John Wise

Having to learn the hard way, Joseph and Erma rode well into the evening ahead of the other pioneers. They’d been told that the old Mormon Trail shouldn’t oughta be taken alone. Sure enough, they threw a timing belt and soon found their battered covered wagon being towed into town for expensive repairs. Life on the trail is known to be fraught with hardships, but four hundred dollars for towing seemed a might hefty this day.

Barely an empty lot remains in Phoenix, Arizona, that isn’t fenced for future construction or undergoing development. Real estate prices are soaring, promising to destroy one of the attractions that drew so many people to Arizona in the first place – sadly, wages are not keeping up with the rise. No matter for these builders, as there are enough speculators who have bailed out of the stock market who see that the sky is the limit and real estate bubbles are a thing of the past. This is the new real estate economy and is different than years past. Hmmm, right.

This is a Rangoli drawn in front of Indo-Euro Foods in Phoenix, Arizona, in celebration of the Indian New Year. Rinku Shah drew this one on the evening of Diwali, as she did last year, too. The Rangoli is a symbol that enhances the beauty of the surroundings and suggests joy and happiness to those who look upon it. Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights.

Rudy the Schnauzer and Guido the Maltese are my mom’s dogs. They have just been to the groomer and are looking good, well, except for this weird look on Guido’s face. Guido is still a puppy, and Rudy is nine years old.

Two pumpkins, some strategically placed holes in their skin and flesh, fire raging in their heads, and there you have it – Jack O’Lanterns