Original Horse watercolors

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OK GO

and now for something completely different!

"Here it goes again" by OK GO

my new favorite video

Heres a Little Perspective

The highest temperature recorded anywhere on Earth was in Aziziyah, Libya, in September of 1922 – 136 degrees Fahrenheit.

The highest temperature recorded in the United States was in Death Valley, Calif., in July of 1913 – 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gators in Montana

I knew this summers heat was bad, now they are finding gators in Montana! What's next, Flamingos in Alaska?

Boys reel in 5-foot, 60-pound alligator in Kalispell pond

Some birthdays stand out as exceptionally memorable; 16 and 21 usually make the list.

Josh Bryant will never forget his 11th birthday, when he came nose to snout with a 5-foot alligator in Kalispell.

On Monday afternoon, Josh and his mother, Lynn, were trying out the new fishing pole she’d given him for his birthday. The Shady Lane fishing pond near the old Steel Bridge, where he spends three or four days a week during the summer, seemed the perfect place to test the rod.

It was about 4 p.m. when Lynn Bryant spotted something swimming toward them.

“I thought it was a muskrat,” she said.

Then she took a closer look. Muskrats didn’t swim with just their eyes and back ridges sticking out of the water.

The Bryants couldn’t believe their eyes, but there was no doubt the animal swimming toward them was an alligator. Bryant moved to the edge of the dock and started taking pictures with her camera phone, knowing no one would believe them otherwise.

At first the alligator was almost friendly, she said, but they still wanted to get it out of the water so someone could come take care of it. A friend grabbed Josh’s pole and tried to hook the gator. He succeeded a few times, but each time the alligator simply swallowed the lure.

A few more would-be fishermen showed up soon after. One of them had a stronger pole; he, too, tried to catch the alligator but once again it swallowed the proffered minnow, hook and all.

By this time, onlookers had called friends and soon a crowd of about 50 people had gathered. Some simply watched. Others tried to help subdue the alligator, which was now agitated.

“This thing was very aggressive,” Bryant said.

“It was snapping at us kids and adults,” Josh added.

Someone brought a bow and shot it. They knew the alligator had been hit because the arrow was sticking straight up, Josh said. Then the arrow — and the alligator — disappeared for almost an hour. Suspense mounted on the banks of the pond.

“It was like a serial killer movie or something, a killer alligator,” Josh said.

The gator didn’t stay down for good, though. When it surfaced, the crowd was ready.

“His dad jumped in the water,” Josh said, pointing at his friend, Kaynen McGuire.

McGuire, 11, nodded. His father had plunged in the water with a stick, grabbed the alligator by the tail and swung it onto the bank.

“This was right out of ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ I swear,” Bryant said.

Four men held it down and tied its jaws shut with fish stringer, then put it in a canoe and dragged it up to the road. Someone produced a knife and tried to slit the animal’s throat. Still it didn’t die.

“This thing’s got like nine lives,” Bryant said.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office didn’t hear about the incident until about 10 p.m., according to dispatch logs. When Deputy Ray Young arrived, he called Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which referred him to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. By this time, the alligator was in bad shape, so the federal agency told Young to shoot it.

Brian Sommers, regional investigator with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, got the call around 10:40 p.m.

“When I got there, it was pretty much over and done with,” he said. “It was just talking with the people that were there and picking up the critter.”

The “critter” will go in a freezer at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks office, Sommers said. He’s not sure what the agency will do with it.

He’s also not sure where the alligator came from.

“The only thing I can guess is it was probably somebody’s pet,” he said. “Maybe they got tired of it and turned it loose.”

Sommers has had to deal with pet alligators in the past, he said, but only a few and only animals about 20 inches long. At 5 feet long and roughly 60 pounds, Monday’s alligator was the largest he’s ever seen in the area.

If found, the person responsible will be charged for releasing the alligator into the wild, he said.

“Given the right circumstances, we could’ve had a pretty big problem if it got hold of a kid swimming or something,” he said.

If anyone has information about how the alligator got into the pond, call 1-800-TIP-MONT or call Crimestoppers at 752-TIPS.

Even though it’s now alligator-free, Josh won’t be fishing at the pond anytime soon.

“It was just my 11th birthday, and I had to catch an alligator,” he said. “Why couldn’t I catch a little trout?”

And I thought Seattles Heat wave was Bad!

