A NEW CREATION

SWMBO got creative in the kitchen yesterday.

Never mind that Thanksgiving is only a few days away.

She had scored some Meyer lemons and decided to invent a new way to bake sweet potatoes.

So she diced up a couple of the potatoes and an equal amount of fresh pineapple and sliced several of the lemons and some tangerines and studded the slices with whole cloves.

She made a sauce of brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, the juice of a couple of the lemons and a dash of water.

This she cooked until it caramelized and then combined it with the sweet potatoes and pineapple, spread them out in a baking dish and topped them with the clove-studded fruits.

It looked like this before going into the oven to be baked for a couple of hours.

When it was done she served it with some of our favorite Mandarin Orange Chicken from Trader Joe's.

There was a mix of quinoa and brown rice to balance the sweetness.

When I tasted this dinner I was One Happy Camper!

NOW STARRING . . .

As I was scanning through the Prescott Daily Courier recently I saw a link to a photo from this year's Tuxedos and Tool Belts gala.

I remembered that the BRD and her Beau Jack had been to a number of them and checked the photo.

And lo and behold, there they were!

I cropped the photo to give you a better view of the glorious couple.

The BRD is looking particularly beautiful these days with her new bangs, which a number of people have complimented her on, saying they make her look much younger.

She was concerned about her posture in the photo above until she realized her jacket was draped over the chair back behind her and she was indeed sitting up straight.

Update: Gayle says Jack bid on a trip to Greece at the gala and won it!  They have to go sometime within the next year.  After their trip to Costa Rica next month!

Patterns

Sharon has some interesting photographs on one of her blogs today and it made me think of this photograph I took in our front yard a couple of days ago.

Apparently it is uninteresting, though, as evidenced by SWMBO's shrug reaction to it when I showed it to her.

Perhaps this picture, taken instead of pointing the camera down but up, is more interesting.

I wanted to photograph the gray, cloudy sky and was luck enough to have a couple of big black ravens fly over as I clicked the shutter.

I cropped the picture down later to better show the birds.

Quite obviously they don't flap their wings in a coordinated manner even though they were flying side by side.

The first picture fills one's spirit with a sense of impending gloom or doom against that slate grey sky, though.

(Today it's blue with lots of sunshine.)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Well, here we are once again.

The end of the week and nothing to show for it except a few extra pounds (of pie).

But it's time to look the ogre dead in the eyes and amp it up, Gentle Readers.

Time to get . . .

Hey, was that the phone?

So that's it, Gentle Readers, progress in the technological era.

Here's an idea for a great weekend: turn your phone OFF for a couple of days and look around you.

You might be surprised.

But whatever, always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Oh, no, you too?)

FIVE AMIGOS

The years keep piling up but the Rock Springs Cafe gatherings live on.

Today was another such lunch at the Palace of Pie by these five survivors of the media wars at KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

Steve Torbeck, Wally Athey, Lew Ruggiero, Karl Kindberg and Bruce Taylor.

All a bit grayer, certainly more rotund.

As for the pies, you think I lie?

These are just some of the pies being readied for the big Thanksgiving rush.

I had a slice of Chocolate Cream today while the other lads, (huh-huh-huh), watched their waistlines.

VIEWS AROUND THE CASA

A colorful early morning sky through the leaves at dawn.

My constant companion keeps an eye out for birds and wandering cats.

And one of our favorite repeating dinners Judy discovered a recipe for recently.

Smoked paprika shrimp with scallions and garlic.

How's life around your house?

AVIAN ANTICS

I had just finished filling the bird bath with fresh water this morning when this rascal showed up.

He looked to his right.

He looked to his left.

He looked straight at where Blackwell and I were watching him through the window.

What was he so cautious about?

Aha!

Bath day.

Some birds are more modest than others, I guess.