Strange Sculpture (Photo Essay)

The Gordon Huether studio and gallery is right down the road from where I live. I pass it by all the time. I spied this new sculpture on display there.

More Spring Blooms, Blossoms And Flowers (Photo Essay)

These photos were all taken over a one-month period between March 19 and April 18, 2010.

Click on the pictures to expand them to full size.

SITS' Blog for veronica ... Because He Thinks She'll Like This

In four parts:









He hopes she likes this.

A Very Colorful, Eccentric House In Downtown Napa (Photo Essay)

What do you think the likelihood is that the owners of this home have, at one time or another, dabbled in certain recreational psychoactive substances?

1953: What Happened In My Birth Year (Concept Stolen From marymary)

There were plenty of events that occurred in the year of 1953 other than those shown below. This list reflects my own bias for things taking place in my own country, and for people I'm familiar with and for which I have interest, or just things I found interesting or humorous.

This is going to read like ancient history for my younger friends ...

January 7 – President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb.

January 14 -
o Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugoslavia.
o The CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel first meets to discuss the UFO phenomenon.

January 19 – 71.1% of all television sets in the United States are tuned in to "I Love Lucy" to watch Lucy give birth.

January 20 – Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeds Harry S. Truman as President of the United States.

January 31 – February 1 – The North Sea flood of 1953 kills 1,835 people in the southwestern Netherlands (especially Zeeland), 307 in the United Kingdom

February 5 – Walt Disney's 14th animated film, "Peter Pan," premieres at the Roxy Theatre, New York City

February 11 -
o President Dwight D. Eisenhower refuses a clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
o The Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations with Israel.

February 13 – Transsexual Christine Jorgenson returns to New York after successful sexual reassignment surgery in Denmark.

February 19 – Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States.

February 28 – James D. Watson and Francis Crick announce their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.

March 1 – Joseph Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses after an all-night dinner with Soviet Union interior minister Lavrenty Beria and future premiers Georgi Malenkov, Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev. The stroke paralyzes the right side of his body, and he dies a few days later after 31 years as leader.

March 6 – Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

March 14 – Nikita Khruschev is selected First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.

March 19 – The 25th Academy Awards ceremony is held (the first one broadcast on television). Best Picture: "From Here to Eternity" - Buddy Adler, producer; Best Director: Fred Zinnemann for "From Here to Eternity"; Best Actor: William Holden in "Stalag 17"; Best Actress: Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday"; Best Supporting Actor: Frank Sinatra in "From Here to Eternity"; Best Supporting Actress: Donna Reed in "From Here to Eternity"; Best Story and Screenplay: "Titanic" by Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard L. Breen; Best Motion Picture Story: "Roman Holiday" by Dalton Trumbo and Ian McLellan Hunter; Best Screenplay: "From Here to Eternity" by Daniel Taradash; Best Special Effects: "The War of the Worlds"

March 26 – Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.

April 13 – Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, "Casino Royale," in the United Kingdom.

April 25 – Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish their description of the double helix structure of DNA

May 2 – Hussein is crowned King of Jordan.

May 5 – Aldous Huxley first tries the psychedelic hallucinogen mescaline, inspiring his book "The Doors of Perception."

May 25 – Nuclear testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test: Upshot-Knothole Grable.

May 29 – Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

June 2 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.

June 9 – CIA Technical Services Staff head Sidney Gottlieb approves of the use of LSD in a MKULTRA subproject.

June 19 – The U.S. executes Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for spying for the USSR.

June 30 – The first Chevrolet Corvette is built at Flint, Michigan.

July 9 – The IRS is formed.

July 26 – Fidel Castro and his brother lead a disastrous assault on the Moncada Barracks, preliminary to the Cuban Revolution.

July 27 – The Korean War ends: The United States, People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea sign an armistice agreement.

August 8 – Soviet prime minister Georgi Malenkov announces that the Soviet Union has a hydrogen bomb.

August 18 – The Kinsey Report on American sexual habits is issued.

August 19 – Cold War: The CIA helps to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran, and retain Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne

September 4 – The discovery of REM sleep is first published by researchers Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman.

September 5 – The United Nations rejects the Soviet Union's suggestion to accept China as a member.

September 25 – The first German World War II prisoners of war return from the Soviet Union to West Germany.

October – The UNIVAC 1103 is the first commercial computer to use random access memory.

