Out of the photo album from last weekend, I present the Orchid Slide Show. Sadly, this is but a few of the many beautiful orchids that we saw at the show.

Check out this interesting still-life that Damsel composed last April. I have been looking through some of the old photos as I transfer them to a recently-acquired mass storage external drive. I saw this one among them and thought it was quite nice. Click for the wallpaper/screen-saver size.

Yesterday, we went to the recycle center to redeem paper, aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Just across from the center, is the Botanic Garden; we noticed that the Orchid Show and sale were in progress this weekend! I don’t know how we overlooked it, since we have gone to every show for the last several years.

By the time we made the discovery, we were already committed to a full Saturday. If we’re going to go this weekend it would have to be Sunday - and (gasp) forego our weekly session on the shooting range. So, we bit the bullet (sorry) and went to the garden and show this morning.

We weren’t disappointed. The orchids were all beautiful, both those in the show and those for sale in the patio. I bought a nice phalaenopsis for less than half what you would pay in a retail store. I took this picture while transporting it to our home. Click for big.

Pete Brownell, the third-generation Brownell to be president of Brownell’s, a major gunsmithing and firearms supply firm, posts an important message for firearms enthusiasts.

September 26, 2008
Pete Talk About Guns

Dear Folks,

This year we’re facing one of the most pivotal Presidential elections in our country’s history and certainly one of the most hotly contested races in modern memory. These next 2 weeks are weeks of “Last Chances” as the election comes even closer on November 4. As all of you know, if you’re not registered you can’t vote. (Some states do allow same-day registration but to stay on the safe side, I’d go ahead and get it done if you haven’t already.)

If the past two Presidential elections are any indication, this years race will almost certainly come right down to the wire once again. The days of Reaganesque landslides are over. When you hear folks say that they don’t vote because their one vote won’t make a difference well…they do and just a handful of votes have decided who won the Presidency. Get out and register: it doesn’t matter if you affiliate yourself with the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Independents or any other party. Register and take a good hard look at each candidates views on the issues that impact you, and our industry the most. One of the most valuable items you’ll ever receive in your lifetime is that voter registration card.

Read the rest of Pete’s remarks.

Get your fellow sportsmen and shooters to register and vote - It’s really important this time.

Cross-posted at The Wandering Minstrel.

Going through the electronic photo album, I ran across this image of “Bear,” our Lab-Shep family companion. She just finished her “Frosty-Paws” doggie ice cream treat and rolled onto her back in her characteristic gesture of contentment. After a tough week on Wall Street, this is something we should all do - have some fun and be contented. Click the image for big.

Some of the green initiatives that keep coming across the media just don’t make any sense, like the example below:

Maybe the Director of Green should read some of our Global Warming and Climate Resources for some facts about the environment.

Last July, we were on our vacation in Southern Utah near the South Entrance to Canyonlands National Park when this rainbow appeared ahead of us. We had just finished our visit to the park and were en route to our next destination and a relaxing evening in a resort hotel near Canyon de Chelly.

Click for bigger image.

You can get this T-shirt in a shop on Wilshire Blvd. in the People’s Republic of Santa Monica (CA).

And let it be written that He shall be known by many names . . .

• the Big O
• zero
• zip
• zilch
• nada
• nunca
• naught
• nichts
• nothing
• goose egg
• . . . the big donut

Photo credit: Damsel.

The Avalon Chime Tower still chimes at fifteen minute intervals from eight o’clock in the morning until eight-thirty in the evening. While the chimes are charming, the tower facility, itself, could use a little tender loving care.

We hiked up to the tower and had an up-close look. The building is missing some roofing tiles although the decorative Catalina tiles look pretty good. The building is cracked in several places, the door on the west side needs repair and the area around the tower is a bit overgrown.

Now, I don’t know how the building gets its financial support nor do I want to take any supporters to task, but it is such a beautiful and historic instrument and it deserves better. From a distance, however, the chime tower is as charming as ever.

I took this photo with my Canon EOS and telephoto lens from the balcony of our hotel room. Click on the thumbnail above for full-size in the viewer.

We missed our weekly trip to the shooting range last week since we were out of town. This week, however, we made up for the missed fun last week.

Firearms Inventory

• Glock 30 .45ACP
• Para Warthog .45ACP
• Glock 26 9×19mm
• Smith & Wesson 908 9×19mm
• Smith & Wesson 686 .357 magnum
• Remington 870 20 gauge
• Remington 870 12 gauge

We brought both .38 special and .357 magnum ammo for the revolver. We put up a target and started off with the revolver. We then mixed it up with all the handguns. I think we shot a total of 90 rounds of 9mm through both the S&W 908 and the Glock 26, about the same number of .45ACP through the Para Warthog and Glock 30. We also put 20 rounds of .38 special and 20 rounds of .357 magnum through the 686. At the end of the session, we each put 25 rounds through each of the Remingtons.

The Para Warthog did very well today. Towards the end of the session, she got a little dry and one round failed to feed. A quick drop of oil on the top of the receiver and racking it a few times fixed that problem and she fed the rest of the session without incident.