Wanderlust

Last night, I was going through some of the pictures we took in 2007. I ran across the photos of last summer’s visit to the Grand Canyon. Today, as I sit at my desk I have the greatest urge to pack up and drive out of town to someplace like this. But, I suppose I’ll have to be patient and wait for our next vacation. Besides, I plan to retire soon – like in about 1 year, 6 months and 14 Days or so – but who’s counting?

Click on the picture below of Damsel enjoying a rainy day canyon view to see the 1024 x 768 version in the photo viewer.

Canyon View

Point and Click

Please don’t associate the “point ‘n’ click” terminology with computers – unless the *&^$@ computer dies and just might make a better target than a tool. Come to think of it, even though the hard disk died, it’s possible it could be recovered and read by unauthorized persons. Any personal data on the hard drive should be destroyed.

Hmmmmm – a remote area, the Glocks and this defunct laptop – it might be fun.

Point and Click

Naah – I’ll just remove and destroy the drive and take the rest to the recycler.

Important – Sign the Petition

revolversSecond Amendment Alert – Via Redstate via The Wandering Minstrel:

Redstate has a post today about the intervention of the Solicitor General of the United States in the Heller vs. D.C. case. In the post is a link to savethesecond.org where Congressman Eric Cantor (R – VA) is organizing a petition to let the government know that you value your second amendment rights.

Click here to sign the petition.

Here’s an excerpt from the petition site:

Last Friday, the United States Solicitor General filed formal briefs asking the Supreme Court not to affirm the lower court’s decision. This is just outrageous. The Solicitor General is the Federal Government’s lawyer. So, now we have the federal government using our tax dollars to argue for a delay on a ruling concerning our fundamental rights.

Take action today – sign this petition to let the government know that you value your second amendment rights. Together, we can ensure that your rights are protected. For the first time in years we have the opportunity for the Supreme Court to clearly say that the second amendment applies to all Americans and that no government can ban all handguns.

Let your voice be heard – sign the petition today.

Kebabs on the Barbie

shish kebabsFeast your eyes on these beautiful shish kebabs as they cook on the grill. When we finished grocery shopping this morning, we came home and cut up a tri-tip (bottom sirloin) roast into chunks, removed the stems from some fresh mushrooms and put them in a marinade consisting of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped rosemary leaves and minced garlic.

We also boiled up some red bliss potatoes, Brussels sprouts and diced acorn squash chunks. We only boiled them until the potatoes were just barely fork-tender. These were drained and set aside to cool.

kebabsWhile the vegetables were cooling and the meat marinated in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, we watched some football and visited with the family at a nearby eatery. We didn’t order any food, though, since nothing on their menu could possibly compete with what we were planning to have for dinner.

At the left, you can see the meat and veggies on the skewers before we put them on the grill. Notice the rich deep-brown color of the marinated beef and mushrooms.

Click on either picture to see a closer view.

On the side, Damsel prepared a pasta salad with orzo, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, olives and artichoke hearts. I have to tell you, this was a great meal – and certainly better than anything on the menu at the eatery where the family gathered.

Victorian Lighthouse at Point Fermin

One of the prettiest man-made landmarks in Southern California, the Point Fermin Lighthouse stands in San Pedro. This beautiful structure, built in 1874, has been recently restored to nearly original condition.

I showed a gloomier weather scene by the sea yesterday, so I thought a nice big picture of the lighthouse bathed in sunlight would be a good follow-up. Click on the image for the full-sized version.

Point Fermin Lighthouse

A Rainy Weekend by the Sea

seagullSome of the prettiest scenery can be seen on days where the weather isn’t exactly ideal for outdoors activities. Last weekend during the rain showers on Saturday, we drove down to Palos Verdes and took some pictures of the coastline features.

On a stop at the Point Vicente fishing access, a seagull landed on the fence post and watched us while I took several pictures of him. It was between showers and there were a lot of birds in the area, including a red tail hawk, some crows, a pelican, pigeons and lots of seagulls.

lighthouseI also took this picture of the Point Vicente Lighthouse and Coast Guard Station from the fishing access. The visibility wasn’t crystal clear, but on days like this, the fog adds something to the mood of the scene.

We have enjoyed visiting these colorful and unique landmarks in rain and shine, in wind and calm and in crystal clear weather to pea soup fog.

Click on the images to see full-sized in the image viewer.