October 5 -
o Earl Warren is appointed Chief Justice of the United States by U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
o The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held

November 21 – Authorities at the British Natural History Museum announce that the skull of the Piltdown Man, one of the most famous fossil skulls in the world, is a hoax.

November 29 – French paratroopers take Dien Bien Phu.

December - Hugh Hefner publishes the first issue of "Playboy Magazine"; it sells 54,175 copies at $.50 each.

December 10 – Albert Schweitzer is given the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.

December 17 – The FCC approves color television.

December 30 – The first color television sets go on sale for about US dollars $1,175 (nearly $10,000 adjusted for today).

Born:
January 10: Pat Benatar, American singer
January 15: Kent Hovind, American creation science evangelist
January 21: Paul Allen, American entrepreneur
February 8: Mary Steenburgen, American actress
February 11: Jeb Bush, American politician
February 26: Michael Bolton, American pop singer
March 12: Ron Jeremy, American porn actor
March 23: Chaka Khan, American soul singer
April 5: StuckInTheSixties, funky hippie-type dude and suave smart-ass
April 16: Peter Garrett, Australian musician and politician
April 18: Rick Moranis, Canadian actor
May 6: Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
May 8: Alex Van Halen, Dutch-born American rock musician
May 15: George Brett, American Major League Baseball player
May 29: Danny Elfman, American composer
June 1: David Berkowitz, American serial killer
June 10: John Edwards, American politician
June 13: Tim Allen, American actor
June 21: Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2007)
June 22: Cyndi Lauper, American singer
July 6: Nanci Griffith, American folk singer-songwriter
July 27: Y**** Serious, Australian filmmaker
July 29: Ken Burns, American documentary filmmaker; Geddy Lee, Canadian rock musician (Rush)
August 9: Robert Cray, American musician
August 16: Kathie Lee Gifford, American “singer” and “actress” [sarcastic quote marks added by SITS]
August 27: Alex Lifeson, Canadian rock musician (Rush)
September 2: John Zorn, American musician
September 8: Stu Ungar, American poker player (d. 1998)
September 10: Amy Irving, American actress
September 27: Greg Ham, Australian rock musician (Men at Work)
October 9: Tony Shalhoub, American actor
October 15: Tito Jackson, American singer and guitarist
November 3: Dennis Miller, American comedian and radio host
December 8: Kim Basinger, American Actress
December 13: Ben Bernanke, American economist and Federal Reserve System chairman

Died:
January 1: Hank Williams, American musician (b. 1923)
March 5: Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (b. 1891); Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader (b. 1879)
March 28: Jim Thorpe, American athlete (b. 1887)
May 16: Django Reinhardt, Belgian musician (b. 1910)
June 19: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, American communist spies (b. 1918 and 1915) (executed)
September 27: Hans Fritzsche, Senior Nazi official, one of only three acquitted at the Nuremberg Trials (b. 1900)
September 28: Edwin Hubble, American astronomer (b. 1889)
November 9: Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and author (b. 1914)
November 27: Eugene O'Neill, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

After note:

F~$*! I’m so f%x~@x’ old …

Spring Blooms, Blossoms And Flowers (Photo Essay)

These photos were all taken during the two-week period between March 13 and March 27, 2010.

Click on the pictures to expand them to full size.

A Big, Tall Bird On Christmas Day - A Photo Essay With Far Too Many Photos

Last Christmas I was visited by a Great Blue Heron, a beautiful bird. Quite large, approximately a yard/meter tall. I was able to quietly open my front door, just enough of a cy*z* to aim my camera out and take many shots as it stalked around hunting, searching for anything big enough to catch and small enough to swallow.

There are far too many photos here. Only a few would have sufficed quite well, but what the hell ... The photos are chronological, so you can follow it poking around over the course of about twenty minutes. If you click through them rapidly, it's kind of like a little movie.

By the way, this species of bird is a frequent visitor here. I've posted a number of photos of them in the past.

Memory Lane ...

I thought it might be a fitting to steal a concept from barnestorming_girl and use it myself. So ...


If you know me ...

And you can remember some moment, during the time you've known me, when we've interacted in some way, or something that happened with us ...

If you're so inclined, share it with me, and the other readers of this blog.

But only if you're so inclined. Feel free to ignore this, as well.

Around My Place VIII

These are photos that I took on my property between December 26, 2009 and March 13, 2010. They were originally posted in my photo gallery, and then as space ran out, moved over here to this blog. The comments shown below originally were attached to those photos. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their Wireclub accounts, their comments leave with them.

