31 Oct 2008 at 16:47:12 PDT
· Filed under Culture
Posted by Damsel
In a little while, all the little witches, goblins and fairy-tale characters will begin to show up looking for their treats. We’re ready for them, even though there may be some rain showers to dampen (pun intended) spirits. Regardless, we will be answering the door and smiling at this years crop of Halloween tricksters.
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30 Oct 2008 at 18:03:36 PDT
· Filed under Home & Garden
Posted by Damsel
I took all four of these photos today in the patio garden. These beautiful flowers all have the fall color scheme. I guess as the temperatures outside get colder, the colors get warmer. Whatever the reason, I like it!

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29 Oct 2008 at 18:23:26 PDT
· Filed under California, Critters, Home & Garden
Posted by Cap'n Bob
Damsel usually gets these shots, but, occasionally, I get lucky with my little Canon A710-IS. While we were at the Botanic Garden last weekend, I was standing next to a lantana bush when this little guy landed and I snapped this shot. Notice the coiled proboscis (feeding tube) protruding from it’s head. Click the image for a close-up.

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28 Oct 2008 at 18:15:23 PDT
· Filed under Firearms, Sports
Posted by Cap'n Bob
It is with near-religious fervor, when Damsel cleans her guns after our weekly shoot. She has a low tolerance for any gunk or dirt on the firearms. In the picture below, the three top insets are the ‘before’ from Sunday. In the bottom panel is an ‘after’ tight shot of the Warthog’s slide and adjacent areas.
You had better believe that that gun is as clean inside as it is outside!

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27 Oct 2008 at 20:02:57 PDT
· Filed under California, Entertainment
Posted by Cap'n Bob
I was just messing around with some of Damsel’s photographs she took last Saturday at the Botanical Garden. One sequence of images seemed to me to look like frames from a movie, so I arranged them and made this Flash&trade: pseudo-movie.
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26 Oct 2008 at 18:50:31 PDT
· Filed under Firearms, Sports
Posted by Cap'n Bob
We didn’t do anything much different at the range today, except we didn’t take Damsel’s 20 Gauge shotgun. We’re going to send it to the gunsmith for some ‘tune up’ so, hopefully, it will be easer to reassemble the bolt, slide and fore-end into the receiver after cleaning.
Here is the pictorial version of the report:

The handguns we took, Damsel shooting the Warthog (good report - 100 rounds no problems), Damsel carrying the guns to the truck after shooting (I usually help, but I was hauling a load of ammo that we just bought) and the pieces of Glocks and Rem 870 spread out for cleanup.
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26 Oct 2008 at 09:28:06 PDT
· Filed under Campaign, International, Military, War on Terror
Posted by Cap'n Bob
A war correspondent in a position to know about both the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts, passes on these important concerns about electing an inexperienced ‘dove’ to the White House. In addition to Senator Obama’s liberal positions on the Second Amendment and his connections to terrorists and race-baiting activists, we must not forget how disastrous the international situation can become.
Greetings,
The outcome of the upcoming U.S. elections will have a profound impact on the war. Meanwhile, the day to day fighting continues. If Senator Obama is elected, I expect to spend a great deal of time covering the fighting. Judging by his words, Senator Obama must be watched closely or we might see some terrible decisions. I expect 2009 to be the worst year so far in the Af-Pak war, which has serious potential to eventually become far worse than Iraq ever was. If Senator McCain is elected, I’ll breathe easier in regard to the war.
For a short dispatch, please click, “Are you Connected.”
Very Respectfully,
Michael Yon
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25 Oct 2008 at 19:21:16 PDT
· Filed under Entertainment, Home & Garden
Posted by Damsel
We looked forward all week to go to the South Coast Botanic Garden where they were hosting a Model Railroad Show. The model railroaders set up a miniature railroad throughout one of our favorite areas in the cactus garden. This one shot of a little model doesn’t do the scene justice, since there were little trains all over the place.

Click image for larger view.
UPDATE: Cactus Rail Video
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