COLUMBO'S SITE

Spring in Salem

2009-04-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

One reason we move up to Salem from California is captured in these photos. Each spring the cherry blossoms come out around the Capital and it is so gorgeous. Click on each photo to get a
close up.

Ruby Green Tuesday

2009-03-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Ruby Tuesday accenting something GREEN for St. Patrick's Day. Please join us by clicking here. Thanks to Mary for hosting. The following shots have green in them and were taken in our last trip to New Orleans , The Big Easy. Have a great St. Patrick's Day.

Ruby Tuesday

2009-03-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Ruby Tuesday and time to post something with a little or a lot of RED. Come join us by clicking here. Mary, thanks for hosting each week.
Son John and his pet snake Scalia. Scalia is a Ball Python.

Here is John, one happy son of mine, enjoying the Santiam River last summer near Salem, Oregon.

I love geraniums, can't wait to start my planting this Spring.

Have a great Ruby Tuesday, and remember for St. Patrick's Day next week it will be GREEN instead of RED.

Ruby Tuesday

2009-03-02T06:25:00.001-08:00

Today is Ruby Tuesday again and time for a little bit of RED or a lot of RED. I posted some photos of my favorite things.

Of course my wife, Cindy and son, John

Our favorite flower

Our little Robin redbreast last spring

Come join us for Ruby Tuesday, all you need is something a little RED. Click here to see all the people for Ruby Tuesday.

Ruby Tuesday

2009-02-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Our favorite city to visit is New Orleans. Here are some pictures of our last visit in October 2008. The Big Easy is exciting to visit with all the great food, culture, and history. The people are awesome and each time we visit we do something different. The last trip we took a cemetery tour and a Haunted History tour. We will continue to visit New Orleans in years to come.

Come join us by visiting all the participants by clicking here. Have a great Ruby Tuesday!

John, a happy young man in New Orleans and the famous, " Pete the Cat"

The Name Game

2009-02-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

I got this from The Jason Show. My lovely Princess, Cindy did it, so now it is my turn....

Name Game

Your Real Name: Richard

Witness Protection Name: (mother and father's middle names) Louise Kenneth

Secret Spy Name: (your first name spelled backwards) Drahcir

Nascar Name (first name of your mother's dad and father's dad) James Thomas

Detective Name: (favorite color, favorite animal) Red Cheetah

Soap Opera Name: (middle name, county where you were born) James King

Super Hero Name: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, add The to the beginning)
The Black Cosmo

Fly Name: (first 2 letters of your first name, last 2 letters of your last name) Rian

Street Name; (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Vanilla Bean Oreo

Rock Star: (1st pet's name, street you grew up on) Thumper Green

Your Next Child's Name: (name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
Joop Skittles

Mulligan's Happenings

2008-11-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister, Sue, came to visit us in Salem. It was nice to see her after several years. We had a great time talking about years gone by, present times, and future concerns. As you get older these moments are especially important. She is living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and enjoying retired life.

Halloween 2008

Halloween was very quiet this year. We only had about 10 groups of Trick or Treaters, meaning we had a lot of candy left over. Oh well, more candy for us.

John, drilling his little pumpkin

"N" is for New Orleans!

2008-10-22T08:48:00.001-07:00

This week ABC Wednesday is "N" as in New Orleans, my favorite vacation spot to visit. We just got back last week after spending 6 days in "Nawlins" and thoroughly enjoying it. This was the first we had been back since Katrina. We had missed it so much and were happy to spend some time there eating our way through the French Quarter. The following are some of our photos of our trip. We highly recommend everyone to visit the Big Easy if they get a chance. You will be treated to the culture, music, food, and the wonderful people of New Orleans.

Jackson Square French Quarter site of St. Louis Cathedral

French Market in French Quarter

St. Louis Cemetery has all above ground burial sites

Our favorite location, the French Quarter

My wife and son eating their way through the French Quarter

Our favorite brunch place in the French Quarter

One of our favorite foods , Beignets at Cafe Du Monde with a cup of Cafe Au Lait.

