Monthly Archives: January 2026
Wednesday
And Don Lemon's still running around free.
Do you think you'd still be free if you did what he did last Sunday?
Do you have that sneaky feeling you wouldn't have been free by Monday night if you did what he did last Sunday?
And probably arraigned by now? With large - if any - bail?
Oh, that poor misunderstood gay black man that everyone picks on.
Suffering from all the white privilege he's surrounded by.
Doesn't your heart just break thinking of how much he's been put upon?
No one's above the law - so they say - but it sure seems a bunch of people are outside it.
Update: Hm-m-m ... maybe. He's not big potatoes but he does have name recognition.
The Trump Justice Department charged Don Lemon and 7 others for storming Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
However, the magistrate judge rejected the charges against Don Lemon.
A Minnesota federal magistrate judge refused to sign a complaint charging independent journalist Don Lemon in connection with a protest inside a church in St. Paul on Sunday, multiple sources familiar with the proceedings told CBS News. Lemon admitted he was embedded with BLM activist Nekima Armstrong and the group of rabid protestors.
Interesting:
The magistrate in Minnesota who refused to sign off on an arrest warrant for Don Lemon is Douglas L. Micko and that his wife works as an Assistant Attorney General in Minnesota AG Keith Ellison’s office.
We ARE At War
with China.
But China isn't attacking us directly - so smiley face, so accommodating of trade.
But it is going after our major allies: Great Britain, Australia, now Canada.
Politicians are so easy to buy ... isn't that right, Swalwell?
And everybody's so freaky right now about Israel - good distraction.
Continue reading →Per Request – Abandoned Building
Out in the Oregon wastelands between OR205 and US395 are the remnants of hardier people than of now that made a go of survival. Perhaps in their time, they were successful - this ruin certainly does not appear to have been a barely-hanging-on rancher's shack.
One wall - between the two parts of the house - looks to be stone; perhaps part of an original structure built as protection against Indians (1850s) or the harsh winds of winter. The shake shingles suggest construction before the advent of corrugated tin or asphalt roofing. The thickness of the window frame suggest thick walls. The portion to the left suggests a screen porch. The outhouse was on the other side of the tree - whose condition suggests plentiful water. The metal artifact low in the grass suggests 1920s.
The condition of the building and surrounding grounds suggests it might have been lived in as late as the 40s or 50s.
If I could remember where I was when I took this photo, I'd go back and see what has changed in the 20+ years since I was there last.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO……ME!
submitted by ghostsniper via comments
Welp, it was 40 years ago today that I started my architectural design business.
Time flies…..
Was living in Fort Myers, Florida at the time, 30 years old, been married a year and a half, had an infant son, and was working at the best job I ever had getting paid more than I deserved, for the largest architecture firm in the state. I was a lead designer and was treated like a king by everybody there. But then, I did work like they never seen before, nor since.
I landed that job in the summer of 85 and they offered to pay me MORE than what I was asking for. I was not yet an architect so my title was Lead Designer and I was doing design work on their biggest projects. Sarasota Justice Center. Tampa Stadium. Sugarloaf Key Elementary School. St Anthony Church restoration (oldest church in Florida), etc.
All of that stuff was a piece of cake and not nearly enough to sate my drive. I was burning hard at both ends and exploding in the middle. Out of our little rented house I was doing side jobs, nights and weekends after working 60 hour weeks at “the firm”. Residential remodeling and additions, single family homes, multi-family buildings, new commercial construction, everything. I turned nothing away and kept trying for more.
Soon, I realized I was earning more money on my own than at my well paid job, so the job had to go. Now I could devote all of my time to my goal.
My wife didn’t work until our son was 5 and started school so she handled the books for my business. It didn’t take long before I realized this wasn’t going to work. Some people can some how work with their wife, I cannot.
I moved my business into an office, expanded my licenses statewide, and hired an accountant to handle all the bookwork. I hired a part time drafter. I aligned (joint ventures) with 2 architects for larger projects. The whole thing was upwardly mobile.
Some of my projects started winning contests and awards. During 1990 I had designed more model home centers in the 3 county area than anyone else and I hired 2 more drafters and a full time administrative assistant and I started attending real estate school.
In 1994 I started getting involved with CAD, Computer Aided Design, and kicked everything into high gear. I was doing some of the largest projects in the area and was attracting some celebrity attention for specialized projects. I did one gov’t project, lost my ass on it, and never did another one.
