Shhhhhh!!! It's Wordless Wednesday...

Linking to...

Our Little Corner of the World...

...has been besieged by smoke...

 Have you heard about the Shaver Lake fire???

About 30 miles due West of Bishop, there's a raging forest fire...

so far, about 11,000 acres with only about 20% containment.  

Due to the same dynamics that make us a great ski area because of 

snow/storm patterns...

we also get the smoke...

This is what we're breathing these days...

 This is what we're used to breathing...

I drove up to June Lake and Mono Lake to see if there was less smoke...

well...at least it was moderately breathable...

This is what I was driving home to...

I'm seriously thinking about heading back to LA for awhile 

so I can breathe...

pretty scary thought, eh???

Linking to...

Artistic License...

"The artist is the confidant of nature, 

flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems

and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms.

Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him."

Auguste Rodin

I was exploring B&W with various pics...

I loved this series in color...but thought it might work in B&W too...

What do you think???

Linking to...

Reflections of the Heart...

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-

they must be felt with the heart."

Helen Keller

Helen Keller saw more with her heart in one moment

than most people see with their vision in a lifetime...

Linking to...

Coming up Daisies...

"The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it's scent

nor the daisy of it's simple charm.

If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, 

spring would lose it's loveliness."
Saint Therese of Lisieux

Linking to...

Psychedelic Contradictions...

"We have been to the moon, 

we have charted the depths of the ocean and the heart of the atom,

but we have a fear of looking inward to ourselves

because we sense that is where all the contradictions flow together."

Terence McKenna

Have you ever heard of a psychonaut?

Apparently...it's someone who grew up in the 60's,

got involved in psychedelics, 

and wrote something of some value...

Wikepedia referred to McKenna as a "psychonaut,

lecturer and writer".  Reading his biography was a bit like taking a 

"trip" back to the 60's...

Yes...I was a child of the 60's...

yet somehow I managed to skip the psychedelic part...

and still...I'm quite content with my self knowledge...

contradictions and all...

(Sorry for the missed posts Wednesday and Thursday...
out of town longer than anticipated and no laptop!!!)

Linking to...

Our Little Corner of the World...

"Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light.

Life is the wind and the rain and thunder in the sky.

Life is matter and is earth,

what is and what is not, 

and what beyond is in Eternity."

Seneca

We're expecting thunder showers this week...

hot and humid...

maybe a little rain will break the heat?!!!

Linking to...

Bliss...

"Praise That, 

which is Bliss itself,

which is by nature stillness and light,

and which by Its knowing

reveals the world as a dream."

Astavakra Gita

Kasey...in Black and White...

"A portrait!  What could be more simple and more complex, 

more obvious and more profound."

Charles Baudelaire

Linking to...

Reflecting on Life's Ultimate Secret...

"I think I've discovered the secret of life - 

you just hang around until you get used to it."

Charles Schulz

I think Charlie was a pretty wise dude...

Linking to...

Angels Breath...

"The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious.

And why shouldn't it be?

- it is the same the angels breathe."

Mark Twain

"Roughing It"

Mark Twain's book Roughing It is a semi-auto-biographical recounting of his travels 

through the west in 1861-1867...including Hawaii.

But did you know...he makes reference to his visit to Mono Lake?

Chapters 38 and 39 are about his visit to this incredible and unusual lake...

Have you read this book of Twain's???

I have to admit I haven't...

(my librarian grandma would've been appalled...no....actually...she just would have gotten me a copy!)

Sooo....I'm thinking I need to get myself a copy!!!

Linking to...

Wha-a-a-t????

...is in these trees???

Do you see them???

Shhhhh....

It's a rather private moment between two bears!!!!

Taking our cue from TheBearWhisperer...

we couldn't get close enough to get a good photo...

we didn't want to disrupt the mood...

***

Granddaughter Kasey is visiting us from Santa Clarita...

we went to the lake with Kelly and took pics...

She's pretty darned good with the camera, isn't she?!!!

Linking to...

Absolutely Ablaze!!!

"Just living is not enough.

One must have sunshine,

freedom,

and a little flower."

Hans Christian Anderson

Flowers are Absolutely Ablaze again on the patio of the ol' homestead in Glendale!!!

Thanks "Roomie" Mike!!!

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Hanging Out in Our "Other" Little Corner of the World...

TheChief...

surrounded by some of the LA Kings
#1 Ice Girls!!!

Who knew we were hosting a party for the LA Kings Ice Girls???

Our visit to our home in Glendale, although dampened by laptop computer implosion,

perked up considerably when we found ourselves in party mode!!!

Our son-in-law...who works for the Kings and has the challenging job of 

hiring and supervising the Ice Girls...hosted an end of year party

at our house!!!  

Daddy's favorite Ice Girl!!!

Linking to...