Two Views, Same Place

 Many of these photos are from the internet.

Catawba Falls NC (not my photo)

 Catawba Falls, NC

From Asheville, 1893 and 2026...

Biltmore Village in 1893 and today. All Souls church was being built

Different views of Looking Glass Falls NC

Looking Glass Falls 1925. Asheville Post Card Co.

 Lower left corner shows photographer, Masa, numbering 0-5456.

This could be my photo, or one like it. This site is right next to US Highway 276 near Brevard NC.

Taken by drone probably...

Lady Liberty

Yellowstone Lower Falls, WY by Rob Moody

Yellowstone Falls in winter

From London England

The Temple Bar, the last surviving ceremonial gateway to the City of London

Sharing with Sepia Saturday

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A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment's life -- that's me. 

-Harivansh Rai Bachchan, poet (1907-2003)

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Yesterday, February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled tRump's tariffs were illegal.

"BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 20, 2026 ruled in a 6–3 decision that Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs were illegal because he exceeded his authority under federal law when he imposed them without clear congressional approval.

The Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the 1977 statute Trump cited to justify his tariffs, does not authorize the president to impose broad import taxes. Under the Constitution, that power is reserved to Congress.

Majority (6 Justices) Tariffs Struck Down

Chief Justice John Roberts (wrote the opinion)

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Justice Elena Kagan

Justice Neil Gorsuch

Justice Amy Coney Barrett

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

These justices agreed that IEEPA does not grant tariff authority and that imposing tariffs of this scope without clear congressional authorization violates federal law.

Dissent (3 Justices)

Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Justice Clarence Thomas

Justice Samuel Alito

The dissenters argued that the statute could be interpreted to permit these actions or that the majority misread the president’s authority under existing law.

What This Means

The tariffs Trump imposed under emergency powers, including wide-reaching duties on imports from major trading partners, are no longer lawful.

The Court did not fully spell out the refund process, but companies that paid billions in tariffs may now seek refunds.

The ruling represents a significant check on executive power in trade policy and underscores that only Congress can authorize new taxes or tariffs.

This decision is a major blow to Trump’s economic agenda and could reshape how future presidents approach trade authority and executive power.

Before and after

 

Saturday morning, Jan 31, snowing still after the first 8 hours or so. It stopped in another 7 hours. But there was no visual evidence of the ridge on the other side of the valley!

Sunday morning, the mountain on the other side of the valley is visible, and sun has come out again! It was only 7 F degrees however.

And then it started to melt, of course. By Tuesday it got above 40 in the afternoon.

Before: A neighbor across the holler seems to have not cleaned out his chimney, but the billows of smoke did finally die back. I worried that the whole house might go up.

After.

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Bridge seen in the distance in the lower shot is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Skyline Inn in Little Switzerland has been in operation since the 1940s. See my blog post which included older photos. 

June 2024, some of the foundations of lower buildings

June 2024 the hotel continues operation, but the floods and landslides of Hurricane Helene closed it at the end of September 24. The hotel is open again now.

View of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Little Switzerland NC. Sharing with Skywatch Friday

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Bridge in Swannanoa NC - the second shot from floods of Hurricane Helene

Downtown Swannanoa...the pillars are on the Short Sleeves Coffee Shop today. The next building behind it was once a bank.

The Short Sleeves building also served as a gas station at one time. This location and was not damaged by the floods from Hurricane Helene.

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The Flat Iron Building in Asheville NC

Flat Iron Building in center, Nov, 2023

Flat Iron Building (on r) and Wall Street, Asheville NC Jan 31, 2026

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Sharing with Sepia Saturday

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Saturday Jan 31, 2026

Jan 31, 2026 The Mustang Sallie's Krew of the Gasparilla Parade, Tampa FL. Cold and windy in the 40s F. My son was on safety crew in bright yellow vest in front of the building on the float. Hillsborough Bay looks frigid in the background of Bayshore Blvd.

Maybe the Angry Women - 6

This post was composed in late December. As of Jan 7th, the relationship of ICE to the protestors changed dramatically so I'm including it here, as well as some updates.