By 2000 I was realigned with reality, trimming the fat, becoming more specialized. I could pick and choose my projects. I only wanted to design large scale custom homes on islands. That’s where the top quality projects intersected with top quality clients and pay. I was the exclusive designer for the islands of Sanibel, Captiva, Bokeelia, Cayo Costa, Useppa, and Boca Grand. Top shelf material all the way around.
Since 2010 I have slowed down a little, only doing 10-20 projects a year. No office, no employees, just me and some sub-contract associates in Florida. Last year I completed my last commercial project. I will continue to do preliminary design work on commercial projects but all construction documents will be handled by others. I’ll keep designing custom homes too.
Since I was 11 and in 7th grade I had a pretty clear view of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life as a vocation. Design buildings. There have been many challenges along the way. Heartbreaks. Massive frustrations. Months on end of irritable clients, projects, and gov’t overbearance. More than once I wanted to give up. Throw the towel in. Just go get a job and let others be responsible. But after a few brews, a puff of smoke, and a few hours or snoring, and 6 am the next day I was always back at it. Never giving up.
I’m old now, and I want to work up til I die. But the reality of such a thing is not good thinking. In earlier times this had never occurred to me. Getting old is something you do alone, and you learn alone.
Last Sept my mutt Shannon died and I told my wife I’ll not get another mutt and thrust it onto someone else when I die. Similarly, I don’t want to leave my clients high and dry when I die. Uncompleted projects that would probably be locked up in probate to where other people would not be able to complete them. Such a condition could cause problems for my wife. I won’t let that happen.
I learned how to start and successfully run a business for more than half my life and now I must learn the reverse, how to shut it down, and when. How do you stop doing something that has been so good to you for so long?
Sometimes All One Can Do …
... is stop to smell the roses.
If it weren't for needing to keep an eye on my enemies, I wouldn't bother watching the news.
Continue reading →Tunesday – Camel Medley: Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider
A sample of some obscure - and maybe not obscure - tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today's double selection: Camel Medley: Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider 1974
Off one of my favorite albums, this medley off "Mirage" is inspired by "Lord of the Rings".
I've blown out speakers cranking this piece up at about 7:00. My solution? Get bigger speakers and crank it up further.
Camel was formed in England in 1971, Mirage being their second album. Their first performance was as the opening band for Wishbone Ash. Back in the mid-70s, they toured with Wishbone Ash quite a bit - I believe I saw those bands together in 1974 at a place called "The Icehouse" in Kalamazoo before I left Michigan although I can find no record of such a concert. Everything's on the internet except my memory.
The original lineup produced 4 albums until 1976 when personnel changes began. One member of the original band is still part of the group. Not fully active since 2002, they still perform live occasionally.
If It Had Been A Black Church …
Don Lemon instigates an anti-ICE protest against a church during services. In Minneapolis St Paul of course.
(Same metro area with a river between them. C'mon Portland, you're slipping!)
Pretty much something every day now ...
It was Cities Church of St Paul, somewhat affiliated with the Baptists.
One commenter:
"Yeah, so if Don Lemon and every single radical that stormed that church isn’t immediately arrested, people are going to start taking matters into their own hands & things are going to get ugly fast.
Either the DOJ steps up, or the American parents whose kids were terrified, will"
The fuse has been lit. Is it possible to snuff it out before things blow?
Or maybe it's time to let it blow and sort this crap out once and for all.
I don't see either option as a "good one".
Stay tuned - same bat time, same bat channel
It appears Don Lemon "has been put on notice" by DOJ.
At least until the next incident puts this one on the back burner.
(Killing? Do you remember any killing?)
Love Is Rare…
First posted by Jean at "Pondering", Jan 13, 2026
when
love is lost
the world
can
go to hell.
it's better
if you never
had it in the
first place
because
then
you don't
know what you
missed.
World’s Most Beautiful Airport
San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 received the top honor.
Why you might ask?
"Harvey Milk Terminal 1 was designed to establish a new benchmark for an extraordinary airport experience, bringing to life our mission to put people and planet first. Being the first airport terminal in the world named for an LGBTQ+ leader only enhances the significance of this recognition, and my thanks go out to the entire project team for this milestone achievement"
Continue reading →