Pecanese

While walking through this idyllic town, Woody took a wrong turn and found himself caged by the natives. He would ask for his release, but sadly, no one there speaks Pecanese.

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Photo of the town of Buffalo by F. Everett Leigh

A Parable

The experiment was a shambles.

"We'll just have to let God sort it out," said the Professor.  I laughed.

"What's so funny?" He was looking at me with an expression I didn't recognize.

I stammered, "Well, it was just... funny, I guess. I mean, you're a scientist, and... uhm..."

"And I shouldn't be calling on God, is that what you mean?"

"Well... it was a joke... right?" Nobody seriously believed in those dusty old myths anymore, did they?

"It's because of my studies that I believe in God," he began. "What do you think sets Man apart from the animals? Intelligence? Tool usage? Language? Nothing? When I was an atheist, all of those were reasonable answers. Then I realized that all other animals, though they lack intelligence, are born with a great deal of knowledge. Animals do complex things... amazing things for which there's no easy explanation, and we wave a hand and call it instinct. No one teaches the tailor-bird how to weave, or why. No one tells a sparrow where or when to migrate. No one teaches a bear to hibernate. No one teaches an ant how to build a city. On the whole, animals are not self-destructive; they do not wage war (except maybe some of those ants). They know their place in the world. They're born stupid, but wise.

"We humans are entirely different. By comparison we're brilliantly intelligent, but we're born completely ignorant. Why, we can barely procreate without someone more experienced to teach us how. Archaeology reveals that we started with nothing, and what learning we have survives only so long as we tell others. And we have to work very hard for that information. Numerous times we gained astonishing insights, only to lose them in a generation. How do you build a pyramid? I don't know either. You'd think we'd be smart enough to just look at one and see; but we're not. And it seems to me sometimes that the more we learn, the more we lose. Even as we put men in orbit, we kill our progeny and deny our true nature. We seem destined not only to be born ignorant, but to remain that way. Understanding this opened my mind to belief in God."

I cocked my head in confusion. The Professor noticed, and smiled kindly.

"Oh, don't you see, boy? What more fitting punishment could there be for a people who stole from the Tree of Knowledge?"

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Photo of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens by F. Everett Leigh

The Gauntlet

They call this road "The Gauntlet". It is the only way in or out of the idyllic town waiting at its far end. They call that town "Uninhabited".

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Photo copyright F. Everett Leigh, published on his Facebook page.

Dip It

"Momma! Momma! Look what I caught! It's so bright and shiny!"
"That's nice, sweetie, but you'd better dip it in the water to cool it before it burns your leaves."

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Photo copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

Temporary Setback

Captured mid-explosion, we see the result of a pound of C-4 and a remote detonator. The hairless bipeds think they won this round. They should have paid attention in Biology; especially the part about cuttings.

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This photo is copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

The Long Way Around

Once again the invading troop was thwarted at the border by a lack of knees.

"Single file, maggots!" barked the sergeant, "We're going the long way 'round!"

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Images copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

BayLeafWatch

Someone should have reminded this poor bedraggled fellow to frolic only on beaches with trained lifeguards. Also, that trees can't swim.

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This photo is copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh and first appeared in a post on his Facebook page.