Come join us at ABC Wednesday by clicking here. Additional photos of our New Orleans visit can be viewed by clicking here.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's Ruby Tuesday and time for a little bit or red or a lot of red. This week I added a little bit of humor to my posting of my family coneheads. I did some photoshop editing, but captured some red also.
Next photos are from my yard this last weekend. It was great weather in the 80's and a great time to do some macro shots of my flowers.

Have a great Ruby Tuesday by visiting all the participants by clicking here.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

Today is time for Ruby Tuesday. I found this photo that my son, John, took during the summer. He shot his sunglasses reflecting himself and the clouds in the background. I thought it was a creative shot and worthy for a Ruby Tuesday posting.

This next photo was taken during Child Abuse Prevention Month. My son's school donated over 100 Teddy Bears to the police department, which they would give out to children in need. John is with Lt. Bennett of the local police department.

Join us for Ruby Tuesday by clicking here. See the other participants, and be sure to comment on their postings. Have a great Ruby Tuesday.

ABC Wednesday "I" is for.....Infant...

2008-09-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is ABC Wednesday and this weeks letter is I as in Infant. This is our close friend's daughter, Claire. These photos were taken a few weeks ago during her first birthday. Claire had a great time, and enjoying opening all her birthday presents, and of course, hearing "Happy Birthday" sang to her.

Please join us on ABC Wednesday by clicking here, to see all the participants. Have a great ABC Wednesday.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

Today is Ruby Tuesday, a time to post a photo with something red in it. The first photo was taken of my son John, wife Cindy, and Riley (John's friend) at Glacier National Park (Montana). The next photo is at Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park with John and Cindy. Glacier National Park is in Wyoming and part in Canada. During our visit last June, we were treated to numerous deer, elk, and even an occasional black bear. This is one of my favorite national parks to visit. To get to Avalanche Lake we had a nice five mile hike, so bring your hiking boots and oxygen if you happen to visit.

Come join us for Ruby Tuesday, click here to join or see the other participants.

ABC Wednesday is for Hugs

2008-09-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's time for ABC Wednesday and H is our letter for today. I picked H is for Hugs. Something we all need once in awhile. Below is a shot of my son, John, and two of his friends, Noah and Emily. Noah and Emily are brother and sister and are good buddies with John.
Come join us for ABC Wednesday, by clicking here and see all the other participants.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-05T12:42:00.001-07:00

Here is part of the sunken remains of the USS Arizona. Over 1,177 Arizona crew members died during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This photo was taken at the USS Arizona Memorial. If you every get the chance make sure you visit this site in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Here is a shot of my son, John, and his pet Ball Python, 'Scalia'. Ball pythons are fairly tame and grow to about 5 feet.

The last photo is a Anthurium plant from Hawaii, growing out of a lava rock. I think athurium flowers are so perfect and always remind me of Hawaii. Hawaii will have its 50th birthday next year and we plan to be there to celebrate.

Join us for Ruby Tuesday by clicking here, and see all the other participants.

SkyWatch Friday

2008-09-04T11:36:00.001-07:00

Today is SkyWatch Friday and above are some shots from my house last week. We had great weather and even a little rain. I love it at this time of the year, especially up in the Northwest (Oregon). Have a great Skywatch Friday and click here to visit or join us.

ABC Wednesday "G" is for Gorilla

2008-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

My posting for ABC Wednesday G, is Gorilla. I got these shots at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. I loved the facial expression of each shot. I think they studied me more than I did them. We plan to go back to New Orleans in October. We were so thankful for Hurricane Gustav sparing our favorite vacation city.

Happy ABC Wednesday, if you want to join us, or view the participants click here.

Daily City Photo Sites

2008-09-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-28T22:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Sky Watch Friday. I took these photos on my trip to Big Sky country.....Montana! I shot these at Glacier National Park, an awesome place to go and enjoy the outdoors.

To join us at Sky Watch Friday click here.

Mom & Son

2008-08-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

This is my first entry in Creative Photo. This was shot while snorkling off the Kauai coast last year. I used a Canon 6.3MP Rebel SLR with a 18-55mm lens. I played a little in Photoshop and came up with this.
Creative Photography is every Saturday, click on the Creative Photography to see other contestants.

