Warmed by the morning sunlight, this nice Cosmos flower shows its symmetry and order that prompted the Spaniards to give it the name Cosmos, which means “ordered universe.” This one is the first from some starter plants we bought a few weeks ago, and is quite large - about four inches (10cm) across. Click the thumbnail image for a larger view.

Now that I’m going to transfer to another facility, I will no longer have some of these pleasant places to walk to on my noontime walks. This is a panorama I made of the fountain in front of the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel. I will miss the nice places, but I’m still committed to take the walks, scenery or not. Click the picture for the big view.

This is another flower on the same Santana Hibiscus bush that we acquired last week, but the color of this one isn’t the light two-tone yellow and orange of the first blossoms. It’s sort of hard to believe that this is the same bush, but it is. We’ll have to wait and see what the rest of the many more flowers to come will look like.

This hard-to-describe beetle perched on a basil leaf in the patio, so I grabbed the camera and got a couple of shots of it. I couldn’t quite describe it to Bob, so creepy or not, a picture was in order. This Halloween-colored critter certainly doesn’t blend in the foliage like other more stealthy bugs. Click on the image for a larger view.

I’ve posted about my favorite flower, the Stargazer Lily, before. For whatever reason, the flower concession at our local supermarket has been devoid of ‘gazers. Over the weekend, however, we went to another store and found a nice bouquet of three stems for under $10. This one opened over the weekend and is so pretty. It’s nice to see ‘gazers back on the dining room table. Click the thumbnail for a larger view.

From FloraPedia:

The stargazer has added a new layer to the already rich legacy of lilies, which have been a significant floral symbol for centuries. In ancient mythology and in folklore from around the world, the lily has appeared as a deeply spiritual and philosophical metaphor. Developed in the latter part of the 20th century, the stargazer lily is a recent addition to the lily family, but this unique and rather exotic hybrid has rapidly risen in popularity to become one of the most adored and sought-after of all lily varieties.

Video summary of our session at the shooting range today:

After reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO - The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.

Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s - click to enlarge

Eventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.

Image left: New Reno sign - click to enlarge

As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.