The comments that follow were originally posted the day after the presidential election of 2008. Somehow someone has figured out a way to get past Petaluma 360's security measures and has been spamming this one post. I've deleted the original, hoping that will stop the spam but I don't want my comments removed so I've posted it here again. With the inauguration only two days away, the message seems as poignant now as the day I originally wrote it.

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Today our country faces some of the greatest challenges it has ever confronted in its long and glorious history. One measure of the magnitude of the task before us is that solving one problem often has the undesirable consequence of making another problem worse. For example, relying on coal to meet our energy needs fouls the air we breathe; relying on corn to create ethanol drives up the cost of food.

Every day the media, right and left, reminds of the problems we face as a nation: fighting two wars, the economy, our dependence on foreign oil and the state of the environment to name a few. These also have the attention of our elected officials at all levels of government. As daunting as these problems are, there is one challenge we face as a nation that gets very little attention from the media or from our elected representatives: we are a divided nation. Of all the challenges that confront America, I believe this is our biggest.

On June 16, 1858, after having been chosen as the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address to his Republican colleagues in the Hall of Representatives. In his address he uttered his oft-quoted phrase, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." If ever our nation has been divided, we are today. If ever a nation was in danger of tearing itself apart, we face that danger.

November 4th was an historic moment in our country's history, one filled with the promise of better days ahead for all Americans. Senators McCain and Obama spoke eloquently of working together to serve the country both men love. Both men know if our great country is to move forward and solve the problems we face, we must put our differences behind us and work together to build a brighter future.

Two men with very different viewpoints united in a common cause; the betterment of America. If all Americans heed the words of their candidate and choose to work together, there is an excellent chance we will look back and view these turbulent and difficult times as the ashes from which we rose to new greatness. If however, we choose to hold on to past differences, if we choose to cling to resentment and bitterness, our chances of creating a new and stronger America are greatly diminished.

The choice is ours. Will we reach across the aisle, Republican, Democrat and Independent and work together to build a stronger, greater America or will we harbor anger and mistrust towards those with whom we disagree? Will our actions be driven by what we have in common or will our actions instead be driven by a thirst for revenge? Will we cling to our differences and suffer the consequences of a house divided or will we choose to remember that at the end of the day, we are all Americans?

The choice is ours.

More balancig acts with one that is bound to get attention.

I was in Sausalito last weekend. As I was walking down Bridgeway St., I noticed a small crowd of people on the sidewalk facing towards the bay. As they had filled the available space on the sidewalk it wasn't immediately obvious what they might be looking at.

Squatting down on the rip rap along the shore was a man doing an amazing balancing act with rocks stacked on rocks which were stacked on rocks. Here are some of the better ones.

More antique dolls from Main Street Petaluma.

Petaluma never seens to run out of people, places, things and events that make for interesting photographs. I found this doll in an antique store downtown today.