Outrage of the Day

Today we are honored to have a guest post from my Dad! Here goes!:

The Department to the Navy has decided to give Rep. "Fightin'" John Murtha (D-PA) its Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest public service recognition given to a non-employee by the Department of the Navy. This would be the same John Murtha who, in May 2006, slandered U.S. Marines by accusing them of war crimes, saying they were nothing but "cold-blooded killers" who "murdered innocent civilians."

That is the biggest demonstration of pandering that I can recall since John Glenn got a ride in space as a US Senator.This guy has proven where his loyalties lie and it is NOT with the Military!

There is a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/usmc2009/petition.html where you can tell the Navy leadership your feelings about this outrage. Also if you want to read more about it is on the Patriot Post article entitled - Department of Military Correctness: Murtha's Award - http://PatriotPost.US

Hal Capshaw

________________________

First of all, Dad's post is proof that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree.

Secondly, this goes to show that the politicians don't have a monopoly on being political. Then again, any junior officer can tell you that military "leadership" (at the top that is) is 90% politics. That said, the commanding officers I worked for were some of the smartest, most able people and leaders I've known.

Headed to Lake San Antonio today for Wildflower and OKFree training. Yipee!!! And of course, there will be wildflowers posted here soon as a result.

And, just to share, here is this morning's sunrise:

85/365 - West Point Inn

85/365 - West Point Inn, originally uploaded by panodanno.

On my run today I stopped for a couple of minutes at the West Point Inn on Mt. Tam. Here's the dining room. The view was reflected in the window since I was shooting from outside in.

At first I went for the shot because I liked the shadows and furniture. The reflection was a big bonus. I'll take it!

84/365 - Handsome Tom

84/365 - Handsome Tom, originally uploaded by panodanno.

This morning's commute was fantastic. I felt good on the bike, and I was in a hurry to get to work. Perfect fit.

That also meant that I put the camera in my back pocket and didn't plan to take any pictures. Well, maybe only if I saw a turkey doing the mating dance.

Well, just as I topped out on Bolinas ridge I saw a bobcat. He/she leisurely trotted across the road and down the hill. No time to stop, but cool.

Next I saw a group of four deer. They walked off the road, but then watched me ride by like so many domestic animals. No time to stop, but again cool.

Then I saw the coyote as I was barreling down a steep section. He was also on the road. He dashed off the road and turned around and stared. Hmm, cats and dogs today. Very cool.

Next up, a tom turkey cruising the road. No females about, so he was just being... cool. Finally I pulled out the camera.

And then I saw this guy. He was in full dance mode. As long as the girls were about, he wasn't going anywhere. He fluffed and strutted until the hens moved off the road and into the woods. (The hens were around the bend, so I couldn't get their picture.) Then it was time to move on and let the cyclist pass.

From there I re-entered civilization and just had to avoid all the turkeys in their cars and trucks.

Yep, quite a commute this morning.

83/365 - Lupine for Dinner

83/365 - Lupine for Dinner, originally uploaded by panodanno.

The first of the lupine are starting to bloom. It is very sparse right now, but will be getting better fast I'm sure.

82/365 - Exploring the Jungle

82/365 - Exploring the Jungle, originally uploaded by panodanno.

Tonight I went for a little expedition in my backyard. My neighbors know it as "the jungle". Hey, my philosophy for gardening and yard work is if it grows on its own, and I can live with it, it should live.

So, no poison oak, and those ticks' days are numbered, but if you are aloe, or camelia, or asian pear, or cherry, or orange, or plum, or apple, or onion grass (for crying outloud!), you're good to go as far as I'm concerned.

The black acacia's on my blacklist though. One of these days...

Tonight I went for a little run, but tomorrow it's back to OKFree training. The plan is to ride to work. It's 48 degrees now (7 degrees warmer than this morning), so hopefully it won't be too cold. No rain to worry about though, so that is good.

I had a short chat w/ Eddy tonight. He said it was time to go find some more turkeys. He's probably right. Sunrise comes early enough (7:08 a.m.) to get me in to work in time to be productive. Okay. Free.

81/365 - Rain Forest

81/365 - Rain Forest, originally uploaded by panodanno.

When it rains here, the "moss" on the trees springs to life and becomes a vibrant garden of ferns. It's just amazing to see, and really only like this during or just after a rain.

Yesterday and today we had what may be our last rain for many months. Hopefully not, but there is no rain expected for the rest of the week. The more days that pass, the less chance there is of rain.

Anyway, I have been wanting to photograph these mini-rain forests all winter, but just haven't taken the time to do it. Today, on our run to the top of Middle Peak, I stopped for a few shots with my old Canon S400. I left the G9 at work last week, so I had to run with my backup.

These trees were on Fern Creek trail, but there were many others out there. It was cold (for us), windy, and sunny on our run. Oh yeah, and amazingly beautiful.