Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day

I'd like to share my Daddy with you.

He fought in World War 2 in the South Pacific and he

was one of the lucky ones ... he came home.

On his return he spent a lot of time at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio.

He didn't talk about the war, just said when he came home he could only eat

life savers and coke.

Daddy died January 1973 from lung cancer.
He is buried in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He had the most beautiful blue eyes.
I miss him.

Rest in Peace, Daddy.

Red, White and Blue

I'm lazy this holiday weekend and went to Flickr

for a little Red, White and Blue help.

Images Courtesy of Flickr

1. Red, White, & Blue, 2. #185 - Red, White & Blue, 3. RED, WHITE, and BLUE!, 4. Red White and Blue, 5. red white and blue, 6. Red White & Blue, 7. Red, white and blue, 8. Crochet: Red White & Blue Pin Cushion, 9. Red White and Blue Stars and Stripes For You

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday.

Thank you to our hostesses:

Mary for Mosaic Monday

and 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

It's a Bird!

BGD (Beautiful God Daughter) and I visited the zoo on one of the last

days of truly nice weather ... not much heat and very little humidity.

Days like that are few and far between this time of year.

We got to the zoo when the gates opened at 9:30 AM.

Had lunch at Twiga in the African Forest.

Walked and walked and walked

(and I had been to the gym that morning).

We visited with this fellow.

Amazing, isn't he?!!!!

Shoebill at the Houston Zoo

 

The Shoebill is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery lungfish, its favorite food. This big bird (standing about 3.8 feet tall) also eats turtles, fish and young crocodiles. 

They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. The head is large in proportion to the body and the eyes are large.

The Shoebill is a solitary species, rarely found in groups. 

Other common names for Shoebills include Shoe-billed Stork, Whale-headed Stork, Bog Bird.Though most consider it as a stork, the Shoebill's antecedents are unclear, and no relatives are known. Shoebills have their own family, Balaenicipitidae. Although they share some characteristics of storks, they are more like the herons in many of their behaviors and physiological features, yet also share common characteristics with pelicans. The population of Shoebills is thought to number 5,000-8,000 but is difficult to estimate given the swampy/marshy habitat in the Sudan, Africa. 

The Houston Zoo is well known in zoo circles for its bird collection.

Misty is our hostess each week for Camera Critters.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Wishing you well.

It's That Time of Year...

when thoughts turn to summer

and baseball 

and Memorial Day.

I thought this postcard covered all of those.

The back of the postcard reads:

AMERICA PLAYS BALL

A uniformed soldier takes a swing.

There is no date or location.

This postcard is from AMERICA PLAYS BALL:

Historical Baseball Photographs from the Library of Congress

A Book of Postcards

Published by Pomegranate

Have a wonderful time this weekend.

Enjoy the hot dogs and hamburgers,

a little baseball

and don't forget to remember and honor members of the armed forces.

Thank you to the lovely Beth for being the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Good Morning!

Calla Blooming In Musashi's Garden

Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.

~Job 12:8