An Aries (Who Knows Some Stuff)
‘Nathan’s friend and assistant sent Sugar and The Compound dogs toys and rawhide chews.
Guinness was pretty happy, too.
Thanks so very much, Anna! The girls did all they could to turn ‘Nathan into Team Dog.
Current Photo Friday theme: Symbols
Sculpture by Barnett Newman
Houston, Texas
Dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.
(view large on black)
An important message for Lisa S–and a little payback to Marika.
Pictured on the mantel is a goat. A goat that came to The Compound some time back via a lonely goatherd named Famous Author Rob Byrnes. The goat sings “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music in a Julie Andrews voice. It’s an event SO MOVING that it compels even those reserved Canadians to burst into song. Take that, Glee.
I should add that the goat is sold by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Even when FARB is bad, he’s good.
This past weekend was Houston’s Art Car Parade, an annual event since 1987. I wasn’t able to go to the parade, but as I was running errands Saturday afternoon, I was able to shoot (with my cell phone) some of the entries in various parking lots.
Recognize the Griswolds’ car from 1983’s Vacation?
They’ve even got Aunt Edna tied on top.
And look, Chaaaarlie, it’s a Unicorn Car:
A very happy Mother’s Day to all those who are mothers to someone, whether by birth or by choices of the heart.
Can’t resist sharing the arrival of The Canadians to The Compound:
‘Nathan and Dan don’t seem too traumatized by the blindfolds.
Maybe because their escorts let them wear their glasses on top of the blindfolds.
Maybe because Dan doesn’t realize his blindfold has SKULLS on it.
Maybe because they don’t take penguins seriously.
Always a mistake.
One of the best purchases I ever made was my CR-V, Jet, in April of 1998. I learned from past car mistakes and have taken good care of Jet with regular maintenance, oil changes, and cleanings. At twelve, he’s weathered some dramas and isn’t the fresh young thing he used to be, but he’s still my favorite car I’ve ever had and I’m not even remotely interested in trading him for some whippersnapper with a shiny finish. We’ve driven to Mendocino, California and back. To Portland, Maine and back. To Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Alabama, Utah, Minnesota, Georgia, Louisiana, and all over Texas–a lot of highway miles.
Last week, I realized Jet was about to reach an important milestone, and I hoped I’d be with him, but I knew it was just as likely that Tom or Tim would be and probably wouldn’t even notice. This morning when I woke up, I felt compelled to go check him out before Tom used him for an errand. Because it MIGHT still be possible…
Here’s what I saw.
So, like any White Trash Princess, still wearing my nightgown, I grabbed my keys and my license, invited the dogs for a ride, put on my seatbelt, and away we went. About three-tenths of a mile later, we all pulled over and celebrated together:
Happy birthday, Jet, and I look forward to as many more miles with you as you’ll give me. Here’s a photo Tom took of us on our first day together:
Current Photo Friday theme: The Coast
It’s hard to contemplate the impact of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico without remembering how, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused such terrible loss of life along with damage to property and the economy of the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. Even in 2008, my first visit back to the area broke my heart.
The story in this photo gives me hope. This smooth road along the coast, with equipment still on it, had been turned into a twisted mass of puzzle pieces by the winds and floods. Many of the gorgeous live oaks–some of them hundreds of years old–and pines that were destroyed in the hurricane have since been turned into sculptures like this dolphin, becoming the number one tourist attraction in the area. Then there’s the whimsy of the Santa hat on the dolphin’s head.
A little science, a little art, a little humor: We deal with catastrophe.
