THE LEADER OF THE PACK

I spotted this group of motorcycles this week and couldn't resist a photo.

Parked nearby all by itself was this lovely white Harley.

Of course, I couldn't be sure but the contrast to the bright colors of the other bikes could mean that this belonged to "The Leader of the Pack!"

THE 3 STAGES OF ALERTNESS

Blackwell was taking a breather from his toils of the day, lying in the shade on the back patio, nearly asleep.

So you thought.  But without changing his position, he was suddenly awake.

And then . . in a blink . . on alert.

What stirred him to this stage?

Need you even to have asked.  Just look at that plump, prime target.

But the story ends well.  The bird, dumb as it is, flew away to safety before Blackwell started his charge.

And another day slows to a conclusion.

WOOD YA'?

These photos are products and proof of an idle mind.

THE DEATH OF BIN LADEN

In the past 48 hours, the world has changed.  Again.  I had resolved not to write about the killing of Osama (Usama) Bin Laden.  But I just read a good posting by a blogger friend of mine, Dana of Bug's Eye View.  She referenced several other bloggers who have written, meaningfully, of this event.  So rather than trying to come to grips with this event myself, I refer you to her blog.  Good job, Dana.

NAMESAKES

While I was out this past weekend, I passed a road construction project with a bunch of my namesakes parked until Monday.

What's that, you say?  You don't understand what I mean by "namesakes"?  They're road graders, aren't they? 

Well, yes, but it's the name of the road grader.  In case you missed it, here's a close-up.


To further clarify, they are Caterpillars . . shortened to Cat, just as my pen-name, Catalyst, is by some of my readers.

All hail Cats!

Mystery Train

Ever seen a railroad crossing like this one?

There don't seem to be any tracks!

And I gather this is some type of switching tool for changing tracks around but one of you old time railroad buffs will have to either confirm or correct that.

Well the fact of the matter is that this was once a roadbed for a railroad line but it's long abandoned and now has been converted into a trail for hiking.

Now that's nice but did you read the fine print carefully?

With that type of warning I think I'll confine my hiking to a nice enclosed shopping mall!

Watch List

If you're a fan of international intrigue, have I got a book, AND AN AUTHOR, for you!  The book is "Watch List" and the author is Steve Glossin.  Many of you may know Steve as a blogger who photographs and describes the antics of the squirrels he feeds on his balcony in Germany.  But Steve is also a writer.  He has published three books (available on Amazon as eBooks and instantly downloadable to your Kindle reader.)  They are, in addition to "Watch List", "Death Mask" and "Prophecy of the Medallion." 

I have just finished "Watch List", having read over half of it this afternoon.  It is a mesmerizing tale of the Knights of Malta and a modern-day brother and sister team searching for a secret from their ancestors going back centuries.  The Catholic Church, a Maltese Mafia and others are all involved.  If you like books by Robert Ludlum and his like, you'll love "Watch List" as the intrigue, the violence and, yes, the sex keep you turning pages.

I am proud to say that Steve Glossin is my friend but even if I'd never met him (on the Web) I would recommend this book. 

Enjoy!

Steve Glossin, Author