Explore on ipernity

We went over to our friend's house for the afternoon today and I brought my camera along to take pictures. I wandered around taking pictures for quite a while and had a thoroughly good time. I ended up coming home with 280 pictures, many of which were garbage of course, but I ended up taking maybe 2 dozen that I think turned out quite nicely. The problem with taking zillions of pictures is that you have to spend the time looking through them all, tossing the garbage and whittling down the number to just the best ones. When I distill a large number of pictures, I end up having a big argument with myself as to which pictures I should process. In the end, I must follow my heart because I can't work on all of the pictures that make the final cut! Today was especially hard. I am crazy about the picture that follows this one..it's strange and weird and wonderful! But the picture you see here...it makes my heart sing. There's something I find very special about it, so I followed my heart and made it my Picture of the Day. I would love to know what you think...I have 4 pictures to share today, do you have a favorite? How do you resolve YOUR conflicts with choosing pictures? Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is a retired American professional soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm held the record for international goals, more than any other player, male or female, in the history of soccer, until 2013 when fellow American Abby Wambach scored her 159th goal to break the record. Hamm is also the third most capped female player in soccer history behind Kristine Lilly and Christie Rampone, appearing in 275 international matches. She also leads the team with most assists with 144. She is the author of Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life and appeared in the HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years." Wikipedia: Mia Hamm Explored on September 15, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

1 more picture + 2 text notes in notes above! :) Fall is arriving!! Day by day, I am beginning to see the trees slowly change color as the leaves die and drop from their lofty homes. It is an amazing time for me, as are all the 4 distinct seasons we have here in southern Oregon. I was born and raised in San Francisco and it is known for having a similar temperature range year-round. There are no distinct seasons, so one of the things I really wanted was to live in a place where I could experience all four seasons. Fall is incredible to me, and I always think of the quote by Albert Camus, "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." It is so absolutely true. I lose my mind with all of the beautiful leaves, they are incredible!! And so, today I am sharing another beautiful "autumn flower" from an Oak tree, complete with a Wasp Gall! :) John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress, John Burroughs was the most important practitioner after Henry David Thoreau of that especially American literary genre, the nature essay. By the turn of the 20th century he had become a virtual cultural institution in his own right: the Grand Old Man of Nature at a time when the American romance with the idea of nature, and the American conservation movement, had come fully into their own. His extraordinary popularity and popular visibility were sustained by a prolific stream of essay collections, beginning with Wake-Robin in 1871. Wikipedia: John Burroughs Explored on September 16, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

1 more picture in a notes above! :) For the past few days, it FEELS like Fall has finally arrived, and I just love it! Crisp, cold mornings, bright sunshine, the fresh, clean smell of dried grass with the first hint of Fall dew....it's wonderful!!! I know it's too early yet for mushrooms, but I simply can't keep myself from visiting the places where I first see them appear! First I went up to our marching stand of dry teasel which stare down at us in prickly formation from the hill above the house. This is where I will sometimes find the beautiful golden mushrooms who hide shyly behind the teasel stalks, not sure if they can trust me. But there were none to find, as I expected, so I did an about-face and went purposefully down to the dark woods of the lower forest, where dampness collects first and departs last. I searched the logs where the young mushrooms love to play, and under the plates of fallen bark where I sometimes find one in a game of hide-and-seek. But not today. Maybe tomorrow, for it has rained long and hard today, and perhaps I'll have a dream tonight where tiny mushroom fairies dance around me in a circle and as I awaken, I'll still hear the tinkling of their bell-like laughter. I will know then, that they have woken up and once again I will get to capture their pretty little faces for everyone to enjoy! As I looked for mushrooms, I saw this trio of perfect Black Oak leaves and hoped they would make a pretty picture. I was delighted to find them positioned just right for an image showing all three against the dappling of a tree's branches and the sky above. Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known as George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American, although he always kept a valid Spanish passport. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters. At the age of forty-eight, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently, never to return to the United States. His last will was to be buried in the Spanish Pantheon of the Cimitero Monumentale del Verano in Rome. Wikipedia: George Santayana Explored on September 21, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