Picture #01: Vultures ... lots of creepy Turkey Vultures
> SABLES says January 04: yep I agree...
> Karma says January 04: Why is turkey in the name?
> StuckInTheSixties says January 04: I guess because in some ways they resemble (wild) turkeys. They're about the same size and shape, and their heads look pretty similar accept for the beak.
> StuckInTheSixties says January 07: It's a rare day when I don't see them. They're not usually hanging around looking all creepy like in the picture, but they're always flying around.

Picture #02: My neighbors' cat (#1 of two)
> _Safira_ says January 17: Wow the animals over there are natural posers lol Cool pic
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: It's actually a very skittish cat. It won't let me approach it at all. I was able to sneak these photos by cracking the sliding glass door on my house and shooting through the slot.
> _Safira_ says January 17: lol farm cats are like that
> Karma says January 17:

Picture #03: My neighbors' cat (#2 of two)
> lois_lane says January 17: AAWWW What a cutie!!
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: It's a very shy cat. At this moment, it realized I was there (I'd cracked open the sliding glass door in my living room), and was getting nervous at my presence.
> lois_lane says January 17: Do you know their names??
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: Nope. I don't know why.
> Karma says January 17:

Picture #04: A Snowy Egret hunting out in my field (#1 of five)
(no comments)

Picture #05: A Snowy Egret hunting out in my field (#2 of five)
> _Safira_ says January 17: Almost eerie
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: He's a pretty big bird, a little over three feet/one meter tall.

Picture #06: A Snowy Egret hunting out in my field (#3 of five)
(no comments)

Picture #07: A Snowy Egret hunting out in my field (#4 of five)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 21: California is a huge state, with a lot of differing environments. There's huge parts that are just covered with tract homes, but there are also huge areas of really productive farmland, almost 1000 miles of coastline, a gigantic mountain range and a number of smaller ones, deserts, forests of many types, and on and on. In terms of environments, it's got the widest range of any of the fifty states. And, of course, it's got the wide varieties of fauna and flora to go along with it.

Picture #08: A Snowy Egret hunting out in my field (#5 of five)
> Karma says January 17: What is he hunting? Mice?
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: Yes, and other things. Anything large enough to catch and small enough to eat. We have a lot of voles, a little rodent much like a fat little mouse with a shorter tail and smaller ears. They often eat those. I once watch a Grey Heron (a bird much like this egret) working a wooden fence, slowly creeping down the fence and picking off lizard after lizard.

Picture #09: Sunset from my porch, 5:27 PM, January 22, 2010
> Babycool says January 23: Dude. Did u see that naked man running across the property? lol
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: Hahaha! That's ME!
> Babycool says January 24: lol. Youre running the wrong way! lol
> barnestorming_girl says January 24: awesome photo darling
> Karma says January 24: Great

Picture #10: I saw this car stop out on the road, and this woman who jumped out with her camera ... (#1 of two)
(no comments)

Picture #11: ... she was taking a picture of some vultures feeding on something or other (#2 of two)
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: They were definitely tourists.

Picture #12: Sunset Panorama
> barnestorming_girl says February 01: beautiful darling
> SABLES says February 01: wow Sits that is great!
> _Safira_ says February 01: Lovely

Picture #13: This was a candidate for a "weekly photo." Note the vulture sitting on a fence post.
> Karma says January 24: I'd have used this one as the "Weekly."
> StuckInTheSixties says January 24: Based on the presence of the bird, or the appearance of the picture?

Picture #14: Robin
> CYCLONE_FAN says February 07: Wheres the cat?
> Babycool says February 07: *stalks da lil birdie*
> barnestorming_girl says February 08: cute photo..
> _Safira_ says February 08: Rockin robin..tweet twidly dee

Picture #15: Two mushrooms and morning dew
> barnestorming_girl says February 15: beautiful photo darling are they magic?? lmfao
> StuckInTheSixties says February 15: (laughs) Nope. Just regular.
> girlzplaytoy says February 15: Shucks! I was wondering the same.
> SABLES says February 15: it is a nice pic
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Thanks, SABLES! I'm pretty happy with this picture. I returned several hours later to take this shot again with different light conditions, but the mushrooms were all funky by then.

