.  We are both relieved.

INVERTED

First off I apologize for the fuzziness of the photos today.

Second, do any of you people who have cats have cats that do this?

Muggles is famous for lying on her back with her hind feet in the air. She does it when she's relaxed, when she's content and, as SWMBO says, when she's happy.  She also does it sometimes when she's asleep.  It always amuses me and she was lying on the floor like this, grooming herself, looking around, day-dreaming . . for a long time last night.

It's difficult to photograph her like this, especially when she's rolling around and particularly when she becomes aware of the camera.

 - - - - -

SWMBO, by the way, is going in to the hospital tomorrow to have a Pacemaker installed.  This follows a scary incident about a week ago when she had a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) or mini-stroke and went to the hospital in an ambulance.  After one night there and a battery of tests she was home again, waiting for her appointment with her cardiologist yesterday.  He recommended and she quickly agreed to the Pacemaker so it will be done in a relatively non-invasive surgery* tomorrow.  She'll have one arm in a sling for a week or so but I can assure you she'll still be giving the orders around here.  I shall strive to survive her surgery and what follows.  

*relatively non-invasive surgery:  the device is planted just under the skin.  But they do run leads into her heart.

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

The BRD has acquired many of her mother's talents.  She sent me some photos yesterday of her latest offerings from her kitchen.

A panful of oysters frying.

Jalapeño Poppers and crisp bacon.

And Eggs Benedict.

Voilà!  Sunday Brunch at the BRD's house.

Damn!

Now I'm hungry again.

THE MIGHTY CENTURY PLANT

It begins with a cluster of tough leaves.

The flower stalk that rises from the center of the cluster heads for the sky.

It is said the stalk can rise as high as 26 feet.

As it  rises, blooms form near the top.

The plant whose scientific name is Agave Americana has been nicknamed the Century plant because it blooms only once in its 10 to 30 year life and then dies.  But shoots from the base prolong the life of this majestic plant.

These are not yet in full bloom.  I will try to get a picture when they are.

Meantime, this one plant . . not yet blooming . . seems already to be waving goodbye.

APRIL IN ARIZONA

Strong winds are swirling the snow around in the air but the temperature is 39 and most of it is melting when it hits the ground. The moisture is moving quickly through the state and the sun will probably be out later this afternoon.  On a day when I don't have to go out of the house it's fun to watch.