101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less

Here is a collection of party foods that are as easy to eat as they are to make. Each can be produced in 20 minutes or less. Many can be served at room temperature.

Inside Chernobyl's Sarcophagus

White Christmas?

Winter Storm Watch

... Winter Storm Watch now in effect from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon...

The Winter Storm Watch is now in effect from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon across southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho.

A strong Pacific storm will move across the area Sunday night through Monday with snow accumulating up to 2 inches in the lower valleys and accumulating 3 to 9 inches in the mountains. Below 3000 feet late Sunday night and early Monday morning snow may mix with freezing rain or rain in Malheur County and the Treasure valley. This storm also has the potential for wind gusts of 20 mph to locally 35 mph which would bring areas of blowing and drifting snow with local near whiteout conditions during times of heaviest snow and strongest winds.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations and strong winds that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

New Panoramic Feature

Panoramic shots consist of many photos of an area you could never get in one click of the camera shutter, stitched together to make up one really big display. I have been creating panoramas for many years, but have never found a way to share them and maintain the effect. Using a new display vehicle called CleVR all of that has changed.

Below are three test shots using the new process. Just click in the window and then scroll around the photo and really get the feel of the wide world.

Hope you enjoy!

Cayman Islands

"Cruise Ship Row" from the beach of Cayman Island.

Day Fourteen Swimming Pool

DAY -

Finished the hole!

Crater Lake, Oregon

Clear and cold!

Track Santa!

About Santa

Santa maintains a huge list of children who have been good throughout the year. The list even includes addresses, ZIP codes and postal codes. The list, of course, gets bigger each year by virtue of the world's increasing population. This year's population right now is 6,634,570,959!

Santa has had to adapt over the years to having less and less time to deliver his toys. If one were to assume he works in the realm of standard time, as we know it, clearly he would have perhaps two to three ten-thousandths of a second to deliver his toys to each child's home he visits!

The fact that Santa Claus is more than 15 centuries old and does not appear to age is our biggest clue that he does not work within time, as we know it. His Christmas Eve trip may seem to take around 24 hours, but to Santa it could be that it lasts days, weeks or months in standard time. Santa would not want to rush the important job of bringing Christmas happiness to a child, so the only logical conclusion is that Santa somehow functions on a different time and space continuum.

Pool Update

Winter showed up last week, and with temperatures in the teens, they needed to keep the ground covered so it would not freeze... solid as a rock.

As it turned out, covering it was a waste of time. Four feet down... Solid Rock! Note: Scratch marks from the bucket teeth, looking for a weak spot.

Time to bring in the Big Gun! This CAT has a giant pneumatic jack hammer that should make rock beg for mercy. It also made us beg for mercy... $1,500.00 dollars a day to rent!

Chipping it out, one chunk at a time.

My guess is that the pool won't go anywhere after it's done.

At least we mined our own boulders for use on the berms surrounding the pool.
The finished hole.

Day Fourteen

Here is the current state of the pool project. Heavy rains have made it quite muddy out there, and with the coming of Christmas, my guess is it will stay looking like this for the next week or two.

Eyes!

Peter Jackson To Produce “The Hobbit”

Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

Click title link for full story.

Turkey Or Prime Rib For Christmas?

How about this instead... It serves 125, takes eight hours to cook and is stuffed with 12 different birds ... now that really IS a Christmas dinner!

15 Weird Gadgets

A Look Into My Sorted Past

It is time to finally admit my role in the 1994 knee clubbing of Nancy Kerrigan. If you can remember back to January 1994, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were both vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team. A man named Shawn Eckardt was at that time employed as Tonya Harding's body guard. It turned out that Harding's husband Jeff Gillooly and Eckardt plotted together to have Nancy Kerrigan, Harding's competition, shall we say, disabled.

Now, I know you are wondering what all of this could possibly have to do with me?

During the above mentioned time frame, one of my job functions was working behind a counter sending MoneyGram's for Western Union. Well, Mr. Eckardt showed up at my counter one night, and sure enough, I sent the money to the hit man who whacked Kerrigan. $2000 dollars in case you have always wondered what a good knee whacking costs.

I was actually questioned by the police and met Eckardt, who with his lawyer tried to Jedi Mind Trick me into thinking I had not actually seen him. I assured them that I had.

Now, why today of all days to air this sorted and most certainly dirty laundry?

Because Brian Sean Griffith passed away today. Yup, he changed his name and no, I had nothing to do with it. Click on the title of this blog entry to read the article.

I feel much better coming clean and hope you don't think less of me knowing my connection to such a heinous crime.