Murals About Town

There are many murals about the town that I live nearby. This first one was taken at a Mexican restaurant. I really liked it- so I took a shot of it.

Many of the murals on these old buildings, in the downtown area, depict scenes which would certainly be familiar back in the late 1800's and early 1900's in the vicinity of this area.

This is an old river town. One of these buildings was actually an old horse stable back in the day when the streets were made of cobblestone.




A lot of these old brick buildings have had a lot of work done to them in years gone by in order to survive.

Friendship Flea Market (Part 3)

I have broken this series up into 3 parts in order for all of you to benefit from it's detailed awesomeness better. There are two posts about this event on my Psycho Carnival blog and the last post is on this blog. Click the link and it will take you back to the first part of the series that will better explain what this crazy flea market is all about.

I'm finally getting around to posting this last bit on the topic at hand. Sorry for being so late. I was busy enjoying the summer. I hope you weren't holding your collective breaths for this last installment. Better late than never, I suppose.

This group of photos is all about the Friendship Flea Market. A spectacle to behold! I went there clear back in July and it was hot and fun. We go here twice a year for our bi-annual dose of all that is good that humanity has to offer. Or something like that.

If you have any questions about what you see here, just ask. Some of the sights are kinda odd and I wouldn't blame you if you had some questions. :)

Here are but a few sights we saw...

The dog looks creepy. Remember Steven King's "Cujo?" That kind of creepy. Yeah. Of course, the Confederate flag rug/tapestry or whatever- that might be creepy to some, too. But, not so, in redneck country. :)

These dogs were cute, though.

There something wrong with this next picture. My guess would be the acupuncture guy at a redneck flea market. But what do I know?

These signs come in handy for whatever may cross your path or... hell... I forget what I was going to say.

They don't make them to last like this anymore. And this classic car has style. Something most cars are sorely missing today. I took a pic of this when we rode into town to eat before returning to the flea market again.

Here we have a hot blonde, a Sugar Glider and a big ol' guy named Steve.

And now, a little style... or something.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

This concludes the 3 part series, at long last. I've kept my promise and now I want your Hot Pockets, in return. That sounded odd. :) Take care, folks.

Not Much Left

Really. There isn't.

Bonfire

You may want to read the previous post to get a better feel for this post. Just a suggestion, friend.

Later, during my sister and brother-in-law's 23rd year wedding anniversary party, my brother-in-law started a bonfire.

First, he started out dumping some old bill receipts onto a few open flames. This escalated into a mattress frame being thrown on top the heap. Then an old broken down chair was thrown on top of that.

When the fire was really going good, I threw about a large kitchen bag's worth of old receipts, bills and other outdated forms onto the fire.

When we were tanked and feeling pretty marvelous, we all grabbed our chairs and sat around the bonfire, feeling the inviting heat and enjoying our faraway stares into the flames of hell and well, um, burning medical insurance forms, furniture and whatever else we could think of throwing into the bonfire.

I wanted to throw my friend, who suffers from MS, into the fire, but a couple friends thought it was too early in the evening yet.

(sigh) I guess it would take a few more margaritas and glasses of bourbon for my jovial group.

Just kidding, Marty.

I've always found fire to be mesmerizing. I could stare into the fire all night. Which all of us did, pretty much, while talking nonsensically to one another, in a half arc around the bonfire.

Do you perceive images within the fire? Enlarge the picture to see what I see. Get as close as you want. See the weird beings? Look closely! Don't worry! I won't kick your ass into the fire like I usually would. :-) I'm adding the smiley face, here, to give you the impression I'm joking about that last part.

Look closely! (boot)

Here we are, in a half arc around the bonfire, in drunken, happy stupors.

A Fun and Relaxing Party

Over the weekend, my sister and bother-in-law celebrated their 23rd year marriage anniversary by having a party. They've been married for quite some time and their relationship is still going strong, I'm happy to tell. They invited me and most of our friends to the grill out/bonfire party and some were able to come while some were unable to attend.

In any case, we had a fun, relaxing time. No one got too drunk and fell in the fire this time. In fact, no one got hurt at all. Must be a record. lol.

Below, you'll find a 60 year old bicycle that my brother-in-law received as a gift. It was made by Bridgestone, of the Bridgestone Tire Company, which is owned by Japan. They only made so many of these bikes in limited edition and it was state of the art during the time.

Whitney the dog having some fun attacking the turkey and being attacked by the turkey. Don't worry. No animals were harmed and there wasn't any betting going on.

Here's a video of the dog and turkey playing around with each other. Turn up the volume to hear our "witty" banter during the animal grudge match.

Here are some baby chicks at my sister's farm. I thought this was a neat shot.

The sun sets, creating a sky of pink and blue hues, rippled in layers of clouds beyond the many trees. It's a tranquil setting. A place where you can breathe in the fresh country air and feel at peace.

The Deer In Our Backyard 2

There were pictures, I took, back in January, of deer in our backyard that weren't too bad. But these pictures are better, clearer and brighter. One morning, last week, I saw a couple deer in the back of our place and quickly and quietly got the camera.

I have always enjoyed the deer. They seem to inspire serenity. And I'm awed by their agility.

Somehow, I managed to get around the snow shovel, portable air compressor, a bag of aluminum cans and a sizable charcoal grill on our second floor balcony without creating so much noise that would scare away the deer before I could get my shots. It was a miracle. Usually, they're pretty flighty, although lately, they're becoming less timid around civilization. I think they're getting as used to us being around- as we are of them.

These creatures are certainly beautiful and majestic.

The Beauty of The Trees and Flowers

Enlarge the pictures to fully appreciate the beauty.

Seeing The Light Through A Darkened Sky