Saturday, March 14, 2009

Stanley Park - pre-spring visit

Stanley Park..../early spring visit


My Daughter, Grandson and I took one our nicer mornings off and headed to Stanley Park in Westfield. Sam was app pumped up about the Ducks in the park and had read a bunch about them and the Geese on line. The Park isn't completely open yet so you have to do a lot of walking to get to everything. There were a ton of people walking dogs but all of them were on the leash. Lots of parents with little kids. A little tough to get down to the duck pond as the park waits for Mother Nature to remove the snow and ice she put there. Little bit to big to shovel all the sidewalks but it was manageable. Besides the snow lets you remember your in New England and Spring is not here yet. We had a great time.




















My Grandson Sam looks over the Duck/Swan/Goose pond















There was a real Gaggle of Geese














Beautiful Mute Swan














Mallards everywhere and noisy to boot

Stanley Park in Westfield MA is a very beautiful facility and only a few blocks from the cemetery. We are very lucky to have it and it doesn't cost us a cent. Not even a tax dollar. Lots of wildlife, walking trails along a beautiful river and more picnic areas than you can imagine and all with a charcoal barbecue stand. We always have our family reunions there. Beautiful playgrounds for kids and lots of soccer fields and basketball courts. This doesn't even account for the world class flower gardens and the world renowned rose gardens and fountains and........


A very enjoyable moment for all three of us
Take a look for your self: Stanley Park

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

In a Perfect World


This is one of the best Political Cartoons that I have seen in a long time. I like political cartoons and I look at a lot of them. Some really make me laugh, as this one has, and makes me want to share it. Very rarely can I find someone that enjoys them as I do. Sometimes I don't get them but that is usually a product of my education or worldliness or lack there of. So I share this one with you and hope you enjoy the simplicity of it. Hopefully this posting will signify the loss of my anger that was expressed in my past several postings. They caused me to leave the blogesphere for a while as I attempted to dispel my unhappy feelings. I think I need a disclaimer here: I am not racists nor do I have anything against Mexican Drug Lords or Arabs.

Bruce Beattie has been creating captivating and controversial editorial cartoons since 1986. He is also creator of a comic strip, and his work has been featured in several museum exhibits, including the State of Florida's Museum of History. Beattie graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Oriental studies and attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He began his career at The Honolulu Advertiser and then moved on to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, where he has been editorial cartoonist since 1981. His awards include the Florida Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine State Award for Excellence in Editorial Cartoons and the Florida Press Club's Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beattie has served as president of the National Cartoonists Society and has been on the board of directors of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, the Newspaper Features Council and the International Museum of Cartoon Art.