IN THE SAME YARD

And then there's . . .

Anybody have a clue?

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Is this a camelia bush? SWMBO thinks so.

The bluish-purple blooms are dying pink ones.

Whatever they are, they're gorgeous.

MMMM, GOOD!

Yes, they are.

Double-chocolate banana bread cupcakes.

Light, moist, sweet, delicious.

Recipe from the Smitten Kitchen here.

I've made it in the loaf form but this time SWMBO suggested I make it as cupcakes in a muffin tin.

She said they'd be easier to freeze and pull one out and thaw it when we wanted one.

I don't think they'll last that long.

Experienced bakers may know this but just in case: the baking time is about half what the recipe states if you make cupcakes instead of a loaf.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Some people just need a laugh more than others.

Who are they?

You'll just have to guess.

To the anonymous "them" I dedicate this edition of The Friday Funnies.

That's it, friends, all the humor I could find this week. Thanks for the contributions, have a fantastic weekend and always, always, remember to keep laughing.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

The young news director on the "Hello, Dolly" set in Hol-ly-wood in the 1960's.

This was an era when attendees to the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) were wined and dined by corporations.

(He's thinking "This is a long way from Bismarck, North Dakota.")

TUESDAY TRAVELS

I've shown people this picture in the past and they always ask if I went to Vietnam.

The answer is "No".

This photo was taken at the entrance to Hope Village, near Weimar, California, in the early 1970's.

It was a camp set up to house Vietnamese refugees who had fled their country after the War came to an end. 

My photographer (the late, great Howie Shepherd) and I had gone there because John Wayne had offered some land of his in Arizona to house some of the refugees. We had heard that the former premier of South Vietnam, Nguyen Cao Ky, was at this camp and that he had been talking with Wayne. So we flew over to Sacramento (on a milk run that stopped in San Diego and Los Angeles before getting there), rented a car and drove to Weimar.

We arrived in the early evening, checked into our hotel, and then with nothing to do until the next day, looked at a map and promptly drove to South Lake Tahoe, about 100 miles away. 

Well? Isn't that what the network boys would have done?

Next day, after little sleep, we interviewed the former premier.

His wife was very pretty but he didn't seem thrilled to meet me.

Next we flew home to Phoenix, did our reporting and a few days later another photographer (Tim Terrific)* and I flew again to California where we interviewed John Wayne. Now THAT was a thrill.

The Duke was dressed in seersucker slacks and a camel hair blazer and was incredibly gracious with the two young guys from Arizona.

He offered us coffee and a great view on the bayside patio of his home in Newport Beach.

In spite of this photo where he seems to be about to say "isn't it about time for you guys to get outta here?" he was curious about Tim's camera and even invited us to go view his operation where he was trying to turn old discarded tires into oil. (There was a shortage going on then.)

We didn't scare him or Premier Ky off but the refugees never did settle on Wayne's land in Arizona and Ky ended up running a liquor store in southern California.

But it was a great week for some visiting newsmen from Arizona.

* - Tim is now a vice-president of a different television station, apparently still trying to rise to this level of grandeur.

PET PORTRAITS

Why do we love our pets? 

Ah, let me count the ways.

Oops.

Yes, I do love my cats but Catwoman?  That's a different story.

This is my Blackwell, who follows me around the house and lies near me.  Even now he is under my desk right next to my feet.

He'll probably stay there as long as I am here.

Is that love?

It seems to be although it could just be because I feed him and he's ever alert for that.

Now Muggles, on the other hand, is more SWMBO's loyal companion.

While somewhat more independent, as cats normally are, she does stay close at hand wherever her mistress lights.

She will come to me at certain times for a bit of petting. A very little bit of petting.

But she's basically SWMBO's cat.

The BRD lives with her constant companions, three (yes THREE) cats and a dog. 

A few months back she, who is a talented artist in many media, began experimenting with photographs, turning them into art portraits.

She's done several in this semi-surrealist manner.

You might like one done of your pet.

If so . . .

So ends today's commercial message.

(Meeeeeaaaaooooooowwwwww)