I thought I had it bad when it was over 90 degrees here last week, but it seems theres a spot in the country thats even hotter then the inside of Mount St. Helens! According to the Weather Channels temperature map today, South Dakota is roasting at a toasty 101,106 degrees. Get out the marshmallows, hot dogs and don't forget the sunscreen!

Wild Fire near Red Eagle Mountain Glacier National Park

July 28 2006
































UPDATE WEBCAM JULY 29 above


Wildland Fire Activity on Park’s East Side

Date
July 28, 2006

Contact
Melissa Wilson, 406-888-7895

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Officials at Glacier National Park report that there is a wildland fire in the park’s Red Eagle drainage. The fire is estimated at 250 acres. It was first reported at 1:18 p.m. this afternoon after smoke was seen from the St. Mary’s visitor center.

The fire has prompted the closure of the Red Eagle Lake Trail from the trailhead to Triple Divide Pass, and the backcountry campgrounds at the head and foot of the lake.

Park fire managers have ordered resources to help suppress this fire. The park’s wildland fire crew and fire engine, six smokejumpers from Missoula, and three single engine air tankers (using retardant) are currently working on the fire. Additional resources, including two Type I and Type II crews, a medium helicopter, and a heavy helicopter, were requested. However, due to resource constraints throughout the Pacific Northwest, additional resources are not currently available; they will arrive, as soon as it is practical. At present, there is a Type III incident commander from Alaska.

The park has issued a voluntary evacuation notice for the Saint Mary townsite. This notice is intended to encourage local residents and visitors to consider the steps they would take in the event that conditions change and an evacuation become necessary.

Smoke from the fire can be seen from St. Mary and can be seen from points along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The St. Mary webcam is online at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/webcams/smcam.htm.

UPDATE

The section of the road between Rising Sun and St. Mary Entrance is closed due to a fire. will be closed at 3:00pm due to fires

Eastlake gets hit by floods

I grew up in Eastlake, Ohio. Been through this area many times. I was shocked to see they recieved 9 inches of rain on Friday! First the heat and now floods! Whats next!

Over 100 Evacuated After 9 Inches of Rain Flooded Ohio Rivers, Streets

Friday , July 28, 2006

EASTLAKE, Ohio -Flood water surged into homes and businesses, forcing people to rooftops to await rescue Friday morning after 9 inches of rain filled the rivers and streets of northeast Ohio.

Lake County, east of Cleveland, declared a state of emergency. County Administrator Kenneth R. Gauntner Jr. estimated at least 100 people had been evacuated and all available rescue boats had been pressed into service.

As much as 9 inches of rain fell Thursday and Friday in Lake County, the National Weather Service said.

Firefighters and Coast Guard crews were busy plucking stranded people from flooding homes and searching for a man who disappeared early Friday while moving marina equipment out of high water near the swollen Chagrin River, an outlet to Lake Erie.

Several storms have pounded the state over the past month, wreaking havoc on riverside homes and low-lying neighborhoods.

"It's just been a very active weather pattern for this part of the country," said Dan Leins, a weather service meteorologist in Cleveland. "When you have weather patterns like this, it's not uncommon to see showers and thunderstorms several nights in a row."

In Eastlake, officials opened City Hall as a temporary shelter.

In nearby Mentor, police helped remove more than 100 children from Ridge Pointe Child Care Center on Thursday as waist-deep water flooding the parking lot began seeping into the building.

Children were pulled through windows and bused to a nearby fire station, where their parents picked them up.

"It was the most organized chaos I have ever seen," said Tonja Schleicher, owner of the day care. "Some of the kids were a little upset, so we just hugged them a little tighter."

Ahhhhhhh!

Cameron (Cam) Cardow - The Ottawa Citizen

Heat Wave the Sequel

It's Even Warm At Night, But Never This Warm

July 24, 2006

By Scott Sistek

SEATTLE - Erasers sure have been busy with the Seattle record books lately. And they don't even get any time off at night.

The high temperatures have been getting all the glory lately, but did you know Seattle just had the warmest night in their history Sunday night?

The low temperature Monday morning was a balmy 70 degrees. It's the first time the temperature has failed to drop under 70 since records have been kept in Seattle. The previous record for warmest night (or "highest low temperature") was 69 degrees set Sept. 2, 1974.

That record comes on the heels of a string of high temperature records the past few days.

