It's a Grand Ol' Flag!!!

Capistrano Beach in San Clemente, California

"You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag,

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of 

the land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or a brag.

But should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag."

Music and lyrics by George M. Cohan

sung by James Cagney

As featured in A Yankee Doodle Dandy

starring James Cagney...

Our Little Corner of the World...

Horseshoe Lake last year, after an epic snow year...

This year after a near epic lack of snow year...

The far, tree lined shore is the same...the tree root from the above photo is

to the right of the beach that is slightly wet above the photo edge....

What a difference a lack of snow can make...

For more photos of Our World Tuesday, click here!

No...He's Not Related to Smokey the Bear...

He's Dave...one of our illustrious trainers for the Mono Lake Volunteers

and state ranger!!!

For more Macro Monday photos, click here!

Concentration...

"Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing

when it is absolutely necessary."

Ray Knight

Working on a project at home...

with friends...

For more Weekend Reflections...click here!!!

And a new challenge for me...SHOOT.EDIT.SUBMIT !!!

And...it's been brought to my attention that this should qualify for 

the first of the month, City Daily Photo Theme Day...

Chimneys!!!

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....