Socotra Island, floating in the Indian Ocean south of Yeman, is one place that should be on everyone's adventure travel list.

The island of Socotra is a place like no other. About 50,000 people live on the island, but it is famous for its bizarre plant life, half of which is found nowhere else on earth.

The desert rose seems to need no roots, and looks like an elephant's leg in bloom.

The dragon's blood tree.

The cucumber tree, which is fact distantly related to the lowly cucumber.

The art of teapot blowing. My take: these people need jobs ... or a psychiatrist.

www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/09/11/update-teapot-blowing-contest-pictures/

Saturday porch picture.

In searching for the porch picture, I came across this picture someone took of a mountain lion climbing onto their porch during a snowstorm. That would make me think twice about wandering around in the yard after dark.

Cap and Trade is dead, dead, dead, thank God. Next, lets kill socialized health care.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703499404574558070997168360.html

Darvaz, doorway to hell.

englishrussia.com/?p=1830

Women of the Israeli Defense Forces .... they can take you out at 1000 yards!

bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/11/25/one-shot-one-kill-one-beautiful-sharpshooter/

The Other McCain: IG-Gate: White House Walpin Spin Game

Worth the read, as usual.

The Other McCain: IG-Gate: White House Walpin Spin Game

Stocking stuffer!

www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11706-Bacon-Flavored-Mints/dp/B0017T0X9G/ref=pd_sim_t_3

This is what Santa is bringing me for Xmas.

www.bumperdumper.com/bumper2.htm

Saturday night motivational posters.

Global warming scientists emails hacked, and we learn that they were twisting the data to get to the conclusion that there was global warming. Not only that, it appears they were conspiring to damage the careers of non believing scientists who challenged their lies. This is probably the beginning of the end of the global warming hoax.

gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2009/11/man-bear-pig-is-dead-emails-prove-global-warming-junk-science-conspiracy/

Timescapes Timelapse: Mountain Light from Tom @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

Spectacular time lapse photography. Enlarge for a great ride.

Camouflage artists. First, Emma Hack.

From China, Liu Bolin, who considers his work to be a political statement.

More Scratch and Spit pictures.

Walker Lake and Sierra Nevada. Lake Tahoe is directly on the other side of the far mountain range.

Basin and range aspens.

Carson City, Nevada, and the Sierras beyond.

Out in the Nevada desert, wherever there is water, aspens pop out of the sage, like a vein of gold in barren stone. Its magic.

Here is my kind of country, eastern Sierra Nevada. If that isn't a picture of the quintessential road to adventure, I don't know what is.