Qana civilian deaths & Israel aerial strikes after announcing 48 hour halt

Israeli warplanes strike hours after announcing 48-hour aerial halt and apology for civilian deaths.

By Zeina Karam

The Associated Press

Beirut – Israeli warplanes struck suspected guerrilla positions in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria early Monday, despite a 48-hour suspension announced a few hours earlier, security officials said.

Israeli jets carried out two raids at approximately 1:30 a.m. near the village of Yanta, about five kilometers from the Syrian border, the officials said because they were not authorized to give statements to the media.

Israel announced a 48-hour halt in aerial attacks Sunday around midnight that was believed to be effective immediately. But early Monday an Israeli army spokesman said the pause in overflights began at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Israeli officials earlier left open the possibility that Israel might hit targets to stop imminent attacks on Israel, and that the suspension could last less than 48 hours if the military completes its inquiry into Sunday’s incident in Qana before then.

It was not known what was hit in the Yanta area, where radical Syrian-backed Palestinian factions maintain bases in the mountains abutting the Syrian border.

The Israeli aerial suspension came hours after an Israeli air strike killed at least 56 civilians, most of them women and children in the southern Lebanese town of Qana, sparking an international uproar and fuelling demands for a ceasefire.

Shortly before the suspension, Israeli warplanes attacked for the second time in the last few days, a road between Lebanon and Syria just outside the Lebanese border post at Masnaa, severing the main artery between the two capitals. The Israeli military confirmed a highway attack near Syria but said it knew of no others.

The army said that the temporary cessation of aerial activity would allow the opening of corridors for 24 hours for Lebanese civilians who want to leave south Lebanon for the north and would maintain land, sea and air corridors for humanitarian assistance.

The attack on Qana brought Lebanon’s death toll to more than 510 and pushed American peace efforts to a crucial juncture, as fury at the United States flared in Lebanon. The Beirut government said it would no longer negotiate over a U.S. peace package without an unconditional ceasefire.

At the United Nations, the Security Council approved a statement expressing “extreme shock and distress” at the bloodshed and calling for an end to violence, stopping short of a demand for an immediate ceasefire.

In Qana, workers pulled dirt-covered bodies of young boys and girls – dressed in the shorts and T-shirts they had been sleeping in – out of the mangled wreckage of the three-story building.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting to debate a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire – a step Washington has stood nearly alone at the council in refusing until the disarmament of Hezbollah is assured.

In a jab at the United States, UN chief Kofi Annan told the council in unusually frank terms that he was “deeply dismayed” his previous calls for a halt were ignored. “Action is needed now before many more children, women and men become casualties of a conflict over which they have no control,” he said.

After news of the deaths emerged, Rice telephoned Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and said she would stay in Jerusalem to continue work on a peace package, rather than make a planned Sunday visit to Beirut. Saniora said he told her not to come.

Rice decided to cut her Mideast trip short and return to Washington on Monday morning. Many in the Arab world and Europe see the United States as holding the key to the conflict, believing that Israel would have to stop its offensive – sparked by Hezbollah’s July 12 abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid – if its top ally Washington insisted it had to.

Imagine

Is it too much to imagine a world without guns, bombs, armaments, armies and wars? What if we trained all our young people to do diplomacy, medical research, assistance in world disasters, or so many other things where money would be well spent? Are we still barbarians? How can we make ourselves heard to get rid of all war mongers and war machines, and set up panels to discuss and settle issues in the manner of a civilized world? The concept of war is obsolete and well past its best before date.

I wonder if:

I wonder if:

We could move the Jewish homeland to somewhere in the United States. The US has the land and space available for far more people than does the Mid-east. We could declare Israel a neutral space for all nationalities and countries. It could be administered by a special department under the auspices of, perhaps the UN.

I believe we made a mistake in 1948 when we gave Arab lands to the Jewish people who were, after all, living in other countries by their own choice. These people moved to the other countries of their own volition. Over the centuries they never seemed to be able to become integrated into the country they chose as their home.