1 more picture in a note above! :) I went out today looking around for different kinds of wheels for the Bokeh Thursday theme this week, and while I was checking out the bulldozer to see if there were any posibilities there (nope!), I heard geese in the distance. I stopped to see if they might come by. What are the odds, but they flew right towards me in a beautiful V formation and against the lovely clouds in the sky, I got my Picture of the Day! Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marqués de Dalí de Pubol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, in the Catalonia region of Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Wikipedia: Salvador Dali Explored on September 27, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

I went out today looking for a mushroom and I found one! It was perfect and in a position that I could see under its cap! I got good pictures too... or so I thought... until I looked at them on my computer and found out that I made a Composition 101 error. When you find a non-animate subject to photograph, look at it closely from different angles to find the best position. I discovered upon looking at the pictures that the shape of the mushroom called for a shift in position and I needed get another set of pictures. LOL, live and learn! :D No worries, because before I went into the house, I went to visit the Goldenrod flowers that my friend Robin gave me, and as I approached, I saw a very pretty bumblebee crawling around with gorgeous markings on it. Then I looked again. It wasn't a bumblebee at all! It was a huge hoverfly! I've never seen one so large and pretty before, and I was lucky enough to get a few pictures before it zoomed away! Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca; ca. 4 BC – AD 65) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero. While he was forced to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors, he may have been innocent. His father was Seneca the Elder and his elder brother was Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, called Gallio in the Bible. Wikipedia: Lucius Annaeus Seneca Explored on October 1, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

1 more picture and a text note above! :) The acorns are falling from the trees all over the property, and birds like blue jays and acorn woodpeckers are carrying them to our roof and pounding away at them, sounding like miniature jack hammers! :D Just this afternoon a bird was hammering away on an acorn placed on one of our metal rain gutters and the dogs all started barking and growling because they thought someone was at the door! ROFLMAO!!! :D So funny!!! With that in mind, I went out today to get a picture of an acorn to share! This one is from a White Oak Tree...I think I will try to get a picture of a Black Oak Tree acorn on the tree too! :) Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. Wikipedia: Ralph Waldo Emerson Explored on October 8, 2013. Highest placement, page 7.

3 more pictures in notes above! :) Have you ever spent the whole day thinking it was the next day or the day before? This morning I went down to close the gate after Steve left for work and was annoyed to find that the garbage collectors missed our can. I figured we'd need to call them to come and pick up our trash. I carried on with my day, working until lunch and looking forward to my Bokeh Thursday pictures! The theme is "Medicine", so after lunch, I had a great time taking pictures of various pills and tablets that we have. Bokelicious meds galore!! :D After I'd gotten back to work for a couple of hours, I looked at my iPad and when I turned it on, it flashed the date and time...WEDNESDAY! NOT Thursday! WOO HOO, I GAINED A WHOLE DAY!! :D :D I had a very good laugh at myself and then realized...oh brother. I need to take my Picture of the Day...AGAIN! :D Well, I thought I'd wait until after dinner since I was buried in work and couldn't afford to take another break. Steve came home and as we prepared to put our dinner on the table, I looked out the kitchen window and did a double-take... HOLY COW, LOOK AT THAT SKY!!! Dinner could wait! Steve grabbed his iPhone and I grabbed my camera, switching over to our 17-40 wide angle lens, since there was no way I'd be able to get all of those clouds with my 100mm lens. Steve came up with the idea of taking a picture of our beloved meadow Oak tree with the clouds radiating out from behind, but I also have another image showing the sky by itself so you can appreciate it unobstructed. :) Victor Marie Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He is considered one of the greatest and best known French writers. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry but also rests upon his novels and his dramatic achievements. Among many volumes of poetry, Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles stand particularly high in critical esteem. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831 (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). Wikipedia: Victor Hugo Explored on October 10, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#37).

As I was walking the dogs around the property today with my camera at the ready, I found a small White Oak tree with the most gorgeous fiery red-orange leaves. I looked at this tree for a while, wondering how I could possibly show the whole tree and share its blazing red beauty. But it sits near other trees and there was simply no way that I could find to make it stand out with a soft background. This is one of the reasons that I like to take pictures of individual leaves. I cannot isolate the whole tree and so the picture looks like nothing at all. Trees at the side of the road, or a tree in a field all by itself, well, that's different. Isolation is easy then. But not on our property. We have only a few isolated trees, and this particular Oak tree has leaves that turn quite red, while our other Oaks have leaves that turn yellow or with some red only. Frustrating! However, I think that this leaf will give you an idea of what I was looking at in wonder. Leaves on fire, burning in the afternoon sun. Gorgeous, incredible and amazing. Isn't autumn breathtaking?! :) Explored on October 20, 2013. Highest placement, page 6.

