A rusted wreck on the Potomac River south of DC. The debris in the foreground is from the remains a one of hundreds of World War One era ships that were intentionally sunk there. A closer view of the ship. The pile of sticks on the bow is an osprey nest. Closer still, you can see the ospreys and closer still you can see two osprey chicks in the nest.

Alisande,,,I think that uniform is the WASP uniform. During World War II there was a severe shortage of pilots so all male pilots in the military were assigned to combat units. Out of necessity the Army Air Corp trained women to fly military aircraft and they were used to fly new replacement aircraft from the manufacturer out to the combat units world wide. It must also be noted that while flying those new aircraft into the combat areas the airplanes had no guns or ordinance on board so they basically had no way to defend themselves, yet they managed to deliver hundreds upon hundreds of bombers, fighters and transport aircraft from the states to England, Russia and into the Pacific region. Although history has given them very little recognition, as a veteran I would like to go on record as saying those were some of the true heros.

the muffins are vegan pumpkin mini muffins I baked for the bike even last Sunday. Here is the recipe: The Best Pumpkin Muffins by IsaChandra Makes 1 dozen muffins Everyone loves these muffins. (You think I throw around phrases like “The Best” for nothing?) I created them when I was baking for a café and they sold like nobody’s business. They truly are perfect in every way. Variation: Fold in a cup of either chopped fresh cranberries or chopped walnuts, or a mixture of the two. 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix) 1/2 cup soy milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons molasses Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked them for 15 minutes.

My son-in-law and his daughter silhouetted on their dock yesterday.