A SATURDAY SWIM . . . WITH DOLPHINS!

Adam Walker is a British man swimming the hardest 7 oceans of the world.  He'll be the first Brit to do it.  Only four other people have completed the feat so far. This video shows him swimming the Cook Strait, between the two islands of New Zealand.  He was accompanied for more than an hour by a pod of dolphins.

His next and final swim will be in the Irish Sea in August.

Only advice I'd have: make sure those fins are dolphins.  Not sharks.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Keep on chucklin', folks and have a fantastic weekend!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

I was a tall and lanky (6 foot 2, 150 pounds) high schooler.  People used to ask me if I played basketball back then.  My standard response "No, but I was the tallest student manager in the state."

My good friend of some 40 years, Steve Torbeck, and I used to argue over which one of us was taller.  (Actually I think it was a tie but don't tell him I said that.)  But my last visit to a doctor's office(*) the nurse measured me and said I was 6 foot 1.  Uh-oh.  I've reached that age where I've started shrinking.  Well, at least in height.  I weigh considerably more now than my high school fighting weight.

But I didn't realize how much I had shrunk until I ran into this guy on the Courthouse Plaza in Prescott last weekend.

(*) - One of my recent sayings is about all the doctor visits SWMBO and I make:  "If we didn't have all these doctor visits, we'd have no social life at all!"

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

HOW THE WEST WAS WON

First you had to have the proper tools.

You had to have a horse - your constant companion.

You had to know how to ride.

Prescott maintains a claim to fame.  In case you didn't notice it . . .

Those rodeos can truly tucker a man out.  So much so that he can fall asleep on his feet.

When you need to get yourself some new gear, there's the general store.  Or, around here you can go to . . .

'Course, things have changed since the glory days of the 1800's.  Nowadays there's a more modern way to shop.

CINCO DE MAYO

The Mexican celebration which occurs on this day does NOT mark Mexican Independence Day.  In Puebla, Mexico it is a commemoration of the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862 in which the Mexican army unexpectedly defeated French forces.  In the United States it is a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride.

Mexican Independence Day, the most important national holiday in Mexico, is celebrated on September 16th.

But up here in El Norte, May 5th is a day for margaritas, beer, tacos, mariachi music, dancing and whatever else comes with it.  In a tradition which began decades ago holidays frequently are celebrated on the nearest weekend to the actual date.  Such was the case Saturday in Prescott.

A good sized crowd gathered on the Courthouse Square, in part to watch these guys.

A classic mariachi band in their traditional costumes.

This was one of several young ninas in colorful costumes who danced on the plaza to the lively music.

A pretty senorita enjoyed the music from the sidelines.

There was a beer garden and a young man grilling up some taco fixings.

Ah, the finished products.  Corn tortillas, carne asada, frijoles, avocados, cotija cheese.  Yummy!

There was also a busy face painter.

I wonder how long that brown-eyed beauty waited before she had the paint washed off!

O.K.  I know you've been waiting for this so . . . strike up the band.

Viva Mexico!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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.