More (and last) of the Florida Series Photos!

Although I could post about a hundred more

sunset pictures,

I won't

because they will all begin to look alike to you...

and I would never do that to the glorious

sunsets we saw....

I may sneak a few in a few posts in the future...

but for now,

I am going to end the latest Florida trip pictures series

with a variety of random photos

I took there.

I always watch the skies above the ocean, as the clouds can form and clear quickly.

On this day, it was a portrait of wisps:

On a really windy day,

we caught this "hotdogger" windsurfing.

I liked the effect when I cropped it to get him in closer and got the blurry background

of the city behind him:

At certain times of the day, the light just cooperates with a photographer

in a delightful way.

We went for a walk and found these white flowers on a bush, with the light just hitting them

in a glorious way:

A seagull Mama and her babies:

The tide coming in and splashing on the sea wall:

The seats are just waiting for you to arrive.....do you hear them calling you?:

Aaaargh!!...the pirate ship at St. John's Pass:

A moody sky over the sea....

We were at a beach bar, having a great time..and spotted this wheelchair...

we introduced ourselves to the man in the wheelchair and told him we loved his sense of humor

and asked if we could photograph what was written on the back of his chair...

he said it would be his pleasure and said "You're only taking ONE picture?" when I was done...

Loved him!

and

his humor:

I love that about trips...

they are adventures.

You never know what kind of beauty you may see...

whether it be birds, the sunsets,

or

beautiful people with awesome humor!

(And, you can BET I will be there to get it all on camera!)

More Dumb State Laws: Kansas!

For those of you that have followed my blog in a while (I love you ALL!), you know that every once in a while

I post crazy state laws and then make comments on them in bold italics.

For you NEW Followers (love you too!):

I have been taking one state at a time,

alphabetically

and list actual old laws that were on their state books...

So we are up to the letter: "K" now;

and this time?:

The great state of KANSAS!!

(I lived there once, for a year...right outside of Topeka!)

So, are we all ready?

Here goes:

1. Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats.
Well, thank goodness!! Besides, I don't see many hanging around the rivers....and their little ears would look mighty funny bobbing along the river after they were shot, now...wouldn't they?  Although you COULD use them to balance your fishing poles on for holders...now THAT'S an idea, folks!  Here comes Peter Cottontail, bobbing down the river trail....

2.  Pedestrians crossing the highways at night must wear tail lights.
Well, where (oh where?) should we attach them on the boot-tay?  I've heard of "junk in your trunk" but this is ridiculous! And I don't even want to GUESS how the lights are powered......
GAS you say????? 
And how do you indicate a left turn versus a right turn?  A little hip action?  That could be lewd and illegal!

3.  The state game rule prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks.
So wait a minute....you can't hunt rabbits from a motorboat and you can't hunt mules to hunt ducks...? Wouldn't you think you'd find more ducks from a motorboat and more rabbits riding a mule???  Can you HEAR the hunt?:  heehaw, quack, heehaw, quack, quack!.....Those Kansas pioneers must have starved with this logic folks!  These laws are ASS-inine.  (Sorry, just couldn't help myself), I'm STUBBORN as a mule. (Oops, did it again!)

4.  If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed.
Ahhh, ummmm.....DUH! 
So, how are two trains on the same track gonna PASS each other? Leapfrog??
Just what prairie grass were they smoking when they made THIS law?


5.  In Lawrence:  All cars entering the city limits must first sound their horn to warn the horses of their arrival.
Wow, must be noisy in Lawrence.  I'd hate to live by the freeway! (Or try and sell a house there).

6. In Lawrence:  No one may wear a bee in their hat.
Well, shoot! I always think they give a fresh spring look to my outfit. The buzzing is a nice touch. Maybe the saying: "There's a bee in her bonnet" originated there???

7.  In Topeka: No one may sing the alphabet on the streets at night.
No way! I would have never made it through grade school (or been a secretary there for that matter, I had to sing it to alphabetize the files, I tell 'ya!)  That would be a good excuse not to work the night shift....

8.  In Topeka: Snowball fights are illegal.
Funny I was never arrested when I lived there! I am SURE I had a few there when I lived there...granted, they don't get a LOT of snow....they do get a lot of ice storms...which is maybe why this law was invented? Man, you get whacked with an iceball and you may be dead!

9.  In Topeka:  Dead chickens may not be hauled across Kansas Avenue.
KFC is gonna be realll upset about this if they are located on Kansas Avenue....wonder if you can haul live chickens and then whack 'em after you cross the street?  What about the grocery stores on Kansas Avenue...they can't stock dead chickens?

10.  In Topeka: No one may scream at a haunted house.
Now that is darn right cruel! Set up a haunted house and then tell them they aren't allowed to scream?  They gotta cover their mouths and stifle it? Wow, that's tough!  I mean, what's the point of a haunted house if you can't scare a scream or two out of anybody?

