Bob

Reconnoitering a Local Crafts and Gift Shop

Verna with Metal Sculptures

We took the dogs to the groomer today and afterwards we drove up US 60 the short distance to check out a tourist-y shop that had changed hands since the last time we were there several years ago. We finally had the opportunity to take a look. The sign outside the store says “Collectables and Gifts, Southwestern Decor, Garden Pottery and Nursery.” Yep, it was all of that, but terribly overpriced (for the most part) and dealing with mostly imported goods and not necessarily “southwestern made” stuff.

It was fun to look around the stuff, some of it quite nice (but too expensive for what it is) and colorful to boot. Verna posed with some metallic sculptures in the outdoor portion of the place. Click on the image to enlarge.

Nineteenth Wedding Anniversary

Bracelet

Today is the nineteenth anniversary of our wedding day. We were married in the City of Avalon on Catalina Island. Dozens of friends and family were in attendance.

In addition to the 19th anniversary gemstone aquamarine bracelet shown above, Verna has another turquoise and silver rope bracelet. The latter two were purchased locally while the AQ came in the mail from an on-line vendor. Next year is the Emerald anniversary.

Painted Desert Panorama

Painted Desert Panorama

We briefly stopped at Petrified Forest National Park this morning on our way to view the All American Solar Eclipse. Our route takes us by several interesting and beautiful places. This panoramic image was made from five 1.333 aspect images combined into the wide-angle view.

Click on the image to enlarge for the full sized panorama. Use the scroll bars to view.

Cumulus and Cactus

Cumulus and Cactus

Verna took this photo today of some cumulus clouds building up east of us with the big saguaro and ocotillo in the foreground. We have been getting storms since Thursday of this week and expect them to continue until Monday according to the National Weather Service.

This evening, we are surrounded by thunder cells with lightning very frequent. We were out in the courtyard a few minutes ago when the International Space Station passed overhead and visible to us through the gaps in the clouds. Very entertaining!

Eleventh Blogaversary

Pruned Mesquite

Our first post on VERNABOB.COM was on July 17, 2006. We put up a couple of photos of us taken in our leisure time since we were still reporting to work in those days.

We don’t blog as much or regularly these days, well, because retirement finds so many ways to use your time and efforts otherwise. Today, I took off a major upright limb from the mesquite tree by the RV driveway. I pruned off the remaining low-hanging branches that were almost reaching the ground. Click on the image to enlarge.

Lava Falls on Mars in 3D

Lava Falls on Mars

Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image rendered in stereo taken by a Martian satellite. The depth of this image when using the red/cyan glasses is pretty amazing.

From APOD:

This stereo anaglyph was created by combining two images recorded by the HiRISE camera onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The multi-level falls were created as flowing lava breached sections of the northern rim of a 30-kilometer diameter martian crater, located in the western part of the Red Planet’s volcanic Tharsis region. As the molten lava cascaded down the crater wall and terraces to reach the crater floor it left the distinctly rough, fan-shaped flows on the steeper slopes. North is up and the breathtaking 3D view is 5 kilometers wide.