We did our grocery shopping for the Fourth of July weekend yesterday. As I passed the flower concession in the supermarket, I put some nice red Gerbera daisies in the cart. This one is in the little bathroom. You can see part of my beautiful framed mirror in the out-of-focus background. Click on the image to enlarge.

We hiked up the road to the west of our house to a neighbor’s place. She wasn’t home, so I walked into the pool area and took this image of our neighbor’s view of our house. Click on the image to enlarge.

Ramirez offers yet another take on the administration’s military policy . . .

Damsel got out the wide-angle lens for her Canon EOS camera today and walked across the road to capture this panoramic image of (most) of the front property line. You can see the RV drive-thru on the left and the concrete driveway on the right. Most of the landscaping is already in place but we expect to acquire an ocotillo to be placed near the courtyard gate. Next summer, the little plum tree by the gate should be a lot larger and fuller. Click on the image to enlarge.

On the morning of our return to Arizona, the cereus cactus in the California garden happened to be in bloom. I took a couple of images of it under the skies of low clouds and fog that prevail on the Southern California Coast this time of year. I can hardly wait until the cuttings of this cactus we brought from the California House start to produce these under the sunny Arizona skies. Click on the image to enlarge.

Just before our arrival in Wickenburg this afternoon, as usual, we see this roadside sign crediting the highway adoption as belonging to the “Doom” family. I wonder if they changed the family name from “Apocalypse” or “Armageddon?” Note the gunshot dimples on the left side of the sign. Click on the image to enlarge.

We were up at Fort MacArthur today to visit with DrJim. While we were there, I walked around with Cabela and took several photos of flowers in bloom. This is a photo of a flower on a prickly pear cactus growing on the hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful cactus flowers bloom in California too! Click on the image to enlarge.

Between this action and the 30,000 troops being withdrawn in Afghanistan, it is only too obvious that the commander-in-thief is being driven by the polls. The administration has been worthless on the economy, international policy and now endanger our petroleum reserves for some political leverage.

From Fox Business News:

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The Obama administration said Thursday it would release 30 million barrels of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to offset disruption caused by unrest in the Middle East–a move that caught some by surprise.

The release represents a pivot for an administration that has long resisted calls to unleash its storage of oil despite persistently high gasoline prices. The move will likely send ripples through the stock market and cause a political backlash in Washington. The administration has said the reserves should only be tapped during emergencies, not solely because Americans are feeling pain at the pump.

We are back at the California house this evening. We had a couple of surprises awaiting us in the backyard. Have you ever seen an artichoke flower? Well now you have. Also, please note the bed of California Poppies in the background. Click on the image to enlarge.

Yesterday, I posted a photo of the flower pods on my Red Bird of Paradise. To my surprise, the first three opened up this morning. I don’t have to tell you how much I love these shrubs and I’m ecstatic to have my very own blooms. There will be more coming and I promise (DrJim) I will post them when I can. Click on the image to enlarge.