Big rocks along the Deschutes River. Near Terrebonne, Oregon; April, 2010.

Watching the storm blow through. Hollyhock Retreat Centre, Cortes Island, BC, Canada; April, 2008.

I was driving my granddaughter around town a couple of weekends ago and she said, "That's a colorful house." What do you think? (click on the thumbnail to get a better view) Madras, Oregon; June, 2010.

This is St.-Pierre de Montmartre, situated in the shadows of Sacre Coeur and one of the oldest churches in the city. It's all that remains of the great Benedictine Abby of Montmartre, founded in 1133. If I remember correctly, the gate even still has the seal of the Medicis, a reminder that Marie du Medici was married to Henri IV. Paris, France; September, 2009.

This Maxfield Parrish sky appeared over my place a while back. Madras, Oregon; February, 2005.

Carrots at the Sunday Market. (to get the full flavor of this photo, click on the thumbnail) Milwaukie, Oregon; June, 2010.

June Screed: Beware Credit Card Services

So there I was at work today and my cell phone rings. I get this kind woman’s voice telling me that she's with Credit Card Services and that my credit rating has been reviewed. Because of my great payment history, I qualify for a lowering of my credit card interest rates. This makes sense to me since I always pay more than the minimum amount; sometimes, a lot more.

This doesn’t sound like a bot or robo call but a real person (great fidelity, I guess) until she tells me to press 1 if I’m interested in lowering my credit card interest rate. Disappointed I won’t be talking directly to this woman—who is obviously mature, intelligent, and probably looks like Teri Hatcher or Christiane Amanpour—I go ahead and press 1, because, really, who doesn’t wanna lower their interest rate being paid to the corporate equivalent of the Mafia?

That’s when things begin to get a little wonky. (I mean other than not having a conversation with honeyed-voice one). I get this guy on the other end of the line who sounds like he might be a semi-young male model with a modicum of experience in the boiler room that I could hear going on in the background.

“We’ve been studying your credit reports and it’s good enough for us to be able to offer you the opportunity to lower the interest rates on your credit cards.”

“Great!” I respond.

“Now there are just a few things I need to get straight here before we can do that,” said (because I don’t remember his name, let’s call him) Zachary. “First of all, how much total credit card debt do you have?”

This was a red flag for me because if he’d actually been studying my credit history, he’d already know that. But I told him anyway.

“And do you have any other unsecured debt, sir?” Zachary inquired.

“Uhm, no, that’s it,” I replied.

“Oh, well, then I’m afraid I can’t really help you because you must have at least $5,000 in unsecured debt to qualify for a lower interest rate and you aren’t even close to that amount,” Zachary informed me.

“Let me get this straight,” I responded. “I have great credit, but my debt level is still too good to be bad enough to be good enough?”

“Basically that’s it, yes, sir,” Zachary said.

“Do you know how that message sounds at this end of the line?” I ask.

“Sorry, Sir, I gotta take the next phone call. Bye.”

Click!

Zachary, Zachary, Zachary! Don’t you know karma is everywhere you are?

I ran across this guy sunning himself on a rock along a creek bed as I hiked up Schnebly Hill. Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

Bridal Veil Creek. Columbia Gorge Scene Area, Oregon; April, 2010.

Oh, to heck with it! To end the week, we'll just offer up a whole basket of flowers. (click the thumbnail to note the scarlet begonias) Joigny, France; September, 2009.

Today's offering for the bouquet we're creating this week is this campanula. Dundee, Oregon, June, 2010.

A cactus flower. (Click on the thumbnail to catch the pollen) Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

Today, I offer a rhododendron blossom after a rain. Maybe not as artfully done as, say a calla lily after a rain, but still worthy, nonetheless. Clackamas, Oregon; April, 2010.

Ok, Grinders, this week we're gonna just do flowers! Let's start our bouquet off with this little number, a white and deep purple columbine. Dundee, Oregon; June, 2010.

Another in my series of lines, light, texture and colors. I shot this one with my little point and shoot, which has the capacity to capture very nice shots. No. 26 Belgrave Road SW 1, City of Westminster, London, UK; September, 2009.

How many bars do you have? Sunrise on Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, Canada; April, 2009.

A closer view of Mount Washington in the Oregon Cascades. (Click on the thumbnail to better see the avalanche tracks) Rural Linn County, Oregon; May, 2010.

This is the most photographed spot in the state of Arizona. While a sparkling blue sky and no wind for the reflecting area in the foreground would have been nice, I still think this shot of Cathedral Rock turned out well. (Click on the thumbnail to see the waders) Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

Coming out of a heavily wooded section into the rural countryside. Along the Canal du Nivernais, Burgundy region of France; September, 2009.

Buddhas and Kwan Yins overlook an area in the artistic shopping village known as Tlaquepaque. (Click on the thumbnail to better see the painting in the background) Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

The Lamest Generation

The headline is the link. Click it.

It's cactus blossom time, not quite as fragrant and much stickier than cherry blossom time. Scottsdale, Arizona; May, 2010.

Spotting a lighthouse with Mt. Baker in the background. Floating between Vancouver, BC, and Victoria, BC, Canada; April, 2009.

The ants go marching. (Click on the thumbnail to look them in the eye or to see the rock cactus). Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.