Paul's 365 (well, more like 300) Photo Blog

Hell Rocks Sign

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Between the Ships

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Cloud Reflections in the Windows

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dirty, Dirty Keyboard

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Another Arm-Length Shot

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, Vacation!!

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Through the Super Structure of the Mariner

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

Sunset at Sea

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Carnival Valor into the Sunset

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hilton Rose Hall, Jamaica

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Censored due to SOPA

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Pelican

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Turtle up close

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Carmelized Plantains with Tequila Chocolate Sauce

2012-01-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Womb (Yet Another Wall)

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Womb (Another Wall)

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Womb (one wall)

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Above the door - First Bank Building OKC

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Graphiti Business Sign

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Flycatcher

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Building Rock Balance Sculpture on Galveston Beach

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Olive Oil Place in Austin

2012-01-07T09:19:00.001-08:00

View from the Top of the Wheel

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

2012 Safety Coin

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Contrails Over The City

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Fin on a Red Bed

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dexter's smiling face

2012-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

The End of the Christmas Cookies -- Snickerdoodles

2012-01-01T15:05:00.001-08:00

RIP Sweet Mercy

2011-11-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

I can't begin to tell you how hard this post is to write.

I've written about Mercy a couple of times, and you can look at the tag on the bottom of the post window to read about her.

On Saturday morning, Caryn and I had to make the decision to release her from diseased and broken body. She had been struggling with Canine Renal Failure for a few months, and while she had put up a valiant fight, she simply reached the point where she couldn't go on further and maintain any real quality of life.

If you had told me 16 months ago that I would be a complete and utter basket case over the loss of a 5.4 lb dog, I would have questioned your judgement of my sanity. Today, however, I'm having trouble reading the screen through the lens of tears that keep swelling up in my eyes.

So many wonderful people have written us or posted on her facebook page, telling us about how she inspired them with her courage, forgiving nature, and indomitable perseverance.

What I do know is that I'll never be the same because of her short time with us. I'm a better human being because she let me love and care for her.

Lined up

2011-10-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

The "Gold Star Building" on the Oklahoma City University lined up perfectly with the nearly full moon as I stopped at the grocery store this evening.

Weathered stop sign at the office parking lot

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Pblblblblttttt

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm not happy about this. Without a doubt, this is the best thing to come out of fast food in years. I love that salad, and it's only 7 Points Plus for a half salad. The next best choice is the Apple Pecan salad, and that's *9* points. Not happy, nope, not happy at all!

Wendy's better be bringing this salad back next strawberry season.

The flag on the tower

2011-09-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's the fair, they'll deep fry and chocolate dip anything (and put it on a stick)!

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I find the sprinkles to be the most disturbing aspect of this...

For the more savory croud, there is:

Drive-in waiting for the show

2011-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Caryn and I went to see Smurfs and Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Caryn's loaner phone

2011-09-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

That's a Nexus S. Nice phone. Almost a shame to have to go back to the Inspire 4g, but it is back from the repair shop and Best Buy wants their loaner back.

St. Louis, Day and Night

2011-09-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

The view from my hotel room in St. Louis

Same view, at night

Better than a Loch Ness Sighting..

2011-07-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

Seen on SW 44th and Western in Oklahoma City...

I love me some moving water shots!

2011-04-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Scenes from the Waco photo shoot

2011-04-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

My very talented Daughter-in-law Sasha helped us out this weekend by taking some pictures of the grandson. I got to play "meta-photographer"...

The Old Bridge in Waco

2011-04-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

One of the sites that Sasha was using for Austin's photo shoot last weekend.

Flags in the wind

2011-04-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Penny / Tracks

2011-04-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you hear about a train being derailed in Waco -- I don't know nuthin'

The old green chair on the curb

2011-04-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

15 years, 4 cruises, and a divorce and marriage ago, my mom brought this chair into my house. She was babysitting for my now-ex-wife and I when we went on a cruise that I had won from Computerworld magazine. She got the chair from a thrift store so she would have a place to sit that was a bit more comfortable than what we had. Since the ex HATED the chair, I took it with me to populate my bachelor pad when I got divorced about a year later.

The chair has moved from Trophy Club, TX -> Dallas -> Richardson, TX -> San Francisco -> South San Francisco and now Oklahoma City. Over the years, I've been told that I needed to put the chair out on the curb probably 1,000 times or more. I'm not completely sure why I resisted, but the chair remained.

