Considering a week or so trip to Jerusalem in June. Never been there so asking advice on airlines, tours, thing to avoid, things not to avoid, etc. any and all help is appreciated

OI had that same view when living in Colo Spgs in Village Seven. A wonderful place to live.

Still wondering about BIO's wonderful accomplishments that led to his reception of the Nobel Peace Prize after HOW long in office. Oh, yeah, nine months into his first term, in case you are wondering. And who was nice enough to send a plane containing 400 million in cash to Iran (Iran??) and then more totaling 1.3 billion within the next three weeks? And whose picture did we see bowing to some middle eastern royalty? Mr. Dirtpusher, perhaps it would be well to list all the accomplishments accorded to an individual when you start listing any at all. Every president has had both weak and strong points, except perhaps the incumbent, and it seems only sorta fair to list them all when listing any at all...

On the other hand, it seems all of us spend way too much time proving the other person wrong, when we might be better off working to make our country the shining city on the hill we want it to me. The above observations notwithstanding, the chance of changing someones mind by griping at said person is close to nil. And it doesn't make the chance for friendship any greater either. There are so many forces all over the world who have a bullseye on our collective back that it seems to this humble observer that working together is much better than throwing rocks at each other. (Got that, Congress??) End of humble observation. And thanks for reading. (and BTW, Mr Dirtpusher, I am a former Tulsan myself, for what it might be worth)

I have been following Ugly Hedgehog for some years now, and I have normally enjoyed reading its contents each day. Of late, however, I note a seemingly endless stream of unpleasant political back and forth rather than a concentration on photography and associated activities. I chose to keep my own political observations private and truly wish others would do the same. Pro- and anti-Trumpers feel their respective positions strongly; vituperative comments back and forth will do absolutely nothing to change minds. I strongly recommend everyone put their swords back into their sheaths and get back to discussing what we all are here for in the first place: taking and making good images with cameras!

Personally, if things don't change I believe I will become one less observer of the Hog, which saddens me more than I can express; for years I have looked forward to going through the Hog each morning as I take my first cup of coffee. This has pretty much always been a nation in which others' opinions, if not shared, can at least be respected. Now liberals and conservatives seem ready to go to the trenches over every dissension we can think of. My light hearted recommendation: fire all the politicians and start all over again. My tongue in cheek approach: let everyone who is willing to serve in a public office allow his or her (yup, his or hers are still pronouns) social put into a hopper and positions are assigned at random by the computer. All those on the list must be natural-born US citizens. Age restrictions will not be changed. No reference will be made with respect to religion, heritage, etc. Senators are awarded a single eight year term, Representatives two four-year terms, the White House terms remain the same. Cabinet positions can be recommended by the office-holder for a term no longer than his/her own. States can assign whatever selection process each state decides upon for its own offices. A system of removal can be developed in case the office-holder is simply unable to perform for whatever reason. Certain classifications of candidates would be ineligible for specified periods of time (i.e., career military would not be eligible for at least five years after retirement from active during (as is currently the case but which has been side-stepped by recent administrations), felons would be permanently excluded, those with a significant presence in major corporations, educational institutions, etc. would be ineligible for five years, etc.). Once a person has held an office they are no longer eligible for that office, and (depending on how the system is formed) perhaps no other position as well. It is my "unofficial" opinion that such a system would (a) eliminate life-long political careers as envisioned by the Framers, (b) eliminate the insane level of spending (and therefore insane level of begging) that plagues all of us not only during campaigns but now virtually all the time (c) give voice to "normal" people who are in many cases far more capable than the ones supposedly representing them (but who are in fact representing themselves, lobbyists or other special interests), (d) keep other nations out of the process through strong, as in unbreakable, cypher systems. Perhaps, just perhaps, at some point the party system would prove itself antiquated and be dropped. The Framers were largely in favor of not having political parties but that somehow got lost along the way. Clearly there are many flaws in this little proposal, but it occurs to this humble observer that some changes regarding how this nation conducts its affairs are badly needed. We cannot keep fighting with each other and expect nobody to get ideas about how to take us down (CCP anyone?).

