Murder and Mayhem in Mammoth Lakes???

After a day of helping TheChief with a project around the house,

murder and mayhem erupt...

Our friends, Ramona and Pat, came up from Long Beach to help TheChief 

with a project...

all survived and the project was successful!!!

For more participants in the Weekend in Black and White, click here!!!

It's a Silvery Moon...

"By the light of the silvery moon,

I want to spoon, to my honey I'll croon love's tune,

Honeymoon keep a shining in June,

Your silvrey beams will bring love dreams, we'll be cuddling soon,

By the silvery moon."

lyrics by Eward Madden

music by Gus Edwards

published in 1909

Fly on over to Skywatch Friday for more sky shots!!!

Another moment in honor of Dixie Jane, whom I'm sure would have loved this foray 

back in time...

Anyone for a Dip???

June Lake, California

"A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable."

William Wordsworth

XXX....

I'll bet you were expecting something racy weren't you???

Perhaps it's X marks the spot...

But there's no X...

But this is one of my favorite spots up here...

Guess this ABC Wednesday post is xed...

yeah...it's a word...

look it up!!!

Have a good "X" day!!!

Another Little Corner of the World...

Today's post is not about my little corner of the world...

...but instead, a little corner of the world I was honored to visit last year.

If you've heard of the Galapagos Islands, then it just may be that you've heard of 

Lonesome George...

Lonesome George became a symbol of the Galapagos and "the urgent 

need to conserve nature"...

all kinds of souvenir paraphernalia throughout the islands featured some kind of 

rendering of Lonesome George...

Lonesome George died Sunday, at the age of approximately 100 years young.

That's only middle aged for a Pinta island giant tortoise.

What makes this an especially sad time is that Lonesome George was believed to be the 

last of his species.  Many attempts were made to "help" Lonesome George to 

mate and bring forth offspring, but apparently it never took.

While we were in the Galapagos, we were at the Charles Darwin Research Center

and visited Lonesome George.  

He may have been the last of his species, but he was a popular guy...

To view more little corners of the world, click here!

Kelly and Diego...

Kelly and Diego...just a week and I think he's doubled in size!!!

Kelly kept eating the little bully sticks I got for Diego...then she'd commandeer 

the big one too!!!

But that didn't stop Diego!!!

Diego thought Kelly was awfully fun to climb on...

...then Kelly's pop came home...and look out!!!

For more Macro Monday shots...click on Lisa's Chaos!!!

Just Another Sunset...

"I have spread my dreams beneath your feet.

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

W.B. Yeats

For more participants of Shadow Shot Sunday 2...click here!!!

Amazing Views...

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous,
leading to the most amazing view.
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."
Edward Abbey

Hop on over to enjoy more participants in the Weekend in Black and White,

and Weekend Reflections....

A Golden Glow...

Softly the evening came

with the sunset.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For more participants in Skywatch Friday, click here...

My first time...

...being a docent at Mono Lake!!!

Today was my first day as an official Mono Lake Volunteer...

I answered questions, chatted with the tourists, took photos...

...and swatted flies!!!

Yep, those brown things in the water are swarms of alkali flies!

They ring the lake, provide food for the gulls, eat algae from the lake, eat brine shrimp,

and annoy the heck out of me!!!  

Query:

How would you describe the word alkali to a foreign tourist???

Wild Turkey Crossing???

"W"

ABC Wednesday

Now...I don't know about you...but this is a new one on me!!!

Why did the Wild Turkey cross the road???

Water is for fishing...

Wet dog equals happy dog!!!

Our Little Corner of the World...

Well...training is over...it's official...I'm a Mono Lake Volunteer!!!

Our last training included our graduation ceremony...

complete with Pomp and Circumstance!!!  

Yep...we walked to Pomp and Circumstance, got "vested" by the state ranger

and "papered" by the forest ranger!!!  

A champagne toast, a few pics (the only day I didn't take my camera) and lot's of 

good food to nibble on...

....and a private screening of the 1952, Fred McMurray classic

Fair Wind to Java

(the first 10 minutes were filmed in Mono Lake!)

To visit more corners of the world, click here...

Pretty in Pink...

"Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose

From out night's gray and cloudy sheath;

Softly and still it grows and grows,

Petal by petal, leaf by leaf."

Susan Coolidge

(Ok...I admit it...this is from the Galapagos last November...)

Hop on over to Lisa's Chaos for more of Macro Monday...

Living in a Majestic World...

"The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we inhabit

are not only critical elements in the quality of life we enjoy-

they are a reflection of the majesty of our Creator."

Rick Perry

For more participants in James' Weekend Reflections...click here!!!

Taking time to explore...

Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite, California

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience 

is a form of exploration."

Ansel Adams

For more participants in the Weekend in Black and White...click here!!!

The Eye of the Storm...

"I go where the sound of thunder is."

Alfred M. Gray

For more participants in Skywatch Friday...click here!!!

Feeling a Bit "Upside Down" Today???

This little upside down house was built by the silent screen actress,

Nellie Bly O'Bryan.