The erasers first got their work in on Friday, when Seattle (97), Olympia (101), Hoquiam (90) and Stampede Pass (93) set record highs. Not to be outdone, Portland (104) and Vancouver, Wash. (104) also topped the charts. And Hillsboro, Oregon (just outside of Portland) tied their all-time record with 108 degrees.

Then, Saturday came along. Time to re-write more records.

Seattle (96), Hoquiam (91), and Stampede Pass (90) once again broke records. Olympia (99) tied theirs.

The record high temperature books sort of caught a break on Sunday. Even though temperatures were once again in the mid-upper 90s, it turned out in 1981, it was even hotter, and most records were near 100.

But! Seattle did tie a record for number of consecutive days at 95 or hotter at three. The last and only time it's happened before was in August of 1977.

Temperatures were on pace Monday morning to perhaps get to 95 again, meaning that record could be broken.

Going back to the "warm nights" theme, several of those daily records were broken this weekend as well.

Seattle (68), Olympia, (71), Hoquiam (60), Forks (58) and Bellingham (64) all set daily records for highest low temperature on Friday night.

Then came Seattle's 70 degree low Monday morning. That gave temperatures a great head start to try and reach the mid 90s once again for Monday afternoon, but cooler weather is promised Tuesday and through the end of the week.

Which is probably a good thing, since our eraser is getting really tired! :)

The Heat Wave, So Far

Just for those still curious, here's how the heat wave has stacked up so far:

Here's the official stats of the three day heat wave extravaganza:

	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Vancouver (WA)	104	94	101
Portland	104	93	101
Shelton	102	101	99
Olympia	101	99	98
Kelso	100	97	99
Bremerton	99	93	95
Bellevue	99	99	95
Seattle	97	96	95
Renton	97	95	93
Tacoma	97	93	93
Gig Harbor	95	91	92
Arlington	93	91	91
Friday Harbor	92	90	89
Port Angeles	91	90	87
Forks	91	86	87
Hoquiam	90	91	80
Everett	90	89	88
Bellingham	88	85	84

Having a Heat wave, a Tropical Heat Wave....

Its 95 degrees here, way too hot for us here in Seattle! Got the fans going (no air conditioning at my house) and a round of kool popsicles for everyone!

Seattle broke the old record of 94 degrees today and Portland really Fried!

Vancouver (WA): 104
Portland: 104
Shelton: 102
Kelso: 100
Olympia: 100
Bremerton: 99
Seattle: 97
Renton: 97
Tacoma: 97
Arlington: 93
Friday Harbor: 92
Hoquiam: 90
Everett: 90
Forks: 89
Port Angeles: 89
Bellingham: 88

Do you Remember Hollywood Squares??

Hollywood Squares

These questions and answers are from the days when "Hollywood Squares"
game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted as they are now.

Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions.
Please note: most, if not all, of those answering the questions are
(now) dead!

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long
enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you
be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a
woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmo magazine, if you meet a stranger at a party and you
think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's
married?
A. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I Love You"?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.

Q. What are "Do It," "I can help," and "I Can't Get Enough"?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hand
while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give
you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries, Are you going to get
any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps.
One is politics. What is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose
do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the
habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. While visiting China, your tour guide starts shouting "Poo! Poo! Poo!"
What does this mean?
A. George Gobel: Cattle crossing.

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head,
what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. When a couple has a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has
actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and Laugh

More Clever Pup ACEO (Artist trading Card Originals)

Pirate Pup and Golden Treasure!

























Little Papillon Bath Time.
























Super Appy!

All up for bid on ebay, Search Cleverpupart

Back at it!

It was a great vacation, but back to painting and drawing today with some new ACEOs on Ebay.
























Yummy, Ice Cream!

Montana vacation 2006

This year we went to Montana for a week in the "Last Best Place",
It was a great vacation and Ill share a few of our vacation photos.

Above: Logans Pass in Glacier National Park, lots of snow still in late June!

















Beautiful Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, we had fantastic weather!


















Little Gold Nugget from Montana



















The River Wild, clear, clean and very cold!

















"Happy Trails!" Riding off on a 6 mile trail ride, I am on the paint and Ian brings up the rear on "Royal"

Thanks to all the Wonderful friendly people in Montana for making this a memborable trip!

Boom Boom!

Happy Fourth of July!!

New Art

Windy Day maltese!






