ABC Wednesday........F is for Fair

2008-08-26T13:35:00.001-07:00

F is for Fair. I chose this since we are currently enjoying our Oregon State fair through September 1st, Labor Day. State fairs have all the excitement depicted in the following photos. Not only are there rides, games, exhibits, but shows. This year we got to see Bill Engvall and Weird Al Yankovic in concert. Both shows were awesome and tremendously entertaining. Salem hosts the State Fair each year, and this years one did not disappoint.

Fair greeters

Rides
Love that Cotton Candy

Have a great ABC Wednesday, here to visit and join .

Ruby Tuesday

2008-08-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

This Ruby Tuesday I have some shots of the Oregon State Fair. Each year in Salem, Oregon, we have a our State fair. Rides, exhibits, shows, food, games.... you name it we have it. My son and I went on this ride. I must have been crazy! The Zipper did have zip and my body felt it.

The next ride, which I didn't go on was the Slingshot. If you ever have done Bungy jumping this is close to it. Expensive though at $30 per ride, or two for $50. Wow!

Of course there is a lot for kids to do. Here my son, John, is trying out his sharp shooting skills at the NRA affiliated exhibit. Very accutate pellet type rifles powered by CO2 cartridges. It was a fun exhibit which also taught gun safety.

Ever held a baby chick? Here was a newly hatched being held by my son.

At last we had a some french fries for a snack. We had a great time at the fair, which runs through Labor Day. We are going back for more in a few days.

Have a great Ruby Day Tuesday. Join us by clicking on Ruby Day Tuesday.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today is Sky Watch Friday and I took some shots today depicting our Salem Oregon skies. I love the fact that we ususally have great skies in the Northwest and we can readily obtain good photos.

These sunsets are only minutes apart and were captured off the coast of Kauai last August. We did a snorkling tour and this was on the way back to port. I always loved the sunsets in Hawaii, and will be returning for Hawaii's 50th anniversary of statehood in 2009.

Happy Sky Watch Friday, to join us please click here.

ABC Wednesday E is for.....

2008-08-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

E is for Evergreen. Here are some shots of evergreens in Mt. Lassen National Park in California. The first one shows the evergreen trees with Mt. Lassen in the background. Mt. Lassen's elevation is 10457'.

At the higher elevations the evergreens are sparse, as is the air. This was a late June climb with my son, John.To see all the participants of ABC Wednesday click here.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-08-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Ruby Tuesday. Here are some shots I got with a little red. The first was a robin redbreast just outside our bedroom. It was so fun watching the robins being fed. There were a total of four baby robins. Mom and dad did a great job feeding and raising them. They eventually left the nest and ventured out in the world.

The second shot was one of my favorites of my son, John. He holding a baby alligator during a swamp tour near New Orleans. Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours had a fantastic tour with interaction with the 'gators. Quite awesome!

Got something RED that you have photographed? Join us for Ruby Tuesday.

Sky Watch Friday

2008-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Sky Watch Friday. This is a photo of my son, John, climbing up Mt. Lassen. He got me started and all I know is that I made it to the top, which happens to be 10457'. There is very little oxygen at that altitude or that's what it felt like to me. I loved the sky and the stillness during our ascent. We did have some smoke in the distance from the fires from Lake Tahoe (June 2007). These are my Sky Watch Friday photos. Sky Watch Friday here>

ABC Wednesday D is for Dahlia

2008-08-13T22:30:00.001-07:00

D is for Dahlia, my favorite flower! It's ABC Wednesday and this is my first time posting and I figured that the Dahlia would be a good choice. I love growing flowers in our garden and capturing their splendor.

ABC Wednesday Round 3

Something Red for Ruby Tuesday

2008-08-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

This was a rooster that didn't want me to take his photo. He was quite aggressive attacking my pants several times. I guess he was just a little 'territorial'. Around our house you will find roosters all over the place. Some ceramic ones, roosters in wallpaper borders, and metal ones in our garden. I don't know why my wife has a this thing for roosters.

Happy Ruby Tuesday (Click)

The King

2008-08-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

This was taken at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. You can get some great shots of the gorillas, who will show various degrees of emotions. I wonder what they are thinking of us as we are patiently taking our shots?

Boating

2008-08-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

This was a proud moment for John, now a 13 1/2 year old. He got to motor the boat all around Detroit Lake. We did a lot of fishing, but no luck today. Didn't matter, we had a lot of fun. This shot was with my cell phone, and it turned out better than I thought it would.

John and a little 'gator

2008-08-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

My son John in 2005, holding a baby alligator during a swamp tour. Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours offers a great tour which is educational as it is exciting. We are definitely going back this October to do another tour, possibly the air boat this time.

Swamp Gator

2008-08-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Couple years ago we did a swamp tour through Jean Lafitte Swap Tours. Here is a shot from our tour boat. I found it quite exciting to be connecting this close. My son, John, was very excited to hold a small gator during the tour.

Hands-on at Wings of Wonder

2008-08-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

This typlifies the hands-on experience at Wings of Wonder near Independence. My son, John, loved being able to interact with the exotic butterflies in the exhibit conservatory. Wings of Wonder is Oregon's only year round butterfly exhibit. In addition, you can adopt a butterfly and observe its amazing metamorphosis in you own home.

Butterflies, Our 'Wings of Wonder'

2008-08-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great day visiting a the Wings of Wonder butterfly exhibit just south of Independence. They have an 'hands on' 2,400 sq ft butterfly exhibit conservatory where you can interact with the butterflies, touching and photographing the many different types of butterflies. It is helpful to download the 'What's flying Gallery' from their web site to assist in identifying the various butterflies. Click here for their web site http://wingsofwonder.us/.

During the afternoon I took numerous shots of the butterflies on exhibit and the beautiful landscape grounds surrounding the exhibit conservatory. It should be noted that this is Oregon's only year round butterfly exhibit. In addition, they have a student group hands-on life cycle class.

These are only a few shots of the many butterflies on display in the butterfly conservatory. I will be posting additional photos in the next few days of additional 'Wings of Wonder' and the surrounding flower gardens. I highly recommend this location for children and adults alike. Just be sure you bring your camera, you won't be disappointed.

Flowers and Bees

2008-07-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our very welcome friends, the bees. Every morning they are busy on our lavender. They love the lavender, stargazer lillies, and our butterfly bush.

Bees play an important role in agriculture in our area. In Oregon and Washington apple, pear, cherry, and other crops depend on bees to spread the pollen tree to tree and flower to flower each spring. Much of this is accomplished through beekeepers and their "hired bees". The beekeepers ferry their bee colonies from location to location.

Over the last few years there have been problems with honey bee colonies dying off around the country. Hopefully our busy friends will again establish themselves and continue their vital roles of pollination.

Williamette Valley Farmlands

2008-07-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today as I drove to Silverton, I came across a vast array of various farmlands. As you can see we have flower farms, alfalfa farms, barley farms, and bean farms. Actually in Oregon you can just about grow anything. It does rain up in the great Northwest, so water is not as much as an issue up here. We do have some problems occasionally, but this years snow pack was good. Having been from California's San Joaquin Valley I am familiar with farmland and appreciate the efforts of our farmers. Oregon farms benefit our State and its people, and countless other states and countries. I am excited for the future of Oregon and believe that the farmers will play an important role. One of our favorite things to do is driving around to produce stands and making our selection of vegetables or fruits. Many stands have no one in attendance. All you do is leave the money in a box to pay for what you take. I guess there is still some honesty around these days.

Bee Swarm

2008-07-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

The other morning I got quite a surprise in my back yard. A swarm of bees had taken up residence in one of my Douglas Fir trees. Quite an amazing thing up close. This morning I went outside to check on our little visitors and found they had left as quickly as they had arrived....never even got to see the queen! Here is a shot of the bees taking up temporary residence.

My Prius

2008-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Will I finally did it. I got a Prius. I must say the gas mileage is superb averaging around 45MPG and saving mucho $ each month. My other car was a SUV getting around 13-20MPG. I am sold on the technology of the Prius and am looking forward to the new lithium ion battery pack due out October 2008. For those who don't know Hymotion out of Canada has a battery pack as an add on that will increase the mileage to up around 100mpg. It is a little pricey so I envision that the older Priuses might be a better choice for the battery pack. The web site for Hymotion is: http://a123systems.com/hymotion.

I failed to mention my 2005 Prius has over 225,000 miles on it and still going strong!

Fishing the Santiam

2008-07-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Friday, John and I went fishing at the Santiam River. There is nothing greater than a father and son fishing. We had fun and actually caught a trout. We threw it back in, thinking it was the sporting thing to do. There was a lot of activity on the Santiam that day: fishermen, canoers, rafters, and kayakers.
John even got in some reading while relaxing between nibbles....

My Personal Mosaic

2008-07-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

Here are the instructions:

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

2. Use only the first page of results, and pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.Some people chose to always choose the 8th picture, or the 3rd on the 8th page or whatnot, but I chose which ones I liked best or felt like me.

Onto the questions and my answers:

1. What is your first name? Richard

2. What is your favorite food? BBQ Ribs

3. What high school did you go to? Exeter High School

4. What is your favorite color? Red

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Sharon Stone

6. What is your favorite drink? Cosmopolitan

7. What is your dream vacation? Tahiti

8. What is your favorite dessert? Key Lime Pie

9. What did you want to be when you grew up? A scientist

10. What do you love most in life? Family!

11. What is one word that describes you? Relaxed

12. What is your flickr name? ricardisfree

Index to photos:

1. Black and Blue, 2. Ribs, 3. IMG_3223 ORANGE SIGN, 4. rojo sobre negro (mosaico) / red on black (mosaic), 5. Sharon Stone, 6. My favorite drink...a Cosmopolitan!, 7. moorea sunrise..., 8. key lime pie, 9. Pigeon Feed, 10. 2 months + 26 days, 11. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 'tiz the Season! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ What have we here? ~ Christmas Kitty, Good Cheer! Happy Holidays, Everyone ! ! !, 12. C'est l'heure du pastis!

John & Richard Climbing Mt. Lassen

2008-07-22T14:23:00.001-07:00

YOU'RE TAGGED!

2008-07-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Cindy, so after much work I got the answers . This was not as easy as Laura explained, but it was fun. The instructions are at the end. Have fun.

1. My Hometown: Exeter, California....small city in central California, population 4,000 when I lived there....9,000 now.

Things haven't changed much. Citrus crops are the main thing. Your can climb up Rocky Hill, or go to Visalia for a "big city". Everybody knows everyone so it is a close community. I go to reunions every 4-5 years, but that's getting hard since a lot of my classmates keep dying........

2. Favorite Hobby: Photography....love my digital camera. I have a Canon Rebel which takes great shots. It sure saves on the film......

3. Favorite Vehicle: The Prius, of course. I got a Prius this year and love the gas savings. I was surprised on the amount of room inside the Prius. Anyway, I save mucho on petrol.

4. Favorite Restaurant: PF Chang's. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.......PF's food!

5. Guilty Pleasure: Love Cheesecake......especially with a little swirl of raspberry

6. Favorite Flower: The Dalila, I think it is the perfect flower.

7. Favorite Color: Red....The Romantic color that gives us such beautiful sunsets!

8. Favorite Vacation (Tie) #1 New Orleans....have been there numerous times and never get bored. It is one of the most amazing sites for history, culture, food, and numerous activities...This October will be our first time back since Katrina.

#2 Tahiti........Moorea, Bora Bora. One of the great vacation spots I have been to. The people were great, the snorkeling superb, food awesome, and the sunset unmatched.

Now it is your turn!

1. Go to flickr.com or images.google.com and get your photos.

2. Type is your answers in the search box.

3. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

Memories of Montana 2008

2008-07-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Whitefish, Glacier Natl Park, Deer, Bear, The Vortex, Hiking, Eating out, Swimming, Big Mountain, Snowballing, Playing Pool, Exploring.....

Camp Pendleton - Here I Come

2008-07-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

Our friend Josh has enlisted in the Marines. We attended his going away BBQ on Saturday. Here is a photo of him with his wife, Ginger - along with Cindy and John.