She began her career in Hollywood as the first licensed woman projectionist,

then moved on to become an actress.  Her movie career included movies with 

Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and Randolph Scott.

While on location in the Eastern Sierras for the movie The Thundering Herd, she 

fell in love with the area and vowed to move here with her husband.

Eventually she gave up her career in Hollywood and moved to Lundy Canyon,

just north of Lee Vining.  She built her dream cabin and created a resort around it.

She was a woman of first's and became California's first licensed fishing and hiking guide.

When she sold her resort, she moved to Mono Lake and built the "Upside Down House"

alongside Highway 395.  

Nellie died in 1984 at the age of 91.

The Upside Down House was eventually moved to the park surrounding the 

Old School House Museum where it can be viewed today...

And yes...everything in it is upside down too...

even the plaque on the front!!!

Don't Vroom Past This Little Gem...

"V"

ABC Wednesday

Old School House Museum, Lee Vining, California


On your next VISIT to Lee VINING, check for a VACANCY at
the Lee VINING Motel, then head across the street to VISIT the
Old School House Museum.  It's a great VALUE for your VACATIONING
dollar.  It's a great VANTAGE point to see the west side of Mono Lake.
There's a VARIETY of fascinating artifacts in the little building where a
school marm VIRTUOUSLY taught lot's of VEXING children their VOWELS
and other VITAL things.

VROOM!!!  VROOM!!!
So get on up here and VISIT the charming town of Lee VINING!!!

VROOM on over to ABC Wednesday for more "V" interpretations!!!

Our Little Corner of the World...

What a difference a year can make...

...last year on May 29...

...this year on May 30...

I tried to find photos of the same spot at approximately the same time of year, 

but no dice...

So this is the deck of our rental house last year on Memorial Day, 

and Panum Crater one year and one day later!!!

Last year they were skiing until July 4th...

...this year "the Mountain" closed for skiing on Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Cruise around the world without leaving your computer at Our World Tuesday!!!

A Bit of Macro Fussing...

This was an interesting adventure in macro shooting...

the center was so dark that when I started shooting they kept coming out like this...

 I fussed with the camera exposure, but it was tough because the center was 

soooo dark and the blossoms reflected quite a bit of light...

The very top shot is as is from the camera, underexposing...

these two were over exposed with a bit of fussing in Lightroom...

The flowers were exquisite...and I'm afraid I just didn't do them justice!

But...this bud came out perfectly!!!  Not so much light reflection here!!!

Jump on over to Lisa's Chaos for more Monday Macros!!!

A Hidden Gem...

"Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant.

There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks."

Johann Gottfried Von Herder

This charming Presbyterian Church was one of two churches I found 

hidden away on the side streets of Lee Vining...

What's in a Name???

No...we're not on Route 66...

Highway 395 in Lee Vining...

Now...you might be wondering how Lee Vining got it's name...

Lee Roy Vining was a miner who founded the town in 

1852 as a mining camp.

Now, I have it on good authority...

(being Norm, the 89 year old curator of the School House museum
and life long resident of Lee Vining)

Lee Roy was killed when he accidentally shot himself in the groin while in Aurora, Nevada.

(Which apparently is the true story of many others...)

The town was originally named Lakeview in 1926 by Chris Mattly who apparently was 

the one responsible for creating the original layout of the town.

But when they applied for a US Post Office, they found out that there was already a 

Lakeview, California and so they had to come up with a new name.

The light bulbs came on and they applied for Lee Roy Vining...

but that was too long, so they shortened it to Lee Vining!

For more participants in The Weekend in Black and White...click here!!!

A Visionary Moment...

"A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take 

upon himself the woe of the people.  There are few men so foolish,

hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world."

John Updike

Dave is our Town Manager...he sought the position knowing full well

that we were facing a financial crisis here in town. 

Not only are we faced with the same financial downturn that the rest

of the nation has been facing, we are also having to come to grips with 

a lawsuit against the town of Mammoth Lakes that has been fought to the 

final conclusion, with Mammoth losing the final appeal. 

The Town Council is taking hardline steps to curtail the budget...

town government has been trimmed to the quick and being asked to trim more...

we are a small town that quadruples in size during ski season and summer...

where do we cut?

Dave is our Town Manager and he has the difficult position of striking a 

balance between managing the people who work so hard for the town,  

the best interests of the citizens of our town, 

and the decisions of the council who are trying to keep the town solvent...

Dave is a good man...and has taken the challenge to heart.

I don't know about you...

but I sure wouldn't want his job...

For more participants in Skywatch Friday, click here...

Hungry???

Need a bite near Lee Vining???

Mono Cone makes a great burger...

and an even better soft serve ice cream cone!!!

But beware if you're a smoker...

...they have no tolerance when it comes to smoking!!!

Under the Table...

...takes on new meaning with these two!!!

"U"

ABC Wednesday

Under the table bantering for the chew bone...

...then...under the stool...

...unadulterated and unabated pleasure...

...it's tough being the underling in the pair!!!

Kelly and Diego...(Joanne and Byng's new puppy...and Kelly's new best friend...)

For more interpretations of "U"...click here!!!