Don't forget to double click on pictures to enlarge

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Glamping

So what is glamping?

Glamping is luxury camping that has often been found in Africa for the tourist who come for safari but it is taking hold  in various countries as well as the US.

You can search some of the places here.

I have found one that I am hoping we might stay in if we make a trip back to Wimberley, Texas (an area I really like).



What a place......

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Arizona dust storm

While hubby and I were eating dinner at one of our favorite restaurants last night we could see a dust storm coming...I didn't get a picture but here is one that is close to what we saw.


People can sometimes think they are funny but they are wrong...
It can take days to clean up a pool after one of these has blown through.

If you are driving you should avoid going into the dust storm but if you can't here are some things you can do...
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/brochures/duststrm.htm

There have been many deadly pile ups here in Arizona due to dust storms..



 This is a great shot of the vastness of a dust storm in our valley of the sun.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Immigration


I was struck recently when Daily Photo posted this picture of this stature in New York City of  immigrants.

If you have anyone in your family that immigrated here to the United States or if you have you ever read any books about those who left everything behind to come to this country you will be touched to discover all they endured/worked for to come to this "land of opportunity" and all they gave up. It wasn't all just a choice...it was a requirement.



1907 speech by Teddy Roosevelt

We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an
American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin.

 

But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.

Only after becoming an adult did I understand why my Swedish grandmother did not teach my mother how to speak Swedish and my Russian great-grandmother stayed very low key.


But today we have......
 Asian American

 Latin American

 Mexican American

 African American

 Native American

I guess just being an American isn't good enough anymore and you don't even have to immigrant here.......

This is what is happening on my home front here in Arizona......


Opponents of Arizona's hardline immigration enforcement law launched a new effort Tuesday aimed at thwarting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will allow police to enforce the so-called "show me your papers" provision.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/17/arizona-migration-law-opponents-file-new-offensive/#ixzz20ytT82Yx



"A house divided falls"


Saturday, July 14, 2012

Advertising

One of the most important factors of business is advertising. Competition is fierce among businesses and the creative mind can make or break a business.

It has been suggested that over $400 billion has been spent worldwide on advertising just this year.

The first and key factor of advertising is that it will draw an audience's attention to a product or service offered and sometimes something catchy that sticks in peoples minds seem to work (McDonald's golden arches for example) but here is something that is a no question, up front, unusual and clever way to advertise your local library......



The Community Bookself is an intriguing piece of architecture at the Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri resembling a book shelf. This striking façade, which runs along the south wall of the Central Library, features book spines measuring 25 feet by 9 feet, and showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests suggested by readers.




I don't know about you but I really like it


Monday, July 9, 2012

Look what came in the mail!!!

A while back "Lap Dog Knits"  posted she was making these dishcloths and that if you would like one, give her your address and she would send one. I sort of forgot about it until the package came.  She also  included the pattern which I requested (not that I may be able to make them) but I sure do think they are pretty...Thank you Kyle!!!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Sculpture


So you and I go to the local hardware store and we see.....


 galvanised steel pipes







But these two saw art.
Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu designed and erected this unusual sculpture in 2006 at Crown Point near Burnely in East Lancashire, England.

With a height of about 7 1/2 feet it is to represent a tree and so named "The singing tree"  but some feel it is reminiscent of a surreal church organ and especially when the wind blows.....



Amazing


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Lesson in Irony


The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever and in fact Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated that it is even a economy stimulant.








Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, has this warning for us ~
 
Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.

This ends today's lesson.