Picture #16: Wild Mustard blossoms and chain link fence
> SABLES says February 15: can't wait for spring~ we aren't going to get any snow here so I want spring now
> antonov3andahalf says February 17: I really really like this one, love the angle!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: I was really hoping someone would "get" this picture, which you did. It sort of happened accidentally. I was taking completely different shot, shooting the same picture several times with different exposure settings. While doing that, by happenstance my camera was pointing more or less as this picture shows, and I caught a glimpse of the view finder. I said, "Whoa! Cool!" to myself, and then composed the shot as you see it. I looked at several different angles, and settled on the one you see. It looks like a one-point perspective to me. I wish the camera performed better. The photo is too dark, but the next higher exposure setting caused the yellow in the blossoms to wash out.
> antonov3andahalf says February 18: pffft too dark ha! you may think so but really i like it that way shows really good contrast (green, yellow, grey) Dude its awesome so don't gripe so much but i totally like how it happened by accident, and just so you know tons of great photos have been taken with dinky little cameras like yours, so stop wishing and do something about it old one but like i said you are doing awesome with your dinky camera, could be better on some things (not this one) but that also come with an understanding of how cameras work and what different settings do to a picture. Sits your pics are awesome, maybe not technically speaking but your "vision" so to speak and you could take the most technically perfect pictures everysingle time but they could be so boring, where as in your pictures sometimes the imperfections are what make them so great.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: Thanks, Wooter!

Picture #17: Wild Mustard blossom
> barnestorming_girl says February 20: darling that is an awesome photo love it
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Thanks Honey Bunny!

Picture #18: Wildflowers growing alongside the road I live on
(no comments)

Picture #19: Wildflowers growing in my next-door neighbor Rugierro's vineyard
(no comments)

Picture #20: View across my next-door neighbor Rugierro's vineyard (#1 of two)
(no comments)

Picture #21: View across my next-door neighbor Rugierro's vineyard (#2 of two)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: Beyond Rugierro's vineyard is my property, and then the vineyard featured in the weekly photos I take from my porch.
> JennaLily says February 24: it's so pretty...like my place would be with RAIN

Picture #22: My neighbors' cat
> PTBO52 says February 18: I love black cats!
> JennaLily says February 19: there seem to be a lot of cats in your area SITS. mine too.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: There's three of them that are regulars around here, this black one, a grey one, and one that's white with brown markings. All three are constantly hunting varmints, and all three are very skittish.

Picture #23: Photo From My porch February 24, 2010
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: Usually I take a bunch of shots from my porch and select the best one as my "Weekly Photo." The "weekly" for this week (see previous picture) was used because it was kind of interesting, with the storm clouds rolling in before a rain. I decided to also include this shot because it turned out really well, good lighting with a setting sun, and a pretty nice, crisp focus. I didn't want to simply discard a good picture because another was being used.

Picture #24: Plant ... does anyone have any idea what it is?
> and then she said says March 07: Looks similar to a houseplant I used to have Arrowhead Syngonium
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: Yep, that appears to be it. "Syngonium podophyllum," aka "Arrowhead Plant."
> SABLES says March 07: yes it is, lol used to have them

Picture #25: Photo From My porch March 4, 2010
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: This is another "alternative" photo from my porch that's not a part of my "Weekly Photo From My Porch" series. I just thought it was a pretty cool picture, so I included it.
> SABLES says March 07: nice pic, lol we are expecting snow tomorrow night I'm jealous
> StuckInTheSixties says March 07: It was sunny and warm today.

Picture #26: Doe track
(no comments)

Picture #27: Mt. George
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: beautiful darling

Picture #28: A rainy day as seen from my porch
> SABLES says March 15: turned out to be a cool pic sits
> barnestorming_girl says March 16: great photo darling..send the rain down here lol

Picture #29: Hawk
(no comments)

Picture #30: Late afternoon sun reflecting off the support wires in my neighbor Rugierro's vineyard
(no comments)

Around Napa Valley VIII, Part One

These are photos that I took around Napa Valley, where I live, between December 31, 2009 and February 13, 2010. They were originally posted in my photo gallery, and then as space ran out, moved over here to this blog. There were enough photos in this category for me to split this into two separate blogs of thirty photos each. This is Part One. The comments shown below originally were attached to those photos. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their Wireclub accounts, their comments leave with them.

Picture #01: Migrant vineyard workers doing some winter pruning down the road from where I live
> StuckInTheSixties says January 17: Note the square box seemingly floating in the air above the heads of the guys to the right. The photo is kind of washed out (my crappy camera), so you can't see the slender pole supporting it, but it's a roosting box that vintners place in vineyards for hawks, owls and other raptors. Varmint control.
> Karma says January 18: Like this photo.
> StuckInTheSixties says January 18: I've taken a million photos of this vineyard.

Picture #02: Milliken Creek, looking north (upstream) from the Hedgeside Ave bridge
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: This is Milliken Creek, looking northward (upstream). The photo was taken from the bridge where it's crossed by Hedgeside Avenue, a short distance from where I live. I've posted a number of other photos of Milliken Creek from this location, but when the creek was placid and calm. Although it's running a little high here, the creek is still quite a bit below flood stage. Three years ago, it flooded very badly, coming several feet above the roadway surface where I stood while taking the shot, and causing some pretty bad damage to the bridge, roadway, and a few nearby homes.
> _Safira_ says January 24: Great shot. I recall one of the previous photos of this creek. I think you threw something in it to make some ripples.
> StuckInTheSixties says January 24: The "ripples" pictures were the same creek, but a little bit upstream at a different bridge. Here's some links for the other pictures of Milliken Creek taken from the same spot, but when the creek was calm:

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1347774

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1347783

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1047663

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=1047660

Picture #03: Milliken Creek, looking south (downstream) from the Hedgeside Ave bridge
> GimmeURMoneyHoney says January 23: This is cool lookin...isn't it floodin in Cali?
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: There's been some flooding in a few places. Not too bad. We've been hit by a continuous series of storms (The same batch of storms have been passing through Oregon on the way to us, so I'm sure you've seen some rain too.), but they have been fairly moderate, and there has luckily been lulls between them allowing the run-off to drain. This is Milliken Creek, also from Hedgeside Avenue, but looking downstream to the south. As with the other picture, I've posted a number of pictures taken here when the creek was slow and placid.
> _Safira_ says January 24: Oooh...liking this one even more.

Picture #04: #1 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: This is the southern end of Napa Valley, where the city of Napa is. The picture was taken from Atlas Peak, a nearby mountain with a public road leading up it. It's one of the few places where you can get a long distance view of Napa Valley. The picture is the first of a four picture panorama, sweeping left to right. I live where the arrow is pointing, in the far side of the green hill below the arrow point. The complex of white buildings seen to the right is William Hill Winery. They make a really fine (and expensive) Cabernet Sauvignon. In the foreground are some of the fairways of the golf course at Silverado Resort. Off in the distance, obscured by trees, is the city of Napa.
> Outbackjack says January 23: WOW!!!! So green.
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: There's still a few more months of rain to come, too. But the lush green in the foreground is groomed fairways of a very fancy golf course.

Picture #05: #2 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: As you can see in this photo, there are some very extravagant homes in this area. Beyond, and to the right of that huge, white mansion some vineyards can be seen. In the distance, the hills of the west side of Napa Valley can be seen. (These photos were taken from the east side of the valley.)
> Outbackjack says January 23: *Waits for an arrow pointing to that big house.lol
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: That house is a bit pricey for me. The value would, of course, depend on how much acreage and/or vineyard it has, but you can be quite sure that house is worth, at a minimum, several million dollars.

Picture #06: #3 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: A few more pricey homes can be seen in this photo. The valley floor, with large expanses of vineyards, is coming into view. Although my crappy little camera has some pretty significant limitations, you can see a bank of low clouds coming from the coast out towards the west and topping the western hills above the valley.

Picture #07: #4 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: More of the vineyards covering the floor of Napa Valley can be seen in this photo. Napa Valley continues northward for another 25 miles/41 kilometers or so from the area that can be seen here.
> Karma says January 24: Good photos
> StuckInTheSixties says January 24: Technically, not too good, actually. My camera sucks.

Picture #08: This lichen and moss covered rock caught my eye. (#1 of two)
> Karma says January 24: Love it
> barnestorming_girl says January 24: love it to

Picture #09: Lichen and moss covered rock in close-up (#2 of two)
> Karma says January 24:

Picture #10: #1 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: A recent storm brought down this big old oak tree. I drive past it almost daily, and I'd noticed it as a good prospect for a photo. I'd been waiting for the last few leaves to fall off of it, so I'd be able to get the gnarled branches, looking almost electric, like lightning, against the sky. But the wind brought it down, luckily not on anyone's house or anything.
> barnestorming_girl says January 23: wow just wow lucky nobody was hurt
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: Only a fence got hurt. The paved driveway might have been damaged too.