I am quite aware of the implausible nature of my proposal. It would require a Constitutional Amendment at the very least - maybe a new constitution altogether, which would be a shame since I have grown quite fond of the one they wrote two and a third centuries ago. Then there is the question of somehow getting all the existing politicians to agree on something that would remove their source of income and power -hardly a likely event, don't we think? As I said, this is a tongue in cheek proposal, but the underlying concern is quite real. We as a nation have a serious problem and it will take serious, thoughtful people to deal with that problem. From where I sit we have a few of that kind of people in the Congress and the Administration, but we have a significantly larger supply of self-serving, limited-view people from both parties who would sell their souls for another vote against the other party, and who cares what it does to the nation at large? Folks we are living in a nation, not a party, and we should think in that mode. Our current dilemma: what to do with all these people who show up and want in? Are they there? Some seem to think no, many others, who claim to live along the southern border, say yes. Can we accept millions of new people who don't speak our language, don't have any job, don't have education, are in many cases known criminals,
and who think they have been invited in by the sitting President, if you can believe the lettering on the shirts many of them wear. Can we manage all this through battles with one another? Or can we manage it more effectively by thinking as Americans rather than Democrats of Republicans?

To those who are getting their fingers limbered up to fire something back in my direction: go for it. I think such a retort is right in line with the mood of the country. For those who might agree, even with the zanier parts of this piece, perhaps you have something really solid to add that might engender some actual, serious attention in the polluted city along the Potomac. At any rate, be gentle: it has not been my intention to raise hackles, rather only to point out what I see as a bad situation in the process of getting worse almost daily.

The Bible said it (Mk 3:24 and others) and Lincoln repeated it: a nation divided against itself cannot stand. I truly and deeply hope and pray we have not reached such a point, but what we see through the media and other public resources makes me think we are at least in sight of the precipice, if not right on the edge.

It is not North Carolina for sure. In that part of NC there are no hills or mountains of any size, such as the one shown in the left background of the photo, just flat pine country. Been there many times to visit family; Lumberton NC is a pleasant, fair-sized town with a much larger, brick Post Office. Never been to Lumberton NM and it appears to be in the process of falling down.

Jerry's quote seems a bit tongue in cheek, and I take it as such. Painting is an entirely different enterprise IMO, most especially for those of us who aspire to being abstract artists. Nothing at which to point one's camera, nothing to add or subtract from a scene, only place upon the work surface that which one feels appropriate for the effect or mood desired. It works or it doesn't depending upon one's taste and talent for the activity.

So glad to hear your news! He is always caring for you, me, all of us. Always look to the Light, regardless of the
circumstances. And may His Name always be on our lips!

The changing cottonwoods are a favorite of mine. I have always wondered, however, whether one can determine the age of the dead trees one comes across in the desert. I guess there is some general idea of how long it takes for them to fall and return to the soil, but I have no idea what that term may be. Anyone have any ideas? Or how long cottonwoods generally live, or whether the twisted trees we see in Cany's (always excellent) photos are indeed cottonwoods or something else common to the area. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

I think the contrast between the colors on the top of the trees and the whiteness of the trunks. Overall, it seems to me one of the best tree shots I've seen in a while.

Certainly has a nose for photography...

I would hate to be a judge in a show of just those photos. All excellent; thanks for teaching us - again - what it is supposed to look like.

We've all seen many shots of the beauty of Glacier, but that is one of the best I have seen - ever!

I, too, wonder at what time such an image of Dallas could have been shot without at least some light trails involved. Great composition and color control. That general scene can probably be replicated, more or less, in most major cities across the country. But one needs to exercise great caution with the crazy traffic all over the place.

Nice image of but one of the missions in San Antonio. San Juan, like the others, is both an active parish along the San Antonio River dating from the 1700s and a part of the National Park system. Its priest is a very friendly Irish gentleman who welcomes visitors when he encounters them. He lives on the grounds and his quarters, a few steps away, also give residence to an unknown number of cats.

That belongs on your wall, or somebody's wall. Excellent image!