Yum! One of my favorite things. A feast for all the senses.
Erin's charity fashion show debut
Erin appeared in her first ever fashion show last weekend, at a charity event for House of Hope. That organization helps local underprivileged women prepare for job interviews with business appropriate outfits and more.
I think Erin looked terrific. It was an all volunteer effort. Most of these photos were taken by Karry (her mom). Erin said she was very nervous on the catwalk. The show was very well attended. We heard that about 300 people showed up and ticket sales were very good. I understand the sponsors thought up this idea and pulled it all off in just 4 weeks. What a fun event, and all for a worthy cause.
Ruby's "We'll fetch your lunch!" startup brings on the flavor
I ran into foody entrepreneur Cheryl Gomes yesterday on her daily delivery run. Her lunch delivery business is named after her dog Ruby. She will bring you lunch if you call or e-mail her before 7:30 am that day. She takes special care in her preparation to make sure sandwiches don’t arrive soggy. Cheryl is a treat on her own, and her delivery is sure to brighten your day and satisfy your lunchtime needs. Call her at (530) 921 1587, or e-mail her at rubysdish@gmail.com. Highly recommended!
Check out the smiling dragonfly.
This winged orange critter took roost nearby to me yesterday. It appears to be smiling.
I searched Dragonfly Symbolism on Google, and got 377,000 hits.
This one’s appropriate:
Living fossils, dragonflies are part of the most ancient group of insects on this planet. They were soaring through the air and lived on earth for a staggering three hundred million years. Compared to humans, they are very old indeed. We have only been around for about 2 million years. Insects were the first creatures in the world to fly. Dragonflies were flying in steamy prehistoric forest long before the dinosaurs appeared. We know about these ancient dragonflies through fossils. Back then, dragonflies were much larger and had wingspans of 80 cm (31.5 inches) and were the largest insects known. Today, dragonflies are smaller, with wingspans up to 14 cm (5.5 in).
Over the centuries, people thought about dragonflies in many ways. In ancient times, Japanese farmers believed the dragonfly was the spirit of the rice plant. Dragonflies were a welcome sign of a good rice harvest. Dragonflies were also believed to bring good luck in battle. About 1600 years ago, the dragonfly was the symbol of a great Japanese warrior clan. The dragonfly later became one of the emblems of the emperor. An old name for Japan – Akitsu-shimu – means Dragonfly Island. The dragonfly is praised in many Japanese poems and songs.
The Mimbres people of the American southwest painted the dragonfly on ceremonial pottery as a symbol of life.
The Zuni tell an ancient story of a magic dragonfly made from corn and straw. It came to life in a time of drought and famine, became a messenger to the gods, and helped save the people. But not everyone has liked dragonflies.
In Great Britain, they were once considered evil and dangerous. Because people saw them darting at horses, the dragonflies were called “horse-stingers.” They didn’t realize the dragonflies were snatching horseflies, the real “horse-stingers.”
Written by Amanda D., Lindsay T., Chelsea E. and Ben R. & compiled by the Twin Groves Virtual Wetlands Preserve Team.
Best wishes for the future (smile)
Cottonwood fluff as deep as snow
Ghost pirate spotted on Lake Blvd today
Dog days of summer come early this year
Breakfast with the Brewers, and 10,000 of their closest friends
It’s always nice to be a big name-dropper on your blog. Today I crashed the Brewer’s place for breakfast. They had like 10,000 guests.
Notice how pleased Steve is to see me and my camera? Hi Steve! Whatcha havin? (BTW Steve’s thinking of using me in one of his books…crime novels need victims, you know)
Kelly took some shots too. There were a lot of people there. Hi everyone! Welcome to Redding. Let’s eat!
Erin’s got a plateful.
These are some hard working cowboys. All for charity. Our thanks go to everyone involved.
This kid was really cute.
A tip of the hat to this longtime Redding tradition. The Asphalt Cowboy’s Pancake Breakfast. A true Redding original. See you again next year!
I heard you! Shame on you for saying that. No, I did not find my cowboy hat in a dumpster.
Mr. and Mrs. Black Phoebe eat flies and have babies
An outdoor speaker under the pool shed eaves in our backyard has proven to be suitable housing for a family of Black Phoebes.
I put a small videocamera on a stick and gently shoved it in the eaves to see if I could see what was happening in the nest, a la Turtle Bay eagle cam. Last week there were a few eggs, and yesterday there were a couple of pink blurs with yellow beaks. It’s too close for my cheapo videocamera to really make much out, but in any event, there’s obviously a family here.
The Black Phoebes are a species in the family “Tyrant Flycatcher.” That’s something they do well.
Every so often, they fly off in a loop, to catch flying bugs I can’t even see. I tried to get an action shot, but good luck on that. They’re fast! These still shots will have to do.
Apparently, they like streams and ponds, but evidently they think our swimming pool is just fine too. Thanks to Karry for identifying the species for me.
Extreme autos race one another at the Redding Dragstrip
There is something utterly visceral about watching two jet powered cars race. You have to be there to feel it. Last night, these two “cars” spooled up, and took off down the track at over 200 mph. Afterwards, there was a moment of stunned silence in the crowd, like we all couldn’t believe what we just saw and felt. Then, an exhilarated cheer, almost in unison. We all turned and looked at one another as if to confirm “Did you see/feel that too?” I was laughing so hard. What sort of looney-tunes do you have to be to strap yourself onto a ROCKET, and then race somebody?
You think your job is tough. The two track workers you can just see, crouched toward the left of this shot, are literally sandwiched between two plasma plumes of death!