Picture #11: #2 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: This was a pretty big oak, perhaps 75 feet/25 meters in height, and well over a yard/meter in diameter at the base.

Picture #12: #3 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: You can see it came down very hard, breaking into bits upon impact. It must have made quite a noise for the nearby residents.

Picture #13: #4 of four
> StuckInTheSixties says January 23: At least there will be plenty of excellent quality firewood to be salvaged from the oak. It was a shame it came down. It was a beautiful tree.

Picture #14: Buds on an Acacia tree
> _Safira_ says January 24: Interesting
> StuckInTheSixties says January 24: This was a difficult photo to shoot for technical reasons. I've been thinking about it, and I think I can use a different technique and come up with a better picture, so I may try to re-shoot it.
> Karma says January 24: Nice

Picture #15: A Snowy Egret hunting in a field a short distance from where I live
> barnestorming_girl says February 01: awesome photo darling

Picture #16: Someone took the turn too fast! (#1 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: Here's the approach to the curve where the fence was run down by a driver taking the turn too fast. It's slightly downhill, and the curve comes upon drivers pretty quickly.

Picture #17: Someone took the turn too fast! (#2 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: This is how the curve must have looked to the driver a moment before s/he ran into the fence.
> barnestorming_girl says February 07: oh shit..
> StuckInTheSixties says February 10: Notice that there's no skid marks ... Oops! (laughs)

Picture #18: Someone took the turn too fast! (#3 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: You can see the path the driver took when s/he crashed into the fence.
> barnestorming_girl says February 07: That's because your drive on the wrong side of the road lol
> _Safira_ says February 08: Yup, have to say I agree with Barnes...wrong side of the road is what did it
> StuckInTheSixties says February 08:

Picture #19: Someone took the turn too fast! (#4 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: The errant driver flattened the fence, but luckily missed the tree and utility pole.
> Babycool says February 07: That pole looks brand new. Are you sure she ddnt clip it? My cousin took out a power pole up at our homestead one night, they had replaced it within hours. Its an S bend and very notorious.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: I'm quite sure. The driver must have run through the fence at night, and my photos were taken the next morning. I drive this road nearly every day. Also, photos #5 and #6 were taken from right next to the pole, and It had no damage. There was, however, a large branch that was broken off of the tree. It appeared that the branch was low-hanging, and was hit just as the vehicle, whatever it was, came to a stop just short of the tree and pole.
> barnestorming_girl says February 07: well they the driver was very lucky.. here if they hit a power pole they mite not live.. SA has cement poles..

Picture #20: Someone took the turn too fast! (#5 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: You can see the path the fence destroyer took.
> barnestorming_girl says February 08: from that angle, you can really see the impact. wow

Picture #21: Someone took the turn too fast! (#6 of six)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 07: This shows a car not taking the turn too fast. It'll give you an idea of how this happened.
> barnestorming_girl says February 08: get off the wrong side of the road!!!! lol

Picture #22: A dormant vineyard near where I live (#1 of two)
> PTBO52 says February 15: When does it pick-up again?
> StuckInTheSixties says February 17: Soon. Within a month, a month and a half or so, all those little thin branches will be pruned off the vines, and tiny little green shoots will emerge. Then through the spring and summer, new branches will grow, the vines will get leafy, and grapes will emerge. Then come autumn, the grapes will be harvested, the leaves will turn color and drop off, and the vines will go dormant again.

Picture #23: A dormant vineyard near where I live (#2 of two)
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Picture #24: Brook with Grey Heron and two Mallard ducks
> JennaLily says February 15: we have a waterway with mallards too they're lovely
> PTBO52 says February 15: Nice spot! Looks far from the maddening crowd "wink"
> StuckInTheSixties says February 15: P, this is actually scant yards away from a busy highway, one of the two north-south routes in Napa Valley.
> SABLES says February 15: nice shot

Picture #25: A group of bicyclists in downtown Napa
> Outbackjack says February 15: HA HA!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 15: Happy to amuse you! ... but what's funny?
> PTBO52 says February 15: Love the "bike" in the background!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 16: Napa's Harley dealership. Coincidentally, the building just to the right of the bicyclists (sort of orange in color) is a bicycle shop.

Picture #26: Buds on an Acacia tree
> marymary says February 15: They're reaching out!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: I think they look a little bit alien.