Jerusalem is a sacred site to Muslims and Christians as well as to the Jews. I think that having an area of neutral space in the mid-east that is free for all people to visit and worship at their sacred sites would go a long way to solving the present day problems. The free space could be supported financially by any business allowed to operate peacefully in the surrounding area of what is now Israel

An about- face by Bush and Blair

U.S. and Britain to push for Mideast peace force

UN resolution will call for ‘urgent’ end to hostilities

By Matthew Fisher

And Sheldon Alberts

CanWest News Service

Beirut -- Israeli jets and Hezbollah rockets continued to exact a deadly toll along the Lebanonese – Israel border Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was en route to the area in the hopes of winning support for a planned United Nations Security Council resolution next week to end the fighting that has continued for almost three weeks.

Facing growing international pressure, the United States and Great Britain on Friday said they would accelerate efforts to deploy an international stabilization force to Lebanon and speed the delivery of humanitarian aid.

As part of the renewed diplomatic push, Rice will seek agreement between the leaders of Israel and Lebanon on a planned UN security Council resolution authorizing the force.

“We agree that a multinational force must be dispatched to Lebanon quickly, to augment a Lebanese army as it moves to the south of that country,” President George W. Bush said at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

A Security Council resolution, to be introduced as early as Monday, will include “a clear frame-work for cessation of hostilities on an urgent basis,” Bush said.

The joint U.S.-British initiative is being launched just days after European and Arab officials failed, during meetings in Rome, to convince the Bush administration of the need for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Rice had said she would only head back to the region when there was a viable plan for a “sustainable” end to fighting, but Bush and Blair have faced growing restiveness from Arab allies who have become increasingly critical of the Israeli military campaign.

Blair acknowledged there is a danger that the “Arab street and people in Arab Muslim countries become more sympathetic to Hezbollah” the longer the fighting continues.

“How do we counter it? We counter it, one, by having our own strategy to bring the immediate crisis to an end, which we do.” Blair said. “We want to see tabled and agreed a UN resolution as early as possible that will allow the cessation of hostilities.”

Asked when he thought an end to violence was possible, Blair said if the Security Council resolution passes nex week ‘it can happen then”.

Hezbollah indicated Friday that it was willing for the first time to consider allowing the Lebanese army to control the country’s southern border. At the same time, it was boasting that it had fired rockets deeper into Israel than ever before.

Hezbollah’s website, which is run by a television station it owns, claimed that it had fired five Iranian-made Khaybar-1 rockets into the Israeli city of Afula, 45 kilometres south of the Lebanese border. The rockets, which carry a potent 100-kilogram warhead, landed harmlessly outside the city, Israeli police said.

In all, Hezbollah fired more than 90 rockets into Israel on Friday. Most of them landed in and near border towns and in the Galilee.

Israel responded with 180 more air strikes. Most took place just inside Lebanon although Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley were also attacked.

These bombardments reportedly killed 13 in Lebanese towns and villages near the border. One of those killed was Nur Shalhov, whom Israeli media described as a senior Hezbollah officer whose particular specialty was smuggling weapons into Lebanon. Shalhov was driving in a vehicle loaded with rockets when it was hit in the Bekaa Valley by missiles fired by Israeli F-16 fighters.

A convoy of civilians displaced by the fighting was shelled by Israeli artillery as it tried to reach an isolated village to the east of the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre. A cameraman and driver from a German television network that had been traveling with the convoy were slightly injured.

Overall, the Lebanese government said that 443 people have been killed since hostilities erupted July 12 and that most of those who had died were civilians. Up to 200 more people were also reported dead, but Lebanese officials said they could not be properly counted because their corpses were still buried under houses and buildings that had been badly damaged in Israeli air raids.

Israel’s official death toll stood at 33 soldiers and 19 civilians Frid. The IDF told the Israeli media that it thinks that it has killed at least 200 Hezbollah fighters since the war began after Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers inside the Israel and dragged them back to Lebaonon. Hezbollah, which is regared as a terrorist organization by most western governments including Canada, has claimed the real number of its dead is 30 to 35.

Three days after an Israeli air strike killed four UN military observers in Southern Lebanon, the world body also announced Friday it would evacuate all its observers from the region.

With Maj. Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener of Canada among the four dead, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had questioned why the UN had kept observes in what had become a war Zone.

