Flee Plus Flee Equals Six

During the Christmas holidays we had several meals with the Amboy branch of the family. There were three of us on each side of the table, when Arthur noted:
"one, two, flee," pointing at each of us on the opposite side, and "one, two, flee," people on his near side of the table. Then he pronounced, "flee plus flee equals six!"

Boxelder Tree Blown Down

Notice how the branches broke in multiple places, and only smaller limbs actually hit the house. The kayaks were right next to it. The trunk didn't break, because the roots pulled up instead. One branch got caught in the telephone lines, and now that pole is leaning as far to the right as it was leaning to the left.

Kayaks are Safe

It looks like the tree was shaped perfectly for arching over the boats. The boat rack leg is broken, so it may have actually hit them.

Red and White Sweater

The finished sweater for Arthur. It needs to be blocked.

Light Snowfall in Renton

This photo was taken through the kitchen door window, after dark, while it was snowing. There was only about one inch of snow on the ground, and it only accumulated three inches during that hour. I braced the camera against the door and turned off the flash, so it was a slow exposure.

Paper Rocket and Launcher

 
This is the paper rocket I put together, along with the launcher made from PVC pipe, bicycle inner tube, duct tape, and a 2 liter plastic bottle. I hope the children have fun with it. The PVC tube laying on the floor has a larger diameter, so that's the pipe I used for assembling the rocket. The spring clamp allows variable launch angles. 

Autumn Maple Leaves

While photographing these autumn Maple leaves...
I discovered this Bushtit bird nest...
...in the tree where all the leaves were gone. 

Beeboo Flying High

Beeboo flying high at Lou's birthday party. 

Straw Bale House in Sunizona

The owner gave me a tour of this straw bale house. It was beautiful both inside and out. You can just barely see the design in the border between the brown and the white adobe. 

This is a single twig from a tumbleweed plant. Notice the flowers near the bottom. The stickers were very sharp. The real name for this plant is Russian Thistle, and it is not native to America. 

Is this a horned toad? I think he was full grown, but only a bit larger than a tree frog. 

black lizard, with gold and green spots. These guys were all over the place, but moved quickly, and were hard to photograph. 

Bilbo Baggins' Misty Mountains (Chiricahua in foreground, New Mexico in background) 

Image 09 

Image 08 

Image 07 

Image 06 

Image 05 

Image 04 

Image 03 

Image 02 

Image 01 

Image 10 

Here's a real cowboy, with the shirt, boots and hat. 

"Red hot lava" socks 

My favorite, an 8" Dobsonian mount and tube, made entirely out of wood. The outer layer of that tube was made from a single sheet of Mahogany veneer. 

This is a really big telescope. That is a ten foot tall ladder next to it...used by the operator when he wants to climb up and look through the eyepiece.