Picture #27: Dormant California Buckeye tree
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Picture #28: Early blooming tree in front of the Napa chapter of the Elks Club (#1 of three)
> SABLES says February 18: spring is in the air.....
> barnestorming_girl says February 20: beautiful
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Thank you, Ladies!

Picture #29: Early blooming tree in front of the Napa chapter of the Elks Club (#2 of three)
> SABLES says February 18: the cherry trees are blooming in Victoria and won't be long here, we are having the spring olympics

Picture #30: Blossom on an early blooming tree in front of the Napa chapter of the Elks Club (#3 of three)
> barnestorming_girl says February 20: that is a beautiful shot too!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Thanks Darling!

Around Napa Valley VIII, Part Two

These are photos that I took around Napa Valley, where I live, between February 5 and February 24, 2010. They were originally posted in my photo gallery, and then as space ran out, moved over here to this blog. There were enough photos in this category for me to split this into two separate blogs of thirty photos each. This is Part Two. The comments shown below originally were attached to those photos. In some cases, the comments are disjointed. This is because as people delete their WireClub accounts, their comments leave with them.

Picture # 01: This pond is down the road a few minutes walk from my house - note the ducks (#1 of three)
> hottriplej says February 18: good eating, in a slow cooker smothered onions
> PTBO52 says February 18: Love those trees too. Good shot Sits!
> barnestorming_girl says February 20: beautiful photo darling hey look, duck loaf!!! lmfao
> _Safira_ says February 22: oooh duckies!!! *tosses bread at duck*

Picture # 02: This pond is down the road a few minutes walk from my house (#2 of three)
> girlzplaytoy says February 18: This where you go to wrestle gators?
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: California gators don't wrestle. They just lie around sipping Chardonnay and eating stinky French cheese.
> _Safira_ says February 22: Oooh I'm liking this one

Picture # 03: This pond is down the road a few minutes walk from my house (#3 of three)
> SABLES says February 18: beautiful

Picture # 04: A little somethin' for my motorhead friends (#1 of two)
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: I would NEVER own some ridiculous vehicle like that! I own a 2004 Toyota Corolla, which I love. I'm a practical guy! What the hell is a "wifebeater vest"?

Picture # 05: A little somethin' for my motorhead friends (#2 of two)
> SABLES says February 18: zoom zoom
> girlzplaytoy says February 18: Nice! Just don't know why someone would pour that much money into a Ford. Kinda like putting perfume on a pig!
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: I don't know why anyone would pour money into any vehicle to do this to it. What's the purpose? As far as I can tell, it's just to make it look "cool." Seems like an extravagant expenditure for a semi-pointless purpose to me. Whatever floats yer boat ...
> girlzplaytoy says February 18: LOL SITS. I suppose. I suppose it depend what you want to do or where you wanna go. This fellow unfortunately has likely only jumped the odd curb with it! My Jeep is going to be purpose built and you'll likely see some pics in the future of it in a few questionable positions....hahaha! That fruity Ford can try'n follow if he wishes!
> Outbackjack says February 18: It would be useful here for going offroad.
> StuckInTheSixties says February 18: It looks to me like it has a very high center of gravity, thus would tip over easily.
> _Safira_ says February 22: lol looks like someone's overcompensating. The wheel base is too long for any real serious offroading. Go holdens

Picture # 06: Acacia tree in bloom
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Picture # 07: Daffodils growing randomly alongside the road (#1 of four)
> SABLES says February 22: beautiful
> JennaLily says February 22: oh this is how i planned my yard to look...
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: These dafs are just growing along side the road, no where near anyone's house or anything. I was driving past, saw them, stopped and took the pictures.
> JennaLily says February 24: i know i love when it's just a forgotten bulb or two and they grow into this

Picture # 08: Daffodils growing randomly alongside the road (#2 of four)
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Picture # 09: Daffodils growing randomly alongside the road (#3 of four)
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Picture # 10: Daffodil growing randomly alongside the road (#4 of four)
> barnestorming_girl says February 23: for you darling

Picture # 11: Lizards wake up from winter hibernation on a warm, sunny day (#1 of two)
> _Safira_ says February 22: lol I could so say somethin bout that sign
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Hee hee hee! Bingo! The sign says "Longwood Ranch". It's down the road from where I live. After I took the shot, I was cropping the picture, going for the right balance between close up and revealing too many flaws. I specifically decided to crop it with that word displayed that way just so that Safira would make the naughty joke! I swear, I KNEW she was gonna do that!
> _Safira_ says February 22: Lmao Here check this out...

