I have a potted hyacinth growing on the coffee table in the living room. When the light gets just right as it comes in through the window over the staircase, I can sometimes get a nice lighting effect. It’s too bad you can’t smell the nice fragrance these flowers have. Click on the image to enlarge.

What you are looking at is Barbecued Pizza - really. I put the pizza stone out on the gas BBQ, close the lid and adjust the flame for 500° or so. Then, after it’s hot, I bring out the pizza that Damsel has loaded up with goodies, slide it onto the stone and close the lid on it for ten or fifteen minutes.

The ingredients are mostly heart-healthy, like the marinated artichoke hearts, olives and sliced tomatoes, but what would a pizza be without mozzarella cheese (low fat, of course) and some meat like the thin Italian pancetta slices we spread over the top. We served ourselves a slice and a half each with a green salad on the side.

Damn good, if I do say so, myself. Click on the image to enlarge. Remember not to drool on the keyboard.

Teh “Smug One” generates a chuckle among those attending the STFU SOTU Wednesday night. To be sure, they weren’t laughing with him.

Via Planet Gore

Here’s the results of the last five trading days. Obama attacks Banking and Business in the State of the Union campaign speech and in the days before.

Mr. President, Tear Down This Rhetoric . . .

Reaction from the Blogosphere:

The State of the Union Is No ‘Reset’ Button - Karl Rove

If the criticism of you is that you’re all talk and no action, I’m not sure that a long speech is really going to help, no matter how emphatically you deliver it. - Jim Geraghty

The public thinks Obama doesn’t get it; Obama thinks the public doesn’t get it. - Rich Lowry

Here he goes again with his bank penalization idea!!!!!!!! Every time he opens his yap, my mutual funds take a nosedive! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SHUT UP!!! - Nicki @ The Liberty Zone

2 Words to Describe Obama Speech . . . YOU LIE! - Anthony @ The Liberty Sphere

There was no “pivot to the center,” no serious accounting for the Massachusetts miracle or his misfortunes. Instead, there was an innumerate, inaccurate and distinctly unpresidential whine — blaming George W. Bush for nearly all of his problems (leaving out, among other things, that the Democrats have been controlling Congress and crafting budgets since 2006). - Jonah Goldberg

When I walked out on the patio today, the little eschevaria succulent caught my camera’s attention with these colorful little bell-shaped flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.

The Administration’s hoof-in-mouth over the Republican Landslide in Massachusetts continues to haunt them:

Via The Patriot Post:

Planet Gore posted an item today about wind turbine wake (’propwash’) causing turbines downwind to have reduced output because of the turbulent air generated by upwind turbines.

Image: Wind Turbines In Banning Pass. One of the largest wind turbine farms in the world is here near Palm Springs, CA. Photo courtesy Damsel. Click to enlarge.

I have always been skeptical about the reliability, efficiency and cost-per-generated-kilowatt of wind turbines. We recently were on a road trip and saw two different convoys of trucks carrying the estimated fifty foot long blades either to a new installation or to maintenance. I couldn’t believe the way the immense turbine blades dwarfed the big-rig tractors hauling them.

From Popular Science.

Downstream wind turbines may lose 20 percent or even 30 percent of their power compared to their fellows in front, according to a study on wake effects at Horns Rev that MacKay highlights on his blog. The paper also emphasizes that different wind directions make it practically impossible to gauge an overall “steady state” for large wind farms, unless researchers can sample wind speeds and directions at multiple points throughout the array.

This shows that wind energy may represent a highly visible form of alternative energy, but certainly not one without its quirks and controversies. Still, better technology can squeeze more juice out of each gust, and cooperative energy-sharing efforts can help offset the fickle nature of wind power.

Damsel and I drove to Point Vicente on the Southwest side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula to check out the waves after our Pacific storms last week. I caught this short video of the breakers crashing onto the rocks at the point.

After we relocate, we won’t miss the taxes and politics in California, but we will miss the seashore. But - where we’re going has its unique beauties too.

These beautiful birds were on the endangered species list, but their numbers are now plentiful along the coastline ranging from Cabo San Lucas to Eureka and beyond. This handsome specimen flew so low and close to my camera today that you can practically see the whites of its eyes. Click on the image below to see the glorious extra-large close-up.

(Cap’n Bob: “I believe this is the best photo Damsel has ever taken of a California Brown Pelican.”)

While on our recent vacation to Arizona, we noticed that most of the campers were from cold places - classic snowbirds - most of which appeared to be retired. We felt right at home among them - they were friendly, and in some cases, helpful. As I was hitching the trailer, one nice gent offered to give me a welcome hand.

Image - Camping in Wintertime Arizona - Click to enlarge.

This picture shows our campsite in the Apache Junction KOA. Apache Junction is a community just on the eastern edge of the Phoenix Metroplex. The Superstition Mountains are just east of the campground, providing a spectacular view.

I can see why lots of retirees invade this place in the winter months. Arizona has a very mild climate in the southern half of the state. The camping is nice and the people - both locals and other campers - are great.

Despite having a mild stroke, Charlie Daniels can still play his guitar and fiddle.

“I can still play my fiddle. I can play my guitar. One of the first things I did when I came home from the hospital in Denver was to pick up my guitar and make sure my fingers still worked on it.”

Daniels, 73, suffered the stroke Friday just outside Durango, about 230 miles southwest of Denver. He was treated at a local hospital then airlifted to a Denver hospital, where he was released on Sunday. Daniels has returned to his Durango home, where he goes in the winter to enjoy snowmobiling and winter sports.

Damsel and I are big fans and we wish Charlie all the best for a quick and complete recovery.

That describes our trip across the Golden State today. We entered California in Blythe along Interstate 10 in cool, but bright sunshine weather, and arrived in our home town, Torrance, where a full-on winter rainstorm was in progress. You might say it was raining torrents in Torrance.

Click on the image to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Damsel and her perpetually clicking camera.