FLY UNITED

Olivia asked how long it took to acclimate the plants.
This shows that as soon as the plants are in, local wildlife species, start setting up house.
There are four different kinds of dragon flies, vying for space here at the pond. The aerial dogfights are spirited.
The thing I`ve been wondering all along is, is it fair to build your own photo opportunity studio.
As more life is added to the pond including more plants, fish, turtles, snails & crawfish, predators move in, such as herons, egrets, raccoons, skunks, coyotes & bobcats.
The area is well fenced but most of the mentioned animals are quite adaptive & McGuyver entry through various means. I like every one to have a fighting chance, so the pond has many hiding places incorporated in, to offer refuge from becoming dinner.
The rock star pictured on Planet Earth, is my old friend Jorge, who has been doing rock work for me for over thirty years.
His shades reflect the clouds reflected in the jacuzzi. They also reflect that I inserted them into the shades.
Have a great day.

A FROG`S PAD

Having been rare around these parts of late, I figured I owed you an update on my endeavors.
This is the stage of my project & although not yet completed, introducing plants, is a clear signal that I`m winding down.
I don`t know the extent of the plantings in the landscaping, but I`m thrilled to tell you that I`m sure you will be amazed.
The lady, Vilija, is a "plant lady", & I love going through her gardens. With that in mind, I try not to even envisage the final look, as I know I will be stunned.
In the header, a 27 image merge.
I have it here trailing off the page as an indicator of it`s size in the original.
Do go & check out the original on flickr, but you`ve been notified that it is a large file.
Nonetheless, I think it is worth taking a look at. I`m surprised at how detailed such a tiny preview is when enlarged. The scene is the flags of 911.
Sorry about my absence, but I was having too much fun on the project.
So sue me.
Have a great day
PS,Olivia, if you know of any homeless frogs, they are welcome here. One thing, I`ll only accept royal ones.

ICE CREAM 911

Today was a special day for me as I picked up my granddaughters for ice cream.
After work, they were hiding behind the door in the entry, & scared me half to death (ya, right) when they jumped out in halloween masks.
We went down into Malibu, for ice cream, & stopped at the memorial to the people who perished on 911.
They had a great time & the memorial was really beautiful.
I was actually surprised at the number of people who`d stopped & parked on the side of the road to enjoy the view over the ocean & sit down to rest, talk, remember etc.
Here is how it felt.
Have a nice day.
You all know I`ve been extremely busy, but I`ll be taking a break, within the next month, & you`ll be seeing more of my images.
Whether that`s a good or bad thing is not up to me to say.
Please click on the main image to see many more images of this day which I will not soon forget.
My girls were a laugh a minute. Their innocence is what keeps me sane, in a real crazy sort of way.
I love them.