Appaloosa Swim























Grill Goddess

All listed on ebay, go to cleverpupart

Big Rock Chunk Topples From 'Fin' In Volcano's Crater

May 11, 2006


SEATTLE - The sheer rock fin emerging in Mount St. Helens' crater lost about a third of its northern face recently, but because lava keeps pushing to the surface, the height remained the same Thursday - around 330 feet.

A burst of seismic activity at the mountain Sunday night likely corresponded to the collapse. "Certainly a big piece fell off - something like 65,000 cubic yards," said geologist Dan Dzurisin at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., about 50 miles from the mountain and 150 miles south of Seattle.

Bad weather had iced over scientists' cameras on the rim of the volcano, so the rockfall wasn't recorded on film, he said.

Now the fin is about the same height as it was before, but rock that was previously in the middle is now at the top.

"At that height, it becomes unstable and ... begins to collapse under gravity," he said. Boulders and finer rubble from the crumbling top surround the base of the fin.

"At that height, it becomes unstable and ... begins to collapse under gravity," he said. Boulders and finer rubble from the crumbling top surround the base of the fin.

This is the seventh rock feature formed by lava in the crater since the 8,364-foot mountain reawakened with a drumfire of low-level seismic activity in September 2004.

The crater was formed by the southwest Washington volcano's deadly May 18, 1980, eruption that killed 57 people and blasted about 1,300 feet off the then-9,677-foot peak.

The most recent lava feature started growing in mid-October, Dzurisin said.

The emerging rock takes different shapes, depending on what it meets at the surface.

At the moment it's like toothpaste coming out of a tube. "As it emerges it's having to deal with its own debris, so we're seeing steeper-sided features looking more like spines," the geologist said.

The pace of the lava extrusion has slowed since October 2004, he added. For the past few months, St. Helens has been pushing lava to the surface at a pace of about 1 meter per second, down from 6 meters a second.

It's not yet clear whether it's slowing to a stop, or has reached a pace it can maintain for years or even decades, Dzurisin said.

"St. Helen's loves to build domes," he said. "It's built many in its history and we suspect some of those went on for decades.

"We might be in that situation - and then again we might not."

Happy Mothers Day!

Like Mother, Like Son, on Ebay

Giant Rock Fin Rapidly Growing In Mount St. Helens' Crater

Photo USGS

POSTED: 8:15 am PDT May 5, 2006

UPDATED: 6:30 pm PDT May 5, 2006

SEATTLE -- If the skies are clear as forecast, volcano watchers who turn out for the reopening of the Johnston Ridge Observatory on Friday will get a spectacular view of a hulking slab of rock that's rapidly growing in Mount St. Helens' crater. It's jutting up from one of seven lobes of fresh volcanic rock that have been pushing their way through the surface of the crater since October 2004. The fin-shaped mass is about 300 feet tall and growing 4 feet to 5 feet a day, said Dan Dzurisin, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

The rock in the crater began growing last November, steadily moving west and pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes. Mount St. Helens, located in the Cascades of Washington, has been quietly erupting since a flurry of tiny earthquakes began in late September 2004. Scientists initially mistook the quakes as rainwater seeping into the hot interior of the older lava dome. But it soon became clear that magma was on the move, confirmed by the emergence of fire-red lava between the old lava dome and the south crater rim a few weeks after the seismic activity began.

The volcano has continued pumping out lava ever since. Eventually, scientists expect the volcano will rebuild its conical peak that was obliterated in the May 18, 1980 eruption that left 57 people dead. The current growth of the new lava dome has been accompanied by low seismicity rates, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases and minor production of ash, the USGS said. "Given the way things are going now, there's no hint of any sort of catastrophic eruptions," USGS geologist Tom Pierson said. "At any time, however, things can change." Scientists flew a helicopter into the crater late last week to adjust equipment and take photographs that will likely be used to determine just how much the new lava dome has grown the last several months.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, which closes down every winter, is the closest observatory to the 8,364-foot peak. It is named after David A. Johnston, a volcanologist killed in the 1980 eruption. It sits about five miles north of the mountain and offers the closest views of the volcano's horseshoe-shaped crater.

Horsin' around

New Horse art on Ebay!
These are Artist Trading Cards, size 2.5 x 3.5 start your collection today, search AECO or ATF on ebay!























Click to see all my art on Ebay!