-- with a file from Stevne Edwards at the United Nations

Israel ends bloddy incursion into Gaza

Israel ends bloddy incursion into Gaza: 29 dead in two days

Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) –

Israeli troops withdrew from northern Gaza early Friday after a bloody two-day sweep that killed 29 Palestinians, the deadliest concentration of violence since Israel’s incursion began over a MONTH AGO.

The Israeli army killed five Palestinians on Thursday, including a 75-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, who was killed by Israeli gunfire as he stood on the roof of his house at the edge of the Jebaliya camp, residents and hospital officials said.

Israel’s army and air force have been attacking the Gaza Strip to try to stop militants from firing rockets at southern Israel and to secure the release of a captured Israeli soldier.

Early Friday, the militant group Islamic Jihad said it launched a rocket at the southern Israeli town of Zikim. The strike wounded two Israeli children who were hit by shrapnel, Israeli rescue services said.

The Israeli operation in Gaza began after Hamas-linked militants killed tow soldiers and captured a third, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border raid on a military outpost on June 25. Israeli troops have killed more than 100 Palestinians since its Gaza incursion began.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said after Friday prayers that his government and other Palestinian factions have been working closely with the Egyptians in the past few hours to end the Israeli offensive.

“I hope that the exit of Israeli forces [from Gaza] today is the beginning of an Israeli commitment to end the aggression the Palestinians have been under”, he said.

A Hamas political leader said Friday that Hamas would not release Shalit until Israel frees Palestinian prisoners first, and added that the group expected to conduct negotiations for a prisoner swap side by side with Hezbollah.

“Tying the fate of the soldier we have and the soldiers with Hezbollah supports the interests of the two people, especially on the issue of prisoners. All choices are open before us,” Osama al-Muzaini said in an interview on a Hamas website.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the Israeli army arrested 22 Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activity, and a Palestinian youth and a Jewish settler were killed, the army and police said.

After the Israeli pullout from northern Gaza, residents streamed outside before dawn to inspect the damage, and rescue workers found the body of a terrorist killed in the fighting. Terrorists began removing mines and explosives they planted to try to stop the Israelis.

In southern Gaza, Israeli aircraft hit a metal workshop in the city of Khan Younis early Friday, wounding nine people, including two children, hospital officials said. The military said the target was a weapons storehouse.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in Algiers that the situation in the Palestinian areas and Lebanon was only likely to get worse after world leaders failed to agree on an immediate ceasefire at a summit in Rome on Wednesday.

China threatens repercussions for U.S. siding with Israel

By Steven Edwards

And Sheldon Alberts

CanWest News Service

United Nations – The diplomatic divide over the crisis in Lebanon threatened to affect other international crisis Thursday after China expressed anger that the United States “watered down” a United Nations Security Council statement on the deadly Israeli strike on a UN observer mission.

Released after two days of back room negotiations, the statement expressed “shock and distress” at the bombing, but fell short of China’s demand that council members “condemn any deliberate attack against UN personnel.”

The United States also opposed China’s call for the council to demand Israel allow the United Nations to join the Israeli inquiry into the incident.

While a Canadian was among the four observers killed in the Tuesday strike, so too was a serviceman from China, which holds a permanent veto-bearing seat alongside the United States on the Security Council.

It’s there that Washington is also pushing for council action that would curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“On the issue of Iran, not all member states share the same view,” said Wang Guangya, China’s ambassador to the UN.

He said Washington’s opposition to a strong statement on the Israeli strike would have a “negative impact” on the Iran talks.

He also expressed “frustration” that it has taken hours of talks to produce the statement.

“The frustration will definitely affect working relations, somewhat” he said.

China joined by Russia, also a permanent council member, have been reluctant to agree to U.S. led western demands for threatening Iran with sanctions if it does not suspend its uranium enrichment program, which could eventually give Tehran the capability of producing fuel for a nuclear bomb.

But U.S. Ambassador John Bolton has over the past week expressed confidence that both countries, which have trade and political ties with Tehran, were coming around. Bolton was in Washington on Thursday attending Senate confirmation hearings on his possible re-nomination, and Molly Phee, a U.S. deputy political councillor standing in for him, made no comment.

