Almost Wordless Wednesday

 Oh lazy Tuesday night.  The brain says - pull together a blog post for Wednesday. Keep your fans interested.

 The lazy brain says - ah, it's summer. No one cares.  Let the clouds roll by and just swim laps. (I did)

 Lett's paint the picture in Bedford TX (right smack dab between Dallas and Fort Worth). The heat builds during the day. A blue sky slowly fills with clouds. Perhaps a rumble of thunder? Perhaps nothing. We had eight raindrops with sunshine. No rainbow. Other parts of the area are drenched. You never know. The cicadas are LOUD

 our wacky creature sculpture merely observes the seasons and tries to NOT corrode

My sun sculpture bakes against the brick. I have not measured that temperature but it's HOT

and that's a late June day in TX..............now to plunge back into the pool (that measures 90 degrees F!!)

Crazy

Book Review - The Crossing

Michael Connelly is a reliable author and his Harry Bosch character proves  steady. In  The Crossing, Harry is retired but pulled back into the game and even crosses over to the other side to help the defense. Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer) needs him to investigate on the down low, but of course that is impossible to maintain. A woman’s been murdered and Haller’s client, a former gang member, has been charged. But the more Harry digs, the more it looks like a set up. Lots of arrows point to an inside the police system problem.

Harry keeps digging and soon finds a trail of murders connected to a watch, a plastic surgeon, and more. Connelly builds suspense and as a reader you will enjoy pulling together the clues. Harry is reluctant and yet he’s bored as a retired officer. He’d rather be in the trenches, reading murder reports, and doing follow-up face to face. This is a very satisfying read that keeps you dodging bullets and rooting for Harry. 

Serene Sunday

pulling out some oldie pics to fill up space. I am being lazy on a Sunday.  No need to comment.

Go relax and join me in thinking about nothing. Watch the clouds roll by

Frivolous Friday

 Pulling out some old photos I've had on the blog before.  It's Ray's reunion weekend - the family gathers in east Texas. Here's an oldie from over twenty years ago. This is a small portion. They'll have around 150 people attend. Oh these crazy Texans - it's far too hot for me. (They play volleyball...outdoors...and it's going to be high 90s..)  I send my regards.

 How about a calm lake pic to soothe any Friday nerves....

 Getting ready for upcoming July 4th. Need to dig out all things red, white, and blue

 Oh yeah - this is my idea of a big gun.  Wouldn't life be simpler if everyone was issued a water gun?

The booths should open next week out in the country. After work, I need to buy sparklers!!!

Happy Weekend, everybody. Stay cool

Movie Review Madness - X-Men Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse has had so-so  reviews from “real” critics. Me personally - I liked it.  For a Saturday cheap matinee, it was entertaining with good special effects, decent acting, and it moved along. I did not find myself looking at my watch or eager to edit this film down. Plenty of characters moved in and out of the story line and that kept my interest.

Synopsis

Worshiped as a god since the dawn of civilization, the immortal Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) becomes the first and most powerful mutant. Awakening after thousands of years, he recruits the disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and other mutants to create a new world order. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Professor X (James McAvoy) and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) lead a team of young X-Men to stop their seemingly invincible nemesis from destroying mankind.

Starring

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Lucas Till, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, Ben Hardy

It does seem appropriate to mention that this film is applicable to the concept today of “why can’t we all get along?”  Yes, mutants have different skills and might look unique, but for the most part, they just want to get along and make the world better. So root for Professor X, Raven/Mystique, and the “good” crew to destroy the evil Apocalypse. Enjoy the battles and marvel at our speed demon who can stop time – Evan Peters. That special effect is awesome.  

All in all, this is a very entertaining popcorn movie and keeps the X-Men franchise moving along. There’s humor, drama, and yes a quick Wolverine appearance – hooray for a Hugh Jackman sighting. 

C’mon, you know you should see this on the big screen.  Enjoy and reflect on what mutant skill you’d like to have.

Much to Celebrate

Here are my folks on their wedding day.  Juanita Shutters and George Crowther united in matrimony.

Sunday - I wish my dad a very Happy Father's Day

Tuesday - I shall remember my mom's birthday.  She passed in 1992 at the age of 60.

I'll be spending Sunday in Texas. Still healing from my toe surgery, I'm not flying up to PA to hang with Dad. My sister shall treat him to lunch and then stay for a few days to trim bushes, put down mulch, and have some laughs. He's not doing the greatest right now. A bad 2015 has continued into 2016 with assorted medical issues. But he's still in his original home, still drives a bit, and he's up on current events.

I'll think about my mom on Tuesday. She liked chocolate, reading, and worked hard. She kept track of my brother, sister, and me with an eagle eye and taught us right and wrong.

Two good people to celebrate here in June - my mom and dad

Serenity Saturday

 Summer is here.  The first bloom on the crape myrtle burst onto the patio scene. In a week, the tree will be glorious

 You have to peek out early for the Mexican petunia blooms

We had this hacked back to nothing at the end of the year. It's going crazy once again and seems to thrive against the hot summer brick

Stay cool on this serene Saturday