Someone posted here that they love yellow trees. I know that ginko trees can be a striking, brilliant yellow, and there are several near my office. The ones along the street were pretty solidly yellow, but they are small and unimpressive. I've been waiting for the big one across the street to turn. Its an impressively large tree, about 4 feet in diameter and over 150 years old. This is the tree as of this past Friday: Yesterday I could see that it was pretty much the same as above. Today every single leaf is on the ground. Every. Single. One. I had read that ginkos (or at least some ginkos) lose all their leaves in a day, but never quite believed it.

He was in the Navy. His name was William, and one of the jokes he (reportedly) would often tell is that when the commanders on the the ship would give the order "Fire at Will" he would dive for cover. I can see a strong resemblance between him and my uncle Joe, the youngest of his children.

No, it's hearthstone castle...gillette's is still fine. Sounds like they are going to try to preserve a wall, but they have to figure out how much of a wall and how to stabilize it and how to keep it from becoming a climbing wall with associated dangers. But it will no longer be a building. As it is now, I can see how hazardous it is...looking inside, it's amazing the graffiti is in places where it is, and people have climbed inside and had to be rescued. The interior floors have completely collapsed and there's been a fire.

One of the Mute Swans that has become established in Chesapeake Bay (one of the few areas they are "countable" on a birding list).