I know it's only 19 days into the new year, but it's time for a road trip!!! I will be off at "O dark-thirty" tomorrow morning up the road a bit to see relatives in Bellingham, Washington.

I will be pulling a small trailer full of my sister Susan's stuff and help my two sisters move into a two-bedroom apartment. I will be up there four days in all and I will have an opportunity to see my "pop" as well.

As usual, I'll have my trusty digital camera and laptop computer along to keep you posted on my trip and any unusual occurrences.

It may be -50 degrees in Maine, but it was beautiful in SoCal yesterday. So nice in fact, that my friend Jack and I went to our favorite beach for the day.

And it was quite a nice day. There was a bit of wind, but lots of sun and the temps were in the high 70's. The warm weather brought out much of the usual Sunday crowd including the nude volleyball and stick ball players. A very nice day in deed.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Ursula Andress who turns 72 years old today. Ursula Andress was born in Ostermundigen, Berne, Switzerland. She was married to director John Derek, prior to Bo Derek, for nine years. She has one son from a relationship with actor Harry Hamlin. She is also known to have dated such Hollywood hunks as Marlon Brando and James Dean.


Ursula is probably best know for her role as "Honey Ryder" in the Jams Bond movie "Dr. No". Her scene where she rises from the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini still ranks as a classic moment in James Bond movie history. The role also won her a Golden Globe award for 'New Star of the Year" in 1962.

Ursula went on to star opposite Elvis Presley in "Fun in Acapulco", Frank Sinatra in "4 for Texas", and Marcello Mastroianni in "The 10th Victim". She starred in a second James Bond movie, "Casino Royale" as Vesper Lynd. She posed for Playboy in 1965.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to First Lady to be, Michelle Obama, who turns 45 years old today. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She graduated from Whitney Young High School where she was on the honor roll all four years, a member of the National Honors Society, and served as the student council treasurer. She graduated in 1981 as the class salutatorian.

Michelle Obama attended Princeton University where she got her BA degree in sociology and African American Studies in 1985. She got her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1988.


After law school, Michelle was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin where she worked on marketing and intellectual property. Subsequently, she held positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the mayor, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development.

In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization that still stood a dozen years after she left.

In 1996, Obama served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University's Community Service Center. In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May, 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.

She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband's election; she subsequently took a leave of absence from her job.

Michelle Obama met Barack while working at the same law firm in Chicago. They married in October of 1992. They have two daughters, Malia and Natasha. They will be taking up residence in the White House next Tuesday.

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It's winter in MICHIGAN,

And the gentle breezes blow.

Seventy miles an hour,

At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love MICHIGAN,

When the snow's up to your butt.

You take a breath of winter,

And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful,

So I guess I'll hang around.

I could never leave Michigan,

I'm frozen to the ground!

Danny Detroit

This is called a solar halo. It is a 22-degree radius halo caused by refraction of sunlight through the edges of six-sided ice crystals in the clouds.

Bush bashing to the end!!!

SoCal sunset

Ricardo Montalban, aka "Mr. Roarke" in TV's "Fantasy Island" died today in Los Angeles. He was 88 years old. No cause of death was given.

11/25/20 - 01/13/09

Must have read my blog!!!

"keep using my name in vain & I'll make rush hour longer".

AP Associated Press

Jan. 11, 2009 12:16 a.m

NORMAL, Illinois - Wedding bells meant the Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell for Paul and Caragh Brooks.

Customers inside the fast-food restaurant continued to order tacos and burritos as the couple sat Friday in an orange Taco Bell booth and exchanged vows.

"It's appropriate," groom Paul Brooks said. "It's an offbeat relationship."

Employees displayed hot sauce packets labeled with the words "Will you marry me?" They decorated the restaurant with streamers and balloons.

The bride wore a $15 hot pink dress and the entire wedding cost about $200. Several dozen guests looked on as the couple's friend, Ryan Green of Normal, administered the vows while wearing a T-shirt. He was ordained online.

"This is the way to go — there's no stress," said the groom's mother, Kathy Brooks.

Did you know that the original Taco Bell restaurant was opened on March 21, 1962 in Downy, California by Glenn Bell? Taco Bell, now owned by Pepsi Co., has over 5500 restaurants nation-wide.

An atheist advertising campaign has been launched on buses across Britain.

A fund-raising drive for the promotion, carrying the slogan "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", raised more than £140,000.

The campaign, which will also feature on the Tube, is backed by the British Humanist Association and prominent atheist, Professor Richard Dawkins.