Friday, May 25, 2018

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES


To be serious for a moment, there is a Red Flag Warning for our part of Arizona for today and tomorrow due to low humidity and high winds.

That means critical fire danger so, like Sergeant Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues, let's be careful out there.

But for this motoring weekend, we have a theme!

Yes, the Friday Funnies (thanks to Seattle Lori) are going to poke a little fun at one of your summer favorites - high gasoline prices!














And on that happy "note", Gentle Readers, I'll put up the stop sign on this high octane collection.

As you're "walking" around this wild and wooly weekend (3-days off, YAY!) I want you to have a wonderfully wacky time, wide-open to whimsy.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .


Wednesday, May 23, 2018

A QUICK VISIT

We had a couple of visitors here at the Old Manse over the weekend.


No, no, I don't mean them.

The Eurasian Collared Doves (thanks, Phil) are here throughout the day, every day.

As a matter of fact, they apparently landed with such an impact the other day that they flipped the top half of the bird bath upside down onto the ground.

I noticed it after the fact and returned it to its rightful position with a fresh filling of water.

But no, those aren't the visitors I was referring to.

It was Tom and Lana from Cambria, California, who dropped in for a whirlwind visit.

They are old friends (older now) from my Indianapolis radio days back around 1970.  

So our friendship is rapidly approaching a half century of existence.

Curiously, for someone who seems to live with his camera in his hand, I came away with no pictures this time.

As we chatted over the weekend the topics veered from "how did we ever get this old?" to "whatever became of him/her?" to "is he/she still alive?"

Judy has joked that old people only seem to talk about their various maladies.

And we all discussed those, too.

But there was still time for some wine and some great meals.

As usual Judy performed wonders in the kitchen, producing such tasty comestibles as orange-carrot-nutmeg soup, gazpacho, picadillo empanadas, corn and black bean salad, smoked paprika shrimp, lemon pound cake topped with lime-flavored Greek yoghurt, and choclolate meringues.

Ah, those chocolate meringues.

Mind you, that was not just one meal.

Did I mention the wine?

The visitors treated us to a delicious Bloody Mary-infused Sunday Brunch at the funky old Iron Springs Cafe . . . a favorite spot of ours.

Great gumbo, by the way.

It had been three years since we had seen them.

Three years marked by some doctoring all around and some more aging becoming apparent.

But, as is often remarked, with old friends it just seems like yesterday.

Friday, May 18, 2018

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Ah, Gentle Readers, it is Friday and you've nearly made it through another week.

Time for some humor.


This week we're headed for the wide open spaces.

Sort of.





Told ya!




O.K. I can hear you screaming with laughter so I think that's enough for this week.

Now, listen up: your mission this weekend is to have an excruciatingly elegant time, the envy of your neighbors and ending everlasting ennui.


Uh, yesssss.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .


Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Monday, May 14, 2018

SHADOWING


"No, not that one."


"THAT one."

Saturday, May 12, 2018

CURIOSITY AND THE CAT


"I'm studying it."


"I gotta have it."

(the strap from my camera)

Friday, May 11, 2018

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

If it's already Saturday where you live, I'm sorry, okay?

I know I'm late but I've been busy.

There's a huge brush fire quite near to me (burning away from me, thankfully) and I've been keeping track of it.

At any rate, it's bearing down on the weekend and you know what that means.


Well, yes, there is that, of course.

But today (or yesterday, maybe, where you live.  Sheesh!) it's time for The Friday Funnies.

And to get them started, I offer a bowl of soup . . .


 . . . and salad!




Are you sensing a theme here?


All right, just to change the focus a bit.

Just a wee bit.


And in case you really didn't get the message . . .


Okay, with that final (heh-heh) happy thought let me wish you a phantastic, phabulous weekend full of words that begin with p but you'd never know it.

Like "pneumonia".

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(uh-oh)


Tuesday, May 8, 2018

LOOKING FOR PREY (OR A MATE)

When I stepped out my front door recently I spotted a strange sight on the roof of my neighbor's garage.


I recognized it's distinctive shape immediately and identified it as a roadrunner.


Rather surprisingly, it remained while I ran into the house and grabbed my camera.


Wikipedia tells me that roadrunners become inured to humans and this one certainly showed no fear as I edged closer and focused my zoom lens on it.


I'm not sure if it was warming itself in the sun or just on lookout for something to eat, or maybe a mate.

The Wikipedia article says the birds are monogamous and mate for life, usually remaining in their "territory" for a full year.

They are also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks.


Mexican Indians and American Indians consider it good luck to spot a roadrunner and since they eat a variety of bugs and snakes, including rattlesnakes, I consider it good luck to have them in the neighborhood.

Plus, they are quite a stunning specimen.

(And not once did it go "beep-beep".)

Monday, May 7, 2018

BASEBALL AND FRIENDSHIP

Baseball Steve treated me to a Diamondbacks game in Phoenix yesterday.

Since I have aged, the rake of his normal seats in the third deck have given me a vertigo problem so I had declined invitations to the ball park.

But Steve solved that problem by trading his seats for seats in handicapped areas on the days when we go to a game.

Yesterday we sat in a new area to us, in center field, where our view was like this.


I might add that we did get a good look at the center fielders, like the hero of the Diamondbacks win over the Houston Astros, A.J. Pollock, and the opposing team's George Springer.


We found ourselves directly below the broadcast booth where the post-game analysis was done by Todd Walsh and Mark Grace.


And we were fairly near to the famous swimming pool which was the landing zone for a home run ball that was the only score for the current World Champion Astros yesterday.


And as usual there was an attendee at the game wearing a New York Yankees tee-shirt.


All in all it was a fun day at the "old ball park" and a chance to spend time with a pal I've had since the mid-70's.


When I got home I was looking at a picture of Steve and I at Chase Field that I finally determined must have been taken at least ten years ago.


Back then Steve still had a beard and, as SWMBO unkindly pointed out, my hair was considerably darker than it is today!

Lot of years in the saddle.