Council members were scheduled to discuss Iran’s nuclear program today but it was uncertain whether the meeting will go ahead.

UN deliberately targeted by Israeli precision guided missiles

Wife of missing UN observer believes he is alive in rubble

By Mike Blanchfield

CanWest News Service

And Frank Armstrong

Kinston Whig-Standard

Kingston, Ont. – The wife of Maj.Paeta Hess-von Kruedener says she has not given up hope her husband is alive somewhere in the rubble of his bombed-out south Lebanon UN observation post, as she blamed Israel for deliberately targeting her husband’s neutral position.

.Í believe in miracles,” Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener said Thursday.

“Why did they bomb the UN site? In my opinion, those are precision-guided missiles, then that is intentional – with 3 bombs.”

Whether the attack was deliberate and whether the UN observers should have been withdrawn – as Prime Minister Stephan Harper suggested earlier this week – remains a hotly debated question.

One of the Defence Department’s leading experts on peacekeeping suggested Harper demonstrated a lack of understanding when he questioned why four unarmed UN monitors, including Hess-von Kruedener, remained at their southern Lebanon post only to be killed.

“I think it shows the Prime Minister was not adequately briefed. He needs to know what the function of military observers are,” said Walter Dorn, a professor specializing in UN peacekeeping and monitoring missions at the Royal Military College in Kinston, Ont.

“It is during times of conflict these observers are most valuable because that’s when they’re the eyes and ears of the international community,” Dorn added in a telephone interview from New York, where he is beginning a six-month term as a visiting expert at the UN.

Dorn said many fellow Canadians at the UN in New York expressed “shock and dismay” at Harper’s remarks following the death of Hess-von Kruedener, who was killed Tuesday along with three colleagues in an Israeli air strike on their observation post in south Lebanon.

Speaking in New Brunswick on Wednesday, Harper said he doubted the bombing was a deliberate attack by Israel, but added: “We want to find out why this United Nations post was attacked and also why it remained manned, during what is, more or less, a war, during obvious danger to these particular individuals.”

Harper called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the bombing.

UN officials reacted coolly to Harper’s suggestion that their observation team should have been pulled out.

“The UN mission in Lebanon is there under a Security Council resolution since 1978. In terms of the specific patrol post that the four UN military observers were based in they were posted in a well marked area and the United Nations had assurances and reassurances that they would not come under attack,” Marie Okabe, spokeswoman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, said Thursday when asked about Harper’s comments.

Hess-von Kredener’s wife and Dorn also pointed out the UN observation post was well marked and would have been well known to the Israeli Defence Force.

“It’s a three-story building, ver solid looking, painted white so it would be very clear to see with the large black UN markings on the side. It flies a UN flag very high, it must be up around six stories,” said Dorn.

“If they knew they were being deliberately targeted, an evacuation plan would have been worth it. And should have been carried out. But they got repeated assurances over a period of six hours that they were not being targeted.”

Evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon

Canada Poised to wind down Lebanon evacuation operation

By Matthew Fisher

CanWest News Service:

BEIRUT – Canada’s evacuation effort in Lebanon will end Saturday, giving stranded citizens a last chance to escape the violence and turmoil that has gripped the country for more than two weeks.

While it was difficult to gauge how many Canadians still wished to leave Lebanon and how many had left on their own, there was a feeling that demand for the evacuation program was diminishing, said Lt.-Col. Shane Brennan, who has run the evacuation effort here from the Canadian Embassy.

About 1,400 Canadians boarded four chartered vessels in Beirut on Thursday bound for Cyprus and Turkey where air craft were to take them to Canada.

This brought to more than 11,700 the number of Canadian citizens who have left Lebanon with Canada’s help.

Canada has been the last western country still assisting its citizens to get out of Lebanon on chartered ships for several days now.

As the country closes one of Lebanon’s last links with the outside world, Israel’s security cabinet sent mixed signals Thursday about the direction of its ongoing war against Hezbollah.

Israel announced the call-up of three more army combat divisions while at the same time saying it did not intend to expand its current ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The seven-member security committee made the decision a day after nine Israeli soldiers died when they were ambushed by Hezbollah fighters just inside the Lebanese border.

