BEAUTIFUL AND INCREDIBLE IMAGES FROM MARS

The time for me to post pictures from the incredible Mars adventure is overdue, so here they are.

More, many more amazing pictures may be seen at the NASA website.

NASA publishes the latest pictures, news, and updates on the Mars mission at their website.

Is the photo above the incredible part of the mission? Who can say?  From a friend who can take credit or not. I chickened out and did a bit of editing to the photo, because I didn't want to offend.

ALL ABOUT ME...AND EGRETS AND ALLIGATORS

So have you missed me?  I haven't been posting much lately,  nor have I been visiting around in Blogland nearly as often as I once did, because I've been busy with family responsibilities and other demands on my time.  Today we went to the funeral of a good friend of Grandpère and left from there to go to New Orleans for me to have my left eye zapped with a laser to remove the cloudiness which sometimes occurs after cataract surgery.  Now I have clear vision in both eyes.  Yay!

Two egrets visiting with each other

 
We stopped on the way home and had a nice meal at Spahr's Seafood in Des Allemands, where the view is fabulous, with a lake in the distance and a bayou just behind the restaurant.  A sign near the bayou said, "WATCH OUT FOR THE ALLIGATORS!"  No joke, for we saw an alligator during our meal.  Three egrets were hanging out near the bayou, giving us our fair share of wildlife.

Lone egret checking out the other two

My family responsibilities are not going away any time soon, so I will blog less and spend less time on Facebook.  I love chatting with my Facebook friends, but my heart is in blogging, which remains my priority.

My favorite - Egret in flight

No photo of the alligator.  Only the head was out of the water, and it was some distance away.  In truth, I was rather excited about seeing the creature and didn't think of taking a picture.  A group at the next table included two teenage girls from England, who were visiting their grandmother, and I was happy for them to see our native wildlife.

The view

Apropos of nothing in this post, a couple of afternoons ago, a helicopter circled rather low round and round our house and neighboring houses, and I thought, "Is it me?  Are 'they' spying on me?"  Ha-ha.  Just kidding...I think.  When the drones come, I will know.  I'll take egrets to helicopters any day.

BEAVER'S IN HOUSTON SAYS, "TAKE THAT, CHICK-FIL-A!"

Beaver's announced a new addition to its menu, the "Chick-On-Chick" Filet, which is described as "two loving chicken breasts married on toasty buns with a honey mustard witness and joined in celebration with tolerant fries." A photo of the menu special has since been circulating on Facebook.

The Texas restaurant is pro-marriage equality, according to Gawker. Not only is owner and celebrity chef Monica Pope a lesbian, but her Houston restaurant is also known for attracting a diverse clientele.

That's showing 'em.  Thanks to Paul (A.).

From The Huffington Post.

YOUR WEEKLY REMINDER

FIREARMS OF THE LATE 18TH CENTURY

When the Second Amendment to the U S Constitution was written and ratified, the firearms pictured above were in use at the time. Lethal?  Definitely...still quite different from the weapons used in mass shootings today.

Further information on the weapons pictured may be found here.  

MI AMIGO PADRE MICKEY SAYS...

I don't give a good G*d damn if this Page person was confusing Sikhs with Muslims; I don't care if he confuses Christians with Spittle-flecked Snake Handlers. I'm sick and tired of armed nutcases walking into places were people are assembled and shooting up the place. I'm sorry, but someone's second amendment right does not trump everyone else's first amendment right to assemble. I think that the right to assemble safely is more important than disturbed person's desire to wear camouflage and carry arms. And I'm not interested in any lecture on how assault weapons don't exist or that they're great for hunting wild boar.

'Nuff said.  And from the comments:

And, I find it troubling that "sorry, he thought they were Muslims" is somehow supposed to be meaningful in this storyline.
....

How about people's right simply to live?

   

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT SUCCESSES IN LIFE

At age 4 success is  . . .  not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is  . . .  having friends.
At age 16 success is  . . .  having a driver's license.
At age 20 success is  . . .  having sex.
At age 35 success is  . . .  having money.
At age 50 success is  . . .  having money.
At age 60 success is  . . .  having sex.
At age 70 success is  . . .  having a driver's license.
At age 75 success is  . . .  having friends.
At age 80 success is  . . .  not peeing in your pants.


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

Past time for a bit of levity, don't you think?  ...though I'm still feeling pretty gloomy, if truth  be told.

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

ANGELICO, Fra
Transfiguration (Cell 6)
1440-42
Convento di San Marco, Florence


Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.  (Luke 9:28-36)

UNKNOWN ICON PAINTER, Cretan
Transfiguration of Christ
c. 1550
Ikonen-Museum, Recklinghausen

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

When I looked on the Web Gallery of Art to find an image of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the first to come up was Fra Anglelico's lovely fresco painted on a cell wall at the monastery of San Marco in Florence.  Although I knew I would probably end up choosing the Fra Angelico, I looked through all the paintings, and many of them were lovely, but I settled on the good friar's.  I've seen the fresco with my own eyes, which also makes me partial.  However, near the end of my search, I came upon the beautiful icon by an unknown writer of icons, and I knew I had to have it, so here are two beauties for your contemplation and enjoyment
.     
Images from the Web Gallery of Art.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT THE MASS SHOOTINGS

It's time to have a somber national discussion about the [insert shooting tragedy here] tragedy.

Before we get started, let's go over a few basic ground rules.

1. In the wake of the __________ tragedy it's time for us all to come together as a nation and not assign blame. This is not the time, for example, to talk about how it's easier to purchase a gun in America than it is to vote (or buy French cheese).

2. And we won't tolerate any second guessing of the Second Amendment right to carry assault weapons, or questions about how the Framers could have possibly envisaged an assault rifle over 200 years ago, or why a "hunter" needs six thousand rounds of ammunition, or kevlar, or smoke grenades to kill a pheasant.

In his post at the link above, Chris Andoe at Americablog lists the rest of rules for discussion here in the United States of the most recent mass shooting and those that may follow.  People in other countries are not bound by our rules for discussion, so you may read or hear words that you find offensive and politically incorrect, such as, "America's gun laws are insane."

At the time of the Colorado shootings, I'd forgotten that the previous mass shooting was only two months before in Seattle, Washington.   The time lapse between the two most recent mass shootings was two weeks. With the grief over the Colorado shootings still fresh, it's a wonder that most of us go on as if nothing unusual has happened.  Two mass killings within two weeks...  I am stunned. One of my Facebook friends commented on a thread on my page which included gallows humor.  I responded that gallows humor is one way of coping for me, because the horror is too much to take in.

And now, on to the discussions, as we remember to follow the rules as laid out by Chris at Americablog.  

SEVEN DEAD IN SHOOTING AT SIKH TEMPLE IN WISCONSIN

Police and fire departments are handling a shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., south of Milwaukee, where at least seven people, including the gunman, are dead, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and other news organizations. At least three people, including a police officer who exchanged shots with the suspect, have been injured and taken to a hospital.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.