Happy 4th of July!!!

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag

of the United States of America,

and to the Republic for which it stands:

one Nation under God,

indivisible,

With Liberty and Justice for all."

current revision, June 14, 1954

original version written by Francis Bellamy,  1892

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

(no...that's not snow melt!!!  It's Capistrano Beach, at New Year's)

Raging Waters?

Raging Waters au naturelle!!!

More than once I've been warned not to let Kelly get into the streams and creeks up here...

I think that's good advice!!!

Please visit other participants of Sunday Bridges...

Reflections...

"One of the best things about paintings is their silence - 

which prompts reflection and random reverie."

Mark Stevens

Can the same be said about photographs?

Weekend Reflections...

CDP Theme Day and Skywatch Friday!

City Daily Theme....Green!!!

Skywatch Friday

"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living in the big city down south, 

I forgot just how beautiful the sky can be on a daily basis.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
City Daily Photo Theme Day
and
Skywatch Friday

Looking for a tractor???

I found this cool old tractor near the Benton Hot Springs Hotel...

there's actually quite a bit of old cars and wagons around this area.

We were at a fundraiser dinner Saturday night for the Eastern Sierra Land Trust 

where one of the speakers was a gentleman who had grown up in Benton

 and owned a considerable  amount of property in the area...

the crux of his property is his ranch and he pledged a great deal of his property to 

open land in perpetuity...part of what the land trust is all about.

At any rate, during the course of the talk, a slideshow was playing in the 

background...I was fascinated by the town sign that 

stated...population 13 1/2....

Heck...I'm from the big city...this just boggles my mind!!!

Xanthic Flowers..."X"

It's ABC Wednesday again!!!

Did you know that these are Xanthic flowers?  In each flower is a yellow center, right?

Well, the yellow center has some water soluble yellow matter that causes the center to be yellow...

well...did you know that that is the Xanthein???

And if the pollen flies through the air and lands on another plant (rather than in your nose) 

it is referred to as Xenogamy!

Have a happy "X" day!!!

For more X's...check out ABC Wednesday!!!

Tioga Pass is open!!!

Tioga Pass opened last weekend for the first time this year!  This is the gateway to Yosemite

National Park, if you happen to be on the Eastern Sierra side...

The snow was still anywhere from 6-10 feet deep on the side of the road in places...

This was taken on Friday close to the gate to Yosemite...

The snow melt is fabulous for waterfalls and LADWP!!!

(PS...they're predicting snow up here on Wednesday!!!)

What's it all about???

Sometimes...you've just got to wonder...

It's a cockeyed world!!!

Sunday Bridges and Weekend Reflections

Sometimes...you just have to look at something from a different perspective!!!

Please visit other participants in...

Sunday Bridges

and 

Weekend Reflections

Remnants in Black and White

The Weekend in Black and White...

"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."

Napoleon Bonaparte

Bodie's glory days are over...

may it's history live on...

If you're planning to visit Bodie, anytime soon, you might want to head to Bridgeport 

around July 16...

and support Bodie by attending the Bodie Benefit Concert!!!

Please visit the Weekend in Black and White to see more wonderful black and white photography!

Skywatch Friday....

Mono County Courthouse, Bridgeport, CA

"It ain't no sin if you crack a few laws now and then, 

just so long as you don't break any."

Mae West

To enjoy more skies from around the world, click here!!!

Jackpot!!!

I'm not sure who scored the bigger jackpot...

Kelly getting a new home on the edge of forestry land...

the kitties on getting a new big sister...(uh...scratch this one...they're still a bit perturbed)

Or us...for getting a new home...and Kelly...and our two beautiful kitties!!!