A still life I did yesterday with the Kanji symbol for "Peace". Wishing "Peace" for 2013. POEM: Aoi Sorawa (Skies of Blue) by Jim Mason March.18.02 Let us leave our children skies of blue That burning August morning even shadows burnt away That weight of fathers mothers brothers sisters lives We carry and we hold. Let us leave our children skies of blue. That night the essence of thousands vanished silent into space The weight of fathers mothers brothers sisters lives Now float like lantern lights to sea Let us leave our children skies of blue. Put out the fires of war from every nation in the world May peace and love and liberty and life glow in our handshakes In our voices in our songs Let us leave our children skies of blue.

We're in Fairmont, WV, Joe. and Morris park is just up on the hill about 1/2 mile from us. The road circles around, is about a mile or so. Great place to walk. Here's another shot that I took recently up there. Up ahead where the road goes into the trees, is where I took the other pics.

The "Big Tree"; the worlds largest Alligator Juniper, Juniperus deppeana. Ron

Jasdip, a good friend of mine is the photographer for the local orchid society. She has dozens of orchids, all barren right now. I hosted a dinner party back in early October and my guests brought me a lovely butterfly orchid, my very first orchid of any kind. Of course I asked my orchid photographer friend how to take care of it and what to expect. She told me how to water it and to expect all the blossoms to fall off soon and to not assume it was dead. Three months later and my orchid still looks incredible! In fact, I took a photo of it this morning to send to the gal who gave it to me. And to take back my promise to her that I would surely kill it immediately. :-) I will post that photo tomorrow. But today is a photo I took on last Saturday's hike in the local mountains. Jodi-