Wordless definitions: Standoff

I took this picture because I heard a low growling coming from the dining room and saw this little tableau: Clio (big fat orange cat) treed by Callie (skinny brown cat) and growling because she felt intimidated. This is the funniest cat dynamic; 11-pound Clio routinely wins fights with Gigi, who is close in size, but let barely-7-pound Callie stake her ground and Clio will back down, growling all the way.

Of course, because I entered the room Callie nonchalantly looked away, as if to say, "What, me cause trouble?" Clio stopped growling, but she didn't look away from Callie ... she knows that cat is psycho.

Photo of the Week--10/12/09

In February 1999 we took our first annual "get us out of gloomy dark England" trip to the Mediterranean. We went to Malta, an island that's midway between Sicily and Tunisia, so there are all sorts of interesting influences there. A bonus was that everyone spoke English, because it was a Commonwealth nation until 1964. We rented a car and drove around, checking out prehistoric sites, natural beauties, and more "recent" history, such as this cathedral built by the Knights of St. John. Although the outside of the church is very plain, the inside is incredibly ornate, and the floor is covered with sepulchral slabs like the ones in this picture, all made of many shades of marble carefully pieced to make incredible pictures. This one was relatively simple, but I thought very effective. Boy thought it was pretty cool, too ... but we still need to work on the fake smile.