http://www.tcnj.edu/~hofmann/humor/Misc/carving.jpg

> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Cute little weenie!
> _Safira_ says February 22: lol LITTLE? *hops on a plane to SITS place* 's in anticipation
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: I'm just thinking how pervy the carving process would have been as the guy was trying to get the veins JUST RIGHT!
> _Safira_ says February 22: lol yeah...that's some huge-ass veins he has goin there isn't it?
> barnestorming_girl says February 23: and this was the 1st picture I clicked on! and thous damn lizards lol u darling lol

Picture # 12: Lizards wake up from winter hibernation on a warm, sunny day (#2 of two)
> barnestorming_girl says February 23: lol

Picture # 13: Indian Paintbrush (#1 of three)
> GimmeURMoneyHoney says February 22: Are those the flowers that smell bad?
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: No, I don't think these have any smell at all. Next time I pass them, I'll give them a sniff for you.

Picture # 14: Indian Paintbrush (#2 of three)
> SABLES says February 22: they sure are purdy
> StuckInTheSixties says February 22: Yeah, they are!
> JennaLily says February 22: we call these "red hot pokers" here haha
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: That's a good name for them!

Picture # 15: Indian Paintbrush (#3 of three)
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Picture # 16: It looks like Papa And Mama Mushroom and their family of little Mushrooms!
> _Safira_ says February 22: lol I was thinkin it looked like a mushroom city...but then again I just woke up
> SABLES says February 22: lol
> barnestorming_girl says February 23: magic???? lol
> StuckInTheSixties says February 23: Nope. (shrugs)

Picture # 17: A tree in bloom near the front entrance of Silverado Resort a few minutes walk away from my house
> ~Chloey~x says March 01: REALLY PRETTY IS THAT CHERRY BLOSSOM? YEH SITS
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: I don't think it's a cherry. At least I'm sure that it doesn't produce any fruit. Hmm ... but come to think about it, there's all sorts of places, such as in Washington DC, where they have celebrations of sorts about cherry blossoms. And they generally look kind of like this. And I don't think those trees wind up with a bunch of cherries. So maybe these are cherry blossoms. (laughs)
> _Safira_ says March 02: I love cherry blossom trees

Picture # 18: Shrubs near the front entrance of Silverado Resort a few minutes walk away from my house
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Picture # 19: Strange lichen
> barnestorming_girl says March 01: wow that is awesome
> _Safira_ says March 02: very awesome
> StuckInTheSixties says March 06: Thanks, ladies!
> Jas says March 24: That's very beautiful. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Picture # 20: Blooms on an Acacia tree (#1 of two)
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Picture # 21: Blooms on an Acacia tree (#2 of two)
> SABLES says March 01: sure signs of spring....

Picture # 22: Horse (duh)
> GimmeURMoneyHoney says March 01: The way me and my brother say horse is funny! but this is the internet so you cant hear it
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: Try anyway ...
> niamhis says March 01: haha that horse has funny eyes
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: When I was taking the photo, I was thinking, "Wow, this horse has weird lookin' eyes. I wonder if it'll show in the photo ..."

Picture # 23: Dormant vineyards a short distance from where I live (#1 of two)
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Picture # 24: Dormant vineyards a short distance from where I live (#2 of two)
> Zhya says February 28: These aren't of Humboldt county, I take it.
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: Nope, this is Napa County. These vineyards are just a couple miles northeast of the city of Napa.
> Zhya says March 01: Sweet.
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: Humboldt is about 100-120 miles north of here. That area is known for a different type of crop.
> SABLES says March 01: in no time at all things will be in full bloom

Picture # 25: A walnut orchard a mile or so north of the city of Napa (#1 of three)
> StuckInTheSixties says March 01: Years ago Napa used to be an area with many walnut and plum orchards. As the American wine industry took hold, almost all of these orchards were supplanted with vineyards, which are far more profitable. This is one of the few left.

Picture # 26: A walnut orchard a mile or so north of the city of Napa (#2 of three)
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Picture # 27: A walnut orchard a mile or so north of the city of Napa (#3 of three)
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Picture # 28: A mural on the side of Jessel Gallery, an art gallery down the road from where I live.
> SABLES says March 01: wow very beautiful

Picture # 29: Luna Vineyards (#1 of two)
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Picture # 30: Luna Vineyards (#2 of two)
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