For the last couple of months, the chair has sit against a door which we simply aren't opening. It faced away from the TV, so no one but the dogs sat in it. The decision to put it in the "next large trash pickup day" has been ruminating basically since we got to OKC, and as late as last night, Caryn and I had decided that its time was not here yet and that we would wait one more month. Alas, this morning brought a more reasoned tone, and out the chair went.

Bye old friend...

A wee bit too soon...

2011-03-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

A disclaimer -- I didn't put this sign up, I'm only reporting it...

On the front side:

and on the back:

Apparently, someone had some issues with the violet-eyed one's somewhat stormy romantic life...

Perigree Moon

2011-03-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Spring is springing in OKC

2011-03-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma, and we have one in our front yard.

One thing I miss about San Francisco is the "sticks" that they sold at Trader Joe's. Luckily, we have some of these in our front yard too.

It's hard to believe that just 6 weeks ago, it looked like this outside.

My granddaughter

2011-03-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

Piper was born back on Groundhog's day (Feb 2nd).

Ain't she a darling?

Root canal? -- (BREATHE) that sounds pretty good (BREATHE)

2011-02-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it -- I'm a major dentist weenie. Luckily, the happy gas makes both me and the dentist MUCH happier people.

This guy showed up on my desk today. I think he's the new overlord.

2011-02-17T08:38:00.001-08:00

This is the industry that some Oklahoma Senators want to protect

2011-02-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Last year, the Oklahoma legislature passed SB1712, the Commercial Pet Breeders Act, which provided a framework to help alleviate the problem of Puppy Mills in Oklahoma.

With the advent of the November elections, some Senators in districts with large numbers of breeders see an opening, and they are attempting to gut, if not completely repeal the CPBA before it even gets a chance to start to work.

The Tulsa World published the results of a poll showing overwhelming support for this law. Yet there are 4 bills being argued before the agricultural committee designed to stop the progress in it's tracks.

If you are an Oklahoma reading this, we need you to contact the members of that committee immediately and tell them not to let the breeders need for profit outweigh the desire of the majority of Oklahomans to bring an end to this blight. Tell them that we will not stand for our great state to become the worst puppy mill state in the union.

Tell them that the picture above is not and will not serve as Oklahoma's legacy.

Agricultural Committee Members and Contacts

Senator Eddie Fields – Chair
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 514B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5581
efields@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Becky Welch

Senator Ron Justice
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 423
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5537
justice@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Linda Terrill

Senator Mark Allen
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 415
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5576
allen@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Suzanne Earnest

Senator Patrick Anderson
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 417A
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5630
anderson@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Kathie Gasaway

Senator Don Barrington
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 515
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5563
barrington@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Sandra Shelton

Senator Randy Bass
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 528B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5567
bass@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Donna Ambler

Senator Jerry Ellis
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 535
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5614
ellis@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Jean McCurley

Senator Tom Ivester
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 529A
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5545
ivester@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Pam McLerran

Senator David Myers
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 519
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5628
ingraham@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Betsy Ingraham

Senator Frank Simpson
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 513B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5607
simpson@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Glenda Colbert

Senator Anthony Sykes
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 426
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5569
lewis@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Tonya Lewis

Senator Charles Wyrick
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 521
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5561
wyrick@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Linda Bostick

Snow bug

2011-02-05T13:03:00.001-08:00

The day was just warm enough and the snow had just the right consistency for sculpture.

Wylie

2011-01-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

While we don't foster this goofball ourselves, he is still one of my favorites. He is youngish and playful, but not destructive. His little underbite just makes you laugh. He is, however relentless. You can almost see him thumbing through the Acme catalog looking for the next wacky device to use to try to catch the roadrunner.

By all means, if you have ANY interest in adopting this guy, contact us through our website at www.okyorkierescue.org.

Mercy in the anemone

2011-01-15T19:46:00.000-08:00

Mercy loves her little pink bed with the white fringe. It sorta looks like a sea creature, hence we call it an anemone.

Baxter being his cute self

2011-01-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

Kaiser

2011-01-15T05:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, I suck. I couldn't go 3 days of posting in a row without missing one.

Oh well, here's picture of Kaiser

Kaiser came to us the Sallisaw, Oklahoma shelter. At his initial vetting, he tested positive for parvovirus. Parvo is about 70% fatal in dogs, but with the help of some massive antibiotics and close watched isolation, he survived.

He's about a year and a half, and loves to play, which, of course, gets him into trouble with Ziggy. Add to the fact that he's obviously never been around a lot of dogs before, and he doesn't have very good doggie manners, he's spending a lot of time away from the pack in "time out". He really needs a home without other dogs initially and no small kids.

