I think we might be all in need of this prescription, judging from the events in progress

Take a few images as needed, to distract you for a little.

Smack a few down with a little wine or a beverage of your choice.

May heighten the effects of herb, or versa vice.

Safe for all ages, but do see a good friend if your erection or pheromone release lasts for more than 6 hours, but do not necessarily wait that long.

I would also like to thank you for all the good wishes on Teri`s behalf.

She is doing well, but mending slowly, which I think is best anyway.

I compiled all the wishes (almost 4 dozen) on a word doc. & presented it to her.

She was very surprised & wondered who all you people are, to be so thoughtful.

Thank You All.

Here in Sunny California, this is the flag we fly.

Please stay safe warm & dry for all of you in possible harms way from the present weather.

MALIBU FLAG

As usual, on Fridays I post a set of images from my photo shoots to distract you from your week to week travails.

This time though, I`m posting them to distract myself.

My wife was in a bad car crash on the highway Weds. & though she is just now back home, she`s still a lot of worry.

The man pictured with me in the first set is a friend of 30 years.

I should mention, he just turned 90.

He is a world recognized expert on Orchids & has 100`s to his name as a breeder of hybrids.

Here are a few pix of the dozens & dozens I shot at the orchid ranch a few days ago.

They are on an “original size” file at flickr. (click on the image)

There are single images below the crease.

We all strive to know what is on the other side of the fence.

That`s all good, but we often overlook the fence itself.

Sometimes preventative measures are for our own good, such as the feeling of security when holding onto the railing on a balcony forty stories up.

So today I stopped to admire a gate, expressly there to keep me from what is beyond it.

I never gave any thought to anything but the gate.

Tonight`s distractions are just that.

A gate to stop you for a moment without an inkling of what is beyond each image.

A time to stop & reflect, without the prism of some of the disconcerting events that have transpired this week.

Peace

For more than twenty years I`ve always admired this gate.

I`ve meant to stop & look at it numerous times but I only see it whip by my peripheral

vision as I traverse the canyon from the ocean to the valley over the coastal range.

Today I made a point to stop & take a few shots to show the quality of the work, a testament to it`s longevity.

Now, I`ve been beyond these gates many years ago, but I believe it would be wrong to divulge what I saw.

It is simply out of respect for the privacy implied by the fact there is a gate in the first place. Suffice it to say it`s simply beautiful & the entry road goes on for more than a mile.

BEYOND THE GATE

I`ll start this weeks “Distraction” with tonight`s  sunset.

It seems appropriate for Black Friday, something I know most of you never bought into.

The rest of the images are from this past week.

They are from my house, on my street, & where I work.

I hope these are distraction enough to take your worries away, if only momentarily.

You may always cheat a little & look at them a little longer than momentarily.

I hope you all have something in your life you are thankful for.

TONIGHT`S MALIBU SUNSET

(8 image composite)

These distractions are for any visitor that may be feeling a little let down by circumstances.

Hopefully my presentations will reverse that direction to an “up” one.

Sometimes if one can`t reach up, maybe one must reach out.

Have a great weekend.

CLIMBING UP

With all that`s going on right now, it may be difficult to distract you, or you may need to be distracted all the more.

These are images I`ve taken as early as today to some from years gone by.

There should be something for everybody in the mix.

Although it would be great if nobody needed to be distracted, I do fear those days are not soon to be.

I hope these help.

I`ll start with one of my cactus blooms from a large new cactus garden I`ve almost completed.

Garden Beauty

(one of my cactus blooms)

Another week has flown by.

Here, as usual on Fridays, I post images to distract from the hectic week we seem to all manage to get through, some against all odds.

To focus on the time whizzing by, I did post a set of images further into the posted ones from one single day.

I think breaking up our lives into more manageable increments, may help balance our feelings.

As they say, “One day at a time.”

Have a nice weekend.

Tomato Clownfish

This week sure went by quickly.

Things are happening a little more rapidly it seems, & it will be darker sooner in a few days.

These images are to keep you confident, in light (pun) of these events.

I hope these pictures from my archives give you a brief respite from the daily drone.

HARVEST MOON

The way things are going lately, a short distraction may be in order, if only to get your minds off the messes at hand & the uncertain future.

I always live with hope for humanity.

These images are from a garden at a friend`s house.

It`s always a soothing experience for me to wander through it.

Enjoy.

Images with an asterix, were not taken in the last two days.

All others are from the same garden, although only two with an asterix, the Purple Probes, were not from the same garden & pond.

POND KING *

Having been going through a horrible “flu”, I missed posting my Distractions these past two weeks.

I`m much better now.

I hope these images will throw a little interruption in your daily lives if only for a moment.

These are mostly about “movement”.

Things moving or things that move me.

Some of the motion is actually static, like this cat blending into the ‘bark’ of the tree.

Blended

As usual I`m here trying to distract you on this Friday night.

I`ve been setting up my place to distract from the usual pace here since I have a four month old grandson that will be here for a week.

He just arrived a few hours ago, & was left by his tearful mother who is off to Atlanta with her husband.

He`s in very good hands (Not mine, but grandma`s)

We always get thrown into life`s vagaries, so I`ll start with a little reminder that

ONE NEVER KNOWS

Again, sorry for my tardiness, but I do want to post these distractions to lead you astray,

if only for a momentary respite from your daily travails.

Kids running with “sparklers” on celebratory days always bring us back to our own childhoods.

Here`s a natural one to start with.

SPARKLER