All of the one-dozen beautiful “Dark Lulu” roses we got last Friday have opened up to reveal their interior beauty. Looking at the rosebuds, you see a nice shade of red which gradually becomes pink and then creamy white inside the buds. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger view.
At the Range Today
In the video below, Verna shoots a nine millimeter Smith & Wesson 908 at a 25 yard slow-fire bullseye target. Check out the brass shells as they go flying out of this neat little semi-automatic pistol. After seeing this, you know why we wear ear and eye protection when we shoot. Long sleeves are not required, but are recommended!
Press > to play the video.
Chinese Elm with Sun
Last evening, while we were talking our usual walk, we paused to take a picture of one of the Chinese Elm trees on our street. These deciduous trees lose their leaves and bark every winter. The little leaves go everywhere and are messy, but the bark shavings make a satisfying crunch when Verna steps on them. They also look very pretty when the Sun shines through them. Click the image to enlarge.
An Orchid Cluster
Among the more pleasant weekend chores is the trip to the garden center. Today, we were at Lowe’s to get some supplies and, as usual, we went into the garden hothouse and looked at the orchids. This stem had a half-dozen already in bloom and several more buds on the way. Click on the image for a larger view.
Dark Lulu Roses
At the end of our route through the supermarket, we generally stop at the floral concession to pick out some flowers. Today, we picked out these beauties for our dining room table. They are called Dark Lulu roses. The sticker from the florist’s wrapper says:
“Red/White bi-color variety with medium size bloom, medium petal count and opens into a teacup shape.
We can expect 5-7 days of vase life, according to the sticker.
A Day in Avalon
Last spring, we went to Avalon for the day. We took the Catalina Express boat from San Pedro in the morning, and returned to the Mainland that afternoon on the Island Express Helicopter. We spent the day on a walking tour of Avalon to check out some of the other hotels. We also ate lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant and did some shopping. Verna got a nice little sun hat and I got an “Old Guys Rule” sweatshirt. I took this picture of Verna looking back at town from Pebbly Beach on the way out to the heliport. Click the picture for a larger image of Verna’s new hat.