Adeline

2011-01-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

One of our newest foster. She's named after the long suffering girlfriend of Nathan Detroit in the classic musical/movie "Guys and Dolls"

Addy is about 10 years old, according to the vet. She's missing all of her incisors (hence the tongue sticking out). The day after she came to us, she went into heat.

Yesterday, she was spayed, and she's staying with one of the other foster moms for a few days so that she can be isolated from males.

She'll probably be available for adoption in about a week or so.

Mercy + a blatent attempt to get some money for the rescue!

2011-01-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Y'all remember Mercy, right? She was the girl with the tumor in her mouth, the wet lungs (later found to be emphysema, and luxating patellas.

Well, she's doing REALLY well (in major part due to you wonderful folks that donated to her chipin). She's always going to have problems, but absolutely nothing stops her. The tumor is gone, the emphysema is being controlled, and she sleeps in a warm comfortable bed each night. She is starting to trust and even enjoy lap time.

She's also got a forever home -- us. We adopted her right after Christmas.

So, anyway, the Bissel corporation (maker of fine rug cleaners, among other things) is sponsoring a contest. Each week, the dog with the most votes will move on to the finals, with the winner of the finals getting $10,000 donated to the rescue of their choice. Mercy is registered here (http://bit.ly/votemercy) with the proceeds going, of course, to OK Yorkie Rescue. Voting opened today, and each person can vote once a day.

Mercy would not be here if it wasn't for OK Yorkie Rescue. Please help her give back to the organization by voting, and letting your friends know. Then go back and repeat every day. We'll let you know if we win a week and can go to the finals.

Yep, I'm going to try to restart this dang thing again.

2011-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys. I got lazy. No pictures since September is pretty lame, I know. I even missed the "best picture of the year" (though, to be honest, did I have any that really fit that bill?).

At any rate, let's give it another go, shall we? Maybe it will last a week, maybe I'll get in 353 pictures this year. You never really know, do you?

A boy and the dog he wants

2010-09-08T16:32:00.001-07:00

He didn't get to adopt this guy -- yet...

Great Jazz Guitar

2010-09-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

Mr. Maurice Johnson, who is AWESOME! We were lucky enough to see him perform at the Cody Sheets day in Mustang this year.

Cranes!

2010-09-08T16:26:00.001-07:00

ABC Wednesdays -- H is for Hermine

2010-09-08T16:05:00.001-07:00

Oklahoma is currently being pounded by the remnants of Tropical Depression Hermine.

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

Splish Splash

2010-09-02T20:48:00.001-07:00

Dunk tank at Cody Sheets day in Mustang last weekend.

ABC Wednesdays -- G is for Garlic

2010-09-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been out of pocket, taking a small break from posting. This break was as much about taking a rest as it was about "recharging". But, it's a new month, and I'm back.

Today is ABC Wednesday, and the letter is "G" -- so here's one of my favorite ingredients -- GARLIC

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

ABC Wednesdays -- E is for Ears

2010-08-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is Mercy. Mercy just had surgery to remove a nasty tumor on her lower jaw. She's all better now -- see her ears up and everything?

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

ABC Wednesday -- D is for Dainty Dog in his Den

2010-08-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is Peanut. He is a little approximately 10 year old yorkie that came out of an OKC area puppy mill (the same one that had Mercy). We are fostering him, trying to get him back to health enough to go to a forever home. When we got him, he was basically on death's door. He's starting to come back slowly.

He likes to hang out in this little covered cat bed we bought for him.

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

Out of place in the McDonald's Drive-thru

2010-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

I must have seemed like a cat at a dog convention today. My little brown RAV4 tucked in among all these big black pickups. By the way, there were 2 more black pickups behind me.

Critter on our porch

2010-08-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is the little one. Here's another view of her:

Another little one:

And now, the grandmama. She's got herself a prize too...

That's a cicada, if that gives you an idea of the size of this thing.

So, here's the question. What is this thing? Any of you amateur (or professional) arachnologists out there know what species is infecting my back yard, and if I should be concerned?

Abc Wednesdays -- C is for Curmudgeon

2010-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is Ziggy, our Bichon/Shih-tzu mix. He is what most people would describe as a curmudgeon. We call him our "you kids get off my lawn" dog, because he is always breaking up the other dog's fun and games. It's actually probably a good thing, foster dogs that come to us as really wild get taught some puppy manners by the vice principal and leave a little less wild.

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

Random stuffed dog at the gas station

2010-08-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

So, I'm pulling up to the gas station and I see something weird...

Really dirty truck

2010-08-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

Looks like someone went mudding last weekend.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill

2010-07-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Do I really need to talk much about this one? Toby Keith had a wildly popular song a few years ago called "I Love This Bar". Mr. Keith is a Moore (suburb of OKC) native, and decided to invest back into his home community.

I personally haven't eaten here, but not because I'm avoiding it -- I actually hear that it is pretty good. Eventually the occasion will arise, and I won't hesitate to visit Mr. Keith's establishment.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Earl's Rib Palace

2010-07-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Known primarily for their ribs, Earls is a well known and well respected general BBQ chain here in OKC. They have won multiple "Best of OKC" awards from both the Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Gazette.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Sonic

2010-07-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know, you are saying "Wait just a cotton pickin' minute here son, we got one of those here in Augusta" (or, alternately "Whadaya talkin' about, we gots one of them just down the block in Brooklyn"), but you should know that Sonic was born, and still is corporate headquartered, in Oklahoma.

Back in the 50's, Troy Smith was going to open a fancy steakhouse in Shawnee on the site of a small fried chicken joint he had bought right after WW2. While he was waiting on building up the capital needed to expand that, he decided to put up a stand in the parking lot that sold root-beer and hot dogs. Little did he know, but the root-beer stand would end up making MUCH more money than even the steakhouse he had envisioned, so he scrapped that original idea and expanded the stand instead. Several years later, his Top Hat Drive-In became Sonic.

Mercy

2010-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a short break from the "Iconic OKC Eateries" to bring you one of our newest foster dogs.

This is Mercy.

That thing below her nose is a tumor. It has displaced all of her teeth, but it does not appear to have metastasized anywhere else in her body.

She also has wet lungs, an old injury to her spine and a fluxating patella.

Not that any of that stops her. She eats well, drinks by sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth, and loves to be around people.

The amazing set of vets working with our organization, the wonderful Schrag Animal Clinic has discounted their services down to the bone, but with all this girl needs, it is still going to beat up the OK Yorkie budget.

So, we are asking for help. Visit this link: http://okyr.chipin.com/mercy. We are a 503c3 tax exempt organization, so anything you donate is tax deductable, and anything that is given will be used 100% exclusively for vet care. I'm also going to put the badge with the donation link on the side over there ------>

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Cattleman's Steakhouse

2010-07-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Cattleman's is an old fashioned diner that happens to serve some of the best steaks you'll ever find. They have been featured no less than 3 times on various food network shows.

This place is smack-dab in the middle of the stockyards area off on Agnew. It has been around for over 100 years serving up nicely aged cow flesh to folks who know the difference between good cow and bad cow.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Chelinos

2010-07-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is just between you and me -- don't tell anyone who lives in this town, but I'm not a huge fan of Chelinos. Honestly, it is what I would call "OK-Mex", which is pretty far from true, real, authentic Mexican food. The other main Mexican food place here that most locals would take you to if you wanted Mexican is called "Teds", which is a little better, but not much.

For me, the best, true Mexican food will come from one of the Mexican markets on SW 29th, one of the more authentic taco trucks, or, alternately, a wonderful family place in Norman called Tarahumaras.

But, Chelinos is "iconic OKC", so here it is.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Del Rancho

2010-07-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Del Rancho = large steak sandwiches. When I say large, I'm talking plate sized chicken fried steak plopped on an oversized bun. Calories and fat must be expressed in scientific notation. Needless to say, they are WONDERFUL.

ABC Wednesday -- B is for Braums, also part 2 of Iconic OKC Eateries

2010-07-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Braums *is* ice cream in Oklahoma the same way that Double Rainbow *is* ice cream in San Francisco or Blue Bell *is* ice cream in Texas.

I worked at a Braums for about 6 months during my Senior year in high school, where I learned to make the best peppermint soda you'll ever taste.

In addition to their ice cream, they also have a full service burger/hotdog/steak sandwich grill, plus a small store with other dairy, meat, and produce. All of their dairy products are produced from their cows.

Favorite ice cream flavor -- German Chocolate (with pecans and coconut).

Braums started in Emporium, Kansas, but they relocated to Tuttle, OK in 1975. They have 280 stores located in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas.

Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

Iconic OKC Eateries -- Van's Pig Stand

2010-07-27T13:18:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a short set of posts where I will be discussing some of the iconic Oklahoma City eateries -- that is to say, restaurants in the OKC area that are based here (or close to here) that are somewhat unique to our area (warning, there will be a couple of notable exceptions to that last part).

