At the Crosshairs

NEWARK, New Jersey -- Three women die together in an accident and go to heaven. When they get there, Saint Peter says, "We only have one rule here in heaven. Don't step on the ducks!" So they enter heaven, and sure enough, there are ducks all over the place. It is almost impossible not to step on a duck, and although they try their best to avoid them, the first woman accidentally steps on one. Along comes St. Peter with the most unattractive man she ever saw. St. Peter chains them together and says, "Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to spend eternity chained to this man." The next day, the second woman steps accidentally on a duck, and along comes St. Peter, who doesn't miss a thing, and with him is another extremely unattractive man. He chains them together with the same admonishment as for the first woman. The third woman has observed all this and, not wanting to be chained for all eternity to an unattractive man, is very careful where she steps. She manages to go months without stepping on any ducks, but one day St. Peter comes up to her with the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on. St. Peter chains them together without saying a word. The woman remarks, "I wonder what I did to deserve being chained to you for all of eternity?" The guy says, "I don't know about you, but I stepped on a duck."

Down Under

GALVESTON, Texas -- Dreaming of sailing the waters of Australia and Oceania

Bird's Eye View

Galveston

Happy New Year

GALVESTON, Texas -- ♪ Hey hey hey, here I go now, here I go into new days. ♪ -- Metallica

Born from Sea Foam

GALVESTON, Texas -- Her identity remains a sweet mystery. Is she Botticelli's Venus? Or perhaps the Girl from Ipanema: "a golden-tanned girl, a mixture of flower and mermaid, full of light and grace, but with a touch of sadness, in that she carries with her on her route to the sea, a passing feeling that beauty is not ours alone — it is a gift of life in its constant, beautiful and sad ebb and flow."
_____
As described in the original Portugese: "a moça dourada, misto de flor e sereia, cheia de luz e de graça mas cuja a visão é também triste, pois carrega consigo, a caminho do mar, o sentimento da que passa, da beleza que não é só nossa — é um dom da vida em seu lindo e melancólico fluir e refluir constante." -- Vinícius de Moraes

Revelação: A Verdadeira Garota de Ipanema