2 more pictures in notes above! :) About a week ago, I discovered some special mushrooms growing down by the road where I saw them last year. Because I know that these ones live for weeks, I didn't rush to take pictures, and instead waited for the right time. Well, today was the day! Steve had the camera on a photo shoot until this afternoon, which meant the sun was in the perfect placement for these mushrooms. In the morning the area is in deep shadow and only when the sun begins to dip towards the horizon does the light look just right for this area of the property. I took Moosie and Zoe with me and as I approached the spot, I noticed that there were other mushrooms too! Taking one look at the large, gorgeous mushrooms, I immediately plopped down and groomed the area for taking pictures while Moosie and Zoe had fun nosing around and exploring nearby. When I got home, I was very happy to find that there were many nice images to choose between, but in the end, I ended up merging two pictures: one with an aperture of 2.8 for a soft background, and one with an aperture of 16 for deep focus on this mushroom, which was about 6" tall! I used a Topaz filter called ReMask to get a clean mask around the mushroom and then placed it into the image with the 2.8 aperture. A bit of massaging to remove bits of the original mushroom, a bit more massaging to work the crisp mushroom into place, and voila! Picture of the Day! :) (If you are interested, Topaz Labs has a 30 day free trial for all of their products, including ReMask: www.topazlabs.com/downloads Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Wikipedia: Rachel Carson Explored on October 20, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

4 more pictures in notes above! :) Wow, yesterday's bike ride totally wrecked me! I've been tired all day, and so has Steve--we really should have gone on a shorter ride--and I'm very run-down and battling cold germs that are threatening to make me sick. Airborne is really helping, but I'll be sure not to stay up too late tonight... I hate getting sick! That being said, I decided not to go on my long walks today and instead took the dogs to the lower forest where I uncovered another one of the mushrooms I found the other day. (They are hiding in the tall dead grass and weeds and you can only just barely see the caps!) Since the aperture merging trick I used worked so well with the other mushroom, I used it today as well. This is also a Parasol mushroom, but as you can see, it's very different looking, so I thought it would be ok to share. I am crazy about the exposed gills, aren't they fabulous?! I always like to show them because they're so interesting, but it's not always possible to get a proper angle for this. However, this mushroom's gills are very exposed and I just HAD to take pictures!! Sanford I. "Sandy" Weill (born March 16, 1933) is an American banker, financier and philanthropist. He is a former chief executive and chairman of Citigroup. He served in those positions from 1998 until October 1, 2003, and April 18, 2006, respectively. Wikipedia: Sanford I. Weill Explored on October 22, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

Would you jus LOOK at this leaf?!! WOW!!! I got images of seven gorgeous leaves today, though I'm only going to share this one tonight. I really hope that you don't get too tired of these "fall flowers" because I cannot get enough of them! The colors, the textures, it's just incredible how pretty these leaves are. We have two kinds of Oak trees here, the White and the Black, and their leaves are easy to tell apart: Black Oaks have leaves with ragged edges, and White Oaks have leaves with smooth edges. Both are exceptionally beautiful when Fall comes around! Every day I spend time just appreciating individual leaves on the trees and plants that I pass. Nature certainly has good taste! :) Explored on October 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 8.

2 more pictures in notes above! :) Today Steve had my camera for a work assignment, so when he got home I popped on the macro flash and went out to take pictures. However, when I looked at them on my computer, I didn't think any of them were especially interesting. So, I decided to use one of my "emergency subjects" for times when I'm rushed for a picture and can't go out on another hunt. What do you think of this strange leaf-seed combination that I found one day in Medford?! I looked carefully at the tree this came from, and the regular leaves are quite different. In hindsight, I'm sorry I didn't take one of those leaves home too, it would be good for comparison. (This is a picture of the normal leaves along with the seed-bearing leaves) Anyway, I think the seeds are so cute and fuzzy and hoped they would make a nice picture! Thanks to all of you who helped me to identify this as a Basswood, Linden or Lime tree (not related to the fruit). From Wiki: Commonly known by the names Basswood, Linden or Lime tree, Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Commonly called lime trees in the British Isles, they are not closely related to the lime fruit. Other names include linden and basswood. The genus occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but the greatest species diversity is found in Asia. Tilia species are mostly large, deciduous trees, reaching typically 20 to 40 metres (66 to 130 ft) tall, with oblique-cordate leaves 6 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 in) across. As with elms, the exact number of species is uncertain, as many if not most of the species will hybridise readily, both in the wild and in cultivation. Limes are hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers with both male and female parts, pollinated by insects. I discovered that many parts of this plant are edible, after reading a fascinating article about the Basswood tree by Samuel Thayer: Basswood: The Ultimate Wild Salad Plant . Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and in books. Wikipedia: Ansel Adams Explored on October 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

