Open, but relaxing

It was early one morning before most shops opened when I snapped this photo of a barber (feet, anyway) who was hopeful that he'd get some business before regular work hours.

How far will you go?

I love orangutans. I love their faces, their hair color, their gentleness toward one another (most of the time anyway; I know they can be aggressive.)



Here a female in Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is grooming her male. Would you pick cooties off your mate? I imagine we all would!

SKYWATCH--Four Planes and a Bird

Caught a glimpse of the fast-moving BLUE ANGELS as they rushed over Seattle's skies for its annual event, Seafair. Looks like they're dive-bombing this poor bird, but they're not!



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In Seattle!

Here I am in Seattle, and am showing you a view of the city from Lake Union. My future in-laws chartered a boat to celebrate my daughter and their son's upcoming wedding in Belgrade. The boat, "My Girl," sailed us along Lake Union and Lake Washington for two hours....yummy food, too.

ABC Wednesday "D" is for "Dinosaur"

Sometimes I really wish I had a backyard...and a very large suitcase to take this guy back to Belgrade with me. I don't know how much he cost, but he's definitely cheaper than he was, if you believe the sign. The little sign he is carrying reads, "No swimming or wading." I think he's convincing enough.

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The Fate of Old Woodies

Following up to yesterday's photo, here is an old woodie, albeit quite adapted to its new purpose of advertising a seafood restaurant. It's missing the wooden panels on its side, but the surfboard on its roof is a wooden one! I saw very few vintage woodies when in this area of California, but I'm sure they're out there....

The State-of-the-art Surfer

From the Beach Boys' ode to surfing:

"If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like Californ-i-a
You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
Huarache sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin' U.S.A."

Back in the sixties, the surfers I knew crammed their woodies with waxed-down wooden surfboards and headed out to the beach. In southern California where I lived, there was usually no need for wet suits, which were then considered kind of sissy.

How things have changed. The above gear, including the car, is streamlined and trendy. And there are bikes, too!

Prehistoric

Like many people, when I see a pelican (especially in flight), I am reminded of pterodactyls. These are amazing birds; I never tire of watching them, even when they're doing nothing. This fellow (or gal, for all I know), was one of at least 50 in a line on the rooftop of a fish restaurant in Avila, California.

Chew, chew.

Here's a close-up of gum along San Luis Obispo's Bubble Gum Alley. Kim of Seattle Daily Photo recently posted a full shot of this landmark, so have a look. Naturally, I chewed a piece of gum and left it there. It's the whiter-looking one to the lower left of the red piece on the lower left of the wrapper someone stuck on the wall, if you're interested....and I know you are...

Read more about Bubble Gum Alley.

Skywatch Friday--The Flying Shark

I bet that a flying shark photo is some sort of first for Skywatch. The photo is actually of a kite in the shape of a shark, and it definitely stood out from all the other kites flying over Grovers Beach in California. The bottom photo is NOT of the kite that fell into the ocean, nor is it even a shark phot. It's a dolphin...I saw them leaping, but was unable to capture a leap, so I settled for the 'unsettling' fin.

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The Madonna Inn

Depending on your tastes, the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, is either the height of gaudiness or a really classy place. This is a photo of the main dining room, in "Pepto Bismol pink," as my friend put it.

The Inn is a California landmark. Its first 12 rooms were completed December 24, 1958, and an additional 28 rooms were quickly built. One hundred ten unique rooms now exist, each decorated differently to suit many individual tastes, like the Barrel of Fun, Antique Cars, Buffalo, Caveman, and Matterhorn rooms, some with waterfall showers, rock fireplaces, European fixtures, and fine furnishings to name a few.

Read more about the Madonna Inn Go to this link, and under accomodations, click 'room features grid' for a sneak preview.

Gaudy or classy, I think I may stay there on my next trip....