The call-up of reservists was required “to prepare us for all options,” the Israeli Defence Forces top general, Dan Halutz, told a news conference. He described the damage already inflicted on Hezbollah as “huge.”

As Israel stepped up its air campaign Thursday with attacks against targets in the Bekaa Valley, as well in border areas, Hezbollah responded by launching about 50 more rockets into Israel.

Although resistance from Hezbollah has been greater than expected, and Israeli infantry, armour and artillery units have had trouble operating in southern Lebanon’s hilly, broken terrain, support for how the government of Ehud Olmert was handling the crisis remained strong. A poll in the ‘Maariv” daily newspaper found 82 per cent of Israelis back the current Offence and 95 per cent Israel had responded correctly to Israel’s abduction of its soldiers.

Red Currant Jelly

I picked the currants today. I only got 2 cups of berries, this year. I put them through the juicer and got 3/4 cup of juice. I added 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup water, boiled it. Yield: approximately 1/2 cup. I put the jelly into tiny jars and have 5 of them.

I also picked the peas today and have about 2 cups of shelled peas for dinner tomorrow.

Painted Vases and Hasselblad system

Yesterday I took a few photos for my Painted Vase album. Not great, but not too bad -- just medium, maybe. I have the lambs loaded and must up date the menus and the Progress Report.

I have been trying to do pricing on my Hasselblad system, through Ebay, locally and shopping it around. It does not look like there is much of a market for the system. Everyone has gone digital, of course. I would rather keep it than sell it for nothing.

I made 2 pies out of the Saskatoon berries Pat brought home a couple of days ago. Just medium pies, too.

I got some clipping and watering done in the front garden. I took out the diseased Peony. I have to dig out its roots yet and trash them. Also, dig out the white dasies as I have hoards of them self seeding. I don't know what I might want to put in the spot though. The soil should be better now than it was 15 years ago. I might still need to add some amendments though. The compost bin needs to be emptied, so I will probably use that in those 2 front beds and try to make them more attractive. The one on Parmar's side looks pretty good, actually. So, perhaps I should just repeat the plants on the other bed.

Hot, hot, hot

Another extremely hot day for us. The temps. are up to 35 again. It cools off quite nice at night, though.

The VCCC had a picnic at St. Stephen's church today. Was a good to see everyone. I took a few photos in the graveyard that surrounds the church. This must be one of the oldest graveyards in our area. The dates go back to the mid 1800's.

Oximetry, new roof, and bears

Today I shot a couple more photos for the 'bears' album on my page. Its a few of my teddy bears set up in particular positions. I will eventually load them to the Series under Photography http://www.mmmee.com/Series where the 'Lambs" from the previous post, are, also.

I shot a bowl of cherries for the 'From the Market' under Gardening; and, I have a nice reflection on a motorcycle for the 'reflections' album under Photography. I am slowly getting a few more things together. I shot the motorcyles in the parking lot while I waited for Pat to pick me up at the Royal Jubilee. I had picked up the kit to measure my oxygen levels in my blood, while sleeping. Yesterday I returned the kit after having the thing on my finger overnite. Dr. C.'s office should call me back to set the appointment re the results.

We had the roofers from Sears come and do the garage roof today. The temperatures were expected to climb above 30 and they did. Our thermometer said 35 which is really hot for us, a record breaking temperature. The roofers arrived by 7:30 am and finished by noon. It is just too hot to do work like that out in the sun. We are not accustomed to that kind of heat.

Israel has been sending shelling Lebanon for the last week. Civilians are being killed. Israel says it is retailiating for 2 Israeli soldiers that the Hezbollah (militant Muslim group) kidnapped. The Hezbollah want Israel to release the Lebanese people they have in captivity (including women, children, in an indeterminate number) in exchange for these 2 soldiers. There is something about this latest round of fighting in the Mid-East that is just more scary and worrisome than usual. You can see the countries lining up on either side of this stupid dispute. It just keeps escalating. I wonder when we are going to learn that everyone needs to dispose of guns and arnaments and armies. If the World spent even 1/10th of its money on diplomatic training and peace negotiations and laws, we would have all the rest of that money to spend to combat disease, do scientific research of all kinds. From this age we live in, I cannot see why any competent, intelligent, leader of any country cannot imagine a world without guns.

Lambs

I have finished tweaking the photos for the 'lambs' album on my page. These Serta lambs have their beginnings at the Model T Ford meet at Cochrane, Alberta where Irene first found the hugmongous first sheep. As we tried to get the flock together we found one wayward sheep sleeping around the world. Shame. The (pink) black sheep was finally apprehended and returned to the flock. Ocassionally there is an outbreak of the wander lust and the wanderer will do community service to make up for the time and effort spent to return the flock to normal. The final page has the sheep dreaming of ages past when they ran free in the fields and wandered over hill and dale.

Gardening

One of the lilies is in bloom. Its not too exciting. The yucca has about 4 stems of blooms this year. I got a bit of clipping and trimming done in the front garden. The guy came and hauled away my twigs and the old furniture that the Diabetes Truck did not take. The charge was $40.00 this time. Tom the $25.00 man no longer does hauling.

Port Angeles & More Rum Pot

We got back yesterday from our trip to Sequim to get the Pacific Coast Honda. Dan Currie brought it to Dan & Irene's place. Pat and Dan Cyr immediately set about playing with it, as soon as it arrived. Irene made us a scrumptious dinner. The next day we were allowed to go with the Sequim Seniors on their trip to the Scottish Games, as Dan is a volunteer and drives the bus, as well as helps with the upkeep of the bus. A good time was had by all. I have no idea how the Scottish dancers could be so energetic in those hot costumes and the high humidity heat. The new dog, Hagar, is quite well behaved and only chews his own toys. Nice big great dane.
The photos are a sailing ship that was in Port Angeles harbor when our ferry was coming in. The black & white dots are a screen that is along the railings of the outter part of the outside deck of the ferry. The islands are in Deception Pass. We stopped here for a short while on our trip with the Seniors Bus.

The rest of July is looking quite busy. Then on the August long week end Jordan should arrive to visit his sister for a few days. At the end of August the 3 Grants from Scotland come over for a visit. They seem to fit in nicely with our routine. They enjoy the bath/bedrooms and then can visit downstairs to their hearts content. I hope Andy can get some time off to spend with them. Tara is back in Uni until the end of December, when, I believe, she is finished.

Pat brought home some cherries and some blueberries. I pitted and added 3 cups of cherries and 2 cups of blueberries with about 1/4 cup of sugar and another 1/2 cup of brandy. The pot is about 3/4 full. I will probably need to move it into the large pot again.

I am working on the series called 'lambs'. I have 24 photos to tweak and add to the album. This album is about the 'Serta" sheep that Irene has been collecting. We bring them any new sheep that are available when we go to their place. They started this collection when we were on the Model T Ford meet out of Cochrane, Alberta, two summers ago.

Orchids

This Dendrobium is in bloom and the Phrag. Andean Fire. I have 2 more painted vases to add to the series. This green one and the previously loaded Andean Fire.

Pacific Coast Honda & Painted Vases

Yesterday we drove down to Bothwell, Wa area and Pat bought Dan Curry's Pacific Coast Honda. We left on the 7:00 a.m. ferry and got down to his workplace just after 11:00. He is going to bring it to Dan & Irene's place on on Saturday and we go down to meet him at the Elevated Icecream place, along with Dan & Irene. Have to bring our helmets and ride it home on Monday or Tuesday when the paper work clears customs. Fun! On our way home we stopped for coffee and found the blue bike in the parking lot.

My Phrag. Andean Fire is in bloom. I am making copies of it for my Painted Vase series on my web page. I will probably use the one without the frame on my page, as the photos can only be 550 pixels in height or width, so the frame would just waste space for viewing the actual photo.

wNw - silhouettes

I finished loading Richard's rust to my page last nite.

I am loading this sunset off my back deck for the wNw thread called silhouettes.

Spring

Painted Vases

I think I might add this one to my 'painted vases' series.

Don arrived this morning and will be using our place as his homebase for the next few days to go about on the Island. Its good to see him and find everyone is doing fine, at his house.