Mr. Obama, What Are You Doing?

Chavez: "I'm gonna get you, suckah!"

I try to stay out of political hot topics but this has really gotten to me. I understand the concept of "making nice" but this is over the top. Even dear Hugo is laughing at us. Please, please, please understand that we really don't want to make nice with this clown. Speaking of clowns, Chavez had the nerve to call you a "poor ignoramus," and insulted you (US!) by giving you a book, excoriating the blue-eyed devils and how the Europeans (or Caucasians) destroyed South America.

Some folks just don't want to make nice.
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Photo Hunters - Purple

This is a bearded iris, one of several, that I inherited when we moved in. I just love them!

Head over to TN Chick for more purple...

Looking at the Sky on Friday

Actually, this was last Friday! We had a wonderful spring shower and the skies were moving like crazy, with the clouds swirling in and out, changing colors.

We'd stopped for lunch at the Crest RV Resort - which is by far, the nicest RV spot I've seen! Our local food critic kept raving about this place, which used to be an old drive-in theater, so we thought we'd give it a try. They have a wonderful dining room and bar. I've tucked away a couple of photos below, one of which is the ladies room! I don't often snap shots of most loos I've visited, but this was above par for most restaurants. The palms are 12-14 foot murals so I was unable to capture the whole image. They really contrast with the photo I took.

The food...5 stars!!! We had the lunch special which was Fish & Chips. The fish was delightfully fresh, covered in an herb batter and deep-fried. You could tell it was made fresh in the kitchen and not hauled in frozen. The "chips" or fries as we Yanks call them, were also fresh and just the way I love them: Soft on the inside and crispy outside. They give you a bowl of tartar sauce and that's not an exaggeration. Most places serve limp coleslaw and give you a thimble full of sauce.

Any of you RV'ers passing through town on the 99 Fwy., I cannot suggest this place highly enough. My sky photo has turned into a restaurant review!

Please visit the sweetest hostess on the blogs...
CRAZY WORKING MOM
Looking at the Sky on Friday

Just a note...

("Biggify" to see the shaft of light in the center of the cave)

I was playing around with that photo I took of the "cave" in the canyon. I think it's really weird that that little triangle showed up. Here's another take...

April 16th - the date I got married in 1965 in Las Vegas. It seems like two lifetimes ago...
My first husband was killed in March 1978. I remarried in Dec. 1978. I know, it seems like a short time but hubman and I knew each other from church. I knew his kids and vice versa, so it was a good match. We have been married 30 years - guess it "took."

Wordless Wednesday

Check out this week's unique wordless stuff!
WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

We Gave Up!

I took this quick shot as we flew by on our way to Bright House Network (cable TV). This is the infamous Bakersfield sign that used to be on the old 99 Hwy. The new freeway bypassed Union Avenue and all it was good for was to illuminate the hookers that now frequent that strip. So Buck Owens, a Bakersfield boy, bought the sign and relocated it to the Crystal Palace property. The neat thing is, you can still see it from the freeway. I'm not a big Buck Owens fan but he did care about his city. Gotta give him credit for that.

As you know, hubman and I have been held hostage by DISH TV, who, due to a legal battle, has refused to renew their contract with the local CBS and FOX affiliates. The last straw was when hubman sat down to watch the Master's golf tournament. Guess what? Yep, CBS! So we have an appointment with our previous cable company! They will give us our prior programs at 50% for a whole year and, when I back off DISH TV to their lowest rate, our savings will be lower than the regular DISH! I feel SO liberated.... Now we can watch the high brow stuff, like Survivor and Amazing Race! Yahooooooo!

EASTER BLESSINGS

Photo Hunters - Triangle

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE THE TRIANGLE
WITHIN THE TRIANGLE!

This was one of those strange, you don't know what you have until you download your photos. I took this while on my wildflower adventure. If you look closely, you can see the little tiny shaft of light in the middle of the dark cave. It is a perfect copy of the cave entrance - just that perfect time of day... I didn't notice it at the time. Then thinking of Easter, I thought of the empty tomb. Using my imagination, it does look as though there had been a stone blocking the entry.

Please visit TN Chick at Photo Hunters

Looking at the Sky on Friday...

Since tomorrow is Good Friday, I thought the church steeple was appropriate. The sky was overcast, with just a hint of blue - promise - even when things appear to be darker than ever.

Please visit Crazy Working Mom for more views of the sky on Friday...

Thursday Thinkings - Wild Flowers

My Search for Wildflowers

I mentioned not too long ago, that I had gone in search of wildflowers. I was in a deep funk and decided to take off, camera in hand, and see if there were any wildflowers left. I had never gone on a wildflower hunt before but had a good idea where they were reported to hang out. I headed out towards Tehachapi, taking a road that meandered through orange groves, past a field of sheep, which leads to my first photo. It's not very good because the sheep, being sheep, were spooked by my presence and kept moving. I was aiming for the little black sheep (mid right) but his mom herded him off in a rush. Kills me to think that these guys will probably wind up on someone's Easter dinner table.

I wound up stopping at Murray Farms for a quick pick-up of fresh fruit. I kept heading south on a road that promised it would dead-end on me, which meant that I might find some wildflowers hiding out. I wound up in the middle of farm workers and a bunch of tractors and dirty looks, and no wildflowers.

I headed back in the direction I'd come and found "Rancheria Road!" Now, that's always on the list of where to find wildflowers, so I turned off and realized it was pretty deserted. That's a good thing in my book. As I headed towards the river, I really had a surprise. A castle. An honest to goodness castle. Truthfully, it was a mansion. Turrets and all. It was perched on the river with a fantastic view. I got out to take a picture and noticed a man sitting on the deck. I decided to turn in the other direction and snap a quick shot so he wouldn't think I was a stalker or something weird like that.

I decided to see where the road would lead and I am SO glad I did. No, I didn't find the Elysian fields of lupine or poppies, but what I found was nothing, nothing but a rough road and a vista that the Native Americans probably saw a hundred or more years ago. Sure, there were signs of modernity, but not much. I loved it. The road was leading up into the hills and goes up to Kernville, but from the north. It's probably impassable in winter. I only passed one car in my half-hour trip. Funny, I didn't feel frightened of being so far off the beaten path or wonder if I had cell phone reception. I just felt priveledged to see something that few people bother to take advantage of. I saw hawks and ravens soaring over the valley, seeking muchies for lunch. There were a few flowers left but the weeds had pretty much taken over. I missed any cattle that might have been on a walkabout. (But that's another post!) I found a spot to turn around and made my way back and headed towards Kern Canyon.



This is the road that leads to Lake Isabella. If you'll look closely, you'll notice that scary overhang of rock. My former husband's dad owned a trucking company that hauled gas. One of the runs was up to Kernville. The trucks had to go at night so they could traverse that section of road without clipping the overhang. Can you imagine jockeying an 18 wheeler through those narrow roads? We managed to clip a window on a camper we were driving - it's that narrow and very crooked. Fortunately, I don't get car sick, but I've had to pull over to let friends out to relieve themselves of stomach contents due to the constant ESS curves! It's really a blast to drive - especially if you're not scared. I've always wanted an opportunity to drive it in a Porsche...Then, after a few curves in the road, I saw this: A splash of orange poppies on the hillside. Finally, some bonified wildflowers!

Here are some more of the things I found:The water level is really low this year. Even though the spring runoff hasn't really started, it's much lower than usual for this time of year.

Even though I was in a horrid mood when I left home, this was a priceless time to once again discover the local beauty that surrounds me. I felt as though I'd been in a shower that washed the blues away and I came home with a clearer focus. And look what I found: