God’s Assurance

"...He Himself has said….So we may boldly say…" [Hebrews 13:5-6]

My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, “I will never leave you,” so that then I “may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ ” (Heb.13:5-6). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God’s assurance— they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us. What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it— you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. When it seems that there is nothing and no one to help you, say to yourself, “But ‘The Lord is my helper’ this very moment, even in my present circumstance.” Are you learning to listen to God before you speak, or are you saying things and then trying to make God’s Word fit what you have said? Take hold of the Father’s assurance, and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you….’ ” Human frailty is another thing that gets between God’s words of assurance and our own words and thoughts. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God seems to be nonexistent. But remember God’s assurance to us— “I will never…forsake you.” Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s keynote? Are we continually filled with enough courage to say, “The Lord is my helper,” or are we yielding to fear? Hallelujah, God bless

_____

My Utmost - Oswald Chambers

According to the Italo Calvino's novel "The Nonexistent Knight" Agilulfo, Carlo Magno'army hero, is just an empty armor, its life is based on its will and on its determination...

Original shot taken with an Olympus e500 digital reflex, 40-150mm zoom lens, heavy post processing.

Right after taking the stage, Neko and backup singer Rachel Flotard made fun of the nonexistent VIPs. They actually never showed, which was good for me because I had a clear view of the left half of the stage. But a guy directly in front of me prevented me from getting any shots of Flotard or the stand-up bass player.

Fujiya is a chain of stores in Japan selling cakes and sweets and pastries. We pass this one in Kitahiroshima on the way to and from Eniwa (whenever we go there). I was surprised to see so many cakes and pastries for sale, since pastries and almost all other baked goods are nonexistent right now in Hokkaido due to the blackout following Thursday morning's earthquake. Somehow, Fujiya either had a huge amount of cake and bread and pastries stocked or they have a remarkably good distribution system. Or what I saw were wax display cakes not intended to be eaten...

Unfortunately, the only weakness for the Butterfly Magic room (Tucson Botanical Gardens) is their nearly nonexistent resources to identify types of butterflies on display.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

1993 Suède Sweden Svezia

Escapade en train à Blåhammaren, dans le nord de la Suède, près de la frontier norvégienne.

Il est conseillé de savoir lire une carte et utiliser la boussole, car les sentiers ne sont pas bien marqués et on ne rencontre quasi personne ... le temps peut aussi changer brusquement : en qq minutes on passé de l'été à l'hiver avec de la neige (meme en plein mois de juillet).

Week-end close to the Norwegian border, in the north of Sweden, at Blåhammaren.

It is recommended to be able to read a map and use a compass because the paths are almost nonexistent ... the weather can also change within minutes going from Summer into Winter (with snow mid of July).

Camminata vicina al confine con la Norvegia, a Blåhammaren (2 giorni).

Saper leggere una mappa e utilizzare una bussola è d'obbligo perché i sentieri non si vedono bene. E non c'è molta gente da incontrare ! Subito il meteo può anche cambiare da estate a inverno con neve a metà luglio !

Our world is largely the secondary roads of South Carolina, the back roads, but they are not always the roads less traveled. They may, however, be the roads less maintained.

Compared to the interstate highways which we eschew at all costs, the secondary highways have fewer customers, but they were never built to the specifications of the interstates and they're not in such good health. We see a lot of patched potholes, but more which are not. The tar filled fissures in the pavement snake along for mile after neglected mile. The road shoulders are narrow, loose or nonexistent. We don't mind the road signs being shot up here and there since that's a rural sport, but when the roads are shot that's another matter.

With the sorry state of existing secondary roads the Highway Department, D.O.T. or whatever it's called this year, insists upon building new ones. New major highways are being built at the behest of developers more than on the basis of need. Next to extended water and sewer lines, new highways promote urban sprawl more than any other incentive. The funds for road repair seem to be diverted to new road construction. To us this is like buying a new car, but keeping the old tires and the tread's wearing mighty thin.

Wow, the sky was lit tonight over the city! Breathtakingly beautiful... Rain may be nonexistent here but at least nature still provides these fiery sunset displays for us to enjoy! Pics taken from by the 900 McCarthy Blvd building around Milpitas, CA. This was just a minute or so away from my work. (Thursday around late sunset, December 3, 2020)

*“I watched the sunset last night. And given the utter brilliance of it, I likely sat in the company of thousands who found themselves awash in its blaze of colors as well. But sadly, it is just as likely that I was surrounded by thousands of others who never saw the colors because they were awash in lesser things. And I realized that far too often I am in the company of those people. Therefore, I’ll be sitting outside tonight.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough.

My knowledge of liverwort biology is somewhere between scant and nonexistent, so I'm not sure if these fuzzy things are actually elaters (structures that help distribute the spores), but maybe.

Its dark when the moon hides during the night. With so few people having electricity in the area light pollution is nearly nonexistent creating opportunities for excellent star viewing.

Pop-Art

Air plants, or Tillandsia, are a fascinating genus of evergreen, perennial flowering plants belonging to the bromeliad family, which also includes the pineapple 🍍. They are native to diverse environments across the Americas, ranging from tropical rainforests and mountain ranges to deserts. Unlike most plants, air plants are epiphytes (or lithophytes), meaning they don't require soil to grow. Instead, they use their short, wiry roots solely to anchor themselves to other plants, rocks, or other surfaces. This unique adaptation allows them to survive and thrive in places where soil is scarce or nonexistent.

The defining feature of air plants is their remarkable ability to absorb water and nutrients directly from the atmosphere. Their leaves are covered in specialized, microscopic scales called trichomes, which look like fuzzy hairs and give many species a silvery or grayish appearance. These trichomes are highly efficient at trapping moisture from rainfall, fog, or even high humidity in the air. This characteristic is why air plants must have excellent air circulation; after watering, they must dry out quickly to prevent rot. Furthermore, air plants have an efficient form of photosynthesis called CAM photosynthesis, which allows them to close their stomata during the day to conserve water and open them at night to "breathe" in carbon dioxide.

Caring for air plants is relatively simple, as they are very low-maintenance. The key requirements are bright, indirect sunlight, good air circulation, and consistent moisture. Watering is typically done by soaking the plant in a bowl of water for 20-40 minutes once a week or by thoroughly misting them a few times a week, depending on the environment. Air plants are also popular for their decorative versatility. Because they don't need soil, they can be displayed in creative ways, such as in glass terrariums, on seashells, or mounted on driftwood. Air plants generally bloom only once in their lifetime, producing a colorful, often vibrant flower stalk before they begin to produce new "pups" or offsets, which can be separated to grow into new plants.

Facing westward. Can you dig those groovy Space Age columns?

To get the most out of the following discussion of the constituent rock types visible in this image, take a moment to review the description in Part 1 of this series.

First of all, please note that I took this photo not in spite of the reflections on the stone surface, but specifically because of them. They demonstrate that the Morton Gneiss has among its various ornamental attributes the ability to take a very high-gloss polish, and hold it for many decades afterward.

I realize that the chances of this are metaphysically slim to nonexistent, but if I were ever asked to do a mini-course just on this amazing rock type, I'd spend a lot of time discussing St. Mark's. Its extensive array of Morton cladding panels is like a full-color textbook devoted to the geology of this Paleoarchean migmatite. So many of its salient features are present here.

This image serves as an introduction to those that will follow. Later we'll look more closely at individual panels and their contents, but for now see if you can identify some of the main Morton's main rock components using the Part 1 list as your guide.

One thing that is visible here on the portico wall that wasn't on the building's western elevation (see Part 2) are large chunks of amphibolite. These are thought to be as old or even older than the most ancient, 3.52-Ga gneiss in the mixture.

The black, crystalline amphibolite is the metamorphosed form of lavas characteristic of primitive crust—tholeiitic basalt and komatiite. In some cases it has been penetrated and crisscrossed with veins of younger pink granitoid gneiss. But this will be more apparent in photos to come.

To see the other photos and descriptions in this set, visit my Magnificent Morton Gneiss album.

Here's another paring chisel, this time from the small and nowadays nonexistent Finnish maker Billnäs Bruk. It was a very nice find, not because the steel is so special but because Billnäs chisels are very seldom seen. This one is a good performer and works well enough but the steel is clearly not on par with the Berg chisels.

© D O Y E E D T • A N N A H A A L

When you go through the streets

No one recognizes you.

No one sees your crystal crown, no one looks

At the carpet of red gold

That you tread as you pass,

The nonexistent carpet.

And when you appear

All the rivers sound

In my body, bells

Shake the sky,

And a hymn fills the world.

🔻

Pablo Neruda

The highlight was, of course, this Chuck Oberstein piece. It's kind of like "Five Clowns," except not quite. I'm imagining it over my (nonexistent) mantle as I type!

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

The name Nesebyr is spelled in numerous ways in English (Nesebar, Neseber), as the third wovel sound is almost nonexistent, and lends itself to various interpretations.

Maine state capitol in Augusta. The only other time I've seen this building was way back in late summer 1996. The dome was green then. Coppery green, like the Statue of Liberty (as is given away in the collage picture of the capitol made of business cards posted here). It was recently repainted black, within the last few years.

It's a fairly straightforward and understated capitol which makes it enjoyable. The city of Augusta...an unusual place. A town of 20,000, there aren't many amenities here, and public transportation is nonexistent. I was incredibly lucky to get uber drivers, according to the one who drove me back to the bus station. Overall, Maine isn't a place to be if you aren't driving yourself around.

My abilities at tree identification are pretty much nonexistent, but I thought these delicate leaves were kind of pretty.

July 6, 17:39 UT, Jupiter passes near NGC 2953.

NGC 2953 is a possible star in the constellation Leo, previously considered a lost or nonexistent object.

NGC 2953 was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel using a 47.5 cm (18.7 inch) f/13 speculum reflecting telescope at Feldhausen, Claremont, Cape Town on the 16th March 1836.

Wrongly suspecting the celestial object of having a nebula, John Herschel placed it in his general catalogue of nebulae and star clusters. NGC 2953 is also listed in the later New General Catalogue by John Dreyer.

The object location is close (separation ~05') to the magnitude 12.4 galaxy NGC 2954.

Right Ascension 9h 40m 19s Declination 14º 49' 58"

Both of these destinations are now served by trams (96 and 109), instead of trains. I think the journey times are roughly the same as 100 years ago.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

A building to soon be nonexistent.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

Of all the choices in the cafeteria for lunch I picked a Lady Caroline Salad. There were lots of tasty choices and smells but this was the one with the best name.

Blogged here kathrynusherart.blogspot.com/2011/09/bad-art-titles-equal...

Can this lesson be applied to what I name my art pieces? Alan Bamberger writes about naming art in this article www.artbusiness.com/collectpro.html

"By the way, when art dealers and auction houses take on art with poor documentation, they at least do their best to come up with exciting titles. They know that even when additional information is scant or nonexistent, good titles sell art faster than boring ones or no titles at all."

Lady Caroline Salad IMG_1540_edited-1

17-365-2 Dragonfire

After a long and frustrating night and morning of trying in vain to get my computer online I decided to go for a drive.There is a wildfire out near Detroit Lake Oregon and I thought I would go see if I could find a nice safe spot to get some pictures from. I drove for about 2 hours to find the dirt road that my squirrely GPS was leading me to. I follow it for about a mile and a half to have it tell me, "Make a left" onto a nonexistent path. The forest was so thick that you could not see anything let alone a fire. However on my journeys through the woods I found a nice spot for a few sunset pictures instead.

This was the most beautiful, intense and unusual sunset I have EVER seen! There were upon counting the shots later, about 17 or 18 Dragon heads in the clouds! Also the clouds were constantly changing and forming strange mountains outlined by the setting sun on the horizon! At times the sky looked like it was on fire! Though I never saw a flame, this more than made up for it!

Here's another paring chisel, this time from the small and nowadays nonexistent Finnish maker Billnäs Bruk. It was a very nice find, not because the steel is so special but because Billnäs chisels are very seldom seen. This one is a good performer and works well enough but the steel is clearly not on par with the Berg chisels.

A spectacular ocean sunset this evening! It's always nice to go during the winter months when coastal fog is nonexistent. It's been a while since I've seen a sunset over the ocean! Me and my parents came here to SF to breathe the fresh sea breeze and to just simply relax and get away from the busy city life. The weather was nice here and wasn't too cold. Ultimately, there was no coastal fog, only high clouds, which indeed made for a nice sunset over the Pacific this day. This was like our after-Christmas outing or so. Hope you guys have a great new year as well! Pic taken from around the Lands End Lookout in San Francisco, CA. (Saturday around sunset, December 27, 2014; 4:49 p.m.)

1993 Suède Sweden Svezia

Escapade en train à Blåhammaren, dans le nord de la Suède, près de la frontier norvégienne.

Il est conseillé de savoir lire une carte et utiliser la boussole, car les sentiers ne sont pas bien marqués et on ne rencontre quasi personne ... le temps peut aussi changer brusquement : en qq minutes on passé de l'été à l'hiver avec de la neige (meme en plein mois de juillet).

Week-end close to the Norwegian border, in the north of Sweden, at Blåhammaren.

It is recommended to be able to read a map and use a compass because the paths are almost nonexistent ... the weather can also change within minutes going from Summer into Winter (with snow mid of July).

Camminata vicina al confine con la Norvegia, a Blåhammaren (2 giorni).

Saper leggere una mappa e utilizzare una bussola è d'obbligo perché i sentieri non si vedono bene. E non c'è molta gente da incontrare ! Subito il meteo può anche cambiare da estate a inverno con neve a metà luglio !

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

Natalia Younan (pink), a wildlife and fish coservation major, gather the sex of the Red Eat Slider for Sidney Woodruff's research in the Arboretum on June 8, 2022.

The project involves assisting Dr. Brian Todd and Ph.D. Student Sidney Woodruff in a research study evaluating how native species respond to the removal of non-native species and waterway restoration. The research objectives are to investigate the abundance and population demography of the native Western pond turtle (Actineymys marmorata) and population response in growth and demography from the removal of non-native red-eared sliders. Natural populations of the Western pond turtle are found in the UC Davis Arboretum where red-eared sliders occupy the same ecological niche in high densities. Natural populations of Western pond turtles are found in the nearby South Fork of Putah Creek where the presence of non-native turtles is extremely low or nonexistent. This work can highlight the importance of waterway restoration in building a more resilient ecosystem while supporting the recovery and conservation of native species.

Providing this opportunity will allow undergraduate students to be involved in wildlife conservation research under the supervision of a graduate student mentor and PI while also supporting the objectives of this study and the restoration of the UC Davis Arboretum.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

The cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal (Nettapus coromandelianus) is a small perching duck which breeds in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, southeast Asia and south to Queensland.

Small individuals of this species are the smallest waterfowl on earth, at as little as 160 g (5.6 oz) and 26 cm (10 in). White predominates in this bird's plumage. Bill short, deep at base, and goose-like.

Male in breeding plumage is glossy blackish green crown, with white head, neck, and underparts; a prominent black collar and white wing-bar. Rounded head and short legs. In flight, the wings are green with a white band, making the male conspicuous even amongst the huge flying flocks of the lesser whistling duck, which share the habitat. Female paler, without either black collar and only a narrow or nonexistent strip of white wing-bar. In non-breeding plumage (eclipse) male resembles female except for his white wing-bar. Flocks on water bodies (jheels), etc.

The call is a peculiar clucking, uttered in flight

look familiar?

Fantasy IPL A fantasy sport is a sort of game, dependably played using the Internet, where individuals amass non-existent or virtual social events delivered utilizing focus people of genuine players of an ace game. These get-togethers fight contemplating the quantifiable exhibit of those players in genuine games.

My Criicket 11, A dream sport is a kind of game, reliably played utilizing the Internet, where people accumulate nonexistent or virtual social occasions produced using center individuals of real players of an ace game. These social events battle thinking about the quantifiable demonstration of those players in real games.

League 11 App is completely legal as it offers services, Fun Features, Programs and Contests related to fantasy cricket (Fantasy league for IPL), fantasy football, fantasy kabaddi, fantasy volleyball, fantasy basketball & fantasy hockey. The services, contests and programs related to online fantasy sports gaming offered by MyMaster11.

The individual whose team scores the highest aggregate of points is announced as the winner. The formation of team by the users of My Playing 11 App Download is entirely dependent on the skills, knowledge and attention of the users which makes online fantasy sports gaming offered at MyMaster11 a Game of skills and 100% legal.

mymaster11.com/

Rainbow

University of Sunderland

Out of all the sights we were scheduled to see, I was most looking forward to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. After taking a bus, train, plane, and another 5 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at the cliffs. Unfortunately, immediately upon arrival it started pouring and visibility was almost nonexistent. I was devastated because we had to get back on the bus fairly quickly to return back home. Luckily, after only 5 minutes, the sun came out and with it emerged two full rainbows. It was a defining moment because I realized that sometimes you have to endure in order to experience beauty.

Baby baby, are you listening? I need you to stand up. I need you to raise your fist and stand up

Little black submarines patrol waters infested with nonexistent anarchists

Oh, mercy mercy me, we're dancing in the radioactive rain

You're silenced by the darkness that needed to fall and give way to your light. To your love

"Told my girl I'd be back..." But darling, it's not my mind that needs saving

The hard rock hits at 2 minutes. Rewind that shit, fool

They're tearing down those stairs where we made love at the top

Under the watchful glare of my demons and pain that roam the streets so prevalently here

I'm not that little girl whispering anymore

I'm screaming for you to love me

I'm screaming for you to listen

It's 1:09

I need you to listen

This is my first attempt at HDR.

It was a sunny day so I decided to visit The British Museum. Unfortunately by the time I got there, it became cloudy and the dramatic deep blue sky I had hoped to capture with sun light streaming through the curved glass roof and casting shadows were nonexistent. :-( Instead the sky turned a whitish grey and inside the museum everything looked dull and colourless. So HDR to the rescue!

All the shots were taken handheld (who says you need a tripod) 3 bracketed exposures set at continuous firing.