11.  In Topeka: The installation of bathtubs is prohibited.
Must be lots and lots of showers in Topeka....and no bubble baths. No soakers there..they mean business...get in, wash and get the heck out, people..no time in Kansas for a relaxing bath!

12.  In Wichita: One must get a permit from the city if they wish to take dirt from the airport.
I wonder how many people request this permit? Wonder what it costs? Wonder what you have to write on the form to allow you to get airport dirt..."I would like some Wichita airport dirt as a souvenier of a place where I have to wear taillights at night, where I am not allowed to hunt ducks with a mule and not allowed to hunt rabbits with a motorboat and I would have taken the train, but two trains met and they couldn't figure out how to pass on one track so I took a plane instead and the mood just struck me to collect dirt here". Think they'd buy it?

13. In Wichita: Before proceeding through the interesection of Douglas and Broadway, a motorist is required to get out of their vehice and fire three shot gun rounds into the air.
Wow, this may be even noisier than Lawrence and a bit more dangerous...again, wouldn't want to live on that corner!!!  Yeeee-haw!  And, I wouldn't want to have this as the path to work...I don't think the boss would buy that the reason I was late is that there were too many motorists getting out of their cars and shooting their guns so it slowed me down.....

14.  In Wichita: Any person caught using or carrying bean snappers or the like shall upon conviction, be fined.
Yeah, those bean snappers are DEADLY, folks! You can snap off just about anything with those killers. It is MUCH more safe to shoot your gun at that intersection of Douglas and Broadway!

********************************************************************

So, folks...

that's the law in Kansas....

where both rabbits and mules should be afraid...

very afraid.....
*************************************************************
REMINDER:
Don't forget to enter my FREE PHOTO CONTEST!!
June's theme is:

FLOWERS

Make sure you send me one of your great flower pictures
no later than midnight on June 30th, 2010
(we are halfway through the month, people..get moving and ENTER!)
following
these RULES!!!

More This and That from the U.P. --Spring Photos continue (Yes, I know it isn't Spring anymore...I'm behind! I'm behind!!)

The U.P. Spring photos continue....
(I'm behind! I know spring has passed, but I wanted to share these with you anyway!)

A dreamy glimpse of the first few apple blossoms in our yard:

A lovely spring waterfall at the Pesheekee River:

First tree mushrooms spotted this spring:

A pair of Flickers!:

Flicker closeup:

Two Sandhill Cranes spotted wayyyyyy across a field:

It was the strangest thing....about two feet away from the Sandhill Cranes were these wild turkeys too!:

They were saying:

"What are all those male turkeys fussing about

with those female turkeys?

Look at them showing off their tails!":

I love seeing the first signs of wildlife

up here

in the spring....

We hadn't seen Sandhill Cranes since last fall...

it is always a thrill to see them, because they are so big.

More spring U.P. pictures are still to come....

Thanks for joining me today!!

More Florida Sunsets, Etc.....!...

Here are some more Florida photographs.

They are particularly poignant now, with all the oil spilling in the gulf.

The beautiful oceans

and my beloved Pelicans are in danger.

It both saddens and disgusts me.

I hope we can solve it soon.

Here is a Pelican taking off:

Ahhh....to be on that sailboat, right now.....

He's asking--B.P oil....how could you do this to us?:

Golden delightful evening:

My friend: Howie, the Ibis:

( I forgot to tell you the story about Howie.  The local fisherman trained them to eat leftover bait and meat where we stayed. Having some lunchmeat, we treated Howie off and on during our stay and he came and took it right out of our hand. Except.....one day we ran out and my husband was reading a book by the pool barefoot. Howie came up and pecked at his baby toe...thinking it was a sausage!) LOL  I never saw my husband jump up sooo fast before!)

Orange clouds over the sea:

A pelican making a splash:

(I absolutely LOVE their large wings and enormous wingspan~!)

Dramatic clouds over the ocean:

Sky on fire!:

I am never at a loss of things to photograph

at the Gulf....

I only hope this oil spill will be solved soon

and that all of this beauty

is not lost....

I am sad, horrified, angry, and hopeful all at the same time

that we will be able to find a way to remedy this tragic situation as soon as humanly possible.

This and That from the U.P. in Spring.....

Today, I am posting some more U.P. Spring pictures.

Because we spent the last two weeks of April

and

the first week of May in Florida,

by the time we got back to the U.P.

we had missed a lot of the wildflowers.

It just happened to be a "warmer than usual" spring

in the U.P. this year, which is rare.

But, we did find some wildflowers out in the deep woods:

These are Marsh Marigolds, otherwise known as "cowslips".

These are called: "Spring Beauties":

And, I was afraid I would have missed some of my garden spring flowers, but we did return in time to still catch about a week left of my tulips and other spring plants.

I collect the old watering cans.

The rustier, the better:

I love the character of the old watering cans.

Just think of the nuturing water they supplied the many, many plants over the years...