This is Van's Pig Stand. Van's recently celebrated 80 years in business. They sprung from the original Dallas "Kirby's Pig Stand", but they stand alone now, serving up chopped (as opposed to pulled) bbq pork at 5 locations in and around Oklahoma City.

Now why did they name that street like that?

2010-07-27T13:04:00.001-07:00

Workin' at the dog wash, yeah...

2010-07-24T19:21:00.001-07:00

Baxter's new do

2010-07-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Cardinal WAY up in the tree

2010-07-21T17:38:00.001-07:00

Recent foster - Zach

2010-07-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Zach is Chance's brother. He hasn't been neutered yet (he has an undescended testicle, which complicates the neuter surgery, which is scheduled this week).

Zach shows the Chihuahua part of the mix pretty well. He's a funny guy, and will sit in your lap and give kisses.

He LOVES to play with Chelsea.

Both Chance and Zach have moved on to another foster, but they will both be prominently listed on the OK Yorkie Rescue and/or Petfinders websites.

Recent foster - Chance

2010-07-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

This little guy is 7 months old. He was an owner surrender who lived in an apartment. As you can tell from his belly band, he's a not quite housetrained yet, but he's very cute and loves to play.

The one-ear-up thing is pretty common with him, which reminds me of our sweet Clementine

Recent foster -- Chelsea

2010-07-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the recent foster catch up is Ms. Chelsea. She's about a year old. She was a stray found with mange. She's coming along quite nicely, though her poor skin is so dry it's like leather.

Again, very sweet, though becoming somewhat protective (she barks a lot at the moment, but we are working on that).

Recent foster -- Zoe

2010-07-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind this month, and I'm going to do a little catchup by showing you the fosters we've had recently that you might not have seen yet.

This little girl is Zoe. She's actually spoken for -- going to her forever home tomorrow. She's an owner surrender, about 7 years old. Very sweet personality -- almost invisible though she does jump up in your lap if invited.

ABC Wednesday -- A is for Aquarium

2010-07-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

For those who don't follow me, Caryn and I foster dogs for OK Yorkie Rescue. What that has to do with this picture may seem a bit far off, but it is really quite simple. On some weekends, we do adoption events at various Petco locations in the metro area. These events run several hours, and, from time to time, there is a bit of boredom in place. During one of these periods, I wandered the store and found myself in their EXCELLENT fish department. Petco (this one was in Norman) has an OUTSTANDING fish area with both saltwater and fresh water fish. I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap these pics.

This is the beginning of a new cycle for the ABC Wednesday Challenge (Round 7, to be exact). Each Wednesday I, along with several other bloggers, will be posting pictures related to that week's letter of the alphabet. Click the link above or the picture below to see the other wonderful posts.

ABC Wednesdays -- Z is for (bug) Zapper

2010-07-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

To view other contributions to the ABC Wednesdays project, look here

Happy Cassie!

2010-07-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

ABC Wednesdays -- Y is for Yams on a Yellow plate

2010-07-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

On their way to a short stint in the microwave, followed by about 30 mins in the oven. Add a little butter and YUM (another "Y" word).

To view other contributions to the ABC Wednesdays project, look here

Fort Reno Post Cemetery

2010-07-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

We took a short drive west to Fort Reno and visited the historic post cemetery. There are a number of "Unknown" graves, like the two above, along with many older graves of soldiers from the late 1800s, like this one:

On the west side of the cemetery, cordoned off from the rest of the grounds, is a set of 70 graves of WW2 German and Italian POWs (mainly those captured during the Africa campaigns) who died in nearby prison camps.

The SF trip in a nutshell

2010-07-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Our two main excuses for coming out to San Francisco were our Goddaughter's birthday party and a celebration of our good friends' daughter's graduation.

Two beautiful girls!

Lincoln Park view of the Golden Gate

2010-07-03T10:03:00.001-07:00

Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Thinker

2010-07-03T10:01:00.001-07:00

The bay from our room

2010-07-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

We have a bayside room at the Burlingame Embassy Suites...

Alien Seed Pod from Hell!!

2010-06-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have a sweetgum tree in the back yard. If you aren't familiar with this tree, they are a very nice variety, with pretty, regular, palmate leaves with star-like points.

Then, there's the seed pod.

This thing looks like it's about to jump down your throat and then burst through your chest after it gestates. It doesn't look much better after it dries, turns brown, and falls off the tree.

It's climbing the wall

2010-06-30T18:47:00.001-07:00