RIP Pat Oliphant, a political cartoonist with an acerbic sense of humor and a devastating knack for bringing out politicians' worst qualities through illustration and caricature.

Here's two

For Mother's Day, a photo of my mom branding cows on her family's cattle ranch in Mandan, ND. The ranch was 30,000 acres and the family raised Hereford cattle. The branding seen here would have been some time during World War II or just after.

Here's another aviation photo from my past. This is an F-111, also known as "The Aardvark," landing at RAF Bentwaters. The main base for these fighter-bombers was at RAF Upper Heyford, where I was stationed from 1977 to 1980. They were "swing-wing" jets (the wings folded back to go supersonic).

My annual Veteran's Day post. I'm shown here with "Kool" Ed Ross (far left) and Jeff Shaw (left) on the flight line at RAF Upper Heyford where I was stationed. Some movie trivia-- base was used in the films Octopussy, Children of Men and The Fourth Protocol. The base was closed in 1993

RIP Jerry West, the best pure jump shooter and one of the best clutch shooters of all time.

RIP Jim Otto, the perennial All-pro center for the Oakland Raiders. He was the dominant center certainly of the AFL and probably, for a few years, of the NFL.

Here's a photo of the 1953 Studebaker Starliner emerging from the assembly line. The car was designed by Bob Bourke for Raymond Loewy's design firm

Here is a blast from the past. These white buildings were the barracks I lived in during US Air Force basic training in 1976 at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. They were built during World War II. I was in the fourth one on the right side of the entry road.

RIP M. Emmett Walsh, character actor who humanized losers, seedy businessmen and crooked cops on film. My favorite: he played Michael Keaton's sponsor in Clean and Sober. (Photo not from Clean and Sober.)

Here's a great shot of post-bombing-mission Jimmy Stewart debriefing with some Army Air Corps colleagues during WW II.

Here is a great photo of Jimmy Stewart at the controls of a B-24 bomber. The B-24 was very difficult to fly. It was nicknamed the Flying Boxcar.

Lamenting the demise of Sports Illustrated, some favorite covers

With the eventual disappearance of Sports Illustrated, here are some of my personal favorite covers

One of my favorite jazz photos. This is tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. He was 6' 5" and his nickname was Long Tall Dexter. An album to look for--"Go"

A photo of a B-52 bomber in operation at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. I was stationed there from 1976 to 1977. You can tell it's North Dakota because the landscape is flat.

This is a 1938 photo of the Lane Wells building in Los Angeles. It originally housed offices. Today it is a film production company and is used in period Hollywood movies