A tiny yellow "trout lily". I love the delicate shape of their flowers:

Some of my garden tulips:

I have over 500 in my yard now:

This was found deep in the woods...some kind of violet:

Another Trout Lily. They are very tiny, this is a macro of one:

I was so happy

that I hadn't missed all of the U.P. spring wildflowers

or my garden tulips

when we were away.

And now....it's  hard to believe they are all gone

and we are getting full-swing into summer!

I say....

Bring it on!!!

We have a MAY Photo Contest Winner!!!!

This one was tough, folks....

Every submission

deserves

a thanks for such talent!

We had to use a fourth judge this time

because it was so close.

And what is funny

is that the person who won

almost gave up.....

(s)he commented

that (s)he hadn't even gotten

"special mention"  yet despite entering several times...

and that maybe (s)he should stop entering the contests!

Just goes to show you all...

never give up!!

Keep entering...as you never know what might fancy 

certain judges' eyes....!

And I pick different judges 

for every contest.

Some do photography, some do not!

Anyway, I have kept you waiting long enough.......

(drum roll, please..........)

May's WINNER for the photo contest with the theme of:

LANDSCAPES

is..........

DJAN!!!!

What a great job she did!!

I loved the colors and mountains in this one!

Here is her lovely photo:

Amazing photo, isn't it?
The judges remarked:
"The colors in this landscape were wonderful"
"I like the depth of the landscape"
************************************************
I couldn't agree more!
(DJan, your Winning widget to display on your blog forever
will be on it's way to you soon......)

The judging was difficult for them...here are "Special Mentions" for the contender of first place:

--J.J.
--Mistaya
--RNSane
--SquirrelQueen
--Larry
and
Grannyann for her uniqueness on the theme.

Every single judge said it was nearly impossible to pick first place OR narrow down the Special Mentions due to them being so good!

If you forgot what they looked like, go to THIS LINK.
Thanks to everyone of you that entered....you all did a wonderful job!

Now, don't forget to send me your JUNE entry
for the FREE PHOTO CONTEST....
by midnight June 30, 2010
following THESE RULES.

FLOWERS
is the theme.
You don't have to be a Blogger to enter!

More Local Police Reports!!!

Yes, that's right folks..

Time (again!)

for

Local Police Reports!

For those of you that are new to my blog (and thank you very much!!),

I occasionally provide

copies of REAL police reports from my local newspaper.

(Because, frankly, people...

you just can't make this stuff UP!)

and

I add

my own commments in bold italics.

So,

here you are!:

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In case you are reading this on your I-phone and the print is awful (which it is because I scanned it), it says:

"9:48am: group of people in lot yelling and chanting,

turned out to be magazine salespeople getting ready

for their daily fireup before hitting the streets" (address).

1. Okay..this flat out made me giggle.

2. Who on earth would call this into the police? What were they afraid of?  Were they traumatized by door-to-door salespersons as a child?  Or maybe they were traumatized by those bible bangers that stop by pushing their "Lampost" magazines?

3. Can you picture this? 

4. It could be worse. You could have a job like those salespeople.

5. Have you ever seen them do this in Walmart?  One day, I was particularly tired and rushed to pick up something around 7am before work in a Walmart. Unknown to me, they gathered behind me and began YELLING their team-whatever-chant.  I dropped what I had in my hands I was so startled.  They just stopped, mid-chant, looked at me and then started up again. LOL

6. Come to think of it, maybe they DID need to be arrested. It's just wrong, people, totally and unequivitably WRONG.

7. I bet they never made ONE SINGLE sale on THAT block.

8. Can you imagine the police talking to them when they arrived after getting the complaint?
Police: "Ummm, who is the leader here in this gathering?"
Salesman Supervior (SS): "I am, Sir!"
Police: "What is it that is happening here? Is this some sort of protest?"
SS: "Oh no, Sir...we are just having our morning meeting to fire up for the day of sales".
Police: "Kind of unusual and suspicious behavior. You know, we have a complaint lodged against you..and possibly warranted. I mean, you all are kind of nerdy. Don't  you have a LIFE? You mean you LIKE this kind of work?"
SS: Yes, Sir..why, I practically LIVE sales. In fact, we sell the "Police Monthly"...here just take a looky, shall we...see the Police Officer of the Month in the fold out? Yessiree, you are going to want to take advantage of our special...today only!....a one year's subscription for the price of 18 months...you can't say NO to that, now can you?  Or how about "Detectives are Us"...you look like the kind of person that likes a bargain, no?"
Police: "That's it, fella....Book 'em Dano...The charges  you ask???  Solicitation without common sense and decency, disturbing the peace, not having a life, and being just plain annoying."

8. Yes, I have changed my mind. I would have called the complaint into the police, after all. 
(unless of course, they were selling "Bloggers' Business Weekly".  Hmmmm, wonder what block they are in today??????????????????????????????