Pinnacles

Well, I finally made it down to Pinnacles National Monument while it was still May.
I saw lots of flowers and barely any bees, which was what I was hoping for. I did sweat quite a bit, so if any sweat bees had been around, they would've loved me! But I was lucky and my sweat was left to pour off my body unhindered by any Metallic Sweat Bees.




Here ia a famous sight at Pinnacles- the Condor Crags










The real purpose of the trip was to take a lot of photos of flowers, so here they are:























































Tommy came with me, and we both enjoyed the trip. In order to take all these photos, we had to hike really far (to the top of Condor crags). This was a lot of panting exertion for me, and kind of a pleasant walk for Tommy.









This is what the day looked like








Here are a few photos of Tommy doing various things while he waited for me to catch my breath:
































Do you see his arm?

Indoor Haiku

As I lay in bed, looking up, I write a haiku about what I see:

Hanging upside down
A spider on the ceiling
Waits for a fly.

The livingroom is full of many other haiku-subjects:

A fluffy red dog
Gazes at me hopefully
While fleas leap about.

Cigarette lighter
Lies in between the ashes
And a cardboard box.

Way too many books
Of every possible type
Crammed in the bookshelves.

I continue on to the kitchen, writing haiku as I go:

Muddy paws made tracks
Across a dusty white floor
Surrounded by crumbs.

A primal odor
Comes from deep within pipes
Buried below ground.

I think I'll stop before I go too far!

kids and sweeties

Here are photos of my kids and their sweethearts.
What's the first thing you notice about them?
























That they're happy, right?-






No?






Something else?





Wo bu dong.

Top 10 reasons to have long fingernails

I have had long fingernails all my life, mostly because they grow fast and I'm too lazy to cut them all the time.


This is what they look like.







Ellen has recently been lobbying me to try to keep them short, so in defense, I have catalogued a list of uses for long fingernails. They can come in really handy in the following circumstances:

1) Peeling a banana or an orange without a knife.
2) Picking the banjo or dulcimer
3) Turning over french fries or fishsticks on the baking sheet with my bare hands
4) No problem splitting the English Muffin
5) They're good for self-defense
6) Scratching the cat's back
7) Getting a hot piece of toast out of the toaster
8) They serve as a stylus for my Palm Pilot and other touchscreen devices
9) Making details in clay models
10) AND I get compliments "Gee, your nails are so long! Are they real?"

So, I think I'll keep them

PS
I have edited my comments section so more people can leave comments. Feel free to leave a Top 10 list in the comments.