After a few hours at the museum as the weather was poor I decided to visit Westminster Cathedral. I had to struggle to get there and find parking. Once inside I found out that photography wasn’t allowed during a service so I had to wait around an hour until it finished. I think I captured some good shots for HDR but unbelievably, when I got back home and started to download the photos, half way through the download the memory card got somehow got jammed and I couldn’t download the photos from the church. What a nightmare! A wasted afternoon:-( By the way, this was a new 32GB Kingston elite pro card. The shop recommended it to me as they didn’t have the Lexar in stock that I wanted. So I won’t be buyer Kingston cards again.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos.

As it’s my first attempt at HDR I would be grateful for your comments, criticisms etc.

In this digitally enhanced image, pop culture of current day society is being mocked through its film industry. The film JAWS, although not terribly abysmal in itself, is a representation of pop culture of the present (or fairly present given that this movie premiered in 1975) since it was a fairly popular film in the late 1990s. In this image, instead of a fierce shark moving in on a woman, a bunny (also part of pop culture today, fashionable especially upon a younger demographic) appears to be ridiculing the audience. Again, this piece is representative as it mocks the trends of pop culture - which in half a decade or so - would become nonexistent. This piece of media is intended to generate the feeling of offence as it humiliates and criticises pop culture today. Additionally, this image also has the purpose of promoting awareness: the trends of today will more often then not vanish tomorrow. This statement can be substantiated through fashion, contemporary literature, etc. as they are all industries that undergo great flux. From this image, it is apparent that the creators of the film JAWS used the rule of thirds in their movie poster. The placement of the girl depicts this observation. Moreover, I manipulated the image – first by removing the shark using a gradient and the appropriate colors and then by inserting a picture of a bunny in place of the shark. I produced this image in the hopes of promoting awareness of the needlessness of contemporary fads. They are simply a waste of money and only provide little, short term satisfaction. Lastly, although sceptics oftentimes criticise contemporary fads, that criticism is rarely done through visual art, which is unfortunate since many are visual learners. By constructing a representative piece that symbolizes the superficiality of modern day trends, it is easier to spread the message across.

Climbed to the top of the ladder only to have it start bending back due to the attaching points being nonexistent.

Viking ship museum, bygdoy. All my photos from the first day in Oslo are nonexistent. Some how I managed to either lose them or overwrite them. Most of what I have from Oslo are from the Viking ship museum.

The USNS Pililaau sits anchored off the Pacific coast at Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 22, during Joint Logistics Over The Shore 2008. JLOTS is an annual exercise that increases the Army's and Navy's ability to build improvised ports for transporting equipment from ship to shore when a harbor or pier has been damaged or is nonexistent. Nearly 1,500 pieces of rolling equipment and shipping containers will be moved from ships with a series of lighterage systems (floating roadways) and smaller boats to improvised piers on the shore. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Stephen Proctor, JLOTS Public Affairs)

On Friday, 9 of us hiked in the Cuyamaca State Park to Middle Peak. This hike was about 6 miles long with about 1100 feet elevation gain. The weather at the beginning of the hike was fairly miserable due to the warm temperatures, upper 70s, very high humidity and no wind. The last half of the hike the weather was much nicer even though the temps went up to the mid 80s because the humidity dropped and the wind picked up to a nice breeze.

This hike description could be split into two distinct hikes. The first half was all uphill, the weather was not so good (it felt like you were hiking in a tropical jungle), and the view was almost nonexistent due to the massive growth of ceanothus all along the trail. This growth was so prolific that it frequently completely covered the trail so that we were walking in a dark green tunnel. When it didn't cover the trail, it was still so tall that you couldn't see over it. The second half was all downhill, the weather was much better, and we hiked out of the ceanothus into grassy meadows and scattered oak trees which obviously provided a much better view.

Right at the start of the hike we saw a doe crossing the nearby road. When the doe got a little higher up on a hill, we were able to see that she was being closely followed by a small fawn. Very cute.

We were not able to get to the actual peak as there is no trail to the peak and we could not go cross-country to the peak due to the extremely dense brush (mostly ceanothus). This area used to be covered in a very nice pine and oak forest until the Cedar Fire in 2003 burned everything to the ground. Now the ceanothus has taken over and it seems like it will be a very long time before the pine and oak trees come back again.

Neal's photos

photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMsuvv_yEiv4f1y7PC8NQ8SONvPN...

Mirador Cinchona was only half an hour from La Paz Waterfall Gardens but when we arrived, it was totally socked in with clouds from a thunderstorm and the light was almost nonexistent. Although we stuck around for about half an hour, it really was not productive.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov