Well where to begin!

Last night I tried to open up a 500 gig hard drive that I`d set aside last year, since I couldn`t get it to load.

Holy Moly, the thing popped right up on the desktop, with the other five, as if it was there all the time.

I decided to copy it onto a Terrabyte drive on which I had space for.

So I now have archives I thought were lost.

I started going through the files, starting from the first one & proceeding to the second one.

These are shots from those files.

Now since these images are supposed to be distracting, I`ll peek into a political window for just a second.

I try to never inject politics into my posts, but tonight, I want you to think of the children.

Bear with me.

With the rude & dangerous threats against reasonable people since healthcare passed, I keep seeing the comparison to how childish those acts are.

Those are not childish acts.

I`ll open these distractions with some of my little friends.

This is what childish looks like.

The amazing purity of childhood innocence.

(The little kid , lower right, is the little “snake handler” from two weeks ago)

Another week flew by, but I did notice that no matter how fast time flies,

there`s always room to improve upon our words & actions towards others.

This is the lede to my first image.

As with this image, all the posted images may be clicked.

If you feel the need to extend this short period of distraction, take a chance & click on them.

Have a nice trip.

THE IMMIGRANT

In a world that is now the sum of all that came before, it is astonishing that there is such turmoil.

All the discoveries that have made the world the way it is today, have been from people from around the planet. One would think that working in unison with others, would achieve even more, or at least, in a shorter time period. Yet those who think they have achieved the most, from the same bank of humans we` ve all been deposited into, seem to want to cash in now, & leave other investors broken. This bank is one of immigrants. Everybody came from somewhere.

They came with cures, they came with farming knowledge, they came with engineering knowledge & they came to make a better life for everyone, to all distant locations on the planet. They are the planet. They are the immigrants. We are the immigrants. This is a study in light.

A light that shines on all of us, not a select few. It can not be turned off.

To see more of the light on the immigrants face, click & see this person in different light. See the different moods the light creates. The hope it shows. And be nice to the next immigrant you meet, he is you.

This week I decided to declare this Friday, “Building Day”.

The distractions I`m posting tonight are meant for you to also build on in your own way.

Building something is always a great way to forget the travails of everyday life.

I`ll start off with the basics.

Building a Family

Friday again.

It seems the interval between them is constantly shorter.

This week I`m going to bother you to take a little trip from our normal world to another one that I have tried to recreate for a number of years.

There is a little bit of underhandedness in these distractions, since, through these images, I hope to make you even more aware than I imagine you already are, to the importance of  preserving the natural beauty of our oceans, the greatest machine that runs this planet.

It`s a free ride to see the specimens of my reefs, so snorkel up.

DOPEY IN A CORAL BED

Again, Friday is here.

I hope you`ve had as uneventful a week as I hope you did, except for those who were blessed with something great in their lives, respectively, or even collectively.

For those who have had sadness or disappointments, I`m sorry.

Still, many who`ve been through plenty find a way to overcome their personal trials by putting them on display, publicly.

This opening image of two beautiful friends, was taken at such a place.

Please click on it, to see the mountain of crosses. & more images.

This was taken in Lithuania.

Here is a link to that place, also.

http://www.sacredsites.com/eur…

MOTHER & DAUGHTER

Here we are on Friday again.

I know many people here & elsewhere are “Seeing Red”, as the expression goes.

People are angry, disappointed, worried, & I can`t blame them.

Tonight I`m going to show you another side of seeing red.

I`ll open with this:

RED RIBBONS

As time flies, tonight I`ll go backwards in it, & try & show some black & white shots.

By changing the subject theme from week to week, I hope to keep you interested in distractions.

This is really oxymoronic, since I don`t want you interested, I want you distracted from your normal interests.

But you all know what I mean, so have a nice weekend & enjoy.

A “Silent Movie” should set the theme mood.

SILENT MOVIE

Here we are at Fri. again.

Today`s distractions are about fields & fences.

The fields presented are not necessarily those one might imagine as where cows are “grinding”. (eating)

They may be fields of color, fields of dreams or fields in paintings, but not any from the “field of politics, or planetary evolution”.

The fences though, where we usually find sitting politicians, are represented here, not as a restraining device in a negative way, but to capture the essence of how we box ourselves in for our own peace of mind or to protect our selves from unwanted intrusions. (A remote control gizmo allows one to fence themselves off from Faux news)

Anyway, why don`t I just post these for you, without further delay.

Have a great week end.

I`ll open with a little stone wall that simply directs one, without restraining.

The image is from an old friend`s Orchid Ranch.

Note the large plant growing on the Sycamore branch.

LOW STONE WALL

As usual, I come by on Fridays to try & get you to, at least for a brief moment, forget your current troubles.

That may be presuming you all have circumstances that press on you.

For those of you that are free & clear of any worries, I hope these images will then ameliorate your present situation & possibly bring a smile to you.

For all others, I certainly wish you all the same, that a smile may be born if only for a short time.

I`ve been shooting the sunset every day now for the month of January.

Last night I was in a vehicle on my way home, but did not want to miss my target of all this month`s sunsets.

I open with the shot I took from inside the truck just before turning into Point Dume where I live.

BTW, I did make it home in time to take another series of this same sunset, thank you.

HOME TURN

I decided to refrain from posting these distractions last week to leave space & time for our brothers & sisters in Haiti, to benefit from more important diaries.

I also think that after the fiascoes there & of lesser importance (to me personally), here, some may need something to clear their minds with.

I`ll open with a Garden Nymph for The MomCat

GARDEN NYMPH

Well as can be expected, I`m a little late (which is better than a big latte) maybe.

These images are supposed to distract from the turmoil & travails of your daily lives.

I hope you don`t have any of those but maybe by perusing these images you`ll know

one way or the other.

The titles are a test to see if you are ahead of a curve, (the one I may have missed)

Enjoy & stay warm.

Those in very cold areas, please check on your neighbors or the elderly who might need help.

With that, why not introduce you to my little friend who always greets me with “Hola, Amigo”

A Friend In Deed,

A FRIEND INDEED

First, I hope doors, passageways, paths & portals open for you in the new year ahead.

This does not mean we should shut them behind us, nor simply look forward.

I`ll ‘open’ with a door that should be reopened to clean up the detritus of the past.

STATE OF THE UNION

My friend painted his garage door right after 911

It was a perfect banner of solidarity, now it`s in tatters.