1 note above! Yesterday when I was up on the ridge with Moosie and Zoe, I saw this leaf just ahead of me on the trail. I made sure to keep the dogs away so I could get some pictures because just a strong breeze would jostle this leaf from its tenuous hold on that dried grass! Take a look at my note I've added to understand just how incredible this "caught leaf" is! Believe it or not, finding these seemingly impossible situations are actually pretty easy to do! It's the sheer number of leaves falling from trees combined with the many possible places that each leaf can fall which raises the possibility of crazy landings like this one. I would say though, that this particular leaf is very unusual...what are the odds?!!! It's mind-boggling!! Explored on October 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#50).

6 more pictures in notes above! :) I feel SO MUCH BETTER today!! Yesterday I thought I might be getting sick because I was so run down from my bike ride the day before. But I took Airborne last night and this morning and I was feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed very soon after I got my day started!! :D What better way to celebrate a close shave with a bad cold than a beautiful photo walk along our ridge line with Moosie and Zoe to help supervise?! :) Such a lovely morning, it promised to get warm by the afternoon, but the temperature was perfect for our walk! Wandering along, I found myself stopping in front of a very tall Ponderosa Pine tree that had dried sap crusted all over one side. I think that Acorn Woodpeckers may have drilled holes to store nuts and caused the sap to run, but it was dry now and very interesting to look at. Studying the crystalized resin, I hoped to spot some droplets, and as you can see, I found one!! As I began taking pictures, I slowly moved my angle and saw that the sun was at the right angle to cause a star burst, so I took a set of images with the hopes that one would have a brilliant burst. I got lots of pictures that would have worked fine, but the second I saw this one, I burst out with a big, happy, "YES!!!" :D Henri Frédéric Amiel (27 September 1821 – 11 May 1881) was a Swiss philosopher, poet and critic. Wikipedia: Henri Frederic Amiel Explored on October 23, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

2 more pictures and one note above! :) Check out my 365 number!!! Holy cow, I'm on #300!!! *falls over* Just a bit more than two months to go, and I'm still bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and having a blast with this awesome project!! :D Steve and I were planning to visit the beautiful Palmerton Arboretum today for fall pictures, but as we were drinking our coffee, we heard rain on the windows. It wasn't forecast for today and soon it stopped, but it was extremely blustery outside, and conditions were far from ideal, as they were yesterday when we went to Riverside Park in Grant's Pass. Instead, we went to Medford to do our weekly shopping and errands, and I took my camera with me to get my Picture of the Day. I already knew where I'd find my picture: in the parking lot of Costco, which was our destination. As we went into the store, I glanced at the shrubbery and trees as we walked past, and was happy to see plenty of excellent photo ops for me and I after we left the store, I spent about 15 minutes getting my pictures! :) I found some beautiful little flowers and got nice pictures of them (which I haven't processed tonight, but will share them soon as they are very pretty!) As I was taking pictures of the flowers, I saw some darling blackbirds relaxing around the bushes. I got a handful of fun pictures, one of which I'm showing tonight. :) And then there is my Picture of the Day, which are leaves from a very pretty bush called a Japanese Barberry. These plants are perfect examples of being boring from a standing-up position, and extremely beautiful when staring nose-close! I finished three pictures but I only have time to share this one tonight! (in a rush to get to bed this evening). Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Ford did not invent the automobile, but he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford to buy. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently. Wikipedia: Henry Ford Explored on October 28, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#48).

3 more pictures and two note above! :) A few days ago, Steve took my camera to work because he was asked to take a picture of a local bridge. When he got there, he was astonished by the beauty of the park there, and today we went there together so I could take pictures! Riverside Park is small but very lovely, and borders the picturesque Rogue River. Steve told me about the geese he'd seen there, and he got some pictures of them the other day. I was especially excited to see if they were there today... YES THEY WERE!!! There were about 75-100 geese in the river and on the banks. They were not very timid so we were able to get very close. All of them were Canada Geese... except two! Steve and I had never seen a Greater White-Fronted Goose before and I was delighted that I was able to get nice pictures of each of them. The one in this picture was much larger than the other one, so we think it's a male, but we can't be sure. I spent a lot of time taking pictures of all the geese and have countless images that turned out nicely, but for now, I'm going to put 4 pictures up tonight, which include an image of the other Greater White Front and a crop to show its beautiful face, and also a Canada Goose with an red tree reflecting in the water where its swimming! ENJOY! (By the way, after I finished taking pictures of geese, I spent an hour or more wandering around taking pictures of leaves and trees galore...so many pictures, I had no time to look at any of them!! Another day! :D ) The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419). The name is a combination of the Sino-Mongolian word dalai meaning "vast sea" and the Tibetan word meaning "guru, teacher, mentor". Wikipedia: Dalai Lama Explored on October 28, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

4 more pictures in notes above ! :) Yesterday when I was on the ridge line, I nearly stepped on an emerging mushroom which was pushing itself through the fallen leaves. I didn't have my camera with me so I carefully laid branches around and on top of it so it wouldn't be eaten during the night. I went up today and found the mushroom doing just fine, so I removed the branches and then set up my scene, brushing away excess leaves, removing anything from the background which would cause distraction. At one point I looked around me and was totally surprised to find that while I was brushing away leaves, I'd knocked another mushroom off the base of its stalk and it lay cap down with its stalk standing straight up in the air. First I saw that it was yellow. Then I noticed it didn't have gills! "WOW!! IT HAS PORES! COOL!!" This is the very first "pored" mushroom I've ever seen before, it's a Bolete mushroom of some type. I can say that with extreme confidence because it's one of only two kinds of fungus that has pores! The other type grows in old logs and is a shelf fungus. If you roll your mouse over this picture, you'll see a close-up of the pores! (I also have a top-down view as well! :D) How exciting! In fact, I was so enchanted with this mushroom that I made it my Picture of the Day. The other mushroom will be posted sometime soon. It's nice but not as unique as this extra special mushroom! (In case you're wondering, I took three exposures and put them together for this image!) Jeffrey Preston "Jeff" Bezos (born January 12, 1964) is an American Internet entrepreneur and investor. He is a technology entrepreneur who has played a key role in the growth of e-commerce as the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, an online merchant of books and later of a wide variety of products. Under his guidance, Amazon.com became the largest retailer on the World Wide Web and a top model for Internet sales. In 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Post newspaper. Wikipedia: Jeff Bezos Explored on October 30, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

2 more pictures above ! :) I would also like to add this comment that was submitted by another very dear friend here on ipernity, Leapfrog (Art) . It is so suitable that I will delete most of my description in favor of his perfect addition. Thanks Art. You rock. *big hugs* ------------------------------------------------ Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae, MD, was a Canadian Poet, Physician, Author, Artist and Soldier during World War I, and a Surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. During that time, a close friend and former student, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer of Ottawa was killed by an Enemy shell. The next day, sitting on the back of an ambulance, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem: In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. I remember those Women and Men that gave of their lives, so that we may all enjoy the freedoms and advantages we have today in our great country. I hope those Veterans who have and will return from our recent conflicts, equally enjoy the freedoms and advantages that they have provided. Sincerely Art ------------------------------- This is my shortened description: I saw these beautiful, blazing red poppies this morning, shining in the bright sunlight. Still drizzled with morning dew, this blossom was just opening up and looked amazing! I still can't believe these flowers are STILL BLOOMING since I planted them in April and they began blooming in July...they just keep going and going. An incredible flower which I would recommend to anyone who wants a carefree, gorgeous flower that just keeps on giving! :) Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is the U.S. Representative for Washington's 4th congressional district, serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes most of central Washington and the southern half of Eastern Washington, including the Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Wenatchee. Wikipedia: Doc Hastings Explored on Tuesday, November 12. Highest placement, page 7.