 This latest incredible event of Renee Nicole Good's murder is shocking, and will be of ongoing concern for many of us.

"A parking lot just exposed ICE’s biggest weakness — and reminded us what real community care looks like. In Takoma Park, Maryland, people started noticing a pattern. The same unmarked vehicles idling for hours. No badges. No explanations. Just the low-grade fear that comes when enforcement hides in plain sight.

So residents did the most disruptive thing imaginable: they showed up for each other.

Every day, neighbors began occupying that parking lot. Not with threats or confrontation, but with presence. Coffee. Conversation. Music. Knitting needles.

The goal wasn’t to provoke ICE — it was to deny them the conditions they depend on: silence, isolation, and invisibility. When a space fills with people who care, fear stops working

This wasn’t a stunt. Montgomery County is more than one-third foreign-born. Parents walk kids to school wondering who might not come home. Workers worry about routine errands turning into life-altering encounters.

By occupying the lot daily, residents created a zone of watchfulness and care. According to organizers, once the gatherings became routine, the suspected ICE vehicles stopped using that location altogether

When people refuse to look away, enforcement built on intimidation starts to fail.

What makes Takoma Park matter is that it’s not an exception. It’s part of something spreading. Across the country, everyday people are stepping in where systems have abdicated responsibility.

Neighbors escort immigrants to court so no one walks in alone. Volunteers monitor and document ICE activity. Communities flood hotlines when unmarked vans appear.

Jurors push back against prosecutions tied to immigration crackdowns. Judges are limiting courthouse arrests. None of this is coordinated from the top. It’s happening because people are choosing to protect one another.

ICE’s strategy depends on people being separated — by language, by legal status, by fear. What these communities are doing is stitching those divisions shut. They’re saying: if you threaten one of us, you’ll have to face all of us. And you won’t get to do it quietly.

Takoma Park didn’t wait for permission or a press conference. No injunction told them to act. No politician led the way. A neighbor made a Facebook post. Others showed up. And then they kept showing up.

That’s the part power doesn’t know how to handle — care that’s persistent, public, and shared.

A parking lot isn’t supposed to matter. But when a community decides it’s a place where neighbors keep neighbors safe, it becomes something else entirely."

Published Dec 27, 2025 by The Other 98% on FB

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Current events this week demand that we also acknowledge the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE!

One description said Renee Good was a trained "legal observer." That isn't an accident; it's a choice. She and her wife Jillian Good were leftist activists there to disrupt ICE, though her mother says she was just going home from dropping her son at school. The truth will eventually be discovered.

Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed a US citizen Jan 7, 2026. There is not enough  legal effort going  on to examine his actions at this time.

SOURCE: Facebook posts

 I saw many photos on FB from people in Minneapolis Wednesday and Thursday being in their streets. And their schools were canceled Thursday and Friday to protect the children and staff.

 Facts. No AI about it.

Life. Death. Justice!

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Here are some demonstrations that were posted on social media:

The "Say Her Name" meme is kind of owned by Women of Color. But Renee Good's name needs to be spoken these days! 

Asheville, NC

Asheville NC

Clintonville neighborhood, Columbus OH and next 4 photos

My family took part in the demonstration Jan 10, 2026

As I keep stoking the fires of women's anger, I'm reminded that this is the emotion which brings us to action. Of course men can also be angry, but our society has options for men which seem more acceptable than for women. Not going to argue that, because it's a great source of inter-gender discussions.

But anger is needed so much these days, to cause our government to back off, to stop the lying and abuses, and to get those we've elected in congress to actually do their jobs!

People power is what I'm relying upon. The laws that are meant to protect us, to guide our leaders, are being ignored daily. And the penalties for those infractions are not being prosecuted!

Any agreement which is broken must have repercussions. If there are no enforcers, or enforcement, then it's up to the people. Justice demands it.

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In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. In later times, she was identified with Selene, the personification of the Moon. She was often said to roam the forests and mountains, attended by her entourage of nymphs. The goddess Diana is her Roman equivalent.

Artemis - The Louvre

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Uniformity is not nature’s way; diversity is